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Hair Loss Due To TraumaTelogen effluvium - should I be pulling my hair out over this? You may not need to! - I just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! - I just underwent a 4 hours of orthopedic surgery! - My spouse and I just divorced after 20 years of marriage! - My sister was recently killed in an automobile accident! After these and other similarly traumatic life events, your hair may fall out on its own! If this happens, you may be experiencing a condition known as TELEGEN EFFLUVIUM (TE). TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM - WHAT IS IT? TE is characterized by a general thinning or shedding of hair over a period of months, and it most commonly occurs in individuals who have recently experienced trauma. TE appears to affect women more than men because more of the precipitating events, such as childbirth, are experienced more by women. Some other TE inducing traumatic events include: Pregnancy Termination, Start/Stop Birth Control Pills, severe emotional stress. Normally, hair has a defined growth cycle with three stages: 1. A Growth stage lasting 2-7 years, with all hair growing at the same rate. This is known as the Anagen stage. 2. A Transition stage lasting 2-4 weeks during which the hair is loosening from the follicle and will eventually become detached. This is known as the Catagen stage. 3. A Resting stage lasting about 3 months during which there is no growth in the hair. At the end of this period, the hair shaft, now fully detached from the follicle, will spontaneously shed as new hair is forming. This is known as the Telogen stage. The normal shedding process is usually 100-300 random hairs per day. TE occurs when large numbers of hair are prematurely pushed from the Anagen (growth) stage to the Telogen (resting) stage. As we indicated above, these Telogen stage hairs are only loosely attached to the roots, thus falling out easily. It is the traumatic events that precipitate this premature jump to the Telogen stage. Since this jump is concurrent with the occurrence of the event, the hair loss manifests itself 90-100 days after the event ˆ the duration of the Telogen stage. TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM - HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE IT? If you suspect TE, you can test yourself by pinching a bunch of your hair between you thumb and middle finger (this will give you about 25-30 hairs in your grasp). Give a sharp tug/pull. A normal expectation would be 1 or 2 hairs being dislodged (Telogen Stage). If 4 or 5 or more, TE is likely, Diagnosis of TE involves reviewing the type of hair loss (TE usually involves rapid thinning throughout the scalp), reviewing your life over the past 6 months for traumatic events, and undergoing a hormone test in some circumstances to rule out any abnormal hormonal conditions. Other tests may be done if necessary. Other than a traumatic event, some causes of TE include: illness, menopause, crash diets, anemia, acute/severe blood loss, heavy metal poisoning, and chronic illness. Some immunizations have been reported to induce TE, and there have even been cases of TE induced by jet lag! Some medications are also linked to TE. The common factor then in TE is to have experienced a metabolic or physiological stress about 90-100 days before the hair loss. TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM - IS THERE A TREATMENT? TE is actually a natural process occurring prematurely. Thus treatment may be reduced to reassurance of this fact. The hair loss will stop as spontaneously as it appeared to have occurred in the first place, and new hair will begin to grow again. If there was nothing pathological involved, all of the lost hair will be replaced with new hair within 6-12 months, identical as the hair that was lost. As always, in any health-related conditions seek advice from your medical practitioner.
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