What is Telogen Effluvium?

Telogen Effluvium is the form of hair loss that comes from extreme physical or emotional stress or changes in the body’s chemistry.  Both men and women experience this type of hair loss that is often sudden in nature. 

Some causes for Telogen Effluvium include illnesses, such as sudden infections, high fevers, thyroid disease, and the final stages of renal disease.  Major surgeries often trigger many changes in the body because a major surgery can be a traumatic event; this can be a cause of sudden hair loss. 

Severe trauma, heightened emotional stress, hormonal changes, some medications, extreme dieting, protein, iron, and zinc deficiencies, anorexia, and bulimia are also all common causes for Telogen Effluvium.  A high percentage of women also experience hair loss a few months following childbirth due to Telogen Effluvium.  This happens because estrogen levels decrease during pregnancy, causing hair follicles to go into their resting stage.  After pregnancy, new hair grows, causing the hair in the resting stage to shed. 

Telogen Effluvium has no real treatments that will cure sudden hair loss.  The most important thing to do if you are experiencing Telogen Effluvium, is to identify the cause of it.  By uncovering the cause, you can deal with getting to the root of the problem immediately.  In most cases, bringing the real problem under control will solve the hair loss problems and allow hair growth and loss cycles to return to normal.