Do you have hair loss or hair shedding?
If you’ve been noticing more hairs on your pillow or hairbrush than normal, you may worry that you have hair loss. You could actually just be shedding more hairs than normal. Yes, there is a difference.
Hair shedding often stops on its own
It’s normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding. The medical term for this condition is telogen effluvium.
Excessive hair shedding is common in people who have experienced one the following stressors:
- Lost 20 pounds or more
- Given birth
- Experiencing lots of stress (Caring for a loved one who is sick, going through a divorce, losing a job)
- Had high fever
- Undergone an operation
- Recovering from an illness, especially if had a high fever
- Stopped taking birth-control pills
Most people notice the excessive hair shedding a few months after the stressful event. For example, a new mom can see excessive hair shedding about two months after giving birth. The shedding usually peaks about four months after giving birth. This shedding is normal — and temporary.
Read the full article on AAD.org
