Lili Reinhart called red light therapy her 'new best friend' after informing her fans that she was diagnosed with alopecia.
Image Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
Lili Reinhart, 27, revealed that she was diagnosed with alopecia on January 29. The former Riverdale star shared a TikTok video that showed her undergoing red light therapy, while mouthing the audio of a man saying, “I'm pushed beyond limits of what a person should be pushed to endure.” On the clip, Lili wrote, “Was just diagnosed with alopecia in the midst of a major depressive episode.”
Lili captioned her video, “Red light therapy is my new best friend,” and she included the hashtags for alopecia and mental health.
@lilireinhart
Red light therapy is my new best friend. #alopecia #mentalhealth
♬ original sound – Sam Huberty
Alopecia is a disease that causes hair loss, and often occurs on the scalp but can occur anywhere else on the body, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. Red light therapy is a common treatment for alopecia. It can improve hair growth in people with androgenic alopecia, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Jada Pinkett Smith and Ashley Tisdale also have alopecia.
It's unclear when Lili suffered her “depressive episode” that led to her alopecia diagnosis. The Hustlers actress has been open about her battle with depression over the years. She notably shared a message about her mental health struggles on her Instagram Stories back in May 2021.
“Some days I feel really defeated by my depression,” Lili wrote at the time. “It's an exhausting battle that I've been fighting for 11 years and some days, like today, it can feel intolerable. This is a reminder to my fellow warriors that it's okay to have days where you don't want to fight anymore. You don't need to justify your mental health to anyone.”
Lili Reinhart in June 2023 (Photo: Shutterstock)
Lili was first diagnosed with depression at age 14 and started therapy again in 2019. “I know so many other young people have [struggled with depression], and I didn't have someone who was talking about it,” she said in an interview with Ocean Drive magazine in 2018. “I remember being in middle and high school and hearing Demi Lovato speak up about her mental illness and that was comforting. But I wanted more people to stand up. I needed more people to relate to. I was like, all these people can't be so happy, can they?”
“It was kind of like this unrealistic picture that was painted in front of me of all these happy, happy people, successful people, beautiful people.” Lili continued. “And even now I'm on this wonderful show. I have money in my bank account. I have my own apartment. I have friends. I still go through and experience depression. You don't have to be ashamed of it. You don't need to ever justify the way you feel.”
