Telogen Effluvium

Periods of physical or psychological stress can cause your hair to enter into a state of ‘telogen effluvium’. This is a condition that occurs when the normal cycle of hair growth is interrupted, causing the scalp follicles to enter a resting phase. Unfortunately for sufferers the condition results in abrupt and widespread hair loss.

Causes

There are many known causes of Telogen Effluvium - which can include childbirth, fever, severe infection, major surgery or illness, certain medications, hormone changes, chemotherapy, psychological stress and radical dieting resulting in a loss of protein or iron. On the other end of the scale, excessive intake of supplements like Vitamin A can also spark the condition.

When it first strikes, Telogen Effluvium can be frightening as hair loss is sudden and particularly noticeable - especially during shampooing. However, shampoo itself does not cause or worsen the condition.

Fortunately, Telogen Effluvium is temporary and the hair will eventually re-grow when the resting follicles return to their normal cycle.

Although the hair does usually always grow back, it can take many months for the appearance of the scalp to return to normal.

Interestingly, Telogen Effluvium affects pigmented hair more than grey or white hair which you may have, and more pigmented hair therefore falls out. Chronic Telogen Effluvium is sometimes confused with female pattern hair loss, so it is important to receive the correct diagnosis to explore the various treatment options.

Chronic Telogen Effluvium

If you are diagnosed with chronic Telogen Effluvium by your GP or dermatologist, you can consider managing this permanent hair loss by using scalp make-up, Medi Connections™ or a hair replacement prosthesis. We would need to see you for a consultation to be precise about costs, however a guide price for using our Medi connections whilst managing thinning hair from Telogen Effluvium would be approx £300 to approx £500.