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Home › Articles › Mom's Health › Where Did All My Hair Go?

Where Did All My Hair Go?

Postpartum Telogen Effluvium

By Teri Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  

– The cells of the hair bulb actively divide and produce a growing hair. This phase lasts two years to six years for individual hairs. Normally, approximately 85 percent to 90 percent of all scalp hairs are in this phase.

  • The Catagen Phase – The hair stops to grow and the lower portion of the follicle involutes during a two-week span
  • The Telogen Phase – This is the resting phase of the cycle. The hair is no longer growing but remains loose in the hair shaft until it falls out. The Telogen phase lasts three to four months.

    "During pregnancy, an increased percentage of scalp hairs are in the Anagen, or growing, phase," says Dr. Waliser. "Patients perceive thicker hair because decreased numbers of hairs are entering the Catagen and Telogen phases."

    Under normal circumstances, the average person loses about 100 hairs each day. But according to Dr. Waliser, after a woman gives birth, there is a rapid change in these phases and appreciable hair loss occurs as a large number of follicles shed at once. This is termed telogen effluvium. It usually occurs one to five months postpartum and ceases within 15 months as follicles gradually revert to the Anagen growth phase.

    A Self-Correcting Condition

    Pages:  1  2  3  

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