How COVID is Causing Hair Loss?

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Posted on : May 24, 2021 | Category : All | Author: Beverly Hills Hair Restoration Team

There is a dramatic increase in the number of temporary hair loss conditions, also termed telogen effluvium. It mainly occurs in post-covid victims due to physical and emotional worries, says our renowned doctors. According to them, exercise, de-stressing, and consuming a well-balanced diet will help prevent hair loss.

Hair loss post-covid generally starts two or three months after the patient has recovered from covid-19. The hair loss that everyone can notice typically begins after an average of about 55 days of post-restoration. Hair loss occurs due to fever caused by infection, diet alterations, depression due to isolation, financial worries, or maybe a sense of losing a job. This hair loss is also called telogen effluvium. As I mentioned above, it is a temporary hair loss and is generally noticed in covid patients. Moreover, folks suffering from covid-19 face many types of symptoms. Severe hair loss has been diagnosed in people who have just recovered from covid-19. Thus, trusted sources of centers for disease control and prevention have noted that hair loss is a long-term impact of covid-19 presently under investigation.

Further, we will discuss the causes, reasons, diagnoses, and symptoms to make it easy for you to overcome this problem and spread awareness.

Why could COVID-19 cause hair loss?

The constant hair loss issue can be noticed during COVID-19 with the state known as telogen effluvium (TE). Many of the people with TE complain of sudden hair loss. Usually, hair falls in the form of large clumps, generally during brushing or rinsing. Many people who have grown TE condition have significant hair loss 2 to 3 months after a triggering. It usually covers less than half of the head and persists for about 6 to 9 months. After this period, it can be noticeable in most people that their lost hair regrows.

So the question is how to do this link with COVIID-19? one of the main symptoms for this condition TE is severe illness due to fever. People who have suffered from COVID-19 usually experience fever as one of their symptoms. Stress is another trigger for TE. Assuredly, undergoing an illness such as COVID-19 can lead to physical and depression. Moreover, TE has also been noticed in a few folks due to the anxieties of quarantining.

What is the Mechanism of TE?

Hair growth takes place in invariant stages. TE occurs when a stressor leads a vast amount of hair to halt hair development and enter into the telogen phase. Hair stops for 2 to 3 months before falling from your head to let for new hair growth in the telogen phase. That is why the hair loss due to TE occurs after so long triggering events, such as an ailing or extremely stressful phase.

Is hair loss associated with severe COVID-19?

It is liable that hair loss might be linked with critical COVID-19. Although, the amount to which the condition is and the biological fact behind it is still not precise.

A May 2020 report concluded that 175 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. Researchers analyzed that about 67 percent of the sufferers had androgenic alopecia. It is significant to mark that there was no regulation group in the study.

A July 2020 study examined balding patterns in 336 males who got hospitalized for COVID-19. It was concluded that males with an extreme baldness pattern were more likely to test positive for COVID-19.

A November 2020 population examination surveyed 43,565 folks on the subject, like the extent of hair loss, health situations, and COVID-19 sufferers or effects. It was observed that hair loss was singularly linked with more critical COVID-19 ailments.

It is essential to reconsider that research in these subjects is presently limited. There is a requirement for further detailed study and is required to know how hair loss is linked with COVID-19 risk.

What are the most common reasons for hair loss in COVID-19?

The most basic reason for hair loss is androgenic alopecia. You might also notice it is referring to male or female pattern baldness. This kind of hair loss is due to genetics. This implies that it can be carried from your parents and their parents. Androgenic alopecia happens slowly with age. It has assumed patterns for men and women.

Also, you can read What is Alopecia: Treatment, Cause, Symptoms and Types

Additional causes of COVID hair loss can involve:

Hormonal variations, holding those that happen at pregnancy and menopause, or due to thyroid state.
Experiencing health conditions like alopecia areata, hair loss syndrome (trichotillomania), or scalp ringworm.
Anxieties, as noticed with telogen effluvium.
Lack of iron or any other nutrition
some of the pills or therapies, such as curing cancer, depression, and blood pressure.
Practicing different hairstyles that pull on your hair leading to traction alopecia or are rough to your hair.

How is COVID hair loss diagnosed?

Generally, hair loss itself occurs with age. But at times, it can show some health conditions like alopecia areata or any other kind of hair loss disease. To analyze whether hair loss is happening due to COVID or any other health condition, your surgeon will take your medical analysis that will hold questions like:

Your family history
Any undergoing health issues
Were you under any medication
How you comb your hair
Your diet

For diagnosing, he will:

Perform any physical examination, which might hold a pull test on some dozen hairs to analyze how much hair is falling out.
Test samples of your hair under a microscope.
Order blood tests that will help determine health estate that might lead to hair loss.

What can you do about hair loss?

There are many potential treatments that surgeons might suggest for hair loss, relying on its cause. If health conditions lead to hair loss, working to heal the state might slow or halt your hair loss. If medicines are the reason for hair loss, your doctor will suggest you stop consuming those medicines for some months.

See More: ACell + SmartPRP® Injections - A Non-Surgical option for Hair Loss

Your surgeons can give you some medicines or treatments to cure androgenic alopecia:

Finasteride (Propecia) - Males can utilize finasteride to slow hair loss and rejuvenate new growth.
Spironolactone (CaroSpir, Aldactone) - Spironolactone can be used in females to stop hair loss and enhance hair density.
Corticosteroid injections- Injecting corticosteroid medication into the regions of thinning hair or baldness might be helpful for some sorts of hair loss, like alopecia areata.
Hair transplant- at the time of hair transplant, a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon extracts hair from one part of your scalp and grafts it to the region of baldness.

When to see your doctor about your COVID hair loss?

Some symptoms show an underlying health situation that requires treatment might be leading to hair loss. consult your doctor if you face any hair loss that:

Appears eventually
Leads severe hair fall in clumps
This leads to baldness in spots
Also creates scalp itchiness or tenderness

The Bottom Line

Therefore, some people might undergo hair loss after being sick with COVID-19. This usually happens after certain weeks when other symptoms vanish. Hair loss caused by COVID-19 seems to be due to the condition known as telogen effluvium. Situations like anxiety or having a severe fever can stimulate this situation. But there is nothing to bother much as many of the people regain hair suffering from this condition.

Moreover, in our clinic at BHHR, you will get the best group of surgeons, led by Dr. John Kahen, who has several years of experience and is highly proficient and skillful. His guidance will assist you in making the best decisions. Here, you would not have to worry about any hair problem, and whether it's hair loss due to COVID-19, we will provide you the best possible treatment.

Hence, you can take some steps in daily life to prevent hair loss and the spread of COVID-19. It involves constant hand washing after some time, practicing social distancing, and not forgetting to wear a mask aptly, not just letting it linger on your lips.

Here are a few more topics that you shouldn’t miss:
Everything You Need To Know About Beard Transplant?
Why do you lose hair?

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