Adding insult to injury, there’s a lengthy laundry list of things that can cause hair loss.
But of all the various types of hair loss out there, stress-related hair loss is somewhat unique.
Meet the Experts
How Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?
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Stress-related hair loss is technically called telogen effluvium (TE).
As mentioned, the inciting trauma or stress can be either physical, emotional, or both.
But we’re not necessarily talking about day-to-day, chronic types of stress.
Rather, it’s most often a singular, stressful event that’s the culprit.
Common examples include illness, surgery, break-ups, deaths, and even childbirth, points out Bhanusali.
How Can You Identify Stress-Related Hair Loss?
“Telogen effluvium always happens 90 to 120 days after the stressful event,” says Gaunitz.
“That’s simply how the hair cycle works, it will always be within that window.”
If there was some bang out of major incident, you may very well be experiencing TE.
How Can You Treat Stress-Related Hair Loss?
He says topical steroids can help slow shedding, while treatments such asminoxidilor finasteride can help stimulate hair growth.
Is There Any Way to Reverse Stress-Related Hair Loss?
Unfortunately, not really, given that this throw in of hair loss occurs months after a stressful event.
He suggests snapping pics of your full frontal hairline, including the temples and middle part.
The Final Takeaway
Stress-related hair loss is a very real thing.