Does COVID cause hair loss?
Can COVID cause hair loss? My hair falls out extremely after recovering from covid…
The most reported post-COVID conditions (aka the ‘post-covid syndrome’, or ‘long covid symptoms’) include rapid mood swings, depression, sleep problems, fatigue, skin irritations, brain fog, headaches, HAIR LOSS, and much more that can continue up to 2-9 months! Today we will talk about COVID hair loss and how to cope with this problem.
Spoiler:
*Is hair loss a side effect of COVID? – Yes! It can be a side effect of COVID.
*Is hair loss a symptom of COVID? – No! It usually develops several months post coronavirus.
IMPORTANT: All the data, citations, and statistics you see here are based on publicly available data. It is up-to-date at the time of publication.
Can COVID cause hair loss?
The connection between COVID and hair loss is still not studied enough. Yes, a lot of COVID survivors report mild to severe hair loss after COVID. Some are suffering in silence, others open up telling the truth like the ‘Charmed’ star Alissa Milano, for example. And there are dozens of other posts and videos where people share their post-COVID hair loss experiences.
One of the surveys where 1700 respondents with confirmed COVID took part shows that 34,3% of them experience/-ed the post-coronavirus hair loss. Another study says that 22% of its respondents (that were discharged from hospitals) face excessive coronavirus hair loss. However, there is no evidence that the disease ITSELF causes hair loss. Read on!
COVID & hairfall! So, we’ve been seeing a lot of hairfall these days due to Covid termed as Acute Telogen Effluvium. Usually, the hairfall starts 2 to 3 months after recovery from Covid & can last for 2 to 3 months before it stops. The intensity & duration of hairfall is directly proportional to the severity of Covid. Covid can affect hair growth by abruptly stopping the hair growth cycle & those ‘dead hairs’ start shedding out 2 to 3 months later. It can be 100 to 200 hairs a day for weeks and can be very distressing to the patient. Similar presentation can be seen in other severe illnesses like malaria, dengue, typhoid, flu & pneumonia; surgeries, post-delivery & weight loss. Hairfall is self-limiting and usually stops in 2 to 3 months. See a dermatologist to ensure quick regrowth of follicles. Treatment only speeds up new hair growth, it cannot stop the shedding of dead hair, so hairfall will continue at least 2 months after treatment initiation. @dr.rickson
Is hair loss due to COVID reversible?
Will hair grow back if you experience hair loss after covid? The more accurate term for hair falling out after coronavirus is ‘hair shedding’, even if your hair falls out in large clumps. It is not ALOPECIA! Actually, a lot of illnesses can become powerful stressors for our body, and lead to the so-called telogen phase, the resting phase when hair falls out, instead of the anagen phase when your hair actively grows.
COVID infection can be a trigger too, as you experience a lot of stress, have a fever, move less, stop eating right, and the hair follicles experience the lack of oxygenation, etc., so logically you can shed more hairs than you normally do.
Your body needs more resources to recover and takes them from the ‘less important’ processes. Who needs a rich mane when they have COVID? We’ll regrow it later. That is what your body thinks.
Post covid hair fall… I am literally getting bald.. Scary as hell…Each and every single day I face more hair fall than this.. @richabhatnagar
To exclude other hair loss reasons (e.g., a thyroid issue, a nutritional deficiency) do a blood test. You need to consult a dermatologist if you feel itching, have sores on your scalp, or see any other abnormal changes besides hair shedding. But, in most cases, this ‘hair loss’ is reversible.
How to stop hair loss after COVID?
We lose 100 hairs per day, and during telogen effluvium, this amount rises up to 300 hairs per day. The bad news is that the hair grows out slowly (10-15 cm per year). It may start growing back in 3-6-9 or sometimes in 12 months. IN CASE THERE ARE NO MORE CONSTANT TRIGGERS and your hair growth cycle is already normalized. If you are looking for a quick fix for hair loss from covid, we must disappoint you. It doesn’t exist.
What are the best COVID hair loss treatments?
Do hair supplements or any hair treatments work to regrow hair after COVID? Many people losing hair after COVID mention spending a lot of money on different hair masks, hair vitamins, shampoos, ampules, etc. However, the results are close to 0. Instead of spending a fortune on hair growth supplements, products, and treatments just return to your normal life with healthy habits and the right everyday hair routines.
What are the best ways to treat the post COVID hair fall?
In case you have got hair loss with COVID infection, follow all these rules or as many as you can:
– Manage stress and learn how to complete the stress cycle.
– Develop a nutrient-rich diet (with proteins, vitamin D, iron, zinc).
– Avoid smoking and other bad habits.
– Exercise.
– Find out what are the best hair products for your type of hair and your scalp (let a professional choose the right products for you).
– Try at-home hair growth treatments that won’t hurt.
– Sleep well, go to sleep between 10:00-11:00 p.m.
– Make at least one day per week a day of full relaxation.
– Don’t overstyle your hair and don’t overload it with products, try to postpone all chemical treatments (hair coloring, bleaching, etc.).
– Choose a good brush and brush your hair gently, learn new sleep-in hairstyles that cause less tension, try sleeping on silk pillowcases – in other words, do everything possible to eliminate hair damage.
I write this post after many months of agonizing over hair loss! Not to say I had amazing tresses before but I had some locks! …don’t despair because after 4 months look at who joined the party … welcome baby hairs to my forehead… My hair tips: hair and energy vitamins, 1/2 bottle bergamot, 1/2 bottle bay rum, 1 vile of placenta all from the pharmacy. Add that to your bottle of regular shampoo (smells good too) Finally, get a haircut… So, if you are suffering the same post-Covid hair loss this is your hope for the day! This too shall pass. @mid_life_c
Does COVID Vaccine Cause Hair Loss?
One more very important question, that still has no answer. What researchers know now is that the vaccination does not increase undesired hair growth on the body, and as far as COVID is believed to cause hair loss, the vaccine may even prevent undesired hair shedding from COVID-19.
So, as we see, COVID 19 and hair loss may be connected. Coronavirus has an indirect impact on hair growth. All that buzz, stress from hospitalization or at-home treatments, not knowing what to expect, etc. do exhaust you, and you notice how your hair is falling out after covid. Though a really working post-COVID hair loss treatment doesn’t exist, keep calm, and live your life. Everything will go back to normal soon. Stay safe!
Featured Image: gpointstudio – freepik.com
