Ashley Tisdale Changed How She Cares for Her Hair After Alopecia Diagnosis: 'I Couldn't Take It for Granted' (Exclusive)

For Ashley Tisdale, changes in her hair care routine were part of her alopecia diagnosis.

The actress and singer, 39, was diagnosed with alopecia areata in her mid-20s after noticing a bald spot in front of her hair while visiting her colourist.

Since then, Tisdale — who’s partnered with Pfizer and Litful, an FDA-approved pill for people 12 and older with severe alopecia areata — says in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that she’s “started to be a lot nicer to my hair and my scalp. ”

“I used to play with a lot of color and dye my hair and bleach it, and I really haven’t been a bright blonde since,” she continues. – I used to wear extensions, so I stopped that too.

“I really just started treating my hair better and I knew I couldn’t take it for granted,” adds Tisdale. “So I treat my hair better and don’t stress it as much.”

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Ashley Tisdale in November 2024.

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Ashley Tisdale speaks candidly about dealing with alopecia: ‘There’s nothing to be ashamed of’

According to Tisdale, “the hardest part about alopecia areata is that there’s really no cure. It’s an autoimmune disease, so they give you that diagnosis and then you say, ‘Well, what do I do?’ ”

“It’s a bit scary, and there’s also the fact that you don’t know when it’s going to erupt, you don’t know how big it’s going to be,” she adds. “Everyone has a different journey with alopecia and so far, luckily for me, it’s been in places I can hide, and most of the time it’s usually triggered by stress.”

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The High school musical The alum says many of her attacks happen when she’s “pretty physically and emotionally stressed.”

“If I see one of the bald spots, I think, ‘I need to calm down… because I’m obviously too stressed right now,'” he adds. “I have seizures every few years.”

Ashley Tisdale in April 2024.

Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty

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Alopecia areata affects nearly 7 million people in the United States and 160 million people worldwide, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Tisdale says her partnership with Pfizer and Litful, which she herself is not actively involved in, was exciting, given that she will be educating others about options after being diagnosed with alopecia areata.

“It’s nice to know that there is treatment and that there are options, because I felt like when I was diagnosed, I didn’t know any options and I didn’t know what to do about it,” the Frenshe founder says.

“It’s something that’s not good, because obviously our hair is everything, and when something like that happens, especially at a young age, it’s really scary,” Tisdale continues.

She adds, “But knowing you’re not alone and that there are options is great.”

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Source: HIS Education