What should you know about telogen and anagen effluvium?

Telogen effluvium causes delayed shedding after a body stressor, while anagen effluvium causes faster shedding when growing hairs are interrupted. Both can look like diffuse thinning rather than a single bald patch, but their timing and triggers differ.

In telogen effluvium, more hairs than usual enter the resting phase and shed later. A fever, major illness, emotional strain, surgery, medication change, or restrictive eating pattern may precede the shedding. Anagen effluvium affects hairs in the active growth phase, so shedding can begin soon after a strong trigger such as some cancer treatments. Hair may come out during washing, brushing, or on clothing. The scalp usually remains visible through overall reduction in density, without the scaling or inflammation expected from many scalp diseases.

Write down when shedding began and any illness, treatment, diet change, or new medicine before it. Use gentle shampooing, avoid tight hairstyles and repeated heat, and detangle carefully. Eat regular meals with adequate protein and ask a clinician before taking hair supplements, because excess or unnecessary nutrients can be unhelpful. A clinician can examine the scalp, review medicines and recent health events, and decide whether blood tests or treatment such as Topical Minoxidil is appropriate.

Arrange a medical assessment if shedding is marked, continues, keeps returning, or is accompanied by smooth patches, scalp pain, redness, pus, heavy scale, or eyebrow loss. Seek prompt care for sudden extensive loss with symptoms of a serious illness. The pattern alone cannot identify the trigger, so an examination is useful when the timing does not fit a recent stressor.

Could the timing fit telogen or anagen effluvium? Which recent illness, medicine, or treatment might be relevant? Do I need tests for nutritional or hormonal contributors? What hair-care changes should I make while shedding continues? When should we reassess if density does not improve?