Hair loss or color Archives

Stress

I was wondering if hair loss can be caused by long term emotional stress, (or short term!) And if it will grow back when the stress is over. - Trey

Follow Ups:

• Re: Stress & Hair loss (Archive.) Walt Stoll 10:16:41 6/26/02 (0)
• Re: Stress & Hair loss Elisa 21:30:56 6/25/02 (0)

In Reply to: Stress & Hair loss posted by Trey on June 25, 2002 at 21:09:25:

Technically stress can create what is known in the hair
loss world as a telogen effluvium, which is a temporary
type of hair loss characterized by an abnormal amount
of shedding for a period of time, and then a return to a
normal growth pattern. It is generally understood that
when they refer to stress they mean a severe shock of
some sort (loss of loved one, severe illness or high
fever) or extreme long term daily stress. Day to day
stress or even a few months of moderate emotional
stress should not induce this type of hair loss in a
healthy person.

If one is experiencing a true telogen effluvium (TE), the
period of shedding will eventually stop and new hair will
grow in as it did before.

However, sometimes a person who is genetically
predisposed to pattern baldness/hair loss will notice
that the permanent cycle of hair loss had a sudden
onset after a period of stress. So the Telogen Effluvium
just kick started the whole process. For example my
sister had a TE after she gave birth to her first child.
Since this is a normal occurence for women as their
hormones return to non-pregnancy levels, she thought
nothing of it. But her hair, while it did grow in somewhat
after the shedding, has never returned to its former
thickness, and now she sees there is a slight tendency
towards hair loss and thinning that is most likely
genetic.

Hope this info is helpful.

In Reply to: Stress & Hair loss posted by Trey on June 25, 2002 at 21:09:25:

Hi, Trey.

Listen to Elisa.

My answers would be Yes and Sometimes.

Walt