Hair loss treatment: Does Covid actually cause hair loss? Symptoms explained

Alyssa Milano shares hair loss experience due to coronavirus

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Nearly a quarter of COVID-19 patients said they experienced hair loss as a result of the virus, but is this proven? Express.co.uk chatted to London’s elite hairstylist & Brazilian and Yuko Straightening Specialist, Oliver Daminar to find out everything you need to know about getting your hair back to full-thickness after Covid.

Does Covid actually cause hair loss?

Research from last year on 1,655 hospital patients in Wuhan, China shows that hair loss is a long term effect of Covid.

Nearly a quarter of past Covid patients studied (22 percent) said they experienced hair loss in the six months after being infected with the illness.

A further 26 percent suffered from sleeping problems, 63 percent said they experienced fatigue or muscle weakness, and 23 percent had anxiety or depression.

Hairstylist Oliver Daminar added: “Anecdotally, evidence that Covid leads to hair loss has been overwhelming and undeniable.

“We are seeing people who’ve tested positive for COVID with proportionally greater hair loss.”

However, we can’t say that Covid itself is to blame for the loss – it’s more to do with the emotional impact of the virus.

Oliver explained: “The hair loss is more down to the stress that results from Covid and it will probably take a few years for more concrete scientific research studies to back this up.”

The average adult loses around 100-150 strands of hair each day, but greater stress is known to increase this number.

If you’ve had Covid, it makes sense that the stress about isolating, missing work, infecting others, and being really unwell could be responsible for rapid hair loss.

You could even be experiencing hair loss as a result of the general fear around the pandemic, without catching Covid yourself.

Oliver said: “The amount that people are reaching out to me about hair loss is overwhelming due to the greater stress and anxiety in our daily lives.”

On top of Covid, hair loss could also be down to your age, and how old you are could influence how well your hair grows back.

Oliver said: “Everyone’s hair is different and your hair grows in a cycle, with three main phases: growth, rest, and shedding, which are influenced mainly by age.

“From the age of 40, if you are experiencing exacerbated hair loss, it’s important to protect and strengthen the hair that you do have. I might need to alter treatment on a client who turns 40, for example, as they notice their hair changing.

“Our bodies change and hormones fluctuate throughout life and it’s important to adapt hair regimen to such changes.”

Hair loss is also seasonal, so if you’ve noticed your hair falling out with the changing of seasons this could be normal.

Oliver noted: “A lot of my clients’ hair falls out during wintertime. Water hardness plays a huge part in this too.”

How to reverse hair loss

Reversing or slowing down hair loss is tricky, but not impossible.

The key is to start from within by changing up your diet to include plenty of protein, iron, Vitamin B, collagen and omega-rich food, Oliver said.

On top of this, you should pay special attention to your scalp and apply products accordingly.

Oliver said: “I think it’s best to implement an Ayurvedic approach to anyone’s lifestyle, and the new Chāmpo Pitta growth serum can really help with this as Ayurvedic ingredients provide a natural foundation to prevent hair loss.”

Simply apply an oil like this to your scalp and massage it with your fingertips daily to encourage new hair growth.

If you have a healthy scalp, you have the best site for fuller hair growth.

Unfortunately, you might need to throw away your shampoo because it’s probably full of silicone.

Silicone is what makes shampoo lather, but silicone-based shampoos are heavy and the silicone weighs down on your hair.

Oliver pointed out: “Silicone shampoos can contribute to hair fall out by blocking oxygen.

“The less oxygen that’s available, the more you’re starving your hair of growth.

“Your scalp and hair follicles really need that oxygen to breathe and if you starve it of oxygen with silicone products, then it won’t breathe very well!”

Oliver said he likes to use silicone-free products like Chāmpo’s shampoos and conditioners, which are also free from sulphates and any other nasties that may minimise oxygen uptake.

He added: “As a side note, silk pillowcases have been great at preventing hair fall out and frizz, and also help you sleep better!”

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