Telogen Effluvium
A temporary, diffuse hair shedding pattern usually triggered by a stressful event, illness, or major bodily change.
Book a Hair Loss EvaluationSudden increase in overall hair shedding?
Diffuse shedding a few months after a stressful event, illness, surgery, or significant weight change is a classic pattern worth evaluating.
Shedding that's lasted several months?
Most telogen effluvium resolves within six to twelve months once the trigger passes, but persistent shedding beyond this deserves a closer look for other contributing causes.
What Is It?
Telogen effluvium is a common cause of diffuse hair shedding, occurring when a significant stressor — physical or emotional — pushes a larger-than-usual proportion of hair follicles into their resting (telogen) phase simultaneously. Because hair typically sheds two to three months after entering this resting phase, the shedding itself often appears well after the actual triggering event, which can make the connection less obvious to patients.
Common triggers include significant illness, surgery, high fever, childbirth, major stress, rapid weight loss, or starting or stopping certain medications. In most cases, telogen effluvium is self-limiting and resolves within six to twelve months once the underlying trigger has passed, though an evaluation helps confirm this diagnosis and rule out other causes of diffuse thinning.
Risk Factors
- Recent significant physical or emotional stress
- Recent illness, surgery, or fever
- Childbirth
- Significant weight loss or nutritional deficiency
- Certain medications or thyroid changes
Symptoms
- Diffuse thinning across the whole scalp rather than a specific pattern
- Increased hair in the brush, shower drain, or pillow
- Onset typically two to three months after the triggering event
Treatment
- Identifying and Addressing the Trigger: Since telogen effluvium is usually a response to an identifiable trigger, addressing that underlying factor is often the most important step.
- Supportive Topical Therapy: Topical treatment can support hair density while the underlying cycle normalizes.
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