A Wellington woman is speaking out about experiencing an unusual symptom after recently contracting COVID-19.
Melissa tested positive for COVID-19 about six weeks ago and two weeks after recovering, she said her hair "just started falling out".
She told The Project handfuls of her hair would fall out every time she touched it.
"Every time I had a shower it was blocking up my shower," she said.
"I had enough and so I decided to shave it all off.
"It's growing back already but it could fall for another eight weeks - which is a long time."
She said she went to see a dermatologist, who told her they'd seen an influx of people losing their hair after having COVID-19.
"I think it's really important for women, in particular, to know that they're not alone when this happens."
Since losing her hair, Melissa said while it was scary at first - knowing others were going through it made it less frightening.
The occurrence is called telogen effluvium and experts say up to 48 percent of people experience it as a symptom after having COVID-19.
Fortunately, people can rest assured their hair will return to normal.
"The best thing we can do as providers is [to] provide reassurance that this is a self-limited condition and that hair will recover," University of Utah dermatologist Powell Perng said.
"A lot of times, we know these patients are going to recover spontaneously and on their own.
"While it's completely understandable to be distressed... empowering patients to monitor their own progress at home and communicating the importance of stress management are invaluable to a successful recovery."
