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Introduction: Many cases of telogen effluvium (TE), acute hair shedding, following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported during the pandemic. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the relationship between COVID-19 and TE in Saudi Arabia. Self-administered online questionnaires were distributed online between March and September 2022 in Saudi Arabia. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine risk factors associated with TE post-COVID-19 (significance at P < 0.05). Results: Of the 703 responders, 392 were included in the study. 59.70% (n = 234) recognized hair shedding during or after COVID-19. The time taken to realize hair shedding (3 or 6 months) and the duration varied (3, 6, >6 months). The risk factors significantly related to TE post-COVID-19 were: female sex (P < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] = 2.98), COVID-19 antiviral treatment (P = 0.032, OR = 3.02), and TE history (P = 0.001, OR = 3.78). Conclusion: Healthcare providers and physicians should be aware of the relationship between TE and COVID-19, to easily recognize, treat, and improve their patients' outcomes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned media (ADSC-CM) formulation in telogen effluvium patients.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a dermatology clinic in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The study included 50 consecutive patients aged 20– 70 years, who were diagnosed with telogen effluvium. All patients received five monthly sessions of the same commercial ADSC-CM formulation, using a standardized application protocol. Pre- and post-intervention changes in trichometry parameters were analyzed.Results: There was a significant increase in mean hair density (up to 29.01 hair/cm2; effect size 0.7– 1.0), cumulative hair thickness (up to 2.67 units; effect size 0.7– 1.4), and the number of follicular hair units (up to 19.96%; effect size 1.0– 1.3) in all scalp regions (p < 0.001), associated with a decrease in mean trichometry-derived Sinclair scale by 0.8– 1.3 (p < 0.001). Positive outcomes were observed in 70%– 92% of the patients depending on the parameter and scalp region. There was no impact of the patient's age on ADSC-CM efficacy.Conclusion: ADSC-CM was successfully applied as a new treatment option for patients with telogen effluvium. These findings provide another therapeutic and research area for dermatologists to optimize the management of telogen effluvium and reduce its impact on patients.Plain Language Summary: Hair loss can be a distressing experience. Telogen effluvium, a common type of hair loss, was the focus of a study in Saudi Arabia. The goal? To see if a new treatment using a mixture of cytokines, growth factors, and proteins from fat cell-derived stem cells (known as ADSC-CM) could help.The researchers worked with 50 people aged between 20 and 70, all of whom were experiencing telogen effluvium. The treatment involved five monthly sessions of the ADSC-CM product. The team measured aspects of hair growth before and after the treatment.What did they find? Encouraging signs! Hair density and thickness significantly improved across the scalp. Additionally, the severity of the hair loss condition was reduced. Between 70% and 92% of people saw positive changes depending on the area of the scalp and the specific measurement.The exciting part is that the age of the person did not affect how well the treatment worked. This suggests it could benefit a wide range of people.In a nutshell, this study suggests ADSC-CM may be a new and effective way to help people experiencing telogen effluvium. More research is needed, but it is a promising avenue for dermatologists to explore and could potentially help reduce the impact of hair loss on people's lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco is smoked by different techniques through cigarette and shisha smoking. The prevalence of tobacco is considered one of the major threats to public health. This study aims to assess the effect of cigarette, shisha, and mixed (cigarette/shisha) smoking on heavy metal contamination in hair samples, hair loss, and DNA fragmentation, to correlate age, incidence of hair loss, and smoking duration with the amount of accumulated metals and the DNA fragmentation, and to correlate the level of heavy metal contamination with DNA fragmentation. This study was implemented in Saudi Arabia among sixty males divided into four groups (15/group): control and cigarette, shisha, and mixed smokers. Heavy metal contamination in hair samples and urinary DNA levels were assayed. All metal and urinary DNA levels were significantly elevated in cigarette, shisha, and mixed smokers compared to non-smokers. Hair loss was also higher among smokers especially among participants with high DNA concentrations. There were positive significant correlations of age and incidence of hair loss with urinary DNA concentration. There were positive significant correlations between urinary DNA concentration and all heavy metal levels. Cigarette, shisha, and mixed smoking trigger metal contamination, DNA fragmentation, and hair loss. Moreover, hair loss was observed to be associated with Sb, Cd, and Ni as well as urinary DNA level, while age was associated only with lead and urinary DNA levels. The duration of smoking had a major impact on Pb and Sb levels. Finally, contamination with all six metals was significantly associated with DNA fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]