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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. For our last segment today and all this week, we're going to ask questions like, "Why is your back hurting? How come your feet are so dry? How do you fall asleep after a day of not going out and sitting on the couch?"

All this week, we're taking a closer look at some of the tricky new health challenges that have come up during COVID living and offering some solutions. We pick five different pandemic self-care topics to end the show with, one each day this week, based on what we've been hearing from you, and seeing around the internet.

Later this week, we'll tackle sleep, stretching, nutrition, and meditation, but up first, a closer look at your pandemic hair and skincare, like the phenomenon of pandemic hair loss that we've heard about, and it's not acne, it's masked knee. Joining me now is Dr. Shereene Idriss MD, a Bboard Certified Dermatologist. Welcome to WNYC, Dr. Idriss. Thanks for giving us some time.

Dr. Shereene Idriss: Hi, Brian, thanks so much for having me.

Brian: The New York Times recently ran a headline, "You're Not Imagining It: The Pandemic Is Making Your Hair Fall Out." Really?

Dr. Idriss: Absolutely, and I myself even experienced it for a short period of time last year. It's actually a condition known as telogen effluvium, in which it's a byproduct of immense stress, whether it's physical or mental, or even post-viral inflammation that can happen.

A couple of months after that shock, you can go through a period of temporary hair loss, and I think the keyword is temporary, where our hair gets pushed into the shedding phase, and falls off dramatically. It can have psychological impacts, obviously, because it's extremely stressful, but the good news is that it will pass and it's just a moment in time.

Brian: Listeners, obviously, if you're experiencing any of the things we'll talk about today or this week, you should consult your doctor, but in general terms, Dr. Idriss, are there topical products that have certain ingredients that people should look for in shampoos, or treatments to slow pandemic hair loss, or assist re-growth if you've been looking at that?

Dr. Idriss: Yes, there are many things you can do to try to empower yourself and help yourself through this time, and I think even if, for example, the data is not necessarily the best, I think doing something to help yourself will just promote an overall healthier lifestyle and promote hair growth.

Let's start with, for instance, daily scalp massages. You can massage your scalp a couple of times a day. Rosemary oil is one of those kind of anecdotal oils that supposedly promote hair growth. So if you do that to yourself and it makes you feel better, I'm all for it.

Thickening shampoos. There is a brand Grindr Hair or RevitaLash that has these thickening shampoos that gives the illusion of having fuller hair. That's one of those fake it till you make it categories that I recommend for patients.

Other tried and true are topical minoxidil, also known as Rogaine that you can find at your local drugstore. I usually tell my patients, "Forget the ones targeted for women, just go for the men's," because it's a higher percentage, it's 5%, and I prefer the foam-based one.

Those are also treatments that you can do to help yourself for sure, and if none of those work, then in-office treatments like PRP, platelet-rich plasma, which is when we take your blood, we spin it, and then we inject it into the scalp to help promote hair growth, can also be helpful as well. If it all fails, just know that it's temporary so hopefully your hair will come back in due course.

Brian: Thank you for those. Another big pandemic topic, maskne. Some people especially those who are wearing masks for hours at a time, are experiencing acne caused by their masks. I see it's got a name now which is maskne. How is maskne different from regular acne, if at all?

Dr. Idriss: They look identical, so that's a great question. The only biggest difference is the root cause of what's actually causing the flare-ups, and maskne is usually due to trapped heat, chronic rubbing, pressure, obviously everything that we've all been experiencing together due to the masks. That artificial environment promotes breakouts and inflammation, and that's what we're seeing on our faces.

Brian: What would you recommend as a first line of attack to help clear up that area under your mask?

Dr. Idriss: I think prevention is more important than just treatments, and the prevention is really looking at the type of masks you're wearing. If you're not front-facing, if you're not a healthcare worker, if you're not face-to-face, then go for natural materials like 100% cotton, because synthetic fabrics can make it worse.

You have to treat your masks like underwear. Change them daily or wash them daily. I think streamlining your skincare routine 'Less Is More' can have a huge and positive outcome for your face, and using less makeup, but if you're actually breaking out, then benzoyl peroxide washes have been shown to be very helpful within the 2 to 5% range.

I would say go gentle and avoid any sort of acid or retinol because it will make your face more sensitive if you're very sensitive to irritation already. Then, doing a very, very light glycolic acid even though I just said avoid acids, and light glycolic acid can also help maybe once or twice a week to exfoliate the dead skin cells and to help get rid of that buildup.

Brian: One more in our last minute. Hands and feet. We know, by now, that practicing good hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19, but it takes a toll on our hands. What advice do you have for people whose hands are starting to dry or even get cracked skin on them, and briefly, what about feet?

I saw an article in The Cut about how not wearing shoes, people who are home all day, actually dries out your feet. Is that true, and how can people treat those two things, hands and feet, in one minute?

Dr. Idriss: One minute. Invest in cooking gloves and Vaseline or a thick ointment such as O'Keeffe's Working Hands can be great, where you put it all over your hands and you sleep with the gloves. You'll wake up with softer hands. You could do the same for your feet at night and wrap your feet in Saran Wrap if you're okay with that, and then a pair of socks.

The whole article about The Cut and not wearing shoes leading to dried-out feet, I think has to do more with thickening of your skin, from chronic rubbing. Walking around barefoot is going to lead to calluses on your bottom of your feet. You just want to make sure that you're also taking care of your feet given that they're being more exposed to constant rubbing and friction.

Brian: Dr. Shereene Idriss, rarely was as much good advice given by an MD in a shorter time.

Dr. Idriss: Thank you.

Brian: Shereene Idriss, a dermatologist MD.

Dr. Idriss: Thank you so much.

Brian: Thank you so much. This was really great.

Dr. Idriss: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Brian: Brian Lehrer Show is over for today. Coming up next after the news it's All Of It with Alison Stewart, and she's going to talk about what you really want to hear. Ellen Vanderhoof from vf.com discusses the Royal turmoil after last night's Oprah interview, and all of it will be highlighting Grammy nominees all week long as well.

First, British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, whose album, Song For Our Daughter, earned her nomination for best folk album. That and more coming up with Allison on All Of It, right after the latest news. Brian Lehrer on WNYC. I will talk to you tomorrow.

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