Doctors believe that physical and emotional stress that accompanies COVID-19 may lead to reversible hair loss, and it has been reported in people who have recovered from the virus.
There are many types of hair loss and each one may have one or more possible causes.
COVID-19-related hair loss often occurs several weeks after other symptoms disappear. It’s likely to be a condition called telegenic effluvium – stress and illness with fever can trigger this condition. This may sound alarming but is normally temporary and the hair will begin to return to normal within six to twelve months. The best way to to help your hair is to make sure you’re feeding your hair from within by eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein and use of Sulphate free products.
Male Pattern Baldness
A hereditary condition where hair starts to thin at the front or crown area. Hair loss probably causes men more anxiety than anything else in their lives often dramatically affecting confidence.
It’s doubly hard to deal with in many cases as its poor response to treatment. The only compensation is that we live in an age where it’s socially acceptable for men to wear their hair very short which means that the affected areas are not so obvious. But this is often little compensation when you first start to experience this debilitating condition. At Wilson’s we always advise keeping a healthy hair and scalp with a Sulphate free Ph balanced shampoo suitable to you hair care needs.
Alopecia
Is a common problem affecting both men and women. It may occur in just patches or the whole head. It can destroy the entire hair follicle causing permanent hair loss or it may just be a temporary condition. Occasionally hair loss is a sign of illness such as anaemia or thyroid problems. Hormones can cause hair loss in women who have recently given birth and certain drugs can also cause this condition such as those used in chemotherapy.
Folliclitis Decalvans
Inflammation of the hair follicle is not that common. A condition that can affect both men and woman in any age groups. Most dermatologists sees this as a disease of the grease glands linked to bacterial infection. This would be treated by the use of antibiotics after a professional diagnosis.
A healthy scalp is important for healthy hair
A healthy balance scalp is one with a pH of around 5 where the hair follicles are lubricated with sebum, the scalps natural oil. A healthy scalp should show no signs of irritation, inflammation, dandruff or excess oil.
We lose dead skin cells from our scalp every day, but when we shed more than normal they clump together forming flakes. A fungus called Pityrosporum Ocala that lives in the scalp plays a part in developing dandruff. It invades the outer layer of the skin which then flakes off. This fungus relies on sebum to survive. This is why flaky scalps are often common during puberty when the jump in hormones levels lead to increased sebum production.
But anyone can experience unsightly flakes of skin at times. At Wilson’s, we recommend Soothing Balance for sensitive stressed scalps and hair for home use . Or Redken Dandruff control shampoo for the relief of dandruff or a mild flaky scalp and its symptoms. It contains zinc pyrithione a dandruff fighting ingredient mixed with glycerin to hydrate and lavender to soothe and clarify the scalp. This will leave the hair shiny, light and airy and the scalp flake and itch-free.
You can also try applying coconut oil to your scalp leaving it on overnight to moisturise the scalp and prevent dryness.
