Alyssa Milano says she’s losing her hair following lengthy COVID-19 bout

Pop Culture

Actor Alyssa Milano is revealing details about her battle with COVID-19.

The former Charmed and Who’s the Boss star opened up on Twitter about her experience with the coronavirus, specifically the hair loss she’s enduring.

In the video posted Sunday, Milano brushes through her hair to show clumps coming out.

Story continues below advertisement

“Wear a damn mask,” she wrote.

Milano claims she began experiencing coronavirus symptoms in March. She also posted an Instagram photo, which she says she took on April 2, and she’s wearing an oxygen mask two weeks into the illness.

View this post on Instagram

This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible. I basically had every Covid symptom. At the very end of march I took two covid19 tests and both were negative. I also took a covid antibody test (the finger prick test) after I was feeling a bit better. NEGATIVE. After living the last 4 months with lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise, I went and got an antibody test from a blood draw (not the finger prick) from a lab. I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies. I had Covid19. I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers. I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life. Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt. Be well. I love you all (well, maybe not the trolls. Just the kind people.)❤️

A post shared by Alyssa Milano (@milano_alyssa) on

“I had never been this kind of sick,” she wrote. “Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible. I basically had every Covid symptom.”

Milano said that after initially testing negative for coronavirus and its antibodies, she continued to have symptoms for four months, including vertigo, period irregularities, stomach abnormalities and heart palpitations. Frustrated, she took another antibody test and it came back positive — meaning she did have COVID-19.

Story continues below advertisement

The actor is not the first to list hair loss as a COVID-19 side effect. Canadian dermatologists have said that some COVID-19 positive patients are contacting them in a panic, saying their hair has started to fall out.

Read more:
Some COVID-19 patients report hair loss months later

Dr. Jeff Donovan, a hair loss specialist in Whistler, B.C., and president of the Canadian Hair Loss Foundation, says he’s seen some cases in his clinic, though he’s not sure how common this is overall. “Certainly we are realizing now that it is part of the spectrum of conditions, but we don’t yet have the numbers.”

The problem patients are reporting is called telogen effluvium, said Toronto-based dermatologist Julia Carroll. It’s a well-known condition that’s often a reaction to a high-stress situation, whether it be severe illness, or even strong emotional stress. It generally causes an overall thinning of hair all over the scalp, rather than bald patches.

However, tying this kind of hair loss specifically to the SARS-CoV-2 virus is tricky, said Donovan, as many things could cause increased “shedding” of hair.

Hair loss was reported among patients who caught the Spanish Flu in 1918, he said. High fevers and other severe symptoms seem to contribute to developing the condition.

Story continues below advertisement

The emotional stress of living through a pandemic can take a toll too, including among people who had mild symptoms of COVID-19, he said, or even people who haven’t had the disease at all.

While Carroll believes that this phenomenon is due mostly to stress, Donovan thinks it may also be directly tied to the virus.

Read more:
These Canadians say they suffered COVID-19 symptoms for months

“I think it would be a mistake to say that these people are shedding simply because of stress. This is a complex virus. It does many things to every organ in the body that we don’t yet understand.”

Both doctors agree that the hair — usually — grows back, and this condition is not permanent.

Milano concluded her Instagram post with helpful messaging for those questioning the veracity or severity of the illness.

“I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers,” she wrote. “I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying. I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life. Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt.”

Story continues below advertisement

With files from Global News’ Leslie Young

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

How To Match Clothes and Shoes For Guys: Outfit Color Guide
How To Wear A Check Blazer Like A Don
15 Best Oxford Shirts For Men – OCBD Guide for 2024
Awards Be Damned: Interview with the Vampire Was One of the Best Series of 2024
Trailer, Release Date, Cast & More – Hollywood Life