Alyssa Milano said she's still losing hair after having a coronavirus infection in April
- Actress Alyssa Milano posted on social media that she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies after being extremely sick for two weeks in April.
- Milano said she's still losing hair as a result of the illness, shared a video of herself brushing her hair and losing clumps of it in the process, and urged followers to "take this seriously" and "wear a damn mask."
- New evidence suggests a growing number of people experience hair loss months after a COVID-19 infection.
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Actress Alyssa Milano says that she's losing hair as the result of a coronavirus infection months ago.
In early August, Milano said on social media that she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. The actress said she was extremely sick for two week in April, during which time she had trouble breathing, lost her sense of smell, experienced severe fatigue and disorientation, and lost about nine pounds as a result of digestive issues.
Although she's since recovered, she's still losing excessive amounts of hair , possibly as a result of the infection. Milano posted a video of herself brushing her hair, and pulling out clumps of loose hair in the process.
Thought I’d show you what #Covid19 does to your hair. Please take this seriously. #WearADamnMask #LongHauler pic.twitter.com/H0wCmzYswV
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 9, 2020
Prior to the hair loss video, some people on social media had questioned whether Milano was exaggerating or even lying about having the virus.
Milano urged her followers to "please take this seriously" and "wear a damn mask" to prevent the spread of the virus. She asked others to share their experiences with coronavirus in the Twitter thread to raise awareness of the potential severity of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Hair loss is a newly identified side effect of COVID-19, and could be the result of trauma
Milano isn't alone. A growing number of patients have reported losing their hair after a coronavirus infection, sometimes months after they've recovered.
Doctors say it may be because of a condition called telogen effluvium, when the hair stops growing and eventually falls out after severe stress or a traumatic event.
"When the body is in a really stressful situation, it basically diverts energy from growing hair to more essential things," Dr. Nate Favini, the medical lead at Forward, a primary-care practice that's collecting data on coronavirus patients around the country, previously told Business Insider.
The hair loss can occur months after the patient has recovered, and can last between three to six months. Those with more severe coronavirus infections may be more at risk of losing their hair afterward, and it may take longer for hair to regrow in these cases.
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