Healthy people shed around 50 to 100 strands of hair each day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. But if you’re losing more than that, it could be a sign of a condition called telogen effluvium, or excessive hair shedding.
And telogen effluvium can certainly be induced by stress, said Dr. Antonella Tosti, a dermatologist who treats hair loss at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Experts don’t know exactly how common telogen effluvium is, in part because many people are not diagnosed with it. But women may be more likely to experience it than men, as it can be set off by pregnancy-related changes in the body, said Dr. Angela Lamb, a dermatologist at Mount Sinai in New York City.
This excess hair shedding can involve the loss of “up to a third of your hair volume,” she added. But the good news is that it is usually temporary.
what can you do?
If you have been losing hair because of stress, Dr. Lamb recommended taking a daily multivitamin containing vitamin D, which is involved in hair growth, and vitamin B12, which has been shown to be deficient in some patients with telogen effluvium — though the data on this is limited. Vitamins may be especially important for people recovering from major surgery, she said, as deficiencies can be more common during this time.
Dr. Lamb doesn’t recommend over-the-counter supplements specifically marketed to treat hair loss that contain high doses of biotin, such as those sold by Vegamour, Nutrafol and Viviscal. Biotin supplements have been shown to interfere with the results of thyroid hormone tests, and they can sometimes cause acne flare-ups, she said.
If you want to try to accelerate hair growth, you could try an over-the-counter, topical minoxidil treatment such as Rogaine, Dr. Tosti said. Or you can ask your doctor for a prescription for oral minoxidil or oral finasteride, which are often covered by health insurance, Dr. Lamb said.
These treatments could “help kick-start the hair to grow in faster,” Dr. Lamb said. But most of the time, she added, stress-induced hair loss dissipates and hair regrows on its own.
“You’ll go through that shedding phase, usually for several weeks, maybe a few months, and then it will slow down,” she said.
She said, if shedding continues after three or four months, she added, you may want to see a doctor.
Many Latinos have trace of indigenous blood and perhaps one reason they have thicker hair.
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