ALOPECIA CONFERENCE COMES TO WOODLAND HILLS.Byline: - Mariko Thompson Ryan McPartlin Ryan McPartlin (born July 3, 1975 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, McPartlin graduated with a degree in speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. plays a hunky hun·ky 1 n. pl. hun·kies Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person, especially a laborer, from east-central Europe. world traveler on the daytime drama ``Passions.'' Though appearance is everything in looks-obsessed Hollywood, Ryan learned from older brother Chris that beauty emanates from the inside. Chris, a 30-year-old Chicago resident, suffers from alopecia areata alopecia ar·e·a·ta n. Hair loss in circumscribed, noninflamed areas of the scalp, eyebrows and beard. Also called alopecia circumscripta. , an autoimmune skin disease that leads to hair loss. The condition has caused the hair on his head, as well as his eyebrows and eyelashes, to fall out. ``It's important to know why people like you, that it's not just the outer appearance,'' Ryan says. ``What I really learned from Chris is that how he viewed himself was how others would view him. By being confident, he's an attractive man, bald or not bald.'' The brothers will speak at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation conference, which will be held from Thursday through Sunday at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs. UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. basketball player Charlie Villanueva Charlie Alexander Villanueva (born August 24, 1984 in Queens, New York City) is an American NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks. Villanueva is a first-generation American, son of Dominican immigrants, Roberto Villanueva and Doris Mejia. , who suffers from the condition, also will address the conference. Alopecia areata affects about 2 percent of the population - or 4.7 million Americans. Onset often begins in childhood. Hair can grow back and fall out at any time, making it a highly unpredictable condition. Treatment options are limited and don't work well for all patients. Except for the hair loss, people who have alopecia areata typically are in good health. But the condition can take an emotional toll. Ryan remembers Chris getting teased at school because of his hair loss. It's not necessarily any easier as an adult. ``People, they think you're a chemo che·mo n. Chemotherapy or a chemotherapeutic treatment. patient,'' Ryan says. ``Everyone tends to look away when they think you're sick.'' Ryan, 28, has a close relationship with Chris. The brothers attended the University of Illinois University of Illinois may refer to:
``He probably doesn't want to pat himself on the back as much as I do,'' Ryan says. ``I'll brag for him and tell him what an inspiration he's been for me.'' IF YOU GO The National Alopecia Areata Foundation Conference runs from Thursday through Sunday at the Warner Center Marriott, 21850 Oxnard St., Woodland Hills. Information: (415) 472-3780 or www.naaf.org. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Brothers Ryan, left, and Chris McPartlin will speak at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation conference this week at the Warner Center Marriott. |
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