NEW ORLEANS — For nearly two years now we've been hearing about the serious side effects some people feel after COVID-19. There's brain fog, and problems with the heart and lungs.
Now studies are finding another one. It's not as serious, but still distressing to patients.
“Hey everybody I just want to show you the amount of hair that's coming out of my head,” Actress Alyssa Milano said in a video she posted on Twitter.
It happened to Milano and now scientific studies are backing up what she saw in August of 2020, getting COVID-19 can cause hair loss.
“We have definitely seen a good number of patients, both men and women who have developed hair shedding as a result of the COVID-19 virus,” said Dr. Nicole Rogers, a board-certified dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon at Hair Restoration of the South in Metairie.
Dr. Rogers says the condition is Telogen effluvium. It's a temporary form of your hair going into the shedding phase.
TE can show up months after:
- Childbirth
- Crash dieting
- High fever
- Prolonged illness
- General anesthesia
- Testosterone supplements
- Starting or stopping birth control
- Major physiologic stressors
But now studies are showing COVID-19 is a major cause.
“So if your body is in a state of major physiologic stress, where it's doing everything it can just to survive, you know, then it's going to come at a cost of some of the more accessory organs, like you hair follicles.”
The good news is TE is temporary. Your hair should come back. What's different is, after COVID, it seems to start shedding faster. It happens around a month and a half after. In other situations, it usually starts three months later.
“That tells you, you know, you may have all your shedding, you know, and resolve from it within three month time period of the COVID-19 illness,” said Dr. Rogers.
The stress of catching a deadly virus can make it worse. Then add in the stress of seeing clumps of hair in your brush.
“It's a good idea just to be aware and not to panic, and it's always a good idea to confer with a board certified dermatologist,” she added, to make sure there are no other health concerns causing the hair loss.