Can Covid-19 disease cause hair loss? Here’s what you need to know

Among the many side effects of COVID-19 that have emerged, hair loss may be one of the most unexpected side effects. “It took me a little by surprise,” Dr. Pedram Yazdan, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. “I think it allowed me to appreciate how stressful this infection could be on our bodies.”

Technically known as Telogen effluviumTemporary hair loss can be caused by many things, from weight loss to severe infections and stress. Yazdan, a hair loss specialist, says the three may play a role in the hair loss reports he sees. One of these reports, Prof. A questionnaire Of the more than 1,500 survivors released in late July, it lists hair loss as being among the top 25 (out of a total of nearly 100) coronavirus survivors.

Conducted by Dr.Natalie Lambert, Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine W. Legion of SurvivorsThe survey reveals that more people experienced hair loss than nausea or a runny nose – two of the hallmarks of COVID-19, a popular movement for COVID-19 survivors. to me Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The poll is not the only place highlighting the problem. a a study Posted in The Journal of Aesthetic Dermatology In April, it reported a “high incidence” of “male pattern hair loss” among COVID-19 patients in Spain. Post from Cleveland Clinic July 30 Mention An increase in the number of COVID-19 patients reporting the case. And in an interview with USA Today In late July, a doctor from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York said she was seeing patients bring in bags of hair that they lost after recovering from COVID-19.

Yazdan has seen cases of it as well. “I see patients in the clinic with hair disorder problems, and recently we had two patients during – and even after – contracting the COVID virus, they started to lose their hair significantly,” Yazdan says. “Basically, there was no real cause that could be traced back to other than the infection that could cause them to lose their hair.”

Telogen effluvium It’s known to happen after other infections, including malaria and syphilis, which can lead to what’s called alopecia areata, Yazdan says. But for those COVID-19 survivors and others with temporary hair loss, there is likely not a single mechanism behind this. “It could be an infection, a diet, or a great stress on the body – physical stress and medical stress,” says Yazdan. “Some patients experience a lot of emotional stress … if they have a lot of anxiety or just a circumstantial event in their life which is very emotionally stressful and can lead to hair loss.”

He says the widespread stress associated with this pandemic likely plays a major role – and it could also cause hair loss in people not infected with the virus. “I have had many remote hair care visits as well, and a number of my patients have not contracted COVID, but they are losing their hair,” says Yazdan. “I can’t really know it, but then when I investigate further, just the fact that they’re locked up or stuck at home or worried about losing their job … and life pressures people that I think is contributing.”

In addition to emotional pain, changes to the physical body – such as losing weight – may affect it as well. “Some of these patients, their appetite is disturbed and it is not nutritionally improved as it was before the injury. One of the most important things with healthy hair is proper nutrition and a balanced diet.” Many of these patients, do not want to eat, have no appetite and lose weight. And so poetry becomes angry for these reasons as well. “

Yazdan says one of the positive aspects of this type of hair loss is that it is temporary. “The good thing is that it’s transient. Of all the hair loss you can have, this is the best form you can get because it always recedes,” he says. “They say, ‘This too, will pass,’ and that’s kind of happening with this as well.”

For those who suffer from it, he says reducing stress and improving nutrition are important, but his main advice is simply to stay calm. “People say, ‘What can I do to treat it? “I think the best is the time,” says Yazdan. “I spend a lot of time reassuring patients that this is a temporary condition … so all the hairs that have fallen from telogen effluvium should slowly return over time. So I tell them, just be patient.”

Experts are still learning about the new coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but it is possible that the guidelines on COVID-19 will change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention For the latest recommendations.