A temporary, non-scarring shedding condition caused by many hairs entering the resting phase together.
Telogen effluvium often appears as diffuse shedding rather than bald patches. Common triggers include acute illness, surgery, major emotional stress, childbirth, rapid weight loss, iron deficiency, thyroid disease and some medicines. Shedding typically starts two to three months after the trigger, which is why the cause is not always obvious at first. The follicles are usually still present, so regrowth is expected once the trigger is corrected, although recovery can take months. Assessment should exclude coexisting pattern hair loss, alopecia areata or inflammatory scalp disease.
DermNet: Trichoscopy of generalised noncicatricial hair loss — https://dermnetnz.org/topics/trichoscopy-of-generalised-noncicatricial-hair-loss; Parikh AK et al. Advances in Topical Therapies for Alopecia, Life, 2024 — https://doi.org/10.3390/life14121577; Anastassakis K. Androgenetic Alopecia From A to Z, Vol. 1, Springer, 2022 — https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76111-0
