Hair loss is a common issue influenced by various factors, including stress. When exposed to intense physical or psychological stress, hair growth can be negatively affected, leading to a condition known as telogen effluvium. Individuals experiencing this condition can lose about 150 to 400 hairs daily.
How Stress Disrupts Hair Growth
Stress disrupts the normal hair growth cycle. Typically, a hair grows for four to five years before falling out, and this cycle repeats approximately twenty times in our lifetime. Under normal circumstances, we lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day. However, during stressful situations, this pattern can be disrupted. The body's response to stress interferes with the hair growth cycle, causing hairs to fall out earlier than they normally would.
Why Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?
It’s important to understand that hair loss due to stress usually occurs several months after the stressful event. This means that the hair loss you are experiencing now could be the result of a stressful event that happened three to six months ago. The hair that is falling out now is typically hair that you would normally lose in the coming months. Often, these are the longer hairs, which can lead to an increased amount of hair in your brush or shower drain. This can, in turn, cause even more stress and concern. Hair loss due to stress is more common in women than in men.
The Brush Test: Measure How Many Hairs You Lose Daily
Want to determine if you're experiencing excessive hair shedding or loss? You can try the brush test. For six consecutive days, spend five minutes each day brushing your hair with a clean brush. Dispose of the hairs that come out during brushing. Repeat this process at the same time each day. On the seventh day, brush your hair again and count the number of hairs remaining in the brush. This will give you an indication of the amount of hair shed in one day. If this number is concerning, don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to assist you further!
Symptoms of Sudden Hair Loss in Women
Everyone loses hair as a normal part of the hair growth cycle. It’s normal to lose up to 150 hairs a day. This may sound like a lot, but given that we have between 90,000 to 150,000 hair follicles on our scalp, those 150 hairs are barely noticeable.
However, with sudden hair loss in women, the daily hair loss exceeds 150 hairs, eventually leading to noticeably thinner hair. This excessive shedding is almost always present with sudden hair loss in women. The hair loss can be diffuse, resulting in a thinner ponytail or bald patches. Sometimes, sudden hair loss is concentrated in specific areas, such as the crown or temples.
The primary symptom of sudden hair loss is that it happens quickly. Women experiencing this may lose clumps of hair at a time. Fortunately, women with sudden hair loss usually do not lose all their hair. Nonetheless, the hair loss can be quite noticeable in some cases.
Telogen Effluvium – A Temporary Hair Disorder
If you have telogen effluvium, take a deep breath and relax. Although it might seem like you will lose all your hair within a year, this is not the case. You are indeed losing more hair than usual, but luckily, this is only temporary. During telogen effluvium, your hair falls out more rapidly for about six to nine months, then the hair loss normalizes. Approximately two years after telogen effluvium, the length of your hair will be the same as it was before the condition.
Should You Panic About Telogen Effluvium?
No. Throughout your life, hair falls out daily. Hair falls out because it cannot grow indefinitely. A hair grows for about five years. After five years of growth, a hair is shed and replaced by a new one. The new hair will also be shed after five years and replaced again. This cycle is normal and happens to everyone. After about 20 cycles, no new hair will grow in that spot.
The Effect of Telogen Effluvium
A portion of your hair cycles prematurely and falls out too soon. This explains the increase in hair shedding – some hairs fall out too early. All hairs in the final phase of their growth cycle fall out within about three months, continuing for six to nine months. The fallen hairs during telogen effluvium can be categorized into two groups:
- Hairs that fall out because they have been growing for about five years (normal situation).
- Hairs that fall out prematurely because they are nearing the five-year mark (effect of telogen effluvium).
Increase in Shedding – Hairs Fall Out Too Early
You have about 100,000 hairs on your head. Some have been growing for three years, others for only six months. This is because your hairs don’t all start growing at the same time. If they did, all your hair would fall out simultaneously every five years, leaving you suddenly bald. Instead, each hair has its own cycle of growth and shedding. Due to telogen effluvium, a portion of the 100,000 hairs sheds on time, while another portion sheds prematurely. The hairs shedding prematurely are those in the final phase of their growth cycle.
Hair Cycle and Telogen Effluvium
In people with telogen effluvium, a stress moment can negatively affect the hair growth cycle. It shortens the growth phase of the hair by several months, causing hair to fall out more quickly and temporarily.
- Growth Phase: healthy hair grows from a hair follicle. During this phase, the hair remains for about four to five years before the shedding process begins.
- Transition Phase: the hair follicle with the old hair moves to the surface. Blood flow to this hair decreases as a new hair follicle and hair are formed. The old hair becomes less deeply embedded in the scalp and is easier to pull out.
- Shedding Phase: the old hair is no longer nourished and sits on your head as "dead material." The new hair is now nourished and starts to grow, pushing the old hair further out of the scalp. A stress moment shortens the hair growth cycle by three months. All hairs that would normally fall out three months later fall out now! The number of hairs found in the brush or the shower drain multiplies.
- Resting Phase: the old hair falls out. The new hair is firmly and deeply rooted, growing again for four to five years as originally intended.
Will I Lose More Hair Overall Due to Telogen Effluvium?
No. After about six to nine months, the effect of telogen effluvium dissipates, and hair shedding normalizes. Once the telogen effluvium is over, you will have as many hairs on your head as before. Hair length will also return to normal after about two years.
I Have Telogen Effluvium, What Can I Do?
Supplements can accelerate hair recovery during telogen effluvium. A healthy diet and reducing stress are primarily aimed at preventing a (second) telogen effluvium.
Recovering from Stress-Induced Hair Loss
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce stress-related hair loss and promote hair recovery. A key factor is nourishing and supporting your hair with the right vitamins and nutrients. The dietary supplement TRIX Basic Beta is specially developed by a team of specialists and contains natural ingredients that support and potentially accelerate hair recovery. This supplement specifically targets hair loss caused by stress and includes ingredients with scientifically proven effectiveness in supporting healthy hair growth.
When Can You Expect Recovery from Stress-Induced Hair Loss?
Identify the cause of your stress and work on alleviating it wherever possible. If you use TRIX Basic Beta regularly, you can expect noticeable effects after 3-6 months of use. The supplement's leaflet contains detailed information about the scientific literature and studies that support its effectiveness.
