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What is stress-related hair loss? Stress-related hair loss happens when your body is experiencing such high stress levels that your hair falls out faster than it otherwise would. Excessive hair loss from stress typically stops when the stress stops. Hair will likely regrow to its normal fullness in 6 to 9 months without any treatment. Everyone undergoes stress at some point in their life. Sometimes, that stress causes a physical reaction or physical symptoms. You might experience flare-ups of eczema, dandruff, or acne. Hair loss is another common side effect of stress. The human head loses around 50 to 100 hair follicles each day. This isn’t much, considering we have approximately 100,000 hair follicles on the scalp. This is why average hair loss isn’t noticeable. Hair loss caused by stress or another medical condition is a noticeable loss. Stress-related hair loss happens when your body is experiencing such high stress levels that your hair falls out faster than it otherwise would. In some cases, you’re so stressed that you actually pull your own hair out. This is called trichotillomania, or hair-pulling. Signs of hair lossThe first sign you’ll notice if you’re experiencing stress-related hair loss is more hair coming off on your comb or collecting by the shower drain. Some other signs of stress-related hair loss include:
Types of stress-related hair lossParticularly high levels of stress, is associated with three different types of hair loss. Telogen effluviumHair follicles undergo three stages of growth. Hair grows in the anagen phase. The catagen phase is transitional. And the telogen stage is when the hair rests. Most hair follicles are in the anagen phase. However, a severe shock or stress can move a big number of hair follicles into the telogen stage of hair growth. This is called telogen effluvium. Within 3 months of the stressful event, affected hair follicles will fall out as you comb, style, and wash your hair. The trauma and stress of childbirth triggers telogen effluvium in up to 90% of postpartum women. Other causes include severe stress, surgery, high fever, certain drugs, and starvation. TrichotillomaniaTrichotillomania is an impulse control disorder where you have an urge to pull the hair out from your head, eyebrows, eyelashes, and other body areas. A number of factors may trigger it, like boredom, frustration, loneliness, or stress. In this case, you don’t just feel stressed, but you feel an irresistible urge to pull out your own hair because of your stress. Alopecia areataAlopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where your body attacks its own hair follicles. With autoimmune disorders, your body’s immune system doesn’t work as it should. Instead, the body attacks its own tissue, causing varying symptoms and diseases. People with alopecia areata lose quarter-sized patches of hair, leaving that area on their scalp smooth and bald. These patches grow back in 3 to 6 months without any treatment. Sometimes the hair grows back white. Stress can cause an autoimmune disease like alopecia areata. Stress can also cause flare-ups of an autoimmune disease that you already have. QUESTIONIt is normal to lose 100-150 hairs per day. See AnswerCauses of stress-related hair lossSignificant emotional stress causes stress-related hair loss. However, just because you are stressed or experiencing a stressful situation doesn’t mean that your hair will fall out. Some events that can cause significant emotional stress and corresponding hair loss include:
When to see a doctor for stress-related hair lossStress does cause hair loss, but it isn’t the only cause. If you’re experiencing sudden and ongoing hair loss, visiting your family doctor is a good first step. Your doctor can evaluate the hair loss, review your medical history, and refer you to a dermatologist if necessary. You might think of a dermatologist as just a skin doctor, but this doctor also specializes in problems of hair and nails. Visiting a doctor sooner, rather than later, can improve your outcome. Health NewsDiagnosis for stress-related hair lossA primary care doctor or dermatologist can run tests to confirm that you’re experiencing hair loss. Your doctor may also want to rule out other causes before determining that your excessive hair loss is due to stress . Some tests your doctor may do include: Pull testA doctor can lightly tug on about 40 strands of your hair to test for excessive loss. It’s likely that you have excess hair loss if more than 6 strands come out during the test. Tug testYour doctor will hold sections of your hair with two hands. One hand will be at the root and the other near the tip. Then, they will tug with the top hand to see if any strands break in the middle. This lets your doctor know if your hair is brittle. Scalp biopsyA biopsy is the removal of a tissue sample to inspect it under the microscope. Getting a closer look at the scalp can help a doctor to diagnose the type of hair loss you have. DensitometryFor this test, the doctor uses a handheld magnification device called a densitometer to look at your hair. They look for miniaturization of the hair shaft. Lab workChecking labs can help a doctor to determine if an underlying medical condition is causing your hair loss. Hair loss can indicate a medical condition like a thyroid issue or anemia. Some lab tests a doctor might order include:
Treatment for stress-related hair lossHow to treat hair loss depends on the cause of the hair loss. Excessive hair loss from stress typically stops when the stress stops. Some ways to reduce stress include:
Your hair will likely regrow to its normal fullness in 6 to 9 months without any treatment. A dermatologist can also provide hair loss treatment options to individuals who do not want to wait 6 to 9 months for their hair to grow back. These might include:
SLIDESHOWYour Hair and Scalp Can Say a Lot About Your Health See SlideshowMedically Reviewed on 1/21/2021 References American Academy of Dermatology Association: "Hair Loss: Diagnosis and Treatment." American Academy of Dermatology Association: "Hair Loss: Overview." American Academy of Dermatology Association: "Hair Loss: Signs and Symptoms." American Academy of Dermatology Association: "Hair Loss: Who Gets and Causes." American Osteopathic College of Dermatology: "Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss." American Osteopathic College of Dermatology: "Trichotillomania." Autoimmunity Reviews: "Stress as a trigger of autoimmune disease." Cedars Sinai: "Pandemic Stress Triggers Skin, Hair Problems." Clinical and Experimental Dermatology: "Normal body hair—a review." Hair Transplant Forum International: "Densitometry and Video-microscopy." Mental Health Connecticut: "The Negative Effect of Anxiety and Stress on Your Hair." NYU Langone Health: "Diagnosing Hair Loss." How long does it take to grow back hair loss from stress?The hair loss is temporary, and should return to its pre-effluvium density, although this process is generally slow. It can take months (but generally less than 6) before the shedding stops, and then months to years for lost hair to grow back at the sluggish rate of ~½ inch per month.
How do you know if your losing hair from stress?How to Identify Stress-Induced Hair Loss. Telogen effluvium (stress-induced hair loss) usually causes diffuse thinning, a type of hair loss that affects your entire scalp. If you have telogen effluvium, your hair will normally look thinner and less dense than normal, especially under bright light.
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Does hair loss from stress grow back
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