Mona Lisa May Have Suffered From Hair Loss, Scientists Suggest

Scientists examining Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa have suggested that the subject, Lisa Gherardini, may have been in the early stages of alopecia areata, a condition causing hair loss. This theory is based on the apparent lack of eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as a receding hairline depicted in the 16th-century portrait.

Dr. Luigi Laino of the Institute of Dermatology and Trichology in Rome, who conducted the analysis, proposed that these features, previously attributed to contemporary fashion, are clinical indicators of the condition. Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks hair follicles, can lead to rapid and total hair loss.

Laino noted that Gherardini's life circumstances, including marriage at 15, the loss of two children, and living under the threat of plague, could have been triggers for stress-related hair loss. The condition typically affects individuals between the ages of 25 and 29, aligning with Gherardini's age at the time of the portrait.

Previous interpretations of the Mona Lisa's appearance had attributed the lack of eyebrows and eyelashes to the prevailing fashion of the time, which often involved women plucking their eyebrows and hair.

Laino's findings were published in the journal Clinics in Dermatology, where he argued that the artwork demonstrably shows signs of the condition. Alopecia areata affects an estimated 400,000 people in the UK, with women being more susceptible than men.