Louis Theroux has revealed he thinks he ‘probably’ has alopecia, having suddenly found his beard grows in a mysteriously patchy pattern.
While Theroux, 52, is most well-known for his signature specs, in more recent years we’ve seen him dabble with the full beard look.
But now it seems he’s veering away from the facial hair after realising it’s not growing in the same way it used to, saying he doesn’t want people to think he’s doing ‘something creative’ with his beard - and doing it ‘badly’.
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Theroux shared a series of photos on Instagram to illustrate the change, with one showing a short moustache below his nose and a triangle of hair underneath his mouth.
He also posted snaps to show how his beard used to look much fuller, and grew consistently across his jawline and around the mouth.
Theroux wrote: “So this is what my beard grows like now due to what I think is probably alopecia.
“Basically I get a little triangle of stubble around my mouth and some more at the sides. It’s not a big deal, but I don’t want people to think I’m doing something creative with my facial hair and doing it badly, when it’s just what I look like when I don’t shave.
“This is also why I don’t wear a beard as much anymore.
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“Maybe it’ll grow back. Who knows? It mainly happened over the course of 2022. You get a sense of how it progressed from the other two photos taken six months before and a year before.”
A number of other celebs commented underneath to share their support, with Professor Green writing: “I still cannot grow a beard Louis, I don’t even have to shave, head out the window at 60mph does the trick; have to watch out for lampposts and cyclists mind.”
Fellow rapper AJ Tracey also wrote: “Still much better than my beard brother.”
Bear Grylls, who Theroux interviewed as part of his recent BBC series, also said kindly: “You look awesome in all of them!”
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Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss, and while it covers several types, is often used in relation to ‘alopecia areata’ - thought to be an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out.
Alopecia UK explains how you might be experiencing ‘some type of alopecia’ if you are ‘experiencing any more hair less than what is normal for you’.
"The next step is identifying which type of alopecia you have,” the charity says on its website.
“We recommend you first speak to a GP. If your GP is unable to make a diagnosis, they may refer you to a dermatologist.”
Featured Image Credit: @officiallouistheroux/InstagramTopics: Celebrity, Health, Hair, Louis Theroux