Post COVID hair loss: Will it grow back?

Had covid 11/23/2021. Almost died at home as my husband and son were just as sick. After 8 days I was delirious and had not taken water for 3 days. Husband got our of bed finally and found me in that condition. Got me to a clinic. Had bacterial pneumonia and was bleeding out the nose. My son passed out on the kitchen floor trying to drink some ginger ale. Dropped the whole bottle, glass and all. My husband found him in a lake of soda, but couldn't even help he was so weak and sick. Unbelievable. So I found this thread because my hair is still thinning 2 years later. Not falling out so much, but not growing. 5 years ago, my hair started thinning substantially due to menopause. I am 63. I was able to reverse that completely by using rosemary essential oils. I was quite impressed with the results and thought I would just use that same protocol again, but to no avail. Also my scalp is intermittently sore and itching. It is monumentally depressing. Like really depressing. I am not a social media person, but I joined to add my misery to your company and also to say you're not alone. Thanks!

OMG
What a terrible, but so very thoughtful reply......to take your time to respond.
I have been taking Nutrafol for about 90 days now, in addition to Biotin
Both were suggested by my dermatologist as well as my primary care...who treats many long Covid cases.

I am panicked about the new strains, and EVERYTHING ELSE that this planet is experiencing.
Both doctors tell me most of their patients with hair loss are ex-Covid survivors, or dealing with
long Covid, or stress. I know that I have a lot of anxiety, have only had this much upset once before,
40 years ago, and lost a tremendous amount of hair then.

I dont think I've heard a family story as significantly upsetting as your own.
Were you vaccinated?
I was, but because of auto-immune issues, they did not help me with immunity.
It sounds like your family gene pool is extra-succeptable to illness. Hopefully these strains will fade
away, but I think medicine is spiriling down in terms of what they can treat. So sad for my grandchildren,
generation, as I grew up in the 50's when the world seemed so promising.
All the best to you, and thanks so much for your reply
Judy

Ditto on the neurological probs with speech and cognition; difficulty concentrating, having to read sentences several times, difficulty finding words - even when visualizing the object, reversing the order of phrases in sentences, calling the paper shredder the trash compacter, etc., etc. I see much improvement for me smashing back at the Long Covid Demon in this area but still have a way to go for full recovery.

My dr. suggested Biotin. My hair has stopped falling out and is growing again but the very sparse areas on top do not seem to be filling in yet. Fingers crossed.

Wow sweet friend. I am so sorry you have been through so much. I believe your hair will come back, BUT, it takes time. It takes about 2 years for hair to completely come back in when lost my doctor told me. I personally did not find vitamins to be beneficial. I do not wear my hair up tightly, I let it dry naturally, I only shampoo it once a week and one time shampooing it really well. I use a good shampoo and conditioner such as Pureology. My hair came out terrible after Covid. The shedding/hair loss is almost normal now. I pray the same for you. I don't know if you are using minoxidil (Rogaine), but, if you are it can cause your scalp to itch terribly. I am hearing a lot of good things about the irestore laser hair growth helmets (look up and see what you think) but, they are terribly expensive. Stress can also cause hair loss too. I am praying for you & yours. God Bless You.

Hi I had covid March 2022. Since I have RA. But blood ..neg. For it. My hands swelled up. I am on methetrixate 2.5 mg 8 once a wk. Prednesone 2.5 once a day plaquenil 200 mg 2x a day. Folic acid 1mg 1x a day and diltiazem 120 mg once a day for high blood pressure. Now I have breast cancer 11 mm in left breast. Surgery not til end of Sept. Docs said it is small so having radiation once at surgery. My hair is falling out and I don't know if from covid or meds for RA or stress or ??.

My husband and I both had Covid in March 2021—two and one-half years ago. Against my better judgment, I had one shot of Moderna a couple of days beforehand and my husband was fully vaccinated at the time. He also has RA—he did not lose any hair but I did. My hair loss started shortly after Covid and lasted for several months. I took all the supplements recommended for hair growth—biotin, zinc, magnesium, saw palmetto, etc., used massage rollers, an led headband, pumpkin seed, rosemary and other essential oils, but It only began to turn around (and it’s still sparse) after I started taking iron pills (iron, hemoglobin and ferritin were very low). I recommend that you have your iron checked. Also, since Covid, I’ve been experiencing shortness of breath. I repeat, two and one-half years ago. So, in spite of what the doctor said (that it will take about a year to resolve), they don’t really know how long “long Covid” really is—after all, this is the first time this virus has been around, but it looks like some damage may last forever.
And one other point, most of the essential oils have to be used in conjunction with a carrier oil—or it can cause burning or itching of he scalp.

I have fever of 99.9 - 100.2 every day with long Covid
Does anyone else have this sort of elevation in body temp?

I also have the mono virus that has been re-activated due to long Covid and
all my
auto immune issues.

80 year old female
Covid Jan 22 - complete recovery
Covid August 22 - not yet over the continuation of long Covid
Hair Loss
Brain Fog
Cardiac Arrhythmia
Fatigue
Fever

Conflicting advice from several specialists as to continuing vaccines and
other
preventive immunizations.....flu, pneumonia, etc.

Help👵😷

@judyfa43. Ditto for growing in the 50's and 60's when the world was so normal, fun and no worries and you could look forward to a great future and growing old.

You are soooooooooo fortunate to have a Doc that know about treating LT Covid, I have seen so many doctors, none of which no anything and have been able to help and still suffering for almost 3 yrs now and each and every month I get even worse symptoms. I now down to 90 lbs and so ill.

You mentioned you are experiencing stress and have many years ago, as did I during my divorce and loss of my dear Mom from cancer in '20. May I ask you what, if any, medication you are taking for the stress? I know I need to be taking something to help and my doctors are clueless. Even if it can help me sleep. For the last 2+ yrs I get only about 3 hrs of sleep. Lately, because terrible night sweats that leave me drenched, worse then when I went through menopause, makes it even worse and I wake up around 3 or 4am and jammies are drenched.

I'm also sending a private message as well.

I must be one of the exceptional lucky persons. My hair loss from Covid was at first ‘sparse’, then it worsened and I lost a lot of hair. I was a Cosmetologist for many years and knew with a traumatic illness such as Covid my hair would return such as occurs with Chemo patients. It returned even better than I thought it would. My naturally poker straight hair had a wave to it! I was ecstatic after struggling for years with straight hair. Currently it has more body and has grown beyond shoulder length.
I was NOT a mild Covid sufferer, In 2021 from January to July I spent 170 days in 3 facilities, on a vent for 34 days, had to be trached and much more struggling to recuperate from this vicious affliction. It is a miracle that I survived and were it not for the daily advocacy of my husband I would be dead!
The road has been long, but thank God I do have less residual effects than most others and I continue daily to work on those that remain.
Take it from me, hair does return after such traumas!