COVID Stress and Hair Loss
News reports are indicating that the common symptom of COVID is hair loss COVID causes you to lose hair because it causes a condition called telogen effluvium (TE).
What Does COVID Hair Loss Look Like?
Hair loss caused by COVID can be very alarming. TE causes hair to fall out all over in large clumps. It does not affect just one area of the scalp like pattern hair loss like what DHT does.
Hair follicles normally go through several different stages as they grow, stop growing, and fall out. What happens during TE is that many hair follicles transition to the telogen phase at once. When this happens as many hairs start falling out at once.
Why Does COVID Cause Hair Loss?
COVID causes an immense immune response. This is very stressful on the body. The stress caused by COVID causes hair follicles to switch to the telogen, or shedding phase. TE also happens after major hospitalizations, surgery, and other life events.
Another reason why COVID may cause hair loss is because of the way it is treated. Doctors are using immunosuppressants to blunt excessive immune reaction to COVID. Sometimes the immune response is worse than the disease itself so doctors use steroids to inhibit the immune response. Steroids work by inhibiting the growth of all cells, including immune cells and hair follicle cells. The use of these steroids can cause hair loss.
What Can You Do About Stress Hair Loss from COVID?
Thankfully, hair loss caused by COVID is a temporary issue. TE is generally self-resolving with time as hair growth cycles go back to normal. Hair loss caused by COVID cannot be treated with DHT blockers because it is not caused by DHT. Rather, simply providing your hair with nutrients involved in the production of hair is the best way to ensure your hair grows back thicker and stronger than before.
About the Author:
Dr. Bryan Do, D.O. is an osteopathic physician whose research interests include gastroenterology, immunology, and dermatology. He is particularly interested in the role of probiotics in the gut-brain-skin axis and has written many articles on the topic. He graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before graduating from Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana and becoming a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic physicians are taught to take a holistic approach to medicine and to consider mind, body, and spirit when treating a patient. Osteopathic physicians receive training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) in addition to the standard rigorous medical school curriculum. Both physicians with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree as well as a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) can practice medicine.