Losing hair? Stress may be to blame, but there's good news too.

Katrina Lopez was worried when she started losing a lot of hair in the shower in April 2020, but the New York-based ER nurse suspected stress was to blame.

"My stress was directly related to work and the pandemic and all the tragedies I saw and just how helpless I felt during that time," she said. She was also grieving the loss of several patients and family members who died from COVID-19. Her emotions were "all over the place."

Lopez isn't alone. People have been commiserating on social media about hair loss caused by high levels of stress, including anxieties brought on by the pandemic. But while losing hair can be scary, experts say a common form of stress-related hair loss they're seeing an increase in, telogen effluvium, is typically temporary.

Dr. Caroline Robinson, a dermatologist and founder of Tone Dermatology, told USA TODAY one of the most common reasons for hair loss is stress.

"When our body experiences extreme stress such as following a surgery, death of a loved one, child birth, viral infection or as even as a result of the ongoing global pandemic itself, we can experience a large shift in our hairs from the growing phase to the shedding phase months later," she explains. "This is... a condition called telogen effluvium, and it is far more common than many realize."

Telogen effluvium can also be triggered by major physical trauma, extreme weight loss, extreme change in diet, abrupt hormonal changes or iron deficiency, according to the Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Michele S. Green, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told USA TODAY last year that she saw an influx of patients seeking treatment for hair loss during quarantine.

“Patients have literally come in with bags of hair looking like a full head of hair was in the bag,” she said. “They all have similar stories. That they were extremely sick with high fevers and have never been that sick in their entire lives.”

Anabel Kingsley, a consultant trichologist, someone who specializes in treating hair and scalp issues, at hair care clinic Philip Kingsley, says people often don't connect their hair loss with stress since it usually doesn't happen right away.

"Most hair loss you experience will present itself anywhere from 6-12 weeks after a stressful event due to the nature of your hair growth cycle," she says.

Robinson says hair loss may also appear months after the stressful event and can "linger as long as the stressor is impacting us."

Dr. Samer Jaber, a dermatologist at Washington Square Dermatology in New York, says the condition can be "pretty severe," noting a patient can lose up to 50% of hair, and it can persist for months.

Luckily, Jaber adds that stress-related hair loss is generally not permanent.

"Telogen effluvium generally resolves on its own after a few months, although in some patients it can be chronic," he explains.

Other stress-related hair issues

In addition to telogen effluvium, Jaber says there are two other conditions that can be triggered by stress: Alopecia areata, an auto-immune type of hair loss where you have circular patches of hair loss throughout the scalp, and trichotrillomania, which is the urge to pull or tug your hair which can be worsened by stress.

"Alopecia areata can be treated, and trichotrillomania is generally reversible if stopped quickly, although in severe cases trichotrillomania can result in scarred hair loss," he says.

Not only can stress lead to hair loss, it can also wreak havoc on your scalp in other ways, Kingsley says.

"Stress also commonly triggers and/or worsens flaking and itching of the scalp, especially if you are already prone to dandruff," Kingsley explains. "This is because stress can affect hormone levels as well as the skin’s barrier function."

This flaking can cause more hair loss while scratching it can result in further irritation.

If you're stressed, you may also find that your roots get limp and greasy faster than usual, Kingsley says, because stress can increase your scalp’s production of oils.

How do you treat hair loss?

Androgenic alopecia, or male or female pattern baldness, causes follicles to shrink and stop producing hair altogether, Kingsley explains, but stress-related hair issues can be helped.

The best way to treat stress-related hair loss is to find ways of managing stress levels and treating your body well, which can be done in a variety of ways:

Reduce stress: "The first priority is to decrease stress via exercise, meditation, prayer or whatever stress reduction technique works best for you," Jaber advises.

Be easy on your hair: "It is so important to not engage in hair practices that exacerbate symptoms by further weakening the hair shaft," Robinson says. "I recommend adopting gentle hair care practices and avoiding excess heat, color or chemical processing."

Stick to a consistent, nutritionally healthy diet: "Because hair is a non-essential tissue, it is often the first thing to suffer if your body is lacking in nutrients," Kingsley says. "Vitamin imbalances, iron deficiency, inadequate protein intake, and meals that contain too few calories can all contribute to hair shedding."

See a doctor or specialist if needed: "If your hair loss is worrying you or persistent see a board certified dermatologist so they can diagnose and treat you appropriately," Jaber advises. "Topical Rogaine and vitamin based supplements can sometimes be helpful for those with long standing telogen eflluvium."

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stress related hair loss: Warning signs, how to fix hair thinning