How COVID-19 And Our Pandemic Lifestyle Has Affected Hair And Hair Loss?

As if the standard symptoms and effects of COVID were not enough- we are now learning that it can affect hair loss as well! If you are starting to see more hair in the shower drain or on your hair brush, you are not alone. Here is some information on how we are being affected and what is happening with COVID-19 in regards to your hair.

Emotional and Physical Stress

It’s pretty safe to say that this pandemic has caused a lot of abnormal stress in our day-to-day lives, even without being infected. Stress itself can cause us to lose hair at an alarming rate. Seeing handfuls of hair falling out regularly can lead to us stressing out even more creating a never ending cycle. It’s been reported that hair loss from stress has quadrupled since the beginning of the pandemic.  Having COVID-19 created physical stress on the body and immune system which, in turn, can cause us to lose more of our once healthy hair. This type of hair loss is medically referred to as telogen effluvium.

Fever and Hair loss

It’s a little known fact that after experiencing a high fever and illness we tend to shed more hair than we typically do. We may start to see this during the recovery period- about 2 to 3 months after being sick and can last from a few months to almost a year.

Nutrition and Staying indoors

Being stuck inside has some benefits but losing Vitamin D is not one of them! Being deficient in vitamin D can cause damage to our mental health, body, and hair. Though some people have taken the opportunity to eat well and spend more time in the kitchen, there are still those that could not get to the grocery store or relied heavily on delivery services to eat. This may have caused gaps in our nutritional intake, thus causing hair loss. 

Care and maintenance

The vast majority of people spent their lock-down days in sweats and pajamas, throwing long hair into buns, ponytails, and headbands. What we don’t realize is the strain that these hairdos can put on our hair. The constant stress or pulling in ponytails, braids, and buns and the pressure from headbands cause major damage to our hair follicles when not done in moderation. With more time available to practice self care we may be washing our hair more frequently. It is best to continue washing our hair every 2 – 4 days in order to prevent hair loss and damage. On the other side of the spectrum, we can neglect to do our hair if we aren’t going out in public or if our mental health is suffering which can affect our hair growth. 

The Takeaway

Though hair loss is definitely seen 2-3 months after a COVID-19 infection, many of us experiencing the pandemic lifestyle are experiencing it as well. Every aspect that is important for healthy hair has been affected- lifestyle, diet, mental health, and our physical health for those of us who were exposed to the viruses spending most of our time in bed or sitting down. It’s important to remember that you are not alone and don’t need to go through this alone.    Contact one of our specialists to see what we can do to help you with your hair loss- (561) 799-2499.