Causes and Symptoms of Telogen Effluvium
What is Telogen Effluvium?
A person suffering from Telogen effluvium loses more than the normal amount of hair. Hair becomes thin. This is a temporary condition caused due to alteration of hair cycle.
Hair grows in 3 phases – growth, regression and resting. Hair is at different stages of growth at a given time and it is normal for about 100 hair to fall off in a day. In telogen effluvium condition, greater proportion of hair goes into resting period, some prematurely, causing more hair fall. The effect is more remarkable in women than men particularly post delivery.
Common causes
85% of hair follicles are known to be growing actively in a healthy individual while only 15% are resting.
Causes of TE could be prescribed medications like beta blockers, Retinoid, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers and NSAIDS (including ibuprofen) or natural ones like severe emotional stress, child birth or pregnancy termination, starting or stopping birth control pills, dieting drug and iron deficiency
Symptoms
Common symptoms are excessive falling of hair, though the ones that remain look quite healthy. The hair thins out but there would be no patches showing the marked hair fall.
Treatment
Since the condition is only temporary, no treatment is required. Once the cause due to which TE set in is cured, hair will regain normalcy in few months time. Ensuring a nutritious diet that is rich in protein, fruits and vegetables can help faster recovery.
Chronic TE though not uncommon has only been recently recognized. It is known to occur in women with good hair growth and even when TE has set in, the casual observer may not find a major difference as the hair though now thin will look full on the scalp. This condition is known to affect the whole scalp for no obvious reasons.
In chronic conditions, doctors prescribe minoxidil (Rogaine) lotion to be applied to scalp to stimulate hair growth.
Prevention
If the reasons are physical in nature like childbirth, there is little that can be done. But if stress levels or poor dietary habits cause TE, relaxation methods and improving dietary intake can cure the condition to a certain extent.
Emphasis is laid on proper diet, good exercise regimen and clean hair habits to prevent Telogen Effluvium.
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