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Former Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale is coming clean about a health challenge with a new project. The High School Musical actress, 39, opened up in an interview on Saturday, December 14 about the fact that she was diagnosed with alopecia areata when was in her 20s.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. Almost 7 million people in the United States and 160 million people globally suffer from the disease. Tisdale has spoken on her website, Femshe, about her experience with the disease before, explaining that it is “nothing to be ashamed of,” and acknowledging that “Any type of hair loss can affect your self-esteem, especially if you feel like you’re the only one going through it.”

Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Universal Pictures “Wicked” at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Tisdale has partnered with Pfizer to raise awareness of a new alopecia…
Ashley Tisdale attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Universal Pictures “Wicked” at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Tisdale has partnered with Pfizer to raise awareness of a new alopecia medication to prevent hair loss.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Now, she is partnering with pharmaceutical brand Pfizer to promote a new medication, Litfulo, an FDA-approved pill for people 12 and older with severe alopecia areata. Though she has not needed to take the medication herself, as she says that many of her flare-ups create bald spots that are “in spots that I can hide.” She also mentioned that often, these flare-ups are “stress-induced.” Most importantly, she’s had to alter the way she treats her hair.

The actress and singer told the outlet that she “started to be way nicer to [her] hair and […] scalp,” going on to explain how she changed her routine. “I used to play with a lot of colors and dye my hair and bleach it, and I really haven’t been bright blonde since then,” she explained. “I used to wear extensions and I stopped doing that as well.” The Phineas and Ferb voice actress also said, “I really started just treating my hair better and basically knowing that I couldn’t take it for granted. So I treat my hair better and not stress it out so much.”