Telogen Effluvium: Hair Loss Due to Stress in Men and Women

Are you suddenly experiencing a lot of hair loss? Or have you just gone through an intense or stressful period in your life? Or a period of illness, stress due to job loss or a broken relationship or even childbirth? Then there is a good chance that there is acute telogen effluvium. This is a form of hair loss in which a lot of hair suddenly falls out. So much so that it can trigger the fear of going bald, however, this is not the case, but the hair does become thinner.
Telogen effluvium is a form of hair loss that is common, especially in women. In most cases, it will go away on its own after about 6 months. In the meantime, there are a number of things you can do to help the lost hair grow back stronger. You can read more about this later in this blog. First, let’s take a look at what exactly telogen effluvium is, what it looks like and what the causes are.

What is Telogen Effluvium?

Telogen effluvium is the most common cause of diffuse hair loss and sudden hair loss. It almost always follows a stressful and intense period in your life. It usually occurs 3 to 4 months after that event. A disruption in the hair growth cycle is the culprit. A normal hair growth cycle consists of 3 phases and looks like this:

The anagen phase
This is the growth phase of the hair. About 85% to 90% of the hairs are in this phase. In this phase, the hairs are thick and strong.

The catagen phase
Hairs in the catagen phase no longer grow. The hair follicles are also starting to shrivel a bit. About 1% to 6% of hairs are in this phase. In this phase, the hairs are already somewhat thinner.

The telogen phase
In this final phase, the hair falls out. About 2% to 18% of hairs are in this phase. In this phase, the hair follicles also produce new hair for the next growth phase.
With telogen effluvium, too many hairs enter the telogen phase at the same time. That is why more hair falls out than normal. There is an acute form of telogen effluvium of which stress is almost always the cause. Usually, this was preceded by childbirth, surgery, serious illness, divorce, strict diet, job loss or something similar.
After about 6 months, the telogen effluvium will disappear on its own. In the chronic form, the triggering factor occurs for a long time or repeatedly. As a result, hair loss can also become chronic. The cause of chronic telogen effluvium is not always clear, but it can be due to vitamin deficiencies, hormonal changes, systemic diseases, skin diseases, and the use of medications.

What Does Telogen Effluvium Look Like?

Telogen effluvium can be recognised by an even, but excessive loss of hair. It is noticeable because more hair suddenly falls out during combing or washing. There are more hairs in the shower drain and on the floor. When about 20% of your hair has fallen out, you will also notice that your hair is thinner.
With telogen effluvium, the hair loss is always diffuse, which means that the hair becomes thinner all over the head. That makes it more difficult to recognise than, for example, androgenetic alopecia, where the hair thins in specific places on the head.
Telogen effluvium always starts very suddenly. That’s what makes it so annoying when it bothers you. Suddenly there are many more hairs on your pillow, in the shower drain and spread across the floor in the house. That’s quite scary. The thought is often that if this continues, you will be bald in no time. However, you don’t have to worry about that. Telogen effluvium affects less than 50% of the hair. So it is not the case that all your hair falls out.

What Causes Telogen Effluvium?

The possible causes of telogen effluvium have already been discussed several times above. For a clear overview, we list the 4 possible causes below:

Stress
Telogen effluvium often follows a period of stress. This could be emotional stress, such as a divorce or job loss. But perhaps even more often it concerns physical stress, such as an operation, serious illness or heavy blood loss.

Pregnancy and childbirth
It is recognisable for many women. About 3-4 months after giving birth, the hair suddenly falls out a lot. We call that telogen effluvium.

Medication
Certain medications can have sudden hair loss as an unpleasant side effect. If you need to take these medications for a longer period of time, it is wise to consult with your doctor about possible alternatives.

Eating pattern
Telogen effluvium can also occur after a strict diet or a period of less healthy eating. If important vitamins are missing from your diet, hair loss can result.

Hair and Scalp Care for Telogen Effluvium in Men

Telogen effluvium is much less common in men than in women. It is therefore important to first rule out that the hair loss has no other cause. If that is not the case, it is good to know that acute telogen effluvium will disappear on its own after about 6 months.
Chronic telogen effluvium unfortunately lasts longer or keeps coming back. To treat this, it is important to investigate what the cause is. Are certain medications the culprit or is it a skin disease that is playing tricks on you? By tackling the cause, the telogen effluvium can be counteracted.
For men, there are ways to reduce the effects of telogen effluvium and get hair back into top condition faster. A healthy lifestyle without stress and good care of the hair and scalp are the most important assets. For example, the Advanced Hair Restoration Technology line from Mediceuticals is a range of cosmetic hair and scalp care products designed for thinning-looking or fragile hair.
The shampoo, conditioner and spray help support a healthy-looking scalp and the look of stronger, fuller-looking hair.

Hair and Scalp Care for Telogen Effluvium in Women

In women, telogen effluvium is a common form of hair loss. It is common after pregnancy. Sudden hair loss 3-4 months after childbirth almost always involves telogen effluvium. Another cause is possible, but not very likely.
Chronic telogen effluvium is most common in women between the ages of 30 and 50. Fortunately, just like in men, acute telogen effluvium goes away on its own. In chronic telogen effluvium, it is necessary to determine the cause of the hair loss.
A period of 6 months of hair loss may seem manageable, but if you have to deal with it, it is still a very long time. In addition, it can take up to a year for the hair to regain its original thickness. To speed up that process, it is important to take good care of the hair and yourself.
Eat and live healthily, make sure you get enough vitamins and choose the right care products for your hair especially if the telogen effluvium is chronic.
At Mediceuticals we have a cosmetic shampoo, conditioner and spray designed for thinning-looking hair. This concerns the Advanced Hair Restoration Technology for Women line. The products are designed to help hair look stronger and fuller and to support a healthy-looking scalp. This line has been specially developed for women.

A Life with Telogen Effluvium Hair

loss due to telogen effluvium is annoying, but fortunately in many cases only temporary. By avoiding stress, living a healthy lifestyle and taking good care of your hair, you can keep the consequences as limited as possible. Use the right care products and be kind to your hair, so you will get through the period as well and quickly as possible. The sooner you manage to limit hair loss, the sooner you can enjoy your familiar full head again.

Explore hair and scalp care: Shop Advanced Hair Restoration or Advanced Hair Restoration for Women.

Related reading: Thinning Hair and Hair Loss in Men | Alopecia Areata: What Is It and How Do You Recognise It?