Can Corona cause hair loss? So, will the hair loss continue?

“Director, my hair has been falling out a lot since I got sick with the coronavirus. What should I do if it never recovers?”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people visiting Lee Moon-won Oriental Medical Clinic complaining of hair loss has increased noticeably. Even after acute symptoms such as body aches, high fever, and cough disappear, hair loss that continues for several months causes additional anxiety and stress to many people. Let's take a closer look at whether COVID-19 really causes hair loss and, if so, whether this hair loss will continue, based on scientific evidence.

1. How does COVID-19 cause hair loss?

The coronavirus does not attack hair follicles directly. Hair loss appears as an ‘aftereffect’ of the extreme physical and mental stress our bodies experience due to viral infection. The core mechanism is as follows.

• Telogen Effluvium:When our bodies experience severe stress, such as high fever, inflammation, or a cytokine storm, they cut off energy from being used for non-life-sustaining activities. At this time, many of the growing hair follicles that were actively making hair are recognized as an 'emergency', and their growth stops and enters the resting phase. As a result, hair that had entered the telogen phase begins to fall out all at once 2 to 4 months after infection.
• Inflammatory response and vascular damage:COVID-19 can cause a systemic inflammatory response and damage the microvasculature that supplies blood to hair follicles. This may interfere with the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles, resulting in weakened hair.

2. How many people experience it, and is there a difference between men and women?

Although the incidence of hair loss after COVID-19 infection varies from study to study, it is a common aftereffect experienced by many more people than you might think. Compiling the results of several international studies, it can be considered a highly reliable statistical range that more than 50% of people experience hair loss after coronavirus infection. Most studies have shown a common tendency for women to report more hair loss after COVID-19.

3. May be accompanied by scalp pain (Trichodynia)

Many patients complain that along with hair loss, “my scalp hurts just by combing or touching my hair.” This is a symptom called ‘scalp pain (Trichodynia)’ and is reported as one of the aftereffects of COVID-19. It is presumed that the inflammatory reaction that causes hair loss irritates the nerve endings in the scalp, causing pain or abnormal sensations, and often occurs along with hair loss.

4. The most important question: Is it permanent or reversible?

Most experts and studies say that hair loss due to COVID-19 is 'temporary telogen effluvium' and therefore will not be permanent. “The good news is that most telogen hair loss ends after about three to six months,” says a dermatologist at the University of Utah Health. “Because the hair follicles themselves do not disappear, the hair will eventually grow back.”

I also assume that hair loss due to COVID-19 is “temporary telogen hair loss.” However, I would like to point out the realistic problems I see in clinical practice. ‘Stopping hair loss’ and ‘Getting hair back to its original state’ may be different stories. Contrary to expectations that “the hair will grow again because the hair follicles themselves do not disappear,” there are many patients who visit Lee Moon-won Oriental Medicine Clinic because their lost hair has not recovered even after 2 to 3 years after contracting the coronavirus.

I believe that the degree of hair recovery is bound to vary from person to person. Just as the severity of COVID-19 symptoms varies from person to person, the aftereffects and recovery also vary greatly from person to person. In particular, for those who were already experiencing hair loss before contracting the coronavirus, the coronavirus may act as a 'trigger' that quickly worsens the existing hair loss. In this case, existing hair loss that has worsened may continue to progress even after the effects of the coronavirus disappear.

In conclusion, in most cases, hair loss due to COVID-19 will decrease over time, but individual effort and active treatment may be required to completely regain the previous abundance. If hair loss persists for more than 6 months, the hair that has been lost has not recovered even after 2-3 years of contracting COVID-19, or the new hair is particularly thin and weak, it is recommended that you consult with a specialist like me to begin recovery treatment tailored to your scalp and hair condition.