LEARNING ABOUT HOW COVID-19 CAN CAUSE HAIR LOSS
WARRENVILLE–If you’ve experienced the Covid 19 virus over the past 2 years, around 25% of you have likely experienced hair loss after the virus. Just when you think you’re past the worst and you’ve made it out without lasting damage, this experience can be frustrating, overwhelming, and downright scary. While the hair loss that accompanies Covid is not dangerous, hair is part of our identity for many people and it can be unsettling to know if and when it will stop, and if there’s anything you can do about it.
Telogen Effluvium is described as a temporary shedding of hair after a major shock to the system. This shock to the system can push the hair follicles into a rest state that precedes the hair falling out. You can lose up to 3 times the amount of hair that you typically lose on any given day. The reason many people’s hair loss may not start for 2 to 3 months after experiencing an infection with Covid 19 is that the follicles remain in that resting phase for 2 to 4 months prior to falling out.
Many people will regain this hair over time, but much depends on the state of one’s systemic health and oxidative stress (inflammation) heading into the hair loss event. Basically, the worse off your underlying immune and metabolic health is heading into Covid, the worse the hair loss experience can be and the harder it can be to fix.
We do recommend ruling out additional root causes such as underlying thyroid conditions or autoimmune disease, as these can also be contributors to hair loss.
Once you’ve ruled out additional underlying root causes, you now have two choices. 1) You can wait and see. Many people will begin to see regrowth around the 3 to 6 month mark after the loss completely stops OR 2) you can take an active approach to make sure all systems are optimized, follicle health and stimulation is top priority for your system, and systems are in place to optimize hair growth.
Watch for Katie's feature column in Glancer Magazine throughout 2022 and 2023.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Katie McManigal is a board-certified nurse practitioner who specializes in functional and regenerative medicine. Her mission and passion are in bringing optimal health to each individual she serves. Katie completed her nurse practitioner degree at Purdue University and went on to open Peak Health Institute in Warrenville, IL. Peak Health Institute is a functional medicine and lifestyle clinic devoted to providing residents with the tools needed to optimize their health. Learn more at www.peakhealthinstitute.com
