Hair loss from COVID: Expert tips to manage this distressing long COVID symptom

Coronavirus has affected people during as well as after the infection was over. One such troublesome symptom is hair loss. More and more people are suffering from this condition and feeling clueless and gloomy.

In the UK, an analysis of 2.4 million COVID patients found that 79 percent reported cases of post-Covid hair loss.

If you too are crying over lost hair everyday, here are some expert tips to help you improve your hair health and stop those locks from falling.

Getting infected with COVID-19 can cause a change in your hair because when your body turns its attention to fighting off the virus, it doesn’t put much energy into less urgent things like hair growth.

Shedding associated with COVID-19 doesn’t come with symptoms in your scalp like redness, flaking, itching or burning, unlike some other hair loss conditions.

A study has found that COVID-19-associated telogen effluvium (excessive hair shedding) generally occurs one to two months following a COVID-19 infection. Up to 60% of people infected with COVID-19 experience hair shedding, according to the research.

Stress is a common factor for triggering hair loss. Here’s how it happens.

Each strand of hair moves through three phases – a growth phase (anagen) lasting three to six years, a transitional phase (catagen) lasting two to four weeks and a resting phase (telogen) lasting two to four months. The hair is shed after telogen. All the hairs on our heads are at different stages of this cycle, so only 10 percent of them would be at telogen at a time.

However, a stressful event like a COVID infection can move many hairs into the telogen phase all at once, which will lead to significant shedding of hair two to four months later. Try peaceful activities like meditation, journaling, and exercise to relieve stress on a daily basis.

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Vitamins have an important role in reducing hair loss. Iron, vitamin D, zinc and B vitamins have an important role to play in hair growth. Even though all these nutrients can be obtained from one’s diet, many times people can fall short on these nutrients due to diseases, stressful life events, pregnancy, menopause or by simply being too busy and not paying attention to nutrition.

In such cases, some supplementation can make sure that you don’t fall short of these essential nutrients on any days. However, it is important to consult your doctor before taking any supplements and also stick to the dosage advised by your doctor.

Eating a balanced diet with enough essential nutrients and keeping hydrated can promote hair health. You can include fatty fish in your diet which are a good source of protein, selenium, and B vitamins, which help to promote healthy hair.

Eggs are also great for healthy hair as they contain protein, biotin, selenium, zinc and a variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Dark green leafy vegetables and fruits such as berries, cherries, apricots, grapes, and oranges are full of nutrients that prevent hair loss. Nuts and seeds include vitamin E, zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, which will help to prevent hair loss.

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Getting plenty of sleep is also essential to prevent hair loss. The hormone melatonin helps in hair growth and prevents hair loss. This hormone is released in the brain at night while we sleep. So, lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can affect melatonin production, which can impact your hair health.

If the hair loss is severe and not improving, there are various available treatments which you can ask from your healthcare provider.