Chronic Telogen Effluvium

[SlightlySoprano]

My dermatologist tells me after 3 years of hair loss that I have chronic telogen effluvium...

I can't breathe...:(:(:(:(:(

[DuckyDot]

Oh no! I'm very sorry SlightlySoprano :( I had Telogen Effluvium for a while following illness and I can't even imagine what it would be like to have it chronically or for an extended period of time.

I know that other members have had Chronic TE and I'm sure they can give you some advice where I cannot.

I'm really sorry - stay strong and you can always come to me for support and I'm sure lots of the other members will say the same. We are here for you.

[Anje]

Is there a test for this, or is that the "I don't really know what's wrong with you, so here's a label" answer?

[Kristamommyx3]

It did at least say that people who experience this almost never lose more than 50% of their hair. I never had a diagnosis, but I did experience this for over a year after my last child. Ending breastfeeding, a combo of vitamins and minerals, fish oil, and sls free shampoo helped it end for me. I think that 13 months of breastfeeding nearly killed my immune system.

[Othala]

I had CTE for 4 years after a prolonged illness. Hair eventually came back but the worst thing was not knowing when/if it would return. The only think I beleived helped me was Neelibhringadi oil but that may just have coincided with the resolution of internal problems that were causing the CTE.

Make sure you eat nutritious food especially (if you are not a vegetarian) red meat in order to boost your haemaglobin and also lots of natural vitamin C. Also, sleep and light exercise and reduction of stress.

My very best wishes for your recovery.

[faithsdaisy421]

I am so sorry. I experienced this for quite a long time after I became very ill a few years ago. Unfortunately, I do not have a whole lot of advice for you, as I was not as nice to my hair than as I am now.

Do remember that you are not alone =)

[SlightlySoprano]

No one can say if it will come back or not. They ran a whole array of blood tests and it all came back normal. My sebborheic dermatitis even seems to be mostly under control.

[SlightlySoprano]

Does anybody know of any way to jump start the anagen phase?

[SlightlySoprano]

Is there a test for this, or is that the "I don't really know what's wrong with you, so here's a label" answer?

There is sort of a test. What they do is they do a strand pull test. If they grab more than 4-5 hairs out of a straw sized section of hair, you are in the telogen phase. If it stays that way for more than 3ish months, you have chronic telogen. Make sense?

[justgreen]

Have your iron and vit d levels checked. I had this in my early 40's, I was very iron deficient and was told this was the cause for me. I had had no illnesses, etc, prior.

[SlightlySoprano]

Have your iron and vit d levels checked. I had this in my early 40's, I was very iron deficient and was told this was the cause for me. I had had no illnesses, etc, prior.

I had them checked last summer... worth another check i guess?

[justgreen]

Yes your body levels can crash and burn with no prior warning.

[GuardGirl]

Funny, I've been researching that condition for the last two days. Type it into google and iron deficiency seems to be a very blamable culprit. I used to have very thick hair when I was younger but since I hit puberty when I was 12, my hair has just gotten thinner and thinner. My mom and doctors always said "it must just be hormonal" but I've always had really heavy periods which can lead to iron deficiency. So I've started an iron supplement, just to see... Maybe you should try to up your red meat intake and see if the shedding stops! Good luck!

[happybear]

aw, hang in there! hopefully it will bounce back, have you checked your hormones?

I think I had the same thing happen to me when I was young, very very similar to what you wrote Guard girl, I lost a lot of hair when i went through puberty, it has never come back, but also I have never lost more since that time. I think I had CTE, but it was not diagnosed, since my hair has never really thickened up in the past 15 years, i suspect that it never will.

[rhubarbarin]

I have had CTE since late 2007. It sucks, I know. I was having a lot of health and hormonal problems at the time, which have largely cleared up with diet changes in the past year and a half, so I remain hopeful that I will actually be able to grow my hair out, one day... sometimes I look at pics from 2006-2007, when I had such incredibly gorgeous thick (for me) hair between BSL and waist, and cry. ;) It helps a little.

I noticed a lot of new hairs coming in around fall of last year, I'm hoping this new thickness will grow down a bit... I get about 6" growth per year so it's too early to tell. My high ponytail circumference has increased a lot in the past year (from just over 2" to 2.75"!) which is a good sign.

At least I am not going bald, I have thick roots. But most of my hairs shed out (with a bulb at the end and a 'virgin' tapered tip) at 10" or shorter. Lots at around 2-4". I have always shed a lot of hair (as does my mom, and sisters) but I never kept track of what kind of hair I was shedding before my hair started thinning, so I don't know what was normal when I had nice hair... The thinning is much worse on the right side of my head, too.

I've never tested as anemic or with any nutrient deficiencies (including D - and I supplement during winter and get more sun these days to keep it even higher year round). I eat a very nutritious diet (lots of red meat, too) and take some supplements that support hair growth (zinc, kelp, biotin).

Our 2c hair actually looks very alike, OP! I still think it looks very pretty. :) I just can't grow any longer than APL without the extreme thinness past shoulder of the right side bothering the heck out of me.

[getoffmyskittle]

Try MSM. It does wonders to reduce my shedding. Seriously -- it's the only supplement I took that ever seemed to make a difference, and I saw a reduction in one week.

Aside from that, what everyone else said! Don't worry, your hair will come back. :)

[rhubarbarin]

Try MSM. It does wonders to reduce my shedding. Seriously -- it's the only supplement I took that ever seemed to make a difference, and I saw a reduction in one week.

Aside from that, what everyone else said! Don't worry, your hair will come back. :)

Thanks, that is worth a try!