Is your hair falling out during the pandemic?

I knew this was coming. This pandemic has basically shocked your system much like any other significant life event would do, and they are coming at us from all sides lately. The good thing with this type of hair loss caused by stress, in this case the pandemic, is that it is not permanent. Once the “stressor” is alleviated you should see a renewed growth of hair. Since we do not know how long this pandemic will be with us, it may be some time before your hair returns to its normal “grow, rest, shed” cycle. In the mean time eat well, exercise, meditate, and get plenty of sleep.

“Hair loss usually occurs within three months of a stressful event, in this case the pandemic, so we are right around the time where you may start to notice increased hair loss”

Is your hair falling out during the pandemic?
Doctors say you’re not alone

The coronavirus pandemic has brought an onslaught of stress that manifests itself in different ways.

For some, it’s hair loss.

Dermatologists across the country have noticed upticks in appointments made by nervous individuals who report seeing clumps of hair on their pillow and even admit fear of taking a shower due to excessive amounts of hair loss as a result.

“This is distressing for patients; whether it’s because of some significant physical or emotional stress, the nutrients and energy put into hair production and growth is shifted to other parts of your body,” Dr. Sara Hogan, a health sciences clinical instructor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told McClatchy News.

To ease some worry, Hogan shares the same advice to all her patients: “Hair is not necessary for survival.”

On an average day, Hogan will see about five patients with hair loss a week, but “now I’m seeing two to three a day. Just yesterday I had four hair loss patients,” she said.

Most of these patients have existing disorders that have reportedly gotten worse, while others are new to the stress that is hair loss.

But the reasons aren’t so black and white.

There’s a phenomenon known as seasonal shedding, where predisposed people tend to lose their hair between March and May, Hogan said; there is a lag between exposure to stress and hair loss that can take about three to five months.

Some studies suggest the seasonal shedding is tied to the sometimes stressful holidays, Hogan added.

But around this time is when pandemic-related stress can start to show itself in the body as hair loss, with many patients “who have been in lockdown, social distancing and dealing with job uncertainty,” said Hogan, who works at the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.

“I definitely think this is a thing we might see more of in the coming months because it is a delayed process,” Hogan said, “and it’ll be interesting to see if we still see this through summer,” because hair grows more during the season.

The majority of patients Hogan sees — mostly via telehealth due to the pandemic — are showing telogen effluvium: a condition where the amount of follicles growing hair drops during a “resting phase,” resulting in shedding or hair loss, according to WebMD.

On any given day, about 100 to 150 hairs can be lost, “but when you have stress-related shed, people start to notice they are losing a lot more,” Hogan said.

Another dermatologist in New York has also noticed more patients searching for hair loss help and advice.

“Hair loss usually occurs within three months of a stressful event, in this case the pandemic, so we are right around the time where you may start to notice increased hair loss,” Dr. Michelle Henry, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, said in a press email.
​
“Of course, we need to check for other potential triggers before making a diagnosis, but I’ve seen more and more patients looking for solutions for hair loss right now.”
Both Hogan and Henry agree that stress reduction through activities like with yoga and healthy eating can help those suffering from hair loss.

Other stress-related behaviors

But then there’s the obsessive hair pulling and skin picking that can also be triggered by worry, Hogan added.

One of her patients experiencing hair loss said she started to pull her hair so much her scalp started bleeding.

“They are caught in a vicious cycle that trips them into chronic patterns of stressors that cause shedding, then they’re stressed about that which causes more shedding,” Hogan said.

Hair pulling, skin picking and nail and cheek biting are examples of body-focused repetitive behaviors that can cause embarrassment, stress and infection in some cases, according to the TLC Foundation for BFRBs.

“In terms of face touching, it can definitely cause anxiety,” Daniela W., who has a skin-picking disorder, told SELF. “I’ve wondered, am I more susceptible to getting the virus because I have open wounds on my face and I touch them quite regularly?”

Keeping logs of when hair loss, skin picking or any other stress-related behavior occurs can help doctors determine the best course of action.

“Hair loss is ongoing, and it’s very important patients realize that it will take upwards of six months to know when something has fully recovered,” Hogan said.

​Brought to you from The News&Observer

The Science of Hair Loss/Balding