Coping with Hair Loss After COVID-19

Chances are, you’ve had clients ask you about hair loss after COVID-19. Or you might have read news from the Cleveland Clinic, CBS News, Prevention, Today.com and YourTango.com, who have reported from 25% to 65% of COVID-19 survivors experience some hair loss. Even actress Alyssa Milano has been documenting her post-COVID-19 hair loss on Twitter.

 “At Zenagen, we have definitely noticed more inquiries about hair loss on our website zenagen.com in the past several months,” concurs Jared Reynolds, company founder and president, and a biochemist specializing in hair loss research. “There’s been a 30% increase in clicks about hair loss and a 120% increase in searches specifically for hair loss after illness.”

Research has always been a passion of Reynolds. As a medical student, he noticed his hair had started thinning. After being frustrated with many top hair loss brands, he noticed that there was not an effective, convenient solution on the market. Like any serious scientist, he decided to explore other alternatives and develop a product that would deliver proven results with no negative side-effects. Soon, friends were asking to try his innovative product and encouraging him to embark on further research and development. Zenagen was born.

“It makes sense that people are experiencing hair loss, known as telogen effluvium, after COVID-19 for several reasons,” Reynolds explains. “Usually, we shed around 100 hairs a days. But when you’re sick and/or stressed, the body becomes more sensitive to inflammation, which accelerates hair loss—sometimes up to several hundred hairs per day. The problem is that the hair loss itself often leads to more stress, which leads to more loss. In addition, hair loss can be a common side effect of drugs that are used to treat COVID-19, like steroids and remdesivir. The good news is that we expect this hair loss to be temporary and to resolve within six to nine months.

“Even if your clients don’t test positive for COVID-19, we are all under much more stress than normal from fear of the disease, lifestyle disruptions and the lack of the unknown going forward,” he adds. “The disruption in the routine of our daily lives and the unknown about what’s ahead can also lead to hair loss and shedding. Plus because we’re staying inside more, the reduction in vitamin D that we normally absorb during summer can also lead to hair loss.”

 COVID-19 or not, once your clients are experiencing active shedding, then all of the standard hair care recommendations apply, says Reynolds, who recommends sharing these tips with your clients.

• Treat your hair and scalp very gently. Avoid harsh products and scalp scrubs.

• Choose gentle, all-natural products like Zenagen Revolve Shampoo Treatment for Men or Zenagen Revolve Shampoo Treatment for Women and Zenagen Revolve Thickening Conditioner, which are gentle, botanically based products that help stop and reverse hair loss.

• Use your blow-dryer and thermal styling tools on the lowest heat settings possible to avoid stress and damage to the hair.

• Don’t wear tight ponytails or braids that can put extra stress on the hair and scalp.

• Eat healthy food, exercise, get enough sleep.

• As we head toward fall, with a reduction in sunlight, our Vitamin D levels will naturally fall and we can expect to see more shedding. Try to spend at least 10 to 30 minutes a day in the midday sun several days a week. Make sure you have enough Vitamin D. If not, take a supplement. (Your clients can find out if their Vitamin D levels are too low through a blood test.) Have your doctor test your iron and thyroid levels at the same, because low levels can contribute to hair loss.

• Use products like Zenagen’s Revolve System to prevent hair loss proactively or Zenagen’s Evolve System to grow longer, stronger hair if you’re not experiencing loss at this stressful time.