Telogen effluvium can be chronic or acute. The main characteristic of these conditions is excessive shedding that occurs fairly evenly throughout the scalp. Because of the diffuse pattern, this condition is also referred to as “diffuse hair loss.”
Most women will experience at least one bout of acute telogen effluvium in her lifetime. Although it is natural to panic when large amounts of hair suddenly begin falling out, there is rarely need for concern as the shedding is short-lived and doesn’t cause noticeable thinning–unlike the chronic version which can lasts years, causing severe thinning and much distress.
Both conditions are the body’s response to an undesirable condition. When the body feels a change, disturbance, imbalance or shock to the system, the hair growth cycle can become disrupted. Hairs that should continue to grow go into a premature resting period instead. There is no way to detect that this is happening. Approximately three months later these resting hairs begin to fall out. The excessive shedding will alert us that telogen effluvium has occurred. When attempting to identify the trigger it is important to think back to the previous months for clues.
With the acute version the trigger is usually a distinct and sudden disturbance to the body such as new medication, extreme diet, infection, recent illness, high fever, trauma, medical procedure, food poisoning, exposure to toxin or allergen, etc. In these cases the body often adjusts to the change such as in the case of new medication, or heals from the cause such as infection or illness, long before the shedding has occurred.
Usually no treatment is required but it may be necessary to remove or treat the trigger if it is still present and problematic. After a short period-usually a few weeks, (but can be up to six months) the increased shedding will cease and the hair growth cycle will resume normally. The severity and duration of shedding is usually proportionate to the severity and duration of the trigger.
The difference in chronic telogen effluvium is that the trigger is usually involves a prolonged internal imbalance in the body such as thyroid imbalance, systemic infection, nutritional deficiency, mal-absorption issue, autoimmune disorder, severe unresolved stress, general unhealthiness, etc. With this condition the cause must be identified and treated. Only after the rest of the body has begins to heal, will the hair growth cycle begin to repair.
Acute telogen effluvium is more common than chronic. A short bout of increased shedding does not indicate a serious health disorder-just a temporary disturbance that the body initially had a difficult time dealing with. If shedding is prolonged (over six months) severe or episodic it is important to determine and address the underlying issues.
Source by Melanie Vonzabuesnig