COVID-19 and Hair Loss. While issues such as cough, fatigue, skin allergies, dry eyes, temporary loss of taste/ smell, shortness of breath etc. are some commonly reported symptoms, the COVID-19 pandemic also saw an astounding increase in the number of patients complaining about post COVID hair loss.

We are all used to some hair loss everyday due to a variety of factors such as poor diet, lack of a proper hair care routine, excess use of certain medicines, and stress, but post-Covid hair loss can be quite different and may last up to 4-6 months.

How does COVID-19 cause hair loss?

This type of post-Covid hair loss, medically known as a condition named “Telogen Effluvium”, occurs majorly due to stress, nutritional deficiency like reduced vitamin D and B-12 levels, and inflammatory reactions. Telogen Effluvium causes hair follicles to skip some of their normal stages of growth, pushing them into the Telogen (or Resting) phase and makes them fall out prematurely. You may be surprised to know that this condition can cause hair to fall out at up to three times the normal rate.

Telogen Effluvium typically happens a few months after a stressful event (like getting surgery, losing a lot of weight, giving birth etc.) that prompts the hair to go into a resting phase. This is because your body dedicates the energy it might otherwise have used to grow hair to handle more essential tasks, like recovering. That means that the timing of these reports (about three months after the peak of the pandemic) suggests that hair loss is an unfortunate side effect of recovery, rather than a sign that you’re about to get sick.

If not the virus what else could cause hair loss?

Telogen Effluvium isn’t just caused by physical stress, like battling a severe illness. It can also be provoked by emotional stress, a condition most of us experience today. Even if you haven’t experienced anything as disturbing as losing a loved one, the stress of just managing through this pandemic is a good enough cause of some increased shedding. This also explains why we at Evolved Clinics in Perth, are seeing many new hair loss cases from people who didn’t have COVID-19.

Of course, besides stress, there are several other causes of hair loss including side effect of certain medications, a sign of a vitamin deficiency or thyroid issue, or even the first sign of Male Pattern Baldness (a.k.a. androgenic alopecia). For more details, book a consult with us.

How can I treat COVID-19 related hair loss?

Whether your hair loss is caused by COVID-19, pandemic stress, or something else, you perhaps are keen to know: “How do I stop it?” Luckily, in the case of Telogen Effluvium, you simply just have to wait. This type of hair loss is temporary for most people and typically resolves itself within six months.

Want to reverse the temporary hair loss even faster? Getting regular exercise and eating a well-balanced, protein rich diet can give your hair growth a boost. Biotin supplements can also help. If that’s not enough, consider trying Minoxidil (generic Rogaine®), an FDA-approved over-the-counter medication for Male Pattern Baldness. As you might guess, having Male Pattern Baldness makes dealing with Telogen Effluvium even worse, because the hair lost to Telogen Effluvium can grow back thinner than it was before. Therefore, starting Minoxidil sooner rather than later is always better.

Keen to understand all this more in detail? Wait no more……book a consult with us