Is Covid related hair loss a THING?

Over the past year, as our culture and country has been swirling in what I can only describe as dance with the unknown, I have seen a rising trend with many clients who sit in my chair. With that unmistakeable worry in their eyes and a hand combing through their scalp, they show me a noticeable change in the texture and condition of their hairline? — Hair loss. Given the tenor of our times, I have witnessed sudden hair loss with people who have had and who have not had the virus.

In the last year, I have even seen some drastic changes in my own hair. There was an article in the NYTimes that wrote how Google searches for “hair loss” increased by 8% last year. I see a similar trajectory primarily in the woman who come to see me. Women suffer from this type of hair loss 4x more than men, most likely because it’s more apparent on longer hairstyles when you see globs of hair in the drain. Women are also primary caretakers and generally have more on their plate, adding stress to their already demanding daily lives. Our hair is an intricate tissue that has a hard to track cycle. And external stressors can have a significant impact….

Let me explain the life of a hair follicle so you can understand the Covid hair loss phenomenon.

There are 4 stages the hair cycles through. A growing stage, a transition stage, a resting stage and a shedding stage. Hair will typically stay in the growing phase for quite some time. Average is 3-6 years. It usually takes about 10 days for it to transition to the resting stage, but once it starts resting sometimes it rests for 100 days, meaning it doesn’t shed until it’s ready. That means it’s hard to track when the original transition from resting to shedding began. And once the body goes into a chronic state of stress, such as what our lives have seemed to morph into, this cycle becomes incessant and is hard to “turn off”. This type of hair loss is called Telegen Effluvium.

Chronic acute illness, medications and dysregulated cortisol confuses the growing cycle, it spends too long in the resting phase and not enough time in the growing phase. If we stay in this chronically stressed out state, which we are in now more than ever, then it takes even longer for the hair to get back to normal. Follicles are very sensitive to stress and inflammation. When the body recognizes that there has been a “trauma” such as last year's psychological life threatening event, that means it’s going to take all of it’s goodies and nutrients and delegate them to the organs and cells that need them and skip right over the hair. The hair is the last tissue to get any nutrients because it’s deemed “useless” by the body. Now I think we can all disagree that hair is useless, but guess what the body is in charge.

The good news is that with this type of hair loss, the hair will usually grow back. But the growing back process is slow. Hair grows on average ½” a month, giving you about 6” of growth a year. Once the hair loss cycle is paused it can take on average anywhere from 6 months to a year to start seeing some change. This means getting some really good quality products to use on your hair, taking a supplement to help support the insides, and really taking a long hard look at figuring out how to manage your stress load.

Where there’s hair there’s hope. If you have experienced some hair loss recently, be patient, seek calm activities, take action with proper hair care and above all invoke patience and compassion. It isn’t easy to quell your concern — after all, we can attach so much security to our hair looking good. But, like most things in life, this situation is temporary and can be eradicated with the simple and manageable tools both externally with good wholesome product and internally with stress management and rest. The bottom line is hair follicles reside inside of our skin making them a part of our insides. Our outsides are a manifestation of our insides and so taking care of our bodies and our minds will have a strong impact on helping facilitate the change you want. Hair will come back, it just takes time.

As women our femininity is on the line and those stakes are high. I have personal experience with hair loss and I can help answer any questions you may have. Sometimes for starters a good haircut to disguise hair fall at the temples or a widening part can do wonders. Or a nice scalp treatment to gently clean the skin and prep the new hair for a good environment to grow. Starting a new hair routine can be fun and inspiring and often can leave you feeling re-energized, renewed and set the tone to move forward with less stress and a healthy dose what makes you the most beautiful — calm and ease.

I would love to help you tackle any hair related problems you are having. You can find me at Boss Hair Group in River North Chicago. Or contact me through my email.