East Texas hair stylist says about 60% of clients have post-COVID hair shedding

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - If you’ve had COVID-19 and you’re seeing your hair is shedding more when you brush though it right now, you’re not alone. It could be a long-term effect of the virus.

According to a study in Nature Medicine, patients with a history of COVID-19 are nearly four times as likely to develop hair loss than those who weren’t infected.

East Texas hair stylist and owner of Prism Beauty Bar in Tyler, Hayley Cox, said, “When our clients started to come back in (after closing in the pandemic) we were seeing a lot of hair loss with them.”

“It’s pretty traumatizing to them,” Cox said. “They’re asking us, ‘What is it, what can it be?’”

After going through a list of common hair loss factors including stress, hormonal changes, diet changes, or a change in medicine, Cox asks, “Have you had COVID in the last 2-3 months? And usually the answer is yes, and I say, like, ‘That’s it, that’s the reason.”

Cox said that’s because of stress and, “The symptoms are causing your hair to go into your telogen phase, which is your shedding phase, faster.”

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the hair shedding can begin about 2-3 months after having COVID-19.

Cox said normal hair shedding is about 150 strands per day, but after having COVID, that number could double or triple. “But it will grow back. It does come back,” Cox said.

According to the AAD, the hair shedding can last for 6-9 months before it stops.

“Don’t stress, consult your hair stylist, we’re here for you,” Cox said. “We will get you on a new product regiment. We will definitely recommend vitamins to help you through this, but at the same time, it is internal so it’s going to just be time.”

Cox said consult your hair stylist and your doctor before making any drastic changes.

Copyright 2022 KLTV. All rights reserved.