hair-loss-during-covid19
By - Kaloni

Hair Loss During Covid-19: The Consequences of Confinement

Have you noticed that in these months of confinement due to Covid-19, hair falls out more than normal? Maybe you could make a giant pile of hair with the ones you find on your pillow, in the shower, on your clothes, or on the floor.

And although it is normal to lose between 100 and 150 hairs per day, specialists have warned about an increase in cases of alopecia and virtual consultations to clear up doubts about hair loss.

To what extent is it normal for us to go through this situation? What are the factors that trigger this accelerated hair loss? What are other health problems linked to hair density loss? Should we be concerned? 

To answer these questions and to know in detail the main problems of hair loss during Covid-19, we spoke with Dr. Steven Walker, a surgeon, expert in trichology and hair transplants in Kalonis Bogotá clinic, and this is what he explained to us.

My hair is falling out more than normal, should I be worried?

stress and hair loss
Stress is one of the main factors that accelerate hair loss.

In addition to the stress caused by the fear of contracting the coronavirus, there has also been growing concern about accelerated hair loss.

Various information is circulating on the Internet about the relationship between male pattern hair loss and common symptoms of patients who have suffered from SarsCov-2. It was even assumed that men with alopecia were more likely to get coronavirus. This theory was dropped due to a lack of rigor in the research. Furthermore, if it had been true, anti-androgenic therapies could have been implemented to attack the virus.

However, the loss of hair density remains a latent concern during confinement. In fact, as Dr. Walker comments, during the first half of 2020 “a greater number of cases of alopecia areata (autoimmune causes) have been reported, especially in patients who have had a history of previous alopecia areata, as well as in cases of stress-associated alopecia, such as telogen effluvium.

online consultations have increased
Online consultations regarding alopecia problems have increased considerably in recent months.

How do you know what your case is? In this blog we have already talked about the different types of alopecia and how to detect them. We recommend that you request a personalized diagnosis to identify the causes that are causing you to lose more hair than usual, and the most appropriate medical solution to control the loss. 

In the meantime, we leave you with these key points to give you an idea of what could be affecting your hair these days.

Factors that aggravate baldness in Covid-19 times

  • Changes in lifestyle: The change of schedules, new routines, the lack of mobility due to isolation, the decrease of recreational activities and social coexistence, even the reduced exposure to the sun’s rays, may be generating alterations in the functioning of the organism, including the functioning of the hair follicles.
  • Deficient nutrition: Although eating at home can be considered the most hygienic and healthy option, excessive workloads or disorganization have not allowed for a balanced diet, especially for those who are not used to cooking and are looking for any snack or processed food to “save time and effort”. As we have said before, the lack of nutrients is one of the main causes of hair loss.
  • Home office/work stress: We will soon be talking extensively about this aspect. It’s true that studies have shown that workloads have intensified, making people invest more time than they should. This influences the increase of stress, and therefore that they present alopecia like telogen effluvium.
home office bouring and hair loss
Putting in extra hours at work and reducing your break time can be directly affecting your hair.
  • Psychological factors, uncertainty and fear: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it a wave of fears and uncertainties in the face of present and future threats, real and imagined. We talk about the fear of suffering the disease, the uncertainty about what can happen if they get sick, the uncertainty about the socio-economic situation, about the possibility of losing their job, the fear of dying, or that a family member will die. Or even people who have been or had a family member in a critical state or who have lost a loved one due to covid, can go through an anxious-depressive picture that causes hair loss.
  • Intrafamily problems: Confinement has led to full-time cohabitation with a partner and/or family. The differences or difficulties between members can manifest themselves more frequently to generate problems of violence or continuous frustration and anger. All this causes emotional tension and, consequently, metabolic alterations that directly affect the hair. For this reason it is also important to reflect on the role of masculinity and the different forms of violence from micro-machisms.

You might be interested: What is sexism and how to redirect my behavior in front of them

How to control hair loss during confinement?

Although we are in a period of abnormality, we must try to take advantage of this. Roughly speaking, Dr. Walker has left us some general recommendations to make this time of confinement more bearable and, at the same time, take care of your hair.

  • Balance out your work hours at home.
  • Make time for physical activity.
  • Look for recreational activities that help release beneficial hormones into the body.
  • Seek a healthy lifestyle.
  • Eat a balanced diet. 
  • Take the time to rest, try to sleep 8 hours a day.
  • Follow the biosecurity measures recommended by all governments
prepare your meal and eat healthy
Take time to prepare and eat healthy, balanced meals.

Psychological health is something you also need to pay attention to. It is important that if you feel stressed, have insomnia, feel overworked, and ask for help from a professional if there are family conflicts.

Dr. Steven Walker

We want to thank Dr. Steven Walker, a medical surgeon who is an expert in trichology and hair micrografting, for his support in preparing this article.

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