Many people claim to suffer from hair loss after coronavirus. But is it so?

Months after recovering from COVID-19 many people tend to have noticeable hair loss and find their hair falling out in large clumps. It seems like another weird and unlucky consequence of the pandemic. However, this symptom may not be so unexpected and this is why:

Hair loss (temporary) is common after an illness or fever

There is nothing special about your hair falling out if you have gone through long and tiring kind of disease or a high fever. What is happening is not exactly hair loss. Most often this process is called hair shedding. The medical term for this process is telogen effluvium.

How does it work?

There are three cycles in hair’s life period. Up to 90% of your hair at any time is growing, 5% is in a resting phase, and about 10% is shedding. When you experience a significant amount of stress or shock, up to 50% can move forward to the shedding phase.

What can cause hair shedding?

According to The American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss can be caused by age, genetics, hormonal imbalances (or other health conditions) medication and stress. Experts say most coronavirus patients are having a temporary form of hair loss that is caused by such common symptoms as high fever, an emotional/physical stress, or weight loss. Telogen effluvium means shedding all over the head and losing more than the 50 to 100 hairs daily.

Hair returns to normal on its own

If your shedding is caused by illness, fever or stress, hair tends to get back to normal on its own. Just give it time. On average, most people notice their hair regain its regular fullness within 6 to 9 months.

However, there are some things you can do to help your hair! Eat well, exercise, meditate – that is keep yourself mentally and physically healthy! Moreover, make sure you use great hair care products and high quality hair tools and appliances when drying and straightening your hair.

If you have any doubts that your hair shedding is temporary, go to the doctor and check if there are any other, more serious reasons for that (cause, of course, it as well can be a more grave symptom). Your health is more important, do not experiment with it!