Text updated on 11.04.2021

Accelerated and usually difficult to stop hair loss can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, both men and women. There are many reasons for this, sometimes very difficult to diagnose and apply the right treatment that can effectively stop it. Unfortunately, baldness cannot be simply accepted, although in case of men it is a completely natural process that comes with age.

The situation is worse for women. In their case, hair loss almost automatically means some abnormality, a disease developing in the body that remains undetected or negligence of hair and scalp hygiene. So the reaction must be quick, and the first thing to do is to diagnose what kind of baldness we are dealing with. One of the most common, especially in women, is telogenetic alopecia, which untreated can quickly lead to total hair loss.

As already mentioned, hair loss in the vast majority of cases should not be a cause for concern, as long as the amount of hair loss is within the norm defined by research, not more than 100 per day. However, before we address telogenetic alopecia itself, its causes, symptoms and treatment, we should learn more about the hair growth cycle associated with this disease.

Our hair grows throughout our lives, but its growth follows a cyclical pattern that is divided into three extremely important phases, which are:

Also known as anagen, the longest phase, which can last from 2 to 6 years, about 90 percent of our hair grows at the same time. During this time, you can see a lot of activity in each hair follicle responsible for the proper nutrition and growth of the hair connected to it.

That is, involutionary phase, also called catagen and in this phase hair bulbs shrink, the production of cells in the disappearing hair matrix slowly ceases and the hair itself begins to die. This phase is much shorter than the previous one, lasting only 14 to 21 days, covering only 1 – 3 percent of hair.

It is called telogen and it is from it that this variety of baldness gets its name. This is the resting period and in the telogen phase the hair stops growing completely and the hair follicles remain empty and inactive for this time. The old hair becomes keratinized and begins to fall out, which lasts from 2 to 4 months, covering about 15 percent of our hair.

Defining the concept of telogenetic alopecia in the clearest way, we can say that it is associated with the resting phase of the hair. It occurs when, for various reasons, the number of hairs entering this phase increases, which may reach up to 50 – 80 percent. This is manifested by their increased, visible loss, which results in the appearance of baldness. It does not affect only certain areas of the head, the top or the bends, but the hair falls out evenly, reaching almost 50 percent of the area, which may last for several months or even years in many cases.

Interestingly, telogenetic alopecia can also affect other hairy parts of the body, such as the armpits or the intimate area. In most cases, the disease is painless. However, some patients complain of slight pain, burning or itching of the scalp, which has its medical name trichodynia. If the condition is diagnosed quickly enough, which can be done by a dermatologist or a trichologist, and the appropriate treatment is implemented, the process of hair loss is fully reversible.

Now that we know what it is and how this disease manifests itself, it’s time to learn about the causes of telogenic alopecia and its most common types. We will start with them and distinguish its two basic types:

If a trichologist or doctor wants to correctly diagnose telogenic alopecia the causes that cause it are so varied that it can make it difficult for them to make the right diagnosis. However, this is necessary if an appropriate treatment is to be implemented, which is why various diagnostic methods are used, ranging from a pull test or hair wash to a biopsy. Blood and urine tests, i.e. complex laboratory tests showing, among others, the level of iron or thyroid hormones, also turn out to be very useful.

All causes that lead to the development of telogenetic alopecia cause extension of telogenesis, the resting phase of hair described above:

Its importance for the body cannot be underestimated, after all, poor diet can ruin the whole health in a relatively short period of time, cause overweight and obesity, it also has a significant impact on the health of hair and scalp. Weakening of the hair itself, as well as hair follicles and hair bulbs, is caused by the lack of appropriate nutrients in the diet. This is why it is essential to have the following nutrients in what you eat:

You also need to be careful when deciding on a weight loss treatment, carefully selecting the components of such a diet. Definitely not allowed are starvation, having a destructive effect on the hair, which not only will fall out, but may also not grow back.

Proper hormone management is another cornerstone of our health and any disorders in the secretion of key hormones also affect the condition of our hair and may lead to telogenetic alopecia. The most important are two hormones, testosterone in men and estrogen in women. The former very often mutates to a harmful form, dihydrotestosterone, DHT, which can irreversibly damage hair follicles. In women, on the other hand, high levels of estrogen benefit their health and appearance by making them strong, thick and shiny. Reduction of this hormone is visible almost immediately, and the hair loses its shine, becomes fragile, brittle and begins to fall out in very large quantities

A very common cause of the telogen variety of alopecia is thyroid problems, disrupting the hormonal balance and all phases of hair growth at the same time. Diseases, such as hypothyroidism, cause immediate hormonal disturbances. This manifests itself, among other things, in a slowing down of the metabolism at the cellular level, which also affects the cells of which the hair is made up. Their structure weakens, they are more susceptible to damage, brittle, dull and grow more slowly than they fall out.

We could talk for hours about the negative impact of stress on health, but it is worth emphasizing how it damages hair and causes telogenetic alopecia. There are so many stress factors that it is impossible to list them all, they may be sudden, e.g. a serious disease that destroys the body for years. One of the symptoms of such a strong nervous tension, which can be not only stress but also depression, is alopecia and not only telogenetic, but practically its every variety, including androgenetic and alopecia areata.

Taking medications for other diseases, not related to the treatment of hair loss, it is worth to read the leaflet attached to them in advance, because it may turn out that one of their side effects is hair loss. Such specifications include, among others:

As already mentioned, telogenic alopecia is a disease that can be fully cured, inhibit the loss of too much telogen hair and cause their regrowth. The most important issue is to regulate the abnormalities of the hair resting phase, and until recently strong pharmaceuticals containing minoxidil were used for this purpose, undoubtedly effective, but also causing many dangerous side effects.

Therefore, it is better here natural preparations, based on safe to use active ingredients, such as Folisin, in which we find only plant and natural ingredients, not causing any side effects.

Counteracting the negative effects of telogenetic baldness, you should also remember about: