Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
in collaboration with
Marie Jourdan (Dermatologist)
The health of the former Prime Minister is still talking. After his beard which gradually became more and more white a few months ago, it is now another physical detail that challenges Edouard Philippe: the loss of his eyebrows. What is this due to? The answers of Dr Marie Jourdan, dermatologist and member of the Doctissimo expert committee.
It is in the columns of the Parisian of October 8 that Edouard Philippe says more about his state of health. Indeed, after seeing his beard whiten, those who have seen him recently have undoubtedly noticed another major physical change: the loss of his eyebrows.
An autoimmune disease
” When I was at Matignon, I triggered an aggravation of an autoimmune disease called vitiligo. I couldn’t hide it, my beard was turning white! “Explains first of all the former Prime Minister of Emmanuel Macron. Vilitigo is a skin pathology, which is defined by the appearance of pigmented spots on the skin and affects on average between 0.5 and 2% of the population. The Food and drug administration (FDA) has just approved the use of a new cream to treat this pathology.
What is an eyebrow for?
In addition to his completely white beard, a new physical detail appeared in Edouard Philippe. Indeed, the former Prime Minister has lost his eyebrows, as could be seen in recent public appearances. He explains being touched by a “alopecia, a second autoimmune disease “.
But despite these minor health problems, the mayor of Le Havre still has a good sense of humor: “I have long wondered what an eyebrow was for. Well, it serves to get noticed when it falls! It is visible, it can happen at any age. It is neither painful, nor dangerous, nor contagious. I’m in great shape, I box twice a week. And believe me, I feel good about myself ! »
Thyroid damage?
For Dr Marie Jourdan, dermatologist and member of the Doctissimo expert committee, “theVitiligo is an autoimmune disease that attacks skin cells, but damage around the eyes is possible. For Edouard Philippe, this would make the hairs of the eyebrows white like those of his beard, therefore less visiblefirst explains the doctor.
“I am therefore thinking of a thyroid disorder. Indeed, vitiligo is associated in 15 to 20% of cases with autoimmune damage to the thyroid. Eyebrow alopecia is precisely one of the signs of hypothyroidism, it begins with an attack on the tail of the eyebrows before causing their total disappearance sometimes” concludes the specialist.