Hair Growth after Telogen Effluvium

Anyone ever told you not to worry about thinning hair because it’s just a phase? There are plenty of occasions in a person’s life where certain events can trigger excessive shedding, so perhaps there’s a common misconception that hair loss isn’t worth worrying about. Telogen Effluvium is one of the most common types of hair loss and it is essentially temporary. It presents as diffuse thinning on the entire scalp (although hair on top of the scalp tends to thin more than it does at the sides and back) and is the result of an alteration of the normal hair growth lifecycle. But how long it takes for your hair (and your life) to get back to normal will vary depending on a number of factors.

What was the trigger?
Due to the nature of the hair growth, you typically won’t notice any excess shedding or hair loss until about three months after the triggering event. This can make it difficult to determine what the trigger was and whether or not your hair loss is likely to continue. Medically speaking, you should see re-growth in about three months but it can take up to a year or continue to shed if the cause isn’t dealt with.

Likely events that cause temporary hair loss include childbirth, a death in the family, planning a wedding, redundancy any event that inflicts physical or emotional stress can alter hormonal levels and influence the function of the hair growth lifecycle. Other influences could include medication or illness, weight loss, poor nutrition, thyroid diseases or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). If you can find the trigger and effectively control it, your hair situation should correct itself within three to six months.

Why that long?
During the hair lifecycle, most of the hairs are in the growth stage and only around one hundred hairs fall from the scalp each day as they reach the resting (telogen) phase. When a particular event triggers telogen effluvium, a greater proportion of the hairs are pushed into the resting phase and hair shedding is greater than normal. The telogen phase lasts about three months before they shift into the growth (anagen) phase again. Sporadic hair growth should occur in most telogen effluvium patients within a year at the very most.

Can I help my hair growth?
The best thing you can do is to eliminate the cause and provide an optimum environment conducive to healthy hair growth. Eat foods for healthy hair and cut out the lifestyle factors that contribute to hair loss.

However, there are some people who approach the three month mark and there is really no change or slowing of hair loss. Plenty of people even approach the six month mark without seeing any re-growth. This is when it’s typically advised that you to seek professional hair loss treatment.

Hair supplements can show help with the improvement of hair growth but you’ll get a real advantage by seeing a hair loss specialist. The main benefit is that they know the drill and will be able to determine what’s causing your hair loss, even if you think you had your finger on the trigger months ago. You may quite possibly even have a genetic disposition to hair loss and the telogen effluvium is actually a precursor to a male of female pattern hair loss. Sometimes though, a scalp condition or the resulting scalp inflammation may be compromising re-growth.

In any case, you’ll find the answers and treatment you need by consulting a hair loss professional. For a free consultation with a Belgravia specialist, call 020 7730 6666 or send an email. Alternatively, the online consultation form provides the expert advice and an individually tailored hair loss treatment service you need without the need to visit the centre. Maybe you’ll find your family and friends were right you don’t need to worry about hair loss after all.

More Information:

Hair Growth Success Stories
Foods for Healthy Hair
Lifestyle Choices That Affect Hair Growth
Reversible Forms of Hair Loss in Women
Why Men Worry About Baldness But Do Nothing