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Female hair loss: Telogen effluvium. What is it?

Female hair loss. We all know what alopecia is. But what is telogen effluvium? No explanation is normally given, and no treatment is suggested. Is there a treatment and do I need treatment?

Hair growth has three different stages. Hair in its growth stage is called the anagen phase. This lasts between 2 and 6 years. A women with a long anagen phase have the longest hair. 90% to 95 % of hair is in this stage at any one time.

The catagen phase is a very short stage. It is the stage between anagen and telogen.

The telogen phase is a resting phase, when the hair growth stops. 5% to 10% of hair is in this stage at any given time. In the telogen phase, the hair follicle shrinks away from the hair, and hair falls out, this is a natural process. About 120 hairs a day are lost. This is normal hair loss. The telogen phase lasts 2 to 3 months at a time, and then the lost hair is replaced by new baby hair, called vellus hair.

A telogen effluvium is an abnormal number of hairs that have prematurely entered the telogen phase and fallen out. It lasts 6 or fewer months. Stressful event precedes this phenomenon, and the stress can be either mental or physical. Surgery,a yoyo diet and the birth of a child are examples of physical stresses that usher in a telogen effluvium.

The prognosis of a telogen effluvium is good. The hair grows back with treatment.

Check with a Westminster Trichologist to see if treatment is needed inyour particular case.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

What Are Various Reasons Behind Women's Hair Loss

It seems men aren’t the only ones who suffer from hair loss (alopecia). Various studies reveal that over a third of women i.e. 3% to 6% of Caucasian women under 30 in the USA and UK, and 29% to 42% of 70-plus women are affected by hair loss during their lives.

Certain medications are responsible for triggering either temporary or permanent hair loss in some women, occurring in patches or on the entire scalp. Permanent hair loss needs to be treated in time.

There are two kinds of permanent hair loss i.e. hair loss caused by scarring and female-pattern hair loss, with the second being more common than the first. An increase in male hormone levels can be blamed for this type of hair loss, and as it happens with men, one is more prone to it as one ages, including a family history of hair loss.

Women have a different hair loss pattern from that of men, with their hair gradually thinning out at the spot they part it, even as overall volume of hair decreases and hair loss spreads across the top of the scalp, affecting large areas of in severer cases.

One can treat this type of hair loss with medication, such as a 2% solution of minoxidil sold under the name of Rogaine. No prescription is required and minoxidil often stimulates a new growth of fine hair in some women. Although the normal density of the lost hair is not restored, it does minimise further loss by helping women retain their remaining hair.

However, dry and irritated skin, including hair growth in other places, such as, on the face, are some of its unwelcome certain side-effects. Moreover, it does not stop hair loss immediately and any significant differences are only noticeable after two months and 6 months to a year to get a complete effect. If the treatment proves efficient it must be continued since stopping it will resume hair loss.

About 3% to7% of the population are affected with the other type of hair loss caused by scarring i.e. hair follicles are damaged by an inflammatory process that leaves scar tissue in their place.

Gradual and without symptoms for some people, hair loss is not only rapid but also accompanied by severe itching, burning sensations and pain. Currently, there is no available treatment for hair loss caused by scarring, and the anti-inflammatory medications and topical steroids used as a part of the treatment only relieve symptoms and prevent further loss of hair.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help