Losing Your Hair After the Pandemic? Here are 3 Possible Reasons
COVID-19 has impacted the world in ways that none of us could have imagined. While it has slightly different effects on each person, some commonalities have emerged. Long COVID is a major issue, causing symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, joint pain and shortness of breath. Hair loss may be a surprising aftereffect of COVID, but it’s more common than you may think. Keep reading to learn three major causes of COVID-related hair loss — and how hair care serum may help.
COVID Stress & Anxiety
Physical and emotional stress can wreak havoc on our minds and bodies. Excess hair loss is just one example, but it’s one of the most obvious. So, how does COVID stress tie into this problem? Knowing about human hair growth phases can provide a better understanding.
Hair follicles go through growth and resting phases. The growth period, also known as anagen, affects about 90% of our hair follicles at any given time. The remaining 10% are typically in the telogen phase, during which hair sheds.
Most hair follicles stay in the anagen phase for about three years before switching to the telogen stage for around six months. That’s why we usually lose between 50 to 100 hairs per day. Because other hairs are growing back, we don’t really notice the loss. But COVID-related stress can disrupt this whole cycle, sending more follicles into the telogen phase. More hair is shed before new hair can replace it, resulting in hair loss.
The Association Between Fever & Hair Loss
As if stress weren’t enough, high fevers can also trigger hair loss. Just like emotional stress and anxiety, fevers can throw the body’s hair growth cycle out of wack. More hair follicles may enter the telogen phase during or after a major illness, resulting in more hair lost than usual. Excess hair shedding can last up to nine months.
Stress Plus Fever Equals Overload
COVID stresses the body out in two ways. First, there’s the infection itself and the physical symptoms associated with it. Emotional stress can also come with having COVID, so the body experiences this like a one-two punch. The fancy name for the resulting hair loss is telogen effluvium, which you may not even notice until you’ve already recovered. Besides too much extra hair in our brushes and combs, we may see more hair in the drains or on our floors.
While your hair is growing back, you can take steps to encourage healthier strands. Hair serums like those from Foundation Skincare can stimulate your follicles to produce new hair. Meanwhile, they minimize shedding and fortify the newly growing strands to come in thicker and stronger. Look for hair serums with natural extracts like saw palmetto, olive and capsicum to promote better moisture, scalp blood flow and damage protection.
Caring for Your Newly Growing Hair
More solutions exist to encourage healthy growth. Collagen is a key protein building block of hair, which can be supplied by supplements like Foundation Skincare’s UnTangled Hair. As with any supplement, be sure to read the labels and follow package directions for best results.
