Sime: fact linked to hyperinflammation, often resolves within 6 months
ROME. As many of those who have had it are well aware, Covid-19 can also have a negative impact on hair. Even one in three people who contract the virus has hair loss and suffers from a more or less severe form of alopecia, two or three months after infection. Often the problem tends to regress, but in some cases it is worth doing a specific check. This is one of the themes at the center of the congress of the Italian Society of Aesthetic Medicine (Sime), which opens today in Rome.
“The reason – explains Alfredo Rossi, professor of dermatology at the University of Rome La Sapienza – is due to the fact that Sars-Cov-2 infection, as known, can cause a massive release of proinflammatory cytokines, and this induces , not only a conspicuous hair loss (telogen effluvium), but also an inflammation which, in some cases, can lead to a fibrosis of the scalp. To this must be added, as an important cause of hair loss, the stress caused by changing lifestyle habits, the fear of getting sick, isolation, perhaps even the loss of work and the economic crisis that characterized the lives of many during the pandemic”. In most cases, telogen effluvium is reversible within 6 months of the stressful event.
“However, those who already have a predisposition to androgenetic alopecia, after Covid could observe a regrowth of hair that is thinner or more sparse than before. In these cases it is advisable to contact a specialist “. Furthermore, rare forms of alopecia linked to the activation of the immune system also appear to be induced by vaccination. “To identify the most useful remedies – comments Emanuele Bartoletti, president of Sime – a specialist trichological visit with trichoscopic examination is recommended, which allows an accurate assessment of the health of the scalp and hair, to then understand if and with which measures to intervene “. The congress, he concludes, “will be an opportunity to take stock of the situation on how to correct, but above all prevent, these collateral aspects of the disease”. (HANDLE)