Update: July 2022 — Systemic review of hair loss after Covid-19.
The biggest news in the hair world for the past eight months has been Covid-19 causing rapid hair loss and shedding. This side effect is especially common in women. My Google Alerts are frequently filled with news on Covid-19 (aka Coronavirus) and hair loss. The latest came yesterday, courtesy of NPR.
Does Covid-19 Cause Hair Loss?
According to the official statement from the American Academy of Dermatology:
“Fever is a common symptom of COVID-19. A few months after having a high fever or recovering from an illness, many people see noticeable hair loss.”
This type of rapid and sudden hair shedding is known as telogen effluvium. The unfortunate thing is that the shedding often happens two to three months after Covid-19 (or any fever or illness). And the shedding can last for six to nine months.
It is emotionally draining to see handfuls of hair on the brush and in the shower on a daily basis. Especially if you have never had significant hair loss in the past. Most people who get the Coronavirus do not get tested for it right away (if ever). So oftentimes, one can never make a conclusive diagnosis as to the reason behind one’s sudden and drastic hair loss.
Actress Alyssa Milano was probably the first celebrity to discuss this traumatic post-Covid hair loss issue. In August 2020, she posted a viral video on her hair loss, months after getting infected with Covid-19. Thousand of women (and some men) have since posted videos on social media showing fistfuls of hair coming out while brushing or combing.
Other Reasons: Stress and Vitamin D Deficiency
It should be noted that telogen effluvium can also be caused by excessive emotional stress. During this past year of the pandemic, global stress levels have skyrocketed. Women with children likely suffered even more. Domestic abuse cases and homicides also went up significantly in the US in 2020. Perhaps the only group that might have experienced reduced stress levels are the highly introverted who enjoy spending significant solo time indoors.
The good thing about stress induced hair loss is that the hair almost always comes back after some months. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to reduce stress levels when one is shedding hair profusely on a daily basis. Doctors recommend meditation, nature walks and various other relaxation methods to try to stop the vicious cycle. Recovery can be slow, and hair loss treatments such as PRP can only help slightly.
Another lesser discussed issue is Vitamin D deficiency related hair loss. Most people in the developed world spent an unnatural amount of time indoors during this past year of lockdowns. This reduced daily sunlight exposure levels tremendously. Especially in the winter months, when one has a limited window of opportunity to get some direct sunlight.
Expose to the sun’s rays is the only natural way for our skin and body to produce Vitamin D. I take Vitamin D supplements in winter, but still try to make sure that I get direct sunlight exposure for at least a few hours each week. Scientists have even found that low Vitamin D levels increase a person’s chances of dying from the Coronavirus.
Excessively low vitamin D levels weaken our immune system and cause a host of other health issues in the long run. A 2020 study from India found that 86 percent of men with androgenetic alopecia had low serum vitamin D levels. For those with darker skin, it is even more difficult to get appropriate levels of vitamin D from sunlight.
Cod liver oil for vitamin D works well fyi.
I tried many things, but the below was the only thing that truly worked for me per blood test results:
https://amzn.to/3rsGBcu
But I still prefer sunlight, as I do not think that these supplements offer the same benefits. I tend to take the above drops only once every two weeks in the darker winter months.
Admin ,
Please make sure to take vitamin K2 with vitamin D in addition to the known (magnesium , boron) to prevent arteries calcification .
Admin I’ve been taking 2000 IU of vit d3 everyday and I cant break the 40 level. I’m stuck at 36 level for vit d blood levels. 30 is the min before being deficient. What were your levels before using these drops. I walk outside everyday.
My vitamin D levels went from around 10 to 70 after I first started using these drops some years ago. Note that these drops are 2,000 IU each, so be careful! These days, I only take 2 drops once every two weeks. Probably not enough.
I tried a number of other things in the past, but nothing was even remotely as effective as these drops.
I would be very happy with a level of around 40. Doctors nowadays target higher, but I am skeptical about aiming too high. On the radio, there are too many people selling their own vitamin D supplements and saying than even levels of 60-70 are too low. I do not buy it at all, but please make your own educated decision!
I had a serum level of 11 ng/ml in September. So I started to take 4000 IU (D + K) per day for 6 weeks. Result: 20 ng/ml. Still very low, surprisingly.
So I upped again to 20.000 IU (only D) for 4 weeks daily. Result: 50 ng/ml.
Vit D is mysterious, and it can take months to have appropriate levels.
The godfather of D, Dr. Michael Holick, recommends 2 – 3000 IU daily. And toxicity levels are insanely high, so it seems to be very safe.
http://drholick.com/
I took 3 drops (6,000 IU total) per day thrice a week when I originally raised my levels from 10 to 70 some years ago. I would rather have around a 40 level, so reduced dosage significantly. Need to do another blood test to see if low dose still working in winter.
What is the answer of HopeMedicine for offline Website?
Hairliciously is sending his questions to Dr tsuji today.
I’m intrigued but we know Tsuji takes his time so I don’t expect that video anytime soon
Tsuji 2021 = Gho 1998
30 is definitely ok. 20 used to ok too.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/khn.org/news/how-michael-holick-sold-america-on-vitamin-d-and-profited/amp/
I have new information about Dr tsuji on his hair cloning technology that there’s a chance it might not be permanent, that the cloned hair will die after a while
Source?
Billa he doesn’t have a source it’s just his thought.
Marc lol new information? It’s your thought. And I’m pretty sure we all have thought about that. But the cloned hairs should not die when transplanted unless human error like you see with hair transplant surgery today.
Hairliciously said in his most recent video that there’s potential that it’s not permanent you can watch he’s latest video where he explains it all and read my comment about it in the comments section he answers me and confirms what I said. ✌
Marc your reportings are just speculations.
It’s a shame in 2021 not knowing Why does dihydrotestosterone only attack hair follicles on the head? Even if DHT is sensitive, what is the cause of it in the hair follicles only?
@Marc. If true, then think of all the money we’ll save?! Wonder if his cloned choppers will fall out too?
It doesn’t seem to track that if you use follicles from the side of the head, clone them, put them on top, that they wouldn’t last. Maybe I’m performing a composition fallacy here though.
Hey admin, what are your thoughts of HopeMedicine? Why is their website down? what are the next steps?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe the clones are weaker like on multiplicity. A copy of a copy etc.
No over time they loose there hair growing cycle. Dr tsuji said himself don’t get your hopes too high for hair cloning.
You are either misunderstanding the things that were said in the video and comment section or spreading misinformation deliberately. Noone, including the hairliciously dude, has information that the hair generated by Dr. Tsuji’s procedure will not be permanent. This is just a speculation. Based on so many failures of other companies it is right not to have high hopes in general, but it is incredibly stupid to share fakes like this one without having any proof from the direct source!
Thank you Sam.
Well then I must be misunderstanding what hairliciously said, I mean I talked to him and everything and he said potentially there’s a chance it won’t be permanent, but I guess I miss understand English
I was never that excited about hair cloning in the first place-not yet anyway. Simply because, (correct me if I’m wrong), it might not work on diffuse hairs in the first place?! Similar to diffuse donor areas for hair transplants not being ideal or recommend today. In regards to Tsuji’s work, and if it’s true that the hair just lapses after time, and this is not addressed/solved ASAP then, what’s the point?
It should work on diffuse thin hair as long as you have hair to clone but I forget who said it either stemson Therapeutics or UK hairclone but one of them said that eventually all they’ll need is just a drop of blood to clone hair.
Stemsom tx is likely years away. If they produce a cyclically cloned hair in a pig, I would go from skeptical to highly intrigued. Either way, I think we will know by the end of the year
Hi Admin, any news on Almiralls topical Finasteride?
According this source: https://pharmaintelligence.informa.com/~/media/informa-shop-window/pharma/2020/files/reports/jp_morgan_2020_conference_review_mdt_bmt.pdf
it says:
“Analysis: Almirall announced that finasteride (ALM12845) and terbinafine (ALM12834) do not fit the current strategy of the company, and as such, Almirall will be out-licensing these products. Finasteride (ALM12845) and terbinafine (ALM12834) are under EMA registration”
But I just can’t imagine that they dropped the product and don’t even sold it to another company or something like this after phase 3 and EMA registration.
In February, they told me the following:
“Our product has got the regulatory approval in Luxembourg and Italy and we are waiting for some additional approvals in some few countries in the European Union. Effective launch date is not yet confirmed.”
If anyone on here has seborrheic dermatitis i recommend buying a water softener for your shower. Just from my own experience it helped.
Admin, do you put the drops on your tongue as stated in directions? I would have guessed the drops are supposed to go under the tongue.
Yes on top. Perhaps when I first started some years ago, I might have gone under too, but forget. I will mix it up hereon!
Guys,
This seems like a very interesting find.
Would fo you think admin ?
(Characteristics of healthy and androgenetic alopecia scalp microbiome: Effect of Lindera strychnifolia roots extract as a natural solution for its modulation)
Study Results :
Test analysis of relative abundance comparing healthy and AGA subjects showed a significant increase of Cutibacterim acnes (P < 0.05) and Stenotrophomonas geniculata (P < 0.01) in AGA subjects. AGA scalp condition was also associated with a significant (P < 0.05) decrease of Staphylococcus epidermidis relative abundance. A lower proportion of Malassezia genus in samples corresponding to AGA scalps and an increase of other bacterial genera (Wallemia, Eurotium) were also noted. At the species level, mean relative abundance of Malassezia restricta and Malassezia globosa were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the AGA group. Eighty‐three days of treatment induced a significant decrease in the relative abundance of C. acnes (P < 0.05) and S. geniculata (P < 0.01). S. epidermidis increased significantly (P < 0.05). At the same time, LsR treatment induced a significant increase in the proportion of M. restricta and M. globosa (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Data from sequencing profiling of the scalp microbiota strongly support a different microbial composition of scalp between control and AGA populations. Findings suggest that LsR extract may be a potential remedy for scalp microbiota re‐equilibrium.
Link of the study below :
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ics.12657
Thanks. Lots of natural products seem to benefit scalp hair growth, but none have shown very good permanent results as far as I know :-(
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/natural-cures-for-hair-loss/
Hi Admin,
I ran into something interesting lately, scientists created a nano needling patch for cancer therapeutics. the mechanism is biodegradable i believe, so the nanoneedles which are made of silicon disolve over time, but the most interesting thing is these needles allow drugs to be released slowly over months. Imagine this technology being used to deliver AGA drugs such as minoxidil and fin and other upcoming treatments directly to the hair stem cells themselves and slowly over time. Meaning no more daily applications the nanoneedling patch would allow the drugs to be released over the period of months. Wow
oh i forgot to include the link.
https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/dissolving-%27nanoneedle%27-patch-could-gradually-release-skin-cancer-drugs
Great find……I think that is an incredible development applicable for delivery of all kinds of treatments. Although, it does make me wonder how the patch would be applied over hair.
Very interesting. Related to this post:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/topical-finasteride-delivery-systems/
I had it. Definitely noticed more shedding even tho I was 95% asymptomatic. I’m sure it could be due to a lot of other external factors as well work stress, weather changing, etc.