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As if adverse effects on our personal health, professional lives, and social escapes aren’t enough for COVID-19 to deliver some pretty harrowing blows, many of us still have to deal with the latent stress issues that can lead to hair loss.
After getting the virus in March last year, actress Alyssa Milano couldn’t have shared the link between hair loss and stress better when she posted a video on Instagram showing clumps of her tangled hair on a brush. She shared how COVID-19 caused her hair loss, which wasn’t as rare as you’d think. We couldn’t agree more.
Splitting hairs over hair loss and stress
A key symptom of coronavirus is high fever, which is very much associated with noticeable hair loss due to stress or a condition experts call telogen effluvium. Worse, the condition appears in two to three months after recovery and may last for up to six to nine months before you’ll begin to see normal hair growth again. While this may be tolerable for most men, hair loss or alopecia can be disastrous for women who will likely turn to medical wigs.
Whether or not you get COVID-19, too much stress can lead to hair loss. According to the New York Times, the number of people wearing medical wigs for alopecia has also been increasing, which is attributed not only to the global pandemic but also with the slew of garden-variety stresses we face on a daily basis. In short, living through these crazy times alone is enough to trigger hair loss.
Wigs in today’s mainstream
If you start seeing your shower drain fill up with loose strands over a few days, it’s best that you see a doctor quickly. But, don’t discount a call to a wig specialist. Even if you haven’t had COVID-19, emotional stress alone can lead to hair loss after a few months of continued anxiety and extreme pressure. While there are available treatments out there, many women who experience major hair loss opt for wearing medical wigs for alopecia until follicle growth returns back to normal levels.
While medical wigs for hair loss have been around for centuries, some women may still feel a certain kind of stigma from wearing one.. However, today’s wig culture has blossomed into a vibrant industry that now caters to a wide variety of markets– from patients to celebrities, to influencers, to cosplayers. If the early Egyptians invented wigs as a protective headcover from the sun, today’s generation has embraced wigs as part of their fashion style and personal branding. Today, wearing wigs, toppers, or wiglets has become a two-pronged solution for ladies who wish to upgrade their styles or use them as a cosmetic add-on to hide hair loss. Those negative whispers of “it’s a wig– not the real thing” have slowly muted over time too as many continue to discover new ways to reinvent themselves with different hairstyles and colors.
Never a bad hair day
Milano Collection, one of the premier wig manufacturers in the country, has been providing its customers with a wide array of styles and accessories that allow them to redefine their looks or offer comfortable pieces that feel and look natural. From low-density wigs made out of real human hair to medical wigs specifically designed for those with alopecia, and toppers that give lift and volume, alternative hair has evolved into a normal lifestyle that’s both fun and empowering.
Offering a wide array of options at reasonable prices also shows how businesses like Milano Collection understand what women need right now in terms of discovering their individualities or addressing cosmetic issues from stress and hair loss. Effectively addressing both styling and cosmetic needs is also probably why the entire wig industry is currently projected to spike up to $10 billion by 2023.
From a more scientific standpoint, experts say that wigs strike a chord in our brain’s pleasure centers whenever we experiment with different colors or styles. It excretes happy hormones like dopamine into our system which can be very helpful to women who either lose hair strands due to stress or those who are continually undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Wigs that are dedicated for cancer patients or those with other hair loss-related health conditions aren’t considered cosmetic, so they can also be covered by medical health insurance providers if the patient has a prescription.
And since wigs can enhance our moods, it certainly is a good thing that we can finally eliminate stress-related hair loss and a bad hair day from our long list of daily annoyances during this global pandemic once and for all.
Learn more about how Milano Collection’s Wig Specialists can find the right styles and pieces that will fit you perfectly or discover more about their premium collection here.
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/jul/17/how-the-wig-got-big-katy-perry-cardi-b-summer-trend
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid-19-survivors-are-losing-their-hair-heres-why
https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/covid-19-and-hair-loss-why-its-happening