"Doctor, I was just wondering if you could give
me some insight into probability of hair shedding due to stress. I
am 25 and have had the worst year of my life. (Laid off, nasty
break up with GF) This all occurred in the beginning of the
year, and for a time I was very depressed, had very very bad
eating habits (eating maybe once a day) and abusing alcohol.
Around March or April I noticed a lot more hair being shed on
my pillow and in the shower, and noticed that my hair,
including my hair line is considerably thinner. I never
noticed a problem before all this happened so I shrugged it
off and told myself it was stress. However, I still have not
seen any hair regrowth, and despite changing to a more healthy
lifestyle, my hair remains thin. I know you cannot confidently
diagnose me over the internet, but my question to you is: What
are the chances that this is stress related shedding? and
because I am still somewhat depressed (because of the state of
my hair mostly) will that affect/delay the recovery of my
hair? The reason this is bothering me is because it was
unexpected, and with all the factors involved I cannot
distinguish male pattern baldness from what I've read about telogen effluvium.
Your insight is greatly appreciated.
Dr
Peter H. Proctor, PhD MD answered: Some characteristics
of stress loss: It is caused when a stressor causes an extra
amount of hair to go into the loss-phase. So, it typically
takes 2-4 months after the stressor to show up. The stressor
can be physical (e.g., severe illness or surgery) or
psychological, such as severe depression. Unlike pattern hair loss,
stress loss tends to be associated with an increased rate of
hair shedding, sometimes as much as 3-400 hairs per day. Stress-induced hair
loss also tends to burn itself out after a few weeks to
months. Finally, in stress-loss, hair tends to regrow starting within a year or
so after hair shedding slows. In fact, if hair doesn't regrow, it
probably wasn't entirely stress loss. Medical treatment may
help your hair grow back faster.
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