Rapper Drake has revealed that he experienced hair loss after contracting COVID-19.
The musician shared the information while commenting on a fan's Instagram post that featured a photo of him with a faded heart shaved into his hairline.
"That heart is stressed," the fan captioned the photo on Tuesday.
Drake was quick to explain why his hair had not grown back and filled out the heart.
"I had [COVID] that s--t grew in weird I had to start again," he wrote in reply to the fan’s post. "it’s coming back don’t diss."
It is unclear when Drake contracted COVID-19 but in March it emerged that he had to get tested after hanging out with NBA star Kevin Durant who tested positive the same month. Drake's results came back negative. He later shared the news on Instagram Live.
"Yeah, i had to get tested, but it came back negative," he said, according to Entertainment Tonight. "The test was uncomfortable though. They put that Q-tip all the way (points to his nose) in your thoughts and s--t."
Drake is not the only celebrity to experience hair loss after contracting COVID-19. Actress Alyssa Milano opened up about her battle with the virus to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2020, explaining that she had experienced "extreme hair loss" after testing positive.
"It's hard, especially when you're an actor and so much of your identity is wrapped up in those things, like having long silky hair and clean skin," she said. "Along with that also, I have the brain fog. Which, again, as an actress, as someone who has to memorize dialogue and be able to emote, and respond, and be on my toes, it's frightening."
Although hair loss is not a common symptom of COVID, a recent survey found that 22% of patients hospitalized with the virus lost their hair six months after being discharged, according to the Daily Mail.
The findings were reported by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, who said that the hair loss could be one of two things: Either it is linked to a physiological response to the stress and trauma of COVID-19 and could be temporary, or it may be caused by COVID-19 itself and could possibly be permanent.
"While the impact of COVID-19 on the lungs and vascular system have received some media and medical attention, the results of this survey suggest that brain, whole body, eye, and skin symptoms are also frequent-occurring health problems for people recovering," said Dr. Natalie Lambert from Indiana University School of Medicine, who conducted an investigation into "long hauler" COVID symptoms.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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