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Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve started to see lots of people who are beginning to notice hair loss due to COVID-19 and its effects. Viral infections and the stress that accompanies them, as well as the general stress from job issues and other concerns, can be a cause of hair loss. Fortunately, there are plenty of effective hair restoration treatments that can help. 
 

Why does COVID-19 cause hair loss?

Because COVID-19 is a relatively new disease, scientists are still studying its effects. One of those seems to be hair thinning or hair loss. To understand how this works, it’s important to first know the different stages of hair growth:

• Anagen (growth): All hair growth starts in the hair bulb that’s located in the follicle. Nourishment from blood vessels stimulates cell growth in the follicle, which pushes existing cells outward until they form a hair shaft. Eventually, this breaches the surface and the hair shaft continues to grow longer. When a follicle is in the anagen, or growth phase, these cells are actively produced and new hair grows. 
   
• Catagen (transitional): This phase comes between growth and rest in the follicle. At this stage, the follicle itself tends to shrink so that hair growth is reduced. 
   
• Telogen (resting): In this stage, your follicles aren’t producing any more cells that increase the hair shaft, but the hair stays in place. The processes for hair growth are starting over at this phase, preparing the follicle to start growing again. 
   
• Exogen (shedding): While some people associate the telogen stage with shedding, other scientists add one more stage – the exogen stage – where hairs actually shed. 

Everyone sheds hair because that’s a normal part of the growth process. That’s why you always see hair in a hairbrush or in the shower drain. But when something disrupts this process, your follicles can become stuck in the resting/shedding phases instead of regrowing hair. Normally, we lose anywhere between 50 to 100 strands of hair every day. But when that shedding becomes noticeable, it becomes hair loss or hair thinning.
 

COVID-19, as well as other viruses that cause high fevers, can affect your hair follicles. This can be disturbing, especially when the hair loss occurs months after recovery from the illness, which has been the case for some people with COVID-19. Because hair growth is a long, time-consuming process, you may see those effects linger. 
 

What about stress?

Stress can also disrupt the normal cycles in the hair follicles, causing excess hair thinning or hair loss. There are plenty of reasons to feel stress in a pandemic, especially one as widespread as the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in job losses and plenty of uncertainty about lots of different issues. 
 

Because excess stress can cause hair loss, many people have reported thinning hair, even if they never became ill with the virus.
 

What about other illnesses?

Anything that causes a high fever can potentially cause hair loss. That includes COVID-19 as well as other viruses like the flu. If you notice hair loss after an illness, even if it was months ago, the high fever may be the cause. 
 

What treatments are available for stress- and illness-related hair loss?

Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to mitigate the effects of illnesses that cause high fevers as well as general stress. These treatments, which are available here at the Hair Restoration Institute, help to stimulate growth in the hair follicles for both men and women to erase the effects of fever or stress.
 

Low-level laser light therapy: At a certain frequency, low-level light helps stimulate the growth processes in your follicles to help them grow hair. This therapy has been found to stop the progression of hair loss in 97% of people having the treatment. It also stimulates growth for thicker and stronger hair. 

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment: This effective therapy uses the growth factors in your own blood to stimulate hair growth. After drawing your blood and separating its components, our professional hair loss experts then isolate the growth factors and apply them to the scalp to stimulate growth.
 

Hair regrowth products: Our exclusive Hair Restoration Institute products are clinically proven to help stimulate hair growth by nourishing follicles and stimulating growth. Our proprietary blend of effective growth compounds and nutritional ingredients can help restore the hair you’ve lost due to illness or stress. 
 

Whether you’ve just noticed hair loss after a virus or other illness or if you’ve been thinking about treating your hair loss but haven’t taken that first step, make a consultation appointment today at Hair Restoration Institute. Our hair loss experts will help you find the right hair restoration treatment for you in our discreet and friendly environment. You can find us at 1201 West Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas, or call or 817-854-HAIR (4247) for your complimentary consultation with an experienced hair loss professional.