HOW TO CURE
TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM?
HOW TO DEAL WITH TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM?
Most of us haven’t really heard of this super complicated term – ‘Telogen Effluvium’. What is that even? Judging by the way it sounds, it’s probably like the name of a spaceship or something.
Well, the truth is just a little bit farther than that. You see, each and every strand of your hair goes through different stages in its lifetime. One of these stages is called as ‘telogen’. It’s a very natural process and nothing really to be worrying about. Let’s understand the life stages of our hair before we go ahead, shall we?
- Life Stages Of A Hair Strand
- What Is Telogen Effluvium?
- Conditions That Give Rise To Telogen Effluvium
- How To Cure Telogen Effluvium?
Life Stages Of A Hair Strand
Stage 1: Anagen
This is the most active stage for your hair. In this one, the cells in your hair roots divide rapidly and new hair is formed. About a centimeter of hair grows every 28 days in this stage. Your hair stays in this stage anywhere between 2-6 years, allowing you to grow up to 18-30 inches of hair. Of course, this is just the average and different people have different anagen spans.Stage 2: Catagen
In this stage of the hair’s lifecycle, your hair stops growing. The outer sheath of your hair gets attached to your hair in this stage and it is all set to fall out. Sounds scary? It’s really not. This is just the part of the cycle that leads you to shed about 25-100 hair strands a day. The catagen stage lasts for about 10-20 days. At any given point of time, about 3% of your hair is in this stage.Stage 3: Telogen
The final stage in the life of a hair strand, this is the resting stage for your hair. In this one, you shed that 25-100 hair strands we spoke about. At any given point of time, 6-8% of your hair in this stage. This stage lasts for about 100 days and your follicle stays inactive during this time. Post this, the entire life cycle of a new hair begins.
What Is Telogen Effluvium?
Well, while nature does make sure that each of your hair falls off your head at some point in time, there are other factors that help as well. For example, take stress for instance. We hear so many people complain the hair fall causes due to stress, and it doesn’t even matter what kind of stress it is!
This phenomenon is known as telogen effluvium. So, to simplify it better, the hair fall that occurs after 2-6 months of an acutely stressful episode in an individual’s life is known as telogen effluvium. It is characterised by thinning or shedding of the hair and its onset is acute. For some, this may even feel sudden.
A few telogen effluvium causes can be big life events. Often, we connect sad events in a person’s life with stress. But something as pleasant as pregnancy can also lead to acute telogen effluvium as it puts your body through a lot of stress. People who are under stress all the time can also experience chronic telogen effluvium.
While we are talking about telogen effluvium causes, let’s get into the different things that effectuate the telogen effluvium symptoms.
Early Anagen Release
Sometimes, due to extreme stress, your anagen stage is cut short as your body focuses on using all its energy into coping with the stress rather than growing hair. In this way, the telogen stage is precipitated prematurely.
Delayed Anagen Release
Hair is maintained in the anagen phase for a long time and when the stimulus is withdrawn it enters the telogen phase. But sometimes due to continued stress, the restarting of the anagen phase takes time. This scenario also goes by the name of acute telogen effluvium.
Short Anagen Cycle
Whether it’s stress, hormones or just genes, some people are just stuck with a short anagen cycle. This leads to persistent shedding of hair, giving you a longer telogen phase, also known as chronic telogen effluvium.
Conditions That Give Rise To Telogen Effluvium
Now, hair fall may happen from time to time. But as discussed above, proper telogen effluvium symptoms arise only in certain conditions. We spoke about how prolonged stress can be a contributing factor and we learned what happens on a scientific level to our hair.
But if someone had to make a list of actual things that cause this condition to occur, then the following factors will be included.
Febrile States
These include diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, typhoid, dengue, jaundice, and many more.
Surgeries
While any kind of surgery can give rise to this, those that are done after accidents are particularly responsible.
Organ Dysfunction
Whether it’s liver failure, renal failure or some other kind of organ failure, your body prioritises that instead of hair growth, again leading to the telogen stage
Post-Pregnancy
As hormone levels change in the body post-pregnancy and estrogen levels drop, hair fall begins.
Menopause
Once again, your hormonal levels change in this state, causing your hair to get fewer growth boosts
Vitamin Deficiencies
As vitamins play a major role in growing your hair, their deficiency definitely affects your hair’s life.
Hypo Or Hyperthyroidism
Another hormonal issue, this condition deals with the body’s direct ability to produce cells.
Sudden Weight Loss
Crash diets might be the fad, but they are also best friends with telogen effluvium.
Hair Dye Application
While hair dying can make us feel great, it has been observed that your scalp might contract allergic dermatitis, thereby affecting your roots
How To Cure Telogen Effluvium?
While it sounds like a serious term with serious consequences, the telogen effluvium cure, like any other condition, lies in knowing its cause or triggering factor. Usually, no treatment is required as such and your hair growth resumes to its earlier life cycle once your body is done dealing with the stress. But in case you are experiencing any symptoms and wondering what some good telogen effluvium treatment tips are, read on.
Follow the telogen effluvium diet
Before you ask, no, there isn’t a specific diet of any sort. But it’s recommended to include hair foods in your diet.
- Vitamin deficiencies, particularly that of biotin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D3 have been linked to the onset of telogen effluvium. So, make sure you include dairy products, egg, fish, and calcium-rich foods in your diet.
- Iron is definitely a great source of nutrition for your hair and can be a great telogen effluvium cure for you. So, make sure you’re including red meat, liver, dark green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils in your diet.
- Protein is most definitely a must-have in your telogen effluvium diet as your hair is basically made out of protein. Foods such as meat, eggs, fish, beans, grains, mushrooms, tofu and nuts are rich in protein and a definite must-have!
- Considering that this condition is caused due to stress, a great telogen effluvium treatment is to take counselling support to any kind of stress or anxiety you are dealing with. Your mental well-being is extremely important to your physical well-being. So, this should not be ignored.
While you must do everything from your end to take care of your hair if you have telogen effluvium, there is a way we can help too. The Pantene Advanced Hair fall Control shampoo and conditioner can be your best friend as you deal with this condition. You can supplement it with Pantene Open Hair Miracle to get the best results. We wish you nothing but great hair. Take care!
Hair care problems are varied for different people, so your hair care products should also be so. Take a look at our diverse range of Pantene Shampoos and Pantene Conditioners and pick your choice!
