Telogen effluvium is a prominent cause of hair loss in women. The main charecteristics of it being thining and then sudden loss of hair. The hair loss is due to an interruption in the natural hair growth cycle. The growth cycle of hair involves growth for some years, shedding and then regrowing. Telogen is the resting period in the hair growth cycle     

Cause

There are a huge number of causes of Telogen effluvium such as high fever, psychological stress, infections, any major surgery or illness, childbirth. Other causes include lack of adequate protein, improper diet and a variety of medication.

Generally the hair loss starts weeks to months after the incident has started the biological process of hair loss. The hair loss is usually witnessed on the scalp but some people may have hair loss on other parts of the body as well.

Symptoms

The hair sheds while combing or shampooing them. As the cause of the hair loss subsides, the hair stops shedding and slowly decreases over a period of 6 to 8 months. If possible find     out the cause of the problem and take adequate action to prevent hair fall. The fallen hair have club-shaped roots the same as that of resting. Such hair can easily be examined under the microscope.Hair would shed when they enter the resting phase. In case the cause of the hair fall is hard to find out, a piece of skin from the skin can be examined under the microscope to find the condition of hair follicles(hair producing tissues)

Treatment

Most cases of Telogen effluvium do not require any treatment. When a new hair grows out it pushes to remove the dead hair. Thus Telogen effluvium can be seen as a sign of hair regrowth. A fringe of hair is predominantly evident along the forehead hairline when new hair pushes out.

The most important thing is to find out the cause of the problem in case of Telogen effluvium. Blood tests can be done if the cause is not determined like a mild defeciency of iron. Where the cause of Telogen effluvium is medication then such medication should be stopped immediately but where the cause is giving birth or illness then there is no need for any medication.

Severe Telogen effluvium occurs in women who have had thick hair in their teens. The entire scalp is affected and no cause can be cited. It predominantely affects women in the age of 30 to 60 years. The hairfall is substantially high in the initial stage but then reduces over time.