Hair
Everything You Need to Know About Stress-Related Hair LossIt's time to take your (hair) power back |
It's also not immediate Here's the kicker: it takes time to grow hair, right? Which also means the resulting telogen effluvium you're experiencing is probably from something that happened three-to-nine months ago. "When you're pregnant, you've got great hair," explains Dr. Engleman. "Once we give birth, it can be three-to-nine months postpartum that hair starts to shed. "It's why patients with a nine-month-old child can't figure out why their hair is falling out. "It's a snapshot of what happened in the past." Which means a stressful event in the past could be causing the hair loss you have now.
Also, the amount shed is profound by the time you notice it. "The reality is, people often have to lose about 50 percent of their hair volume before they detect they're losing hair, which is a lot to lose," Dr. Engleman warns. "Patients often notice their ponytail isn't as thick; they're perceiving a significant reduction, which is real: a patient has to lose a lot (of hair) before they notice they've lost it."
But you aren't alone: both our dermatologists have seen a massive uptick in stress-related hair loss cases this year. "I've had more tears shed in my office over hair loss than even skin cancer because it really is so emotional for people," says Dr. Engleman, whose patients bring in bags of lost hair or photos depicting shower drains filled with it. "It's so psychologically stressful."
Dr. Gohara agrees the uptick in telogen effluvium patients is across the board "People are scared out of their minds," she observes, noting people will come in afraid to take showers and/or wash their hair for fear of their part getting wider.
Image via Luka Svetic/EyeEm/Getty
SEE NEXT PAGE: Take control of your health
Also, the amount shed is profound by the time you notice it. "The reality is, people often have to lose about 50 percent of their hair volume before they detect they're losing hair, which is a lot to lose," Dr. Engleman warns. "Patients often notice their ponytail isn't as thick; they're perceiving a significant reduction, which is real: a patient has to lose a lot (of hair) before they notice they've lost it."
But you aren't alone: both our dermatologists have seen a massive uptick in stress-related hair loss cases this year. "I've had more tears shed in my office over hair loss than even skin cancer because it really is so emotional for people," says Dr. Engleman, whose patients bring in bags of lost hair or photos depicting shower drains filled with it. "It's so psychologically stressful."
Dr. Gohara agrees the uptick in telogen effluvium patients is across the board "People are scared out of their minds," she observes, noting people will come in afraid to take showers and/or wash their hair for fear of their part getting wider.
Image via Luka Svetic/EyeEm/Getty
SEE NEXT PAGE: Take control of your health