Mona Lisa May Have Suffered From Hair Loss, Scientists Suggest

The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's famed 16th-century portrait, may have depicted more than just a mysterious smile. Scientists suggest the iconic subject, believed to be Lisa Gherardini, may have suffered from a chronic hair loss condition.

Italian dermatologist Dr. Luigi Laino presented findings in the academic journal Clinics in Dermatology, proposing that the subject exhibited symptoms of alopecia areata universalis. According to Laino, four observations on the painting's face are legible: complete bilateral loss of eyebrows, complete bilateral loss of eyelashes, a frontal hairline without transition, and intact, non-scarred skin. He argues that alopecia areata universalis, an autoimmune disorder causing hair loss, is the most plausible explanation for these features.

Laino also points to the historical context of Lisa Gherardini's life. As the wife of a Florentine cloth merchant, she experienced significant stress, including being a teen bride, having six children, and enduring the deaths of four of them. She also lived during a period of political turmoil, religious wars, and plague. The dermatologist suggests that such stressors could have triggered episodes of alopecia.

While the Mona Lisa may be the most famous historical figure to potentially have had alopecia, she is not the only well-known individual to have disclosed the condition. Celebrities such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Viola Davis, and Lili Reinhart have previously shared their diagnoses with alopecia. An estimated 6.7 million Americans are affected by the condition, according to Pfizer. The Mona Lisa, housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, is viewed by an estimated 8 million to 10 million people annually.

Dr. Laino stated that the face on the Mona Lisa should be recognized for its clinical presentation: "A young woman with alopecia areata."