Are You Losing Your Hair?

Covid has a lot to answer to. Not only has it brought the majority of the world to a standstill it is now being blamed for hair loss. Is this true?

Firstly, let’s look at a normal hair growth cycle. We are born with a set number of hair follicles and these follicles for the majority of us, are constantly producing hairs. Our hair will grow from approximately 2 to over 5 years. Once each hair follicle has come to the end of its natural growth cycle, it will stop growing and move into a resting stage meanwhile a new hair starts to grow. The old hair sits in the resting stage for 2-4 months before being shed. Shedding can account for approximately 40-100 hairs per day. By the time the old hair is shed a new hair has replaced it. 

Unfortunately, whilst the hair is in the growing stage it can be vulnerable to many triggers such as accidents, illnesses, operations, crash dieting or stressful events. Not only does Covid make us feel wretched we can also experience a high temperature. This can cause an interruption in the hair growth cycle causing hair to shed prematurely. New hair will replace the shed hair however, due to the amount shed (this can be 3,4 or 5 times more than normal) the remaining hair can feel extremely thin until the excess shedding stops and the new hair reaches an acceptable length. 

This type of hair shedding is called telogen effluvium. It can be extremely distressing for the patient because all they are aware of is the hair falling out. The hair will always shed 2-4 months after a trigger therefore always look back 2-4 months to try to identify the trigger. It could be caused by a number of things but Covid is certainly the main trigger at this current time.

What can be done?

Nothing. The trigger has been and gone and you are left with the resulting hair loss. This will go on for several weeks before spontaneously recovering. Try to focus on the fact that this is an interruption in the hair cycle and new hair growth is already starting to grow. After 6-8 weeks you should see the new hair growth emerging from the scalp. Hair grows approximately 1 centimetre per month so progress will take time but the prognosis of telogen effluvium is good.

It’s not easy or advisable to self-diagnose so do contact a Trichologist for any hair/scalp issues you may have. The Institute of Trichologists has a list of their members on their website. Visit www.trichologists.org.uk for further information.