There are several strange symptoms that come along with contracting COVID-19, and they are often different for everyone. One concerning impact it can have is hair loss. According to an article on the American Academy of Dermatology website, titled “Can COVID-19 Cause Hair Loss?” “People develop noticeable hair loss after recovering from COVID-19. Months after recovering … many people find that their hair is falling out in large clumps.”

The article notes, however, that temporary hair loss is normal after a fever or illness. “While many people think of this as hair loss, it’s actually hair shedding. The medical name for this type of hair shedding is telogen effluvium. It happens when more hairs than normal enter the shedding (telogen) phase of the hair growth lifecycle at the same time. A fever or illness can force more hairs into the shedding phase.” The hair shedding, they note, can begin two to three months after having a fever or illness, and it can last for six to nine months before it stops.

The good news is, “When the cause of your hair shedding is due to a fever, illness, or stress, hair tends to return to normal on its own. You just have to give it time. As your hair grows back, you’ll notice short hairs that are all the same length by your hairline. Most people see their hair regain its normal fullness within six to nine months.”

For more information, visit www.aad.org.

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