While many have treated the Chris Rock and Will Smith incident at the 2022 Oscars as just another celebrity fight, it also brings to light the very real hair loss issues facing many Americans, including Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who publicly announced her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.
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While many have treated the Chris Rock and Will Smith incident at the 2022 Oscars as just another celebrity fight, it also brings to light the very real hair loss issues facing many Americans, including Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who publicly announced her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.
Alan J. Bauman, M.D., board-certified hair restoration surgeon and founder of the Bauman Medical Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Treatment Center in Boca Raton, Florida, decided to take this incident as an opportunity to educate people about alopecia, which affects 80 million Americans. Since 1997, Bauman has treated over 33,000 patients and performed more than 12,000 hair transplants.
Bauman Medical participated in this year’s Oscars Gift Bag promotion, creating the “Slap the $#%& Out of Alopecia”/Everyone Wins Hair gift bag. The unique influence of attraction in the film industry made the event the perfect place to promote alopecia awareness.
“Like it or not, we’re often judged by how we look,” Dr. Bauman said. “And the truth is, hair loss can negatively impact your work, relationships and self-confidence. In Hollywood, a great head of hair can mean the difference between starring in a sexy romantic comedy…or ending up an extra in a B-level horror flick.”
Bauman Medical had been approached to participate in the Oscars Gift Bag promotion in 2022, but declined with a verbal commitment to participate in 2023. When the slap happened during the award show, Bauman felt like the stars had aligned.
“We recognized right away that this was a great opportunity to educate people about alopecia and the effective treatments available. I came up with the headline “Slap the $#%& Out of Alopecia” that morning and we started planning the educational strategy.”
The gift bag, valued at $7,000, was gifted by Bauman Medical to nominees in categories including Best Actor & Actress, Best Supporting Actor & Actress as well as Best Director and host Jimmy Kimmel. It included the BaumanMD Wellness System for Hair—a collection of hair-healthy vitamins and supplements that is aptly referred to as “Nutra-Team Bauman,” BaumanMD In-Shower Trichology System and a “syringe” with two applications of BaumanMD Limited Edition Hair Thickener by Pantene.
Each gift bag also included a special invitation from Dr. Bauman to have a complimentary private one-on-one hair loss consultation either in the center’s 12,000 square-foot “Hair Hospital” or virtually from the privacy of their home, as well as a complimentary non-invasive PRP with PDOgroTM hair regrowth treatment, a proprietary treatment valued at $5900.
The gift bags created buzz on social media and across news outlets. Bauman Medical Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Treatment Center continues to educate the public and create awareness about alopecia and hair loss, with comprehensive patient education programs in both digital and traditional channels.
Although Dr. Bauman is unsure if the center will participate in the Oscar Bag promotion again, he feels the “Slap the $#%& Out of Alopecia”/Everyone Wins Hair promotion successfully created media buzz about alopecia, which was their main goal.
“If any of the celebrities took us up on the offer, this would just be extra value to us,” Dr. Bauman said. 
