What can cause the so called telogen effulvium?

[parkmikii]

I've noticed that through the past 2 years my braid is getting constantly thinner (now it's about two pencils thin starting from neck down) however I didn't really get any bald spots or such but I have been shedding mostly 10 to 20 cm hairs always. Basically most hair that came in 1 to 2 years ago falls. I didn't change anything in my diet or anything like that so I don't understand why. I'll have some bloodwork done next month to check if anything comes out bad but if it won't then what would be the battle plan? Just going to a dermatologist? Or what else can I do?

[lapushka]

Health issues can be a cause. I'd rule out anything that might contribute to this with your doctor. :flower: Good on you for visiting your doctor.

Age. Hormones. Anything basically. Manipulation of the hair. SD that isn't under control (you tend to shed more for as long as it isn't resolved).

[parkmikii]

Health issues can be a cause. I'd rule out anything that might contribute to this with your doctor. :flower: Good on you for visiting your doctor.

Age. Hormones. Anything basically. Manipulation of the hair. SD that isn't under control (you tend to shed more for as long as it isn't resolved).

Thank you! Yes I'll make an appointment for next week when I'm in my hometown for a check up ^^
Age shouldn't be a problem though since I'm only 20 but hormones on the other hand... my periods are pretty much always irregular so that might be part of the cause as well as weight. I'm 170 cm and 53 kg and I can't get fat even if I want. I gag when I eat fatty foods and such but I enjoy eating seeds and nuts. I'll go for the checkup and see.

[lapushka]

If you can't eat fatty foods, make sure you bulk up on *calories*, even if you have to drink your calories. At one point when your body has all its nutrients it wants healthy fats as well and not just to bulk up, because you need them actually, so do what you have to to gain weight, please; being constantly underweight can be an issue as well. I was 17 when I lost a lot of weight and was borderline anorexic and I lost a quarter of my thickness; later in my very early 20s I lost a lot of weight as well and I noticed that immediately in my hair.

So... yeah...

I'm 1.70m as well and weigh about 60-63 kg; when I was between 52-54kg, more like 54kg actually I did notice it in my hair shedding!

[spidermom]

Then there's stress shedding ...

[parkmikii]

Then there's stress shedding ...

But for the past 6-7 months? I've had exams in February and I didn't really stress a ton since so I don't know but my hair thinned a lot.. I shall post a picture a bit later. I have one with a braid from now and one from about 2010-2011

[parkmikii]

So here are the comparition pictures:
2012 (I had layers even as you can see and it was still thicker than what I have now)
https://s28.postimg.org/guuirp8ct/2012_338.jpg

And from now:

https://s8.postimg.org/3ltjmewb9/20170522_180046.jpg
https://s8.postimg.org/ikgbkr53p/20170522_180750.jpg

[lapushka]

Isn't the 1st pic a pancaked braid, though? :) Just asking. I can't tell.

[parkmikii]

Isn't the 1st pic a pancaked braid, though? :) Just asking. I can't tell.

Not too much, just a bit exploded from the layers lol
I didn't really know what pancaking is and in the second pic it's the braid after a day of wearing.

[Arctic]

You have thick pencils where you live ;) What I try to say is, that from the description I expected your braid to be much thinner - which of course isn't meant to minimize the hair loss you've been experiencing.

You could google long term or chronic telogen effluvium, it is a different beast than a short term one. This will give you possible reasons. Only read information on reputable sites. But often times there is no apparent reason, my derm actually said this is the case with most patients.

When it comes to eating: Do you get enough omega 3 fatty acids, if you don't eat much fatty foods? Other nutrients?

The out of balance hormones might be a big issue. Which leads me to...

We all shed hairs of different lengths, but - I hope I won't scare you - if there is continuing shortening of the hairs that you shed, it can be an indicator of pattern hair loss (male or female - I assume female in your case since it's diffuse). This is called a minituriazation of hair and it is to be taken seriously. But ask about these things from your doctor, no need to worry about it yet.

What ever the reasons, you will probably have good changes of recovery as you have started acting relatively swiftly!

[parkmikii]

You have thick pencils where you live ;) What I try to say is, that from the description I expected your braid to be much thinner - which of course isn't meant to minimize the hair loss you've been experiencing.

You could google long term or chronic telogen effluvium, it is a different beast than a short term one. This will give you possible reasons. Only read information on reputable sites. But often times there is no apparent reason. My derm said this is the case with most patients.

Do you get enough omega 3? Other nutrients? The out of balance hormones might be a big issue.

We all shed hairs of different lengths, but - I hope I won't scare you - if there is continuing shortening of the hairs that you shed, it can be an indicator of pattern hair loss (male or female - I assume female in your case since it's diffuse). This is called a minituriazation of hair and it is to be taken seriously. But ask about these things from your doctor, no need to worry about it yet.

What ever the reasons, you will probably have good changes of recovery as you have started acting so swiftly!

I've thought about the miniaturisation as well since lately most of the hairs I lose are 10-15 cm and pretty few actually long ones. I thought I shall start with some bloodwork to see if anything comes out off the charts and thought that if there won't be anything weird then I can try at an endocrinologist for the hormones. Once that is ruled out too my best bet would be a dermatologist I suppose.
The thing is I don't have any idea how to tell this to my familt doctor. I mean if I'll go and tell her that I shed a lot of short hairs she'll probably think it's nothing and I'm a bit nuts, so yeah...

And it's actally only a tiny thicker than two pencils since my braid is really flat lol, I just have a pretty tiny frame.

[triumphator!]

It's too bad that telogen effluvium means what it does. It sounds like some cool space-time travel stuff.