Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss after Covid 19

Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss after Covid 19

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an impact on all facets of health problems because of its unanticipated traits. These troubling complications are connected to severe vascular and respiratory ailments. This article will explain how COVID-19 can lead to hair pattern loss and share some common treatment methods to alleviate this problem.

COVID-19 as a Cause of Hair Loss

During or after COVID-19 episodes, patients might observe patches of hair coming off as they go through their daily hair grooming routines. It is a  condition commonly referred to as telogen effluvium.

On our scalp, approximately 90% of hairs are in the anagen growth stage of development, while only 10% are in the telogen period of rest. On our scalp, the period of rest, which spans between two and six months, begins after the hair growth stage, which usually takes around three years. Our hair fall starts towards the completion of the period of rest and is followed by virgin anagen hairs. The growth pattern then resumes.

In usual circumstances, the average person loses between 100 and 150 hairs every day. However, when someone goes through a traumatic period, like contracting COVID-19, our organs may abruptly switch a higher-than-usual percentage of emerging anagen hairs into a resting telogen phase. According to the University of Utah Health, half of all hairs can be in the dormant and falling stage, which is significantly greater than usual. This is in contrast to the typical 10% of hairs that are in this phase.

Furthermore, anxiety and worry were among the detrimental psychological repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis and its related regulations. These psychosocial stressors increase the production of neurotransmitters and hormones that support alterations in the progression of the hair growth cycle from the anagen stage to the telogen stage. This has an effect on a number of alopecia-related conditions, such as arietta, effluvium, and androgenetic alopecia.

How Long Does Hair Shedding Last?

Most cases of telogen effluvium usually get resolved within three to six months after the loss of the extra hairs that were abruptly transferred into the telogen phase. This distinctive regeneration takes place following an initial state, including after a COVID-19 infection. The hairs will gradually begin to return back to their original state after that period has ended. Telogen effluvium does not cause hair shaft decline. The hair follicles remain and so even though hair may not emerge right away, it will ultimately grow back.

Despite the fact that thinning has stopped, patients might find that their hair is finer as compared to it was previously. This is due to the return of normal hair’s usual growth rate, which is only approximately a centimetre every month.

Less than 10% of patients may suffer chronic telogen effluvium, a condition in which severe hair loss can continue for longer than six months. No clear explanation is often found for this, which might last for a number of months to several years. Hence, treatments are usually targeted at the symptoms.

Patients suffering from long-term COVID complications may have signs of chronic telogen effluvium if hair pattern loss persists for longer than half a year. This is probably because their bodies are still recovering from a great deal of trauma and are not entirely back to their original state.  As a result, Telogen Effluvium significantly affects their mental and psychological well-being. The irregular hair cycle that causes Telogen Effluvium sees follicles begin the telogen stage early and experience a reduction in the growth period. Consequently, within months, hair loss increases. Patients’ quality of life and contentment are significantly impacted psychologically by skin and hair conditions, which can lead to anxiety and sadness.

Hair Loss Treatments

Treatment for a disorder like hair loss requires persistence and time. The wisest approach that healthcare professionals can take is to reassure patients that the situation is temporary and that their hair will grow back. Patients are given the resources they need to assess their health and track their development on their own. The patient could then gradually determine if their ailment is getting better.

Time

Treatment for a disorder like hair loss requires persistence and time. One choice that healthcare professionals can make is to reassure patients that the situation is temporary and that their hair will grow back. Patients are given the resources they need to assess their health and track their development at home. A patient can be asked to perform a 60-second hairbrush test and gather the hairs into a bunch to determine the amount of hair they are typically shedding. The patient can then gradually determine whether their ailment is getting better. However, if the hair loss does not improve, patients should seek professional advice from doctors to aid them in their recovery.

Topical Medication

By using a topical solution or foam called minoxidil straight to your scalp, you can promote hair growth. Instead of resting or shedding, it drives hair through into the hair regeneration stage. Minoxidil is available in a variety of forms, in various concentrations either from the pharmacy or at medical clinics. 

Vitamins

In addition to taking a multivitamin, several vitamin supplements may increase essential nutrient proportions that encourage hair regeneration. One of these is the solvent vitamin B compound called biotin. Three to five milligrams each day may be beneficial to treat hair pattern loss affected by COVID-19.

That also applies towards other vitamins, such as iron or vitamin D. Therefore, it is important to ensure that you’re obtaining sufficient amounts of the nutrients necessary for healthy hair growth.

Nourkrin® Hair Growth+ Inclinic

Timely consumption of oral supplements with a particularly permeable proteoglycan distinguishes itself as a prospective novel medical strategy among the numerous other treatment approaches and medications.

It has been shown that dietary supplements with certain bioavailable proteoglycans to revive dysfunctional hair follicles have ushered in a new era of understanding about the nutritional elements that affect hair loss. In this regard, it was suggested that this proteoglycan replacement therapy, which contains a particular lectican, leucine versican, and decorin, is advantageous as a foundational therapy for all types of hair loss. Versican and decorin in particular, as part of a proteoglycan replacement therapy, can be crucial in triggering and extending the anagen portion of the hair growth process. These lectican and leucine proteoglycans have also been shown to prevent the stimulation and production of mast cells when combined with specific flavonoids, in addition to safeguarding against apoptosis generated from stress.

As both a preventative measure and a therapeutic measure, this treatment approach is advised, particularly in instances of hair loss linked to trauma.

Conclusion

One of the signs that are anticipated to be documented among recuperating individuals globally is telogen effluvium after COVID-19. The widespread loss of hair has a significant effect and no single course of action is enough to stimulate the hair regeneration cycle. The best approach is instead to adopt a comprehensive solution that incorporates your personal needs. Feel free to approach Eeva Aesthetic Medical Clinic for a consultation today if you are experiencing post Covid hair loss that is causing you distress!

References

1. American Academy of Dermatology Coronavirus Resource Center. (n.d.). Can covid-19 cause hair loss? American Academy of Dermatology. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/causes/covid-19
2. Cleveland Clinic. (2022, August 15). Covid-19 may cause hair loss. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-coronavirus-might-be-driving-more-stress-related-hair-loss/
3. Lim, A. (2022, October 19). ‘significant hair shedding’: Japanese dermatologists link hair loss to covid-induced ‘cytokine storm’. cosmeticsdesign. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://www.cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/Article/2022/10/19/covid-hairloss-japanese-dermatologists-link-hair-loss-to-covid-induced-cytokine-storm
4. Manzano, E. (2022, August 19). Hair loss common after COVID-19 infection. MIMS Infectious Diseases. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://specialty.mims.com/topic/hair-loss-common-after-covid-19-infection
5. Popescu, M. N., Berteanu, M., Beiu, C., Popa, L. G., Mihai, M. M., Iliescu, M. G., Stănescu, A. M., & Ionescu, A. M. (2022). Complementary strategies to promote hair regrowth in post-covid-19 telogen effluvium. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 15, 735–743. https://doi.org/10.2147/ccid.s359052
6. Seyfi, S., Alijanpour, R., Aryanian, Z., Ezoji, K., & Mahmoudi, M. (2022). Prevalence of telogen effluvium hair loss in COVID-19 patients and its relationship with disease severity. J Med Life, 15(5), 631–634. https://doi.org/10.25122/jml-2021-0380
7. Thom, E. (2016). Stress and the Hair Growth Cycle: Cortisol-Induced Hair Growth Disruption. JDD, 15(8). Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://jddonline.com/articles/stress-and-the-hair-growth-cycle-cortisol-induced-hair-growth-disruption-S1545961616P1001X/. 
8. University of Utah Health Communications. (2022, March 15). Losing your hair after COVID-19? there is good news. University of Utah Health. Retrieved October 24, 2022, from https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2022/03/hair-loss-covid19.php
9. Wise, J. (2022). Long covid: Hair loss and sexual dysfunction are among wider symptoms, study finds. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o1887