My hair is falling out

[Notlaughingalot]

Last December I was ill with what was called post viral fatigue. (I had a bad bout of gastroenteritis). My doctor didn't know if it was post viral fatigue, or long covid. If it was long covid then I must have been asymptomatic.

I was very ill for three months, from mid December to mid March, and few weeks ago my hair started falling out.

It's very distressing and is getting me down.
Has anyone else had this, and did your hair start growing again eventually?

My hair has thinned quite a bit over the past few years, but mine is down to iron deficiency. It definitely got worse a few months post covid, but has slowed a bit now.

From my understanding, if it's stress or post viral, it should grow back. Try not to worry too much. Does it actually look thinner?

Thank you for your reply. Yes, my scalp is clearly visible at the front and on top of my head.
I wear a hat when I can, and thank goodness the weather is cooling down a bit. I was very self conscious when it was boiling outside and I would have looked stupid in a hat.

Mine started thinning in places after birth and breastfeeding. The only thing I have tried that has made a difference is taking collagen. It’s bloody expensive and I don’t know if that is what’s made a difference or if it’s time or something else but there is finally new growth in the thin patches.

It is very common after illness for this to happen. For some reason it always starts 3-4 months after the illness. I had it last year when I had Bells Palsy. In my case it lasted about 6 months and then suddenly stopped and my hair is thick again now. So don't give up hope!

That's exactly what I was hoping I would read! Thank you, and others for your replies. I don't know if mine will grow back though, as I'm 70. I'm just hoping..

Yes, it's quite common to experience hair loss a few months after illness, or a very stressful experience. I think it's something to do with the hair growth cycle, which is approximately 3 months. Lots of women have reported hair loss after having covid too. It's very distressing.

I've had hair loss, but hormonal reasons. It's always grown back - still thinner than when I was younger but at least my scalp is no longer visible. It's just a waiting game, though it's torturous.

Have you had blood tests to see if you're deficient in anything? If you've been ill it's possible you're low on something essential for healthy hair growth. Iron, for example.

In the meantime, you can buy hair fibres online. Toppik is one brand, but there are others. You just choose the colour closest to your hair and sprinkle over the sparse patches - makes a huge difference to your confidence until you hair grows back.

I lost a lot of hair around my hairline several years ago following a bad reaction to IPL (NB I did not use it on my head it just seemed to throw my body into shock). It was gone several years and I've tried everything. Some years later I'm having good results with The Ordinary Multi Peptide Hair density Serum and brushing upside down daily giving the scalp a good massage with a bamboo or strong bristled brush. Also taking hair vitamins (Holland and Barrett). I've had a lot of regrowth in areas I thought were gone for good so I definitely recommend trying. Been doing all this about 6 months, it does take time but I'm surprised at how quick. I only apply the serum on the hairline and thinner areas as it's quite expensive but a few drops go a long way and a £20 bottle lasted me about 6 months. I've got lots of new baby hairs and my hair generally feels way thicker. So surprised it worked as I had tried other methods which didn't, I'm going to keep going.

Try and have a blood test done that gives you your ferritin reading. It needs to be above 70 in order for healthy hair growth to happen.

Yes, I would second the collagen! Make sure it's hydrolysed. I do think this has helped me.

@Scruffington I was actually going to start a thread about that, because I did hear this, but my ferritin never seems to be above the early to mid 20's, but since I've taken collagen, I have definitely noticed slow down in loss and I'm pretty sure, some re growth.