Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the shores of the United States, more and more Americans are claiming to experience, where they have never before, a rapid increase in hair loss. The question has been raised in medical offices and institutions around the states, whether this could be a symptom of the virus or whether it is peripheral and unrelated? More likely than not, a spike in individuals experiencing hair loss is due to the stresses and strains of living through a pandemic, and NOT as a direct result or symptom of the virus.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical research facilities have not recognized hair loss as a symptom of COVID-19, yet more than 27% of 1,100 poll respondents in a coronavirus survivor online group reported hair loss. What explains the relationship between hair loss and Covid-19 then? Speaking to USA Today, Dr. Michele S. Green, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, describes how “there’s been an influx of patients seeking treatment for hair loss during quarantine.” Simply put, it is the shock to the physical systems of the body related to high fever, imbalance of hormones and muscle fatigue that is likely causing the hair loss.
Hair loss related to stresses put upon the body is called Telogen Effluvium, and is usually a self correcting condition, meaning it can resolve itself in 3-6 months. Once the triggers of stress, diet or hormonal imbalances are normalized, telogen effluvium can be cured.
Remedial Treatments
Still, preventative measures for managing and mitigating hair loss are always advised since hair loss is in everyone’s future. Zach from the Try Guys, a popular internet entertainment group, recently underwent a follicular unit extraction at the age of 30. His detailed expose on the transplant process and the reasons for undergoing the treatment are explained in a recent popular video here.
Although dashingly handsome and youthful by all accounts, Zach’s discomfort and unhappiness with an ever more wispy head of hair drove him to seek a strong and permanent aesthetic solution. At Modena Hair Institute in Orange County, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, we encounter patients with the same exact story every day. Whether it’s something more permanent and dramatic like an FUE hair transplant or topical hair treatment to slow balding, we examine the scalp and perform tests to determine which course of treatments will best destroy the nightmare of hair loss.
Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.
