Telogen Effluvium

Telogen effluvium—generally acute-onset hair loss caused by excessive shedding during the telogen phase of hair development, most often as a reaction to some form of stress—is most often a temporary condition, lasting less than six months. (A chronic form also exists, although it is far less common.) The hairs lost are typical of hair in its resting phase—sometimes called club hairs due to their shape—so telogen effluvium and club hairs are inextricably linked. A loss of shorter hairs after telogen effluvium is also sometimes noted.

Hormonal stress is a common cause of telogen effluvium, especially in women. The cessation of oral contraceptives can sometimes cause telogen effluvium. The hormonal changes caused by pregnancy and its aftermath are also a particularly common cause of telogen effluvium; hair shedding is slowed during pregnancy, and then restarts following birth, making hair loss more noticeable in the immediate months following delivery. Telogen effluvium recovery in cases of excessive shedding due to post-partum hormones is most often spontaneous, occurring within three to six months of its onset.

Not only new mothers but also new babies are prone to telogen effluvium. In infants, too, hair loss is generally of short duration and tends to improve spontaneously. Baby pictures of telogen effluvium rarely cause the same distress as similar hair loss would in adults.

Untreated hypothyroidism—underactive thyroid—is another common cause of telogen effluvium, generally of a chronic nature. In cases of hypothyroidism, telogen effluvium recovery is almost never spontaneous without the correction of hormone levels. Telogen effluvium and hypothyroidism do have a high rate of recovery when those hormone levels are treated. Telogen effluvium and thyroid disease can also be related.

In addition to hormonal stress of the kind mentioned above, other forms of stress—including metabolic—can also lead to telogen effluvium. Crash diets, especially those lacking in quality sources of protein, are notorious for causing hair loss due to short-term malnutrition. Other physiological conditions—such as high fever—can also end in telogen effluvium. In such cases of systemic “shock”, as much as 70 percent of hair can be lost within two months of the event, although the levels can be far less than that as well.

Hair growth after telogen effluvium may be sparse and fine, concentrated along the hair line. Treatment for telogen effluvium of an acute nature is generally unnecessary, though tests can reveal if specific telogen effluvium remedies are called for. When telogen effluvium and new hair growth coincide, it may be indicative of the end of the problem.