Telogen effluvium is a type of non-scarring hair loss. In this post, you will read more about the symptoms, cause and solutions.
If you suffer from telogen effluvium (or diffuse thinning), your hair loss is spread over your whole head without going completely bald. Oftentimes, you don’t lose more than 50% of your hair, even though it often feels like a lot more than that.
The cause of acute telogen effluvium is often a shocking event that requires a lot of energy from your body, e.g. an illness, an operation, malnutrition or severe stress. Your body then saves energy on non-vital processes such as hair growth. Hair growth can also stop if there is too little iron in your body (for example as a result of heavy menstruation, birth or going on a vegan diet): your blood cells need more iron then. Your hairs then jump to the resting phase, and then fall out a couple of months later. Additionally, there are certain medications that can cause this type of hair loss.
Here is the good news: telogen effluvium doesn’t damage your hair follicles. If the cause of your hair loss is addressed, your hair growth will resume on its own. That being said, it can take 1.5 years for your hair to be as bushy and strong as before.
