The medical condition known as alopecia recently gained attention when Jada Pinkett Smith's battle with the disease was made very public following the incident at the Oscars with her husband and Chris Rock.

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that doctors say at least two in 100 people will be diagnosed with in their lifetime. That means there are more than 7 million Americans living with this ailment.

While there is no cure for alopecia, we wanted to speak with an expert who shed some real light on it.

Dr. Emma Guttman is the Chair of Dermatology for Mount Sinai Health System.  She is also the Director of Mount Sinai’s Alopecia Center of Excellence that just opened.

Dr. Guttman says there are several types of alopecia. Alopecia areata is the type that Jada Pinkett Smith has and it can happen at any age, to any race and gender.

Scarring alopecia affects people in the 40s and older and includes male and female pattern baldness.

Black women can be particularly susceptible to alopecia.

Symptoms to look out for include finding clumps of hair on your pillow, or your hairdresser may notice some hair loss. It can start as one or two patches but it can progress to other parts of the body. Stress can bring on alopecia.

Treatments are available which can help people grow their hair back.

Dr. Guttman recommends going to a specialist if you suffer from alopecia. It's important to diagnose and treat the disease early.