Hair loss condition alopecia is "not something to be laughed at", a support group has said following Will Smith's Oscars altercation with Chris Rock.
It came after Rock was assaulted following a joke about the auto-immune disease at the expense of Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith - who was nominated in the Best Actor category and subsequently won - took offence to the remark Rock made on stage about Pinkett Smith's short haircut.
She has previously spoken about living with Alopecia Areata, a condition that sees a person’s immune system mistakenly attack their hair follicles.
Paddy Pender of Alopecia Ireland said the condition should not be used as the butt of a joke.
"Those of us with alopecia, we live with it every day. You forget about it, you carry on, but when someone starts passing comments publicly and making jokes, it’s not funny," she said.
"What you have isn’t something to be laughed at, nor are we something to be laughed at.
"A lot of people are upset, a lot of people feel for her and are upset for her."
Ms Pender said Pinkett-Smith was brave to share her experiences with Alopecia and that it is a shame it has now become "fodder for laughs" in the public sphere.
"We don’t know the background to Jada’s situation, we do know she has come out publicly about her condition and that’s a very brave thing to do and she’s a great ambassador for us. All of us who come out with having this condition, it’s a huge, huge step.
"It can’t be easy for her today, but I think it will strengthen her resolve and help herself and help the wider Alopecian family, we’re quite a considerable family."
Ms Pender said 3% to 4% of the global population live with extreme Alopecia, while another 10% to 15% will experience it in more minor forms.
She hopes last night's controversy will help to raise awareness about the condition and what it is like for those living with it.
"I don’t think these instances happen for no reason, I think some good will come from it," she said.
