Did you have Covid-19 and now your hair is falling out?

You are not alone. Many people who had Covid-19 are reporting the same thing: they started losing big clumps of hair out of nowhere weeks after having gotten through the toughest phase of the coronavirus.

Losing a lot of hair unexpectedly is definitely alarming, but, in this specific context, it is not as serious as you may think, although it does require medical attention.

Why are you losing so much hair?

Have you noticed that your hairline starts looking thinner or you lose more strands than usual when brushing your hair whenever you are very worried about something, or you are going through a difficult time, like mourning the death of a loved one, breaking up, losing your job, or even just following a strict diet? 

Think about that for a second and now think about the changes you have gone through and the kind of lifestyle you have led since the pandemic started. 

All of us have had to deal with one or more of these situations:

• Working from home with longer working hours
• Adapting to isolation and a reduced number of open-air activities
• Tension in the home due to so much time spent together
• Losing your job and experiencing financial hardship
• Constant fear of getting Covid-19 or of a family member getting it
• Fear of dying or the death of a loved one

These situations have made all of us live in a state of constant stress throughout the pandemic, and this, in turn, has resulted in an increase in hair loss cases.

We also have to talk about people who tested positive for Covid-19 and developed serious respiratory issues, such as:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Low oxygen levels

Besides psychological stress, Covid patients experienced physiological symptoms, the aftermath of which can be chronic.

Telogen effluvium due to Covid-19

Hair loss caused by Covid-19 does not necessarily mean that you have alopecia or that you will go bald — unless you also have a family history of androgenetic or alopecia areata. 

In most cases, this is not a case of permanent hair loss. It is just a temporary phenomenon, part of your hair’s life cycle, called telogen effluvium.

Some medical studies have documented cases of Covid-19 patients who started noticing thinning and massive shedding 3 to 4 months after overcoming the most critical stage of the illness (some were hospitalized and treated with antibiotics, corticosteroids, and/or hydroxychloroquine).

 The body responds to SARS-CoV-2 infection by creating a proinflammatory state, which leads to tissue damage and other sequelae. Proinflammatory cytokines are released and anticoagulation mechanisms are impaired, which may provoke telogen effluvium via the systemic inflammatory response and/or microthrombi in the hair follicles.

As we mentioned earlier, your hair’s life cycle may be affected by emotional or physical stressors, and metabolic (nutrient deficiency) or hormonal changes. Once the causes are detected and treated, telogen effluvium “disappears” (your hair’s life cycle goes back to normal), and hair density is restored.

Treatment: how can I get my hair back?

First and foremost, you have to be patient. Oftentimes, telogen effluvium self-regulates, so, in 6 months or less, it will go away on its own.

However, the best way to help your body restore your hair is by giving it the nutrients it requires for your follicles to synthesize keratin and create new hair growth.

Here are some things you can do to speed up the process:

• Eating a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals
• Massaging your scalp with the pads of your fingers in order to stimulate blood flow
• Using specialized vasodilating products, such as Kaloni’s Fortifying Spray and Shampoo
• Undergoing intensive and bio-stimulating treatments, such as mesotherapy with vitamins and amino acids
• Talking to a specialist about the possibility of taking biotin or arginine supplements
• Seeking professional help to manage your stress levels

From us at Kaloni, we recommend that you schedule your free online consultation to evaluate your case and see whether you are experiencing telogen effluvium caused by Covid-19. If that is the case, our medical team will guide you and provide the solutions you need. We will soon be talking about the intensive and bio-stimulating treatments that you can find at all of our clinics: an effective and powerful solution to treat hair loss.