Pandemic’s skin-deep after-effects: Mask acne, hand eczema

Chennai: Over the last eight months, says Dr Deepika Lunawat, she has been seeing more than 15 patients a week complaining of excessive hair fall. “When we investigate, we find that all of it is pandemic-related,” says the dermatologist at Fortis Malar Hospital.

The fever-related hair fall is just one of the skin-deep Covid-19-related after-effects that dermatologists are seeing. Mask acne is another as are PPE-induced fungal infections.

“Hair loss is a common after-effect of a high fever and because of the pandemic, we are now seeing a 50% increase in the number of people exhibiting hair loss. It usually begins three to four months after the fever,” says Dr B Nirmal, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre. “It’s disproportionate hair fall, where you lose hundreds of hair follicles a day. You can use certain creams. You can also wait it out. The hair fall usually stops after a while.”

Dr Lunawat explains that the hair fall may be also be on account of the raised anxiety levels caused by the lockdown and the resultant job insecurity, financial losses, and unemployment.

For Madhumithaa SR, a college student, it was the decreased Vitamin D levels. “I never stepped out in lockdown. And it was also the time I decided to go on an extreme weight loss diet as I was working from home. I lost 10 kg, but I also began losing my hair,” she says.

Dr Lunawat got Madhumithaa to start walking on the terrace for an hour a day and re-introduce fruits and vegetables into her diet, after which her hair fall reduced. “A number of people refused to eat vegetables for fear of the virus. They stuck to eating legumes and pulses in lockdown,” says Dr Lunawat.

Mask acne – being referred to as mascne, says Dr Nirmal, is because of prolonged mask wearing. “Acne appears only in the areas covered by the mask. It can be treated with topical medicated creams, but it is also a matter of hygiene. One needs to wash masks regularly. Masks tend to seal moisture and bacteria inside, which touch the skin. Bacteria thrive in a humid environment, which is why you need to wash it with a gentle detergent.”

Dr Sukanya Madhupal, dermatologist, Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, says hand eczemas because of excessive use of hand sanitisers as well as urticaria and skin lesions because of steroids used in the treatment of Covid-19 are also common now. “Among health care workers, we also see textile based dermatitis on the back, arms and neck because of wearing PPEs for long hours,” she says.

While the rashes and lesions are treated with medication, the hair fall with topical creams, for the PPE dermatitis, doctors suggest sticking to loose-fitting cotton clothes when not on duty.