How Coronavirus Affects Your Beauty: Effects on Skin, Nails, and Hair

• 1. Facial Swelling and Grayish Face Color
• 2. Exacerbated Inflammation
• 3. Rash
• 4. Dry Hands and Contact Dermatitis
• 5. COVID Nails
• 6. Hair Loss
• 7. How to Deal with Consequences of the Coronavirus?
• 8. Summing Up

The damage the coronavirus does to the body also affects a person’s appearance. After COVID-19, people have to not only restore their health, but also to take care of their beauty. What are the most common skin, nail, and hair problems people face after COVID-19? Find out in this article.

Facial Swelling and Grayish Face Color

During the coronavirus, the skin reacts to the infection, to its treatment, and also reflects the poor state of the immune system. According to dermatologists, COVID-19 effects on the skin appear one-two weeks after recovery.

After the coronavirus, the skin becomes coarser and duller, some people complain of thinning skin, spider veins, and swelling. Many patients also notice increased sensitivity, burning and itching. Nutritional disturbances caused by thrombosis weaken the regeneration capacity of your skin. Cell regeneration slows down while aging processes speed up. A person’s complexion may become sallow and sickly.

Exacerbated Inflammation

Stress caused by the disease, changes in microflora and hormone fluctuations can cause acne and flares up of chronic inflammatory processes: rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema that are more severe due to the weakened immune system.

Problems caused directly by the coronavirus include ‘maskne’. This is a portmanteau of ‘mask’ and ‘acne’ that was coined during the pandemic and describes problems with the skin on the face due to wearing masks. These problems include rashes and perioral dermatitis — small itchy pimples around the mouth.

Rash

In moderate and severe coronavirus cases, patients can have a rash. What exactly causes it — the body’s immune reaction or a hormonal release — is still under research. Coronavirus patients can experience the following rash types:

• maculo-papular rash in the form of small red papules and spots
• hives — a pink or red itchy rash in the form of spots or blisters
• vesicular rash — fluid-filled blisters that appear on the back or arms
• ‘COVID fingers’ — the symptoms resemble frostbite: the skin on fingers and feet turns reddish purple and is itchy and painful to the touch
• livedo reticularis — bluish reddish patterns on the skin resembling a fish net.

Important! All skin diseases require medical attention. Go to a doctor who will prescribe you the necessary treatment. Cosmetic procedures should come into play only after that.

Dry Hands and Contact Dermatitis

Washing hands is an easy and effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. But there is a downside: frequent contact with water, soap, and disinfectants makes the skin on hands dry and irritated. What can we do to avoid it?

1. People prone to skin diseases should use soap with soft formulas and neutral pH. Others are recommended using common soap bars as they have less fragrance components and preserving agents that can cause allergies.
2. Wipe your hands thoroughly. Moisture that’s left between fingers or under rings can lead to irritation.
3. Alternate washing hands with using alcohol-containing sanitizers as they are less likely to cause contact dermatitis than water and soap.
4. Regularly use moisturizing cream with a dense, oily texture, especially before sleep.
5. Wear protective gloves for household chores.

COVID Nails

After the coronavirus, your nails can fall victim to the stress your organism has suffered as a result of the illness. The term ‘COVID nails’ includes several symptoms.

Beau’s Lines

These are dents that run horizontally across the nail plate. They can appear as a reaction to stress, poisonings, an injury, an infectious disease, a flare-up of a chronic condition, or heart diseases. Beau’s lines indicate that your body was temporarily preoccupied with more important things and did not have the resources to grow nails properly during the disease. You won’t see them right away as it takes several weeks for them to emerge from the nail bed after whatever caused them.

Red Half-Moon Marks

Some coronavirus patients notice red half-moon marks above their lunulas one-two weeks after a COVID-19 diagnosis. According to medical data, this symptom is characteristic only of COVID-19. It’s exact nature is still unknown, but it might indicate inflammatory processes or blood vessel damage. 

Mees’ Lines

They look like white lines across the nail plate. Unlike in the case of Beau’s lines, the nail remains smooth. Mees’ lines appear not only after the coronavirus, but also after extreme stress, poisoning, or an infection.

Another unusual coronavirus symptom that was observed in some patients is luminescence under a UV light. This phenomenon was studied by researchers from Maltepe University in Istanbul, Turkey. They found a correlation between nail fluorescence after the coronavirus and the drug Favipiravir. According to them, this effect was caused by the drug.

COVID nails are a temporary condition. Red markings will disappear in several months, Beau’s and Mees’ lines will grow out, which can take up to six months.

Hair Loss

More than 50% of coronavirus patients suffered hair loss after the disease. According to most doctors, this is telogen effluvium — temporary hair loss due to disruptions in the hair growth cycle.

Hair starts falling out two-three months after the disease. This happens because during the coronavirus, a lot of hairs go into the resting phase (telogen) and 40-90 days later start falling out.

Psychological Stress

Hospital patients suffer from telogen effluvium more than those who were not hospitalized. Bad news adds to the stress, so it’s worth listening to the advice to get breaks from reading news.

Uncontrollable Immune Response

This is a dangerous condition that is known as cytokine storm. It results in problems with blood coagulation and formation of micro blood clots that clog capillaries and disrupt follicle nutricion.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Vitamins and microelements get depleted. The body spends them on fighting the virus instead of feeding hair follicles, sacrificing beauty for the sake of survival.

Secondary factors that can lead to hair loss are side effects of medicines and hormonal fluctuations.

Hair loss after the coronavirus is more prominent in women as they often wear long hair and it’s easier to notice hair loss.

So, what can you do about hair loss caused by the coronavirus? The good news is — you can get your lush locks back. This process might take up to a year. In some cases, the hair will grow back itself, but some people will have to alter their diet, introduce nutrient additives, and undergo additional treatment. Specialists agree that it’s pointless to target hair alone — it’s important to restore your immune system and health in general.

How to Deal with Consequences of the Coronavirus?

Rehabilitation after the coronavirus should be supervised by a health professional. To return your skin, hair, and nails to their former beauty, eat a rich diet and take healthy food supplements.

Regularly eat fat fish, chicken, eggs, liver, hard cheese, fermented milk products, wholemeal and rye bread, porridges, vegetable oils, fruit, berries, vegetables, fruit drinks, and green tea.

Forget about fast food, ready-to-eat, heavy, fried, and spicy food, sweets and baked goods.

Drink a lot of water! Your body needs enough water to recover.

Take vitamins and microelements that will help revitalize your skin, nails, and hair.

• Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that supports your immune system and facilitates cell regeneration.
• Vitamin E helps with acne and skin defects.
• Biotin strengthens hair and nails, prevents thinning and brittleness.
• Cync, selenium, and vitamin D boost your immune system and make the skin look healthy and shiny again.
• Coenzyme Q10 increases cell activity and stimulates elastin and collagen generation.
• Hyaluronic acid and collagen hydrolysate improve elasticity and increase moisture levels.

Summing Up

The coronavirus has a detrimental effect on our beauty. It causes damage to skin, hair, and nails. Here are the most common beauty problems people face after the coronavirus:

• swelling, skin fatigue, sickly complexion
• acne and inflammation
• rash
• dry hands and contact dermatitis
• COVID nails
• hair loss.

To deal with these problems, consult with a doctor. Keep in mind that it’s no use targeting them one by one — restore your health in general, eating a healthy diet and taking supplements for the health of your skin, hair, and nails. Get cosmetic procedures only after proper treatment and rehabilitation.