COVID
COVID-19 has impacted many lives. Those who’ve survived sometimes have had to deal with long-term effects, called long COVID. One of the side effects from an infection is COVID hair loss. While the effect has shown to be temporary, you don’t have to idly wait for your hair to return. Call Linkov Hair Surgery in Manhattan for effective treatment for hair loss after COVID.
Can COVID Cause Hair Loss?
Hair loss is one of the long-term side effects caused by a COVID-19 infection. This coronavirus disease is an infectious respiratory illness caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, as identified in 2019, that caused a worldwide pandemic.
The disease causes a range of symptoms from mild to severe, but it appears to be worse in those who have underlying medical conditions. If you suffer from COVID hair loss, you may notice clumps of hair falling out during your daily hair grooming. Hair shedding, called by its medical name telogen effluvium, is common in stressful events, such as a COVID-19 infection.
To get the best treatments for COVID-related hair loss, visit the NYC office of Linkov Hair Surgery. The board certified surgeon Dr. Gary Linkov and his team offer the latest treatment for COVID hair loss. The celebrity hair transplant doctor uses a multi-disciplinary approach to individualized hair loss treatments for men and women.
Why Does COVID Hair Loss Happen?
Hair loss is one of the frustrating symptoms that may occur long after recuperating from COVID. Most of the time, your hair’s in a growth phase, called the anagen phase, which lasts for about three years. Then the cycle moves to the resting telogen phase, which generally lasts two-to-six months. At the end of the telogen phase, you shed hair normally for a new anagen growth spurt. Some of the issues surrounding hair loss from COVID involve:
- Fever and hair loss After you experience a high fever during or recovering from an illness, you may notice hair loss when you comb or wash your hair.
- Stressful events A COVID-19 infection creates stress that affects your hair growth cycle, with lots of hairs going into a resting telogen state instead of growing. You may notice clumps of hair falling out during this prolonged resting and shedding phase.
- Telogen effluvium This medical condition occurs if more of your hairs are in the shedding or telogen phase at the same time.
If you’ve noticed more hair on your bedding or in your shower after a COVID infection, consult a top hair loss doctor like Dr. Linkov. After diagnosing your type of hair loss, the doctor chooses from a number of hair loss treatments that addresses your specific cause.
What Are the Symptoms of COVID Hair Loss?
Hair loss is a distressing medical condition caused by a variety of issues. If you’re seeking how to stop hair loss after COVID, first take note of your symptoms. Common symptoms associated with COVID hair loss include:
- Clumps of hair falling out while washing or combing your hair
- Hair that’s become dry, sparse and easy to pluck
- An increase in the amount of hair you shed
- A change in your hair color
- Hair thinning
- Itching and tenderness on your scalp
- Hair that grows back to normal gradually
- Your hair losing its shiny sheath
- Emotional distress, including during your hair loss
COVID hair loss is one symptom that appears post-COVID. It may require treatment. The reasons to seek treatment for hair loss after COVID include:
- Low self-esteem
- A poor body image and feeling less attractive
- Problems in social relationships
- Added stress and bouts of depression
- A halt in your normal exercise regimen and self-care
- Slower hair growth, even after the hair shedding stops
- A negative effect on your overall quality of life
- Chronic telogen effluvium, in which excessive hair shedding lasts beyond six months
- Diminished work performance due to stress
Your hair is a big part of your self-image. Dealing with hair loss after the debilitating effects of COVID can lead to emotional trauma. The experts at Linkov Hair Surgery deliver solutions to get you through this difficult hair loss phase.
Is There Treatment for Hair Loss after COVID?
The first step in your treatment for COVID hair loss is reaching a definitive diagnosis. Before commencing any treatment for hair loss after COVID, your doctor reviews your medical history, including the dates of your COVID infection, to find the cause of your COVID hair loss. Diagnostic tests include:
Physical exam Your doctor looks for redness or scarring on your scalp, which indicates a more severe type of hair loss.
Check for underlying conditions If you have other medical issues — such as a vitamin D deficiency, a hormonal imbalance, a thyroid imbalance, diabetes, anemia or an autoimmune disease, — that must be treated first.
Hair-pull test This simple test involves gently pulling on your hair in different sections of your scalp to check for active hair shedding. This test uncovers androgenetic alopecia, anagen effluvium, loose anagen syndrome or alopecia areata.
Blood test If needed, your hair restoration specialist may order some blood work or a scalp biopsy to determine the cause of your hair loss. With a COVID diagnosis and symptoms of temporary shedding, you receive a diagnosis for post-COVID hair loss.
COVID doesn’t permanently affect your hair follicles, so your hair eventually will grow back. The primary treatment options include:
Stress management Depending on the severity of hair loss, treatment may involve simply managing your stress associated with the COVID infection. Stress can delay your hair regrowth, but it’s rare for COVID to affect your long-term hair growth.
Medications This surgery is done by removing a piece of the scalp that’s bald and bringing together areas that still have hair.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections Using the growth factors in your own blood platelets, this treatment encourages your dormant hair follicles to start growing again.
Corticosteroid injections Like PRP injections, this treatment puts healing medicine where it’s needed in your scalp to promote hair growth.
Microneedling Using tiny needles to stimulate your scalp, your hair loss specialist increases the blood flow to your head to encourage hair growth.
Laser therapies Laser energy penetrates your scalp without breaking the skin to promote blood flow and hair growth.
Stem cell therapy and exosome therapy These two related therapies provide healing properties from your body to heal and promote hair growth after COVID hair loss.
Post-COVID hair loss requires specialized treatment, and Dr. Linkov uses the latest, most effective method for your hair loss issue. This NYC hair loss restoration specialist may also recommend short-term treatments while waiting for your hair to regrow, including a hair replacement system, such as a wig or toupee.
Can I Stop Hair Loss After COVID?
If you want to learn how to stop hair loss after COVID, the best tip is to handle your hair with care. Hair loss is a concern even as you handle other post-COVID effects. Some effective ways to stop hair loss after COVID include:
- Avoiding tugging on your hair when combing or brushing
- Avoiding devices or techniques that involve heat, such as curling irons or hair straighteners to protect your hair follicles
- Using a gentle conditioner when showering to reduce tangles
- Monitoring your hair loss using the hairbrush test to track how much hair you’re losing
- De-stressing using activities that include exercise, yoga or meditation
- Contacting a specialist if you need post-COVID hair loss treatment
At Linkov Hair Surgery, hair restoration specialists find the reason for your hair loss so they can treat it. The staff appreciates the emotional impact of hair loss and apply the most appropriate treatment for hair loss after COVID. Contact Dr. Linkov today at his state-of-the-art facility.
