Hair loss due to Lyme disease - a well-known phenomenon?
Table of contents
- Determining the cause is crucial
- What are the consequences of the disease?
- How does hair loss occur after Lyme disease?
- What treatment methods are available?
- Conclusion: If Lyme disease causes hair loss, a hair transplant can help
Determining the cause is crucial
If you remember a tick bite in the past, you should have your blood tested in a laboratory. Besides hair loss, there are a whole range of other long-term effects that, with a comprehensive examination, can be linked to the virus from a tick bite.
While a fresh tick bite can be diagnosed based on the local reddening of the skin with a large red ring around it, diagnosis is more difficult in cases of long-standing infections. In Germany, there are only three laboratories that perform a truly efficient and reliable test for suspected Lyme disease infection.
Without identification and treatment of the underlying disease, diffuse hair loss will persist in any case. Since Lyme disease promotes thyroid disorders, hyperacidity, and psychological imbalance , which in turn lead to hair loss, treating the original infection is paramount.
The sooner you see a doctor about an infected tick bite, the greater the chances of recovery and the lower your risk of long-term consequences such as hair loss and a whole range of other dangerous symptoms.
What are the consequences of the disease?
Tick bites are feared primarily because of the risk of transmitting the TBE virus . However, not every tick bite necessarily results in meningitis .
In addition to diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, chronic atrophicans and erythema migrans or other accompanying symptoms such as fatigue, pain and burning or numb skin, hair loss can occur due to Lyme disease.
If hair loss is caused by Lyme disease, patients usually have to endure a long marathon of medical visits without a diagnosis. The long-term consequences can be fatal , especially if no other symptoms suggesting Lyme disease appear beyond the hair loss and the blood test isn't performed.
How does hair loss occur after Lyme disease?
In most cases, hair loss after a tick bite is accompanied by an itchy or burning scalp . Your hair becomes dull and usually falls out in areas where Lyme disease causes severe scalp itching or follicle pain. However, even hair loss without the aforementioned symptoms can be caused by a tick bite.
While hair loss due to Lyme disease often manifests itself diffusely in women , in men it usually appears as a circular patch on the top of the head. In any case, the cause must be determined before considering treatment options, including a hair transplant.
If you experience sudden pain in the roots of your hair , especially when combing, the cause should be determined by a Lyme disease specialist. Tick toxins can be detected in your blood even months after infection, so the cause of your thinning hair and baldness can be determined.
The location of the tick bite is not important, so the dreaded hair loss does not only occur with a direct infection of the scalp . A connection between diffuse or circular hair loss and a tick bite that occurred years ago is rarely established.
What treatment methods are available?
Because the underlying disease remains in the body, hair loss cannot be stopped or reversed with conventional means . Hair growth products are ineffective against hair loss caused by tick bites, which ultimately leads to frizzy hair growth all over the head or complete baldness.
To stop hair loss after Lyme disease, you first need a clear diagnosis. Appropriate medication to reduce the viral infection in the body is necessary to achieve positive results with hair transplants.
If Lyme disease is left untreated and the virus continues to work in your scalp, the newly transplanted follicles will fall out, just like your original hair growth. During your initial consultation at the hair clinic, you should therefore specifically answer the question of whether you have been bitten by a tick.
Even though this moment may have occurred many years ago, the impact of Lyme disease on hair growth should not be underestimated. Hair transplant has proven to be the only effective treatment for hair loss caused by a tick bite. Hair growth promoters, special shampoos, dietary changes, and reducing stress are ineffective in this case.
Conclusion: If Lyme disease causes hair loss, a hair transplant can help
Hair loss due to Lyme disease is not uncommon and usually occurs weeks to months after transmission of the virus. Precise diagnosis lays the foundation for Lyme disease treatment and the success of a planned hair transplant.
Inform your treatment team about the cause of your hair loss and find out in a personal consultation how high your chances are of achieving a full head of hair without recurrence of baldness. If you know about Lyme disease and are getting the condition treated, nothing stands in the way of hair implantation.
This minimally invasive procedure is the only way to regain full, magnificent hair after a tick bite and the resulting hair loss. Your experts at Elithair are happy to provide you with a free, no-obligation consultation .
