Can the Stress of Covid-19 Cause Hair Loss?
Does your hairbrush look like this?
Read before you freak-out!
Really? Can the stress of Covid-19 cause hair loss? Five years ago, one of my Recruitment Coordinators came into the office and was really upset and anxious. I asked her if she was ok, and she said she’s been worried because she’s seen a lot of hair come out in her hair-brush and in the shower the last few days. I immediately asked her if she has worn her hair up the last few days and she replied “yes, why does that matter” and I responded that “your hairs fall out throughout the day and when you wear your hair up, they can’t fall out until you brush your hair”. She was immediately relieved.
She wears her hair both up and down, so I proceeded to tell her to wear her hair down for a couple days and see if the same problem occurred when she brushed her hair and showered or if it appeared to be the normal amount she usually combs again. I encouraged her to go to the doctor if bald patches appeared or if the problem persisted. She wore her hair down, and all seemed to go back to normal.
Now, in 2020, five years later, I’ve been working from home and wearing my hair up daily. If I’m wearing my hair down, it's the once a month occasion that I’m actually doing something. I’ve noticed an immense amount of hair come out in the shower and in my hairbrush. I am showing five out of seven days though, so skipping a couple hair collection opportunities. I took to Google and this is what I discovered…
It’s not the stress of Covid-19 causing hair loss, and perhaps it’s not just the normal hair falling and being saved for the shower or brush. It may be a side effect of the disease!
More than a quarter, or 27%, of patients recovering from COVID-19 reported hair loss as one of the lingering problems in a survey of more than 1,500 people in the Survivor Corp Facebook group. The group has coined the term “long-haulers” which is used to express that the symptoms of Covid-19 are staying with folks long after the initial sick period.
Some long-hauler symptoms include issues like weight gain, clogged ears, dry eyes and rash, which do not appear on the CDC's official list of COVID-19 symptoms.
The hair-loss could be tied to stress on the body and mind, as survivors are the ones being tested and surveyed. Perhaps it could be stress of 2020 in general causing hair-loss, but it’s too soon to tell. We have no data there.
Doctors report that telogen effluvium is the likely hair loss condition to blame. Telogen effluvium can occur when people experience hair loss after an illness, surgery, high fever, a stressful life event, extreme weight loss or giving birth and 2020 is full of stressful life events, both emotionally and physically for those who caught Covid-19. Also, we simply don’t know if telogen effluvium can affect those who are mostly asymptomatic or have limited symptoms.
Telogen effluvium is temporary though, so if you are experiencing these symptoms, hang in there. Covid-19 can be causing hair loss, or the stress of the year, or just wearing our hair up a lot. Make sure to see a doctor as well as we never want to self-diagnose. Mostly, remember that we’re all googling different terrifying things and just trying to make it through this shit year. You’re not alone!
Sources for this Article include Today’s Why Covid-19 Can Trigger Hair Loss in Survivors and Those Who Were Never Sick and CBS News’ Covid-19 Could Cause Your Hair to Fall Out.
