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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. A doctor can recognise telogen effluvium from your story and photos, look for the trigger and arrange blood tests; patches or a sore scalp need an examination.
- What it is: heavy shedding all over the scalp, starting 2 to 3 months after a shock to the body such as an illness, childbirth, surgery, stress or rapid weight loss.
- How much: up to 300 hairs a day instead of up to 100, and up to half of the hair on the scalp, but never complete baldness.
- Recovery: about 95 in 100 sudden cases settle. Shedding usually slows over 6 to 9 months, and the hair grows back.
- Emergency: hair shedding is not an emergency. Call 112 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing, after a new medicine or treatment.
Shedding hair on its own is not an emergency. Do not book a video appointment if you have swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing after a new medicine or treatment, or chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness. Call 112 or go to an emergency department.
Can an online doctor treat telogen effluvium?
Yes, usually. Telogen effluvium is recognised from the pattern of shedding and what happened in the months before it, which a doctor can go through by video with your photos. The doctor looks for the trigger, arranges blood tests at a laboratory near you when they would help, treats anything they find, such as low iron, and checks that the shedding is not another type of hair loss. Patches, a red, itchy or scarred scalp, or shedding with weight loss and feeling unwell need an examination in person.
How an online consultation helps with telogen effluvium
- The trigger found: Most shedding follows an event 2 to 3 months earlier, and the doctor goes through the likely ones with you.
- The right tests, not every test: Iron, thyroid, vitamin B12 and folate when your story points to them, arranged at a laboratory near you.
- Other causes ruled out: Pattern hair loss, alopecia areata and a scalp infection can look similar, and need different treatment.
- A realistic timeline: When the shedding should slow, when regrowth starts, and when to look again.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation for hair shedding
The doctor asks about the warning signs first, then about the shedding and the months before it. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: weight loss you cannot explain, night sweats, a high temperature, breathlessness or feeling very unwell.
- The shedding: when it started, how much hair comes out, and whether it is all over or in patches.
- The months before: an illness with a high temperature, an operation, childbirth, a crash diet or rapid weight loss, a new medicine, stopping the contraceptive pill, or a stressful event.
- Your scalp: itching, redness, flaking, soreness or scarring, which point to another cause.
- Iron and thyroid: heavy periods, a vegetarian or vegan diet, tiredness, feeling cold or hot, or weight changes.
- Your medicines: including weight-loss injections, retinoids, beta-blockers and antidepressants.
- How it is affecting you: shedding is upsetting, and stress can keep it going.
Before the call, take photos of your parting, crown, hairline and the sides of your head in bright daylight, and note when the shedding started. If you can, think back 3 months before that.
What is telogen effluvium?
Telogen effluvium is sudden, heavy shedding of hair from all over the scalp, after a shock to the body. It is one of the most common causes of rapid hair loss, it is temporary, and it does not scar the scalp or cause complete baldness.
Each hair grows for years, then rests for a few months before it falls out and a new hair grows in its place. At any time, about 85 in 100 hairs on the scalp are growing and about 15 in 100 are resting, which is why losing up to about 100 hairs a day is normal. A shock can push up to 70 in 100 growing hairs into the resting phase at once. They fall out together 2 to 4 months later, as up to 300 hairs a day, often with a small white bulb at the root.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Type | What you notice | The scalp | Usual course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telogen effluvium | Sudden shedding all over the scalp, 2 to 3 months after a trigger | Looks healthy | Usually settles within 6 to 9 months |
| Male pattern hair loss | Gradual thinning at the temples and crown | Looks healthy | Slowly continues without treatment |
| Female pattern hair loss | Gradual thinning on the top of the head | Looks healthy | Slowly continues without treatment |
| Alopecia areata | Round, bald patches | Normal skin in the patches | Can regrow on its own, but often comes back |
| Frontal fibrosing alopecia | A slowly receding hairline and thinning eyebrows | Pale, shiny skin along the hairline | Scarring: lost hair does not regrow unless treated early |
The alopecia guide covers the other types, and patches are explained on the alopecia areata page.
What causes telogen effluvium?
A physical or emotional shock to the body, usually 2 to 3 months before the shedding starts. Because of the delay, many people do not connect the two. Common triggers are:
- childbirth: see postpartum hair loss
- an illness with a high temperature, or a severe infection
- an operation or an accident
- severe emotional stress, such as a bereavement
- rapid weight loss, a crash diet or a diet low in protein
- low iron, or other deficiencies
- an underactive or overactive thyroid
- stopping the contraceptive pill
- medicines, such as retinoids, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants and anti-inflammatory painkillers
- a scalp condition that affects the whole scalp, jet lag, and too much sun
Can stress make your hair fall out?
Yes. Severe emotional stress is one of the main triggers of telogen effluvium, and the shedding starts 2 to 3 months later. Shedding is itself upsetting and can bring stress, anxiety and low mood, so support matters as much as care for your hair. The stress page covers what helps.
Weight-loss injections and hair loss
Hair loss has been reported with weight-loss medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide: in one tirzepatide trial, 20 of 287 people (about 7 in 100) reported it, and in a trial of semaglutide tablets, 23 of 334. Most reports are in women. Rapid weight loss is a known trigger of telogen effluvium, which is the most likely explanation, but whether the medicines cause hair loss directly is not proven. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own: talk to the doctor who prescribed it, and see medical weight loss.
Which vitamin deficiency causes hair loss?
Low iron is a recognised cause of temporary hair loss, and low vitamin B12 or folate can also play a part. The doctor checks these when your story points to them. Correcting a deficiency helps the shedding it was causing, but there is not enough evidence that vitamins or supplements help hair loss when your levels are normal.
How long does telogen effluvium last?
Usually 3 to 6 months of heavy shedding, which then slows over 6 to 9 months, and about 95 in 100 sudden cases settle. Regrowth starts once the trigger has passed, and new hair is short at first, so it takes many months to show.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| When | What happens | What you notice |
|---|---|---|
| The trigger | Many growing hairs switch to the resting phase | Nothing yet |
| 2 to 3 months later | The resting hairs start to fall out | Hair in the shower, on the pillow and on the brush |
| The next few months | Shedding is at its heaviest | Thinner hair, mainly on the top of the head |
| 6 to 9 months | Shedding slows back towards normal | Fewer hairs falling out |
| After that | New hairs keep growing | Short new hairs across the scalp |
Acute or chronic telogen effluvium
Acute telogen effluvium lasts less than 6 months and has a clear trigger. Chronic telogen effluvium lasts longer than 6 months, comes and goes, sometimes for years, and often has no clear cause; it mostly affects women aged 30 to 60, whose hormone tests are often normal. It still does not cause baldness.
Can telogen effluvium be permanent?
Usually not: the follicles are not damaged, and hair grows back once the trigger has passed. Recovery is sometimes incomplete, and telogen effluvium can reveal a tendency to female pattern hair loss that was already there, which is one reason to see a doctor if your hair has not recovered after 6 to 9 months.
How do I know if my hair loss is telogen effluvium?
These features point to it: shedding from all over the scalp, including the sides and back; a healthy-looking scalp without a rash, itching or soreness; small white bulbs at the end of the hairs you shed; and an event 2 to 3 months before it started. In a gentle pull test of about 50 hairs, 2 or 3 normally come out; with telogen effluvium, 4 to 6 or more do. A groove across your fingernails can date the shock too: a nail takes about 5 months to grow out, so a groove halfway down suggests a trigger about 2 and a half months earlier.
Do you need blood tests for hair shedding?
Sometimes. Tests are not needed when there is a clear trigger and the shedding is following the usual course. They help when there is no clear trigger, when the shedding goes on for longer than 6 months, or when your story points to a cause. The usual tests are:
- A full blood count and iron levels: low iron is common with heavy periods, in pregnancy and with a diet low in iron, and it can also cause tiredness and breathlessness.
- Thyroid function: an underactive or overactive thyroid can cause shedding.
- Vitamin B12 and folate: when your diet or symptoms suggest they may be low.
The doctor arranges the tests at a laboratory near you and goes through the results with you. A scalp biopsy is rarely needed, and only in person.
Which telogen effluvium treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on the trigger, how long the shedding has lasted, and what else is going on. This is the framework the doctors use:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shedding 2 to 3 months after an illness, an operation or stress | Reassurance, gentle hair care and time | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Shedding with heavy periods, a restricted diet or tiredness | Blood tests for iron and other deficiencies, and treatment of what is found | Yes | For the blood test at a laboratory |
| Shedding after starting a new medicine | A review of the medicine with the prescriber | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Shedding for longer than 6 months, or no clear trigger | Tests, and a look for pattern hair loss underneath | Partly | If the cause is still unclear |
| Round patches, or an itchy, red, scaly or scarred scalp | A different diagnosis | Partly | For an examination, often by a dermatologist |
| Shedding with weight loss, night sweats or a high temperature | Assessment of the illness behind it | Partly | Promptly, for an examination and tests |
Not sure why your hair is shedding? A doctor can help you find the cause in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for telogen effluvium
Telogen effluvium corrects itself once the trigger has passed. Treatment means removing or treating the trigger, correcting any deficiency and looking after your hair while it regrows.
What you can do yourself
- Handle your hair gently while it is shedding, and avoid vigorous brushing, combing and scalp massage.
- Eat a varied diet with enough protein, fruit and vegetables, and avoid crash diets and rapid weight loss.
- Get enough sleep, and look for ways to reduce stress.
- Use styling to hide the thinning while it lasts: a shorter cut, a different parting, a hairpiece or a wig.
- Take photos every couple of months, so you can see the regrowth when it comes.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most telogen effluvium needs no medicine. If tests show a deficiency, the doctor may prescribe iron or vitamin supplements, and an underactive or overactive thyroid needs its own treatment. When a medicine may be the trigger, the doctor helps you discuss alternatives with the person who prescribed it. Minoxidil on the scalp can help hair grow back, but it is not used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Supplements when your levels are normal: there is not enough evidence that they help hair loss, and no shampoo regrows hair. Stopping a prescribed medicine on your own. Vigorous brushing or scalp massage while the hair is shedding. Expecting results in weeks: hair grows back over months.
Special situations
After having a baby
Shedding about 3 months after giving birth is one of the most common forms of telogen effluvium, and hair is usually back to normal by the baby’s first birthday. The postpartum hair loss page covers it in detail.
Thinning that does not recover
If your hair is still thin after 6 to 9 months, or keeps thinning on the top of your head, pattern hair loss may be showing through. See hair loss in women and male pattern baldness.
Hair shedding while travelling in Europe
Jet lag, an illness with a high temperature abroad, and a lot of sun are all listed triggers, so shedding can start a couple of months after a trip. If you fall ill while away, the doctor can help by video, and shedding later on is usually part of the recovery.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When telogen effluvium is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: recognising telogen effluvium, finding the trigger, arranging blood tests, treating low iron and other deficiencies, reviewing medicines, and following the recovery on photos.
In-person care: blood tests at a laboratory, patches or a red, itchy, scaly or scarred scalp, shedding with weight loss, night sweats or a high temperature, and the rare scalp biopsy.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat after a new medicine or treatment
- difficulty breathing or swallowing
- chest pain, fainting or severe breathlessness
Get medical advice the same day for:
- hair loss with a high temperature, drenching sweats, weight loss you cannot explain or feeling generally unwell
- a bald patch that is painful, boggy or leaking pus
- hair loss with a rash, swelling or feeling unwell after starting a new medicine
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about the shedding: say when it started and how much hair you are losing, think back to the months before it, and show your parting and hairline on camera.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Hair shedding can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Postpartum Hair Loss can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about telogen effluvium
What is telogen effluvium?
Telogen effluvium is sudden, heavy hair shedding from all over the scalp, 2 to 3 months after a shock to the body such as an illness, childbirth, an operation, stress or rapid weight loss. It is temporary and does not cause baldness.
Why is my hair suddenly falling out so much?
The most common reason is telogen effluvium, after an event 2 to 3 months earlier. Low iron, thyroid problems and some medicines can also cause it. Patches, a sore scalp or thinning on the top of the head point to other causes, which a doctor can check.
How long does telogen effluvium last?
The heavy shedding usually lasts 3 to 6 months and then slows over 6 to 9 months. About 95 in 100 sudden cases settle. Shedding for longer than 6 months is called chronic telogen effluvium and needs a doctor to look for the cause.
How much hair do you lose with telogen effluvium?
With telogen effluvium, up to about 300 hairs a day, compared with up to about 100 normally. It can affect up to half of the hair on the scalp, but it does not cause complete baldness.
Can stress cause hair loss?
Yes. Severe emotional stress is one of the main triggers of telogen effluvium, and the shedding starts 2 to 3 months later. It usually settles once the stress has passed.
How do I know if my hair loss is telogen effluvium?
In telogen effluvium the hair comes out from all over the scalp, the scalp looks healthy, shed hairs often have a small white bulb at the root, and there was an illness, a birth, stress or weight loss 2 to 3 months before. A doctor can confirm it and check for other causes.
Is it telogen effluvium or pattern hair loss?
Telogen effluvium sheds hair from all over the scalp, comes on suddenly 2 to 3 months after a trigger, and leaves the hairline and the scalp looking normal; it settles within a year. Pattern hair loss is gradual, over years, thins the crown and top of the head or the temples while the sides and back stay thick, and the new hairs become finer and shorter. The two can overlap, so hair that has not recovered after 6 to 9 months is worth a review.
How do you stop telogen effluvium?
Telogen effluvium stops by removing or treating the trigger: recovering from the illness, correcting low iron or a thyroid problem, or reviewing a medicine. The shedding then stops on its own. Gentle hair care helps while you wait.
What can I do at home while telogen effluvium settles?
Handle your hair gently: wash it as often as you like with a mild shampoo, but skip tight styles, extensions, bleach and high heat; eat regular meals with enough protein and iron, because crash diets prolong telogen effluvium; sleep and manage stress as well as you can; and resist checking the drain and the brush every day. Take a photo of your parting each month to see the recovery, and get a blood test if the shedding has lasted more than 6 months.
Should I cut my hair if I have telogen effluvium?
It is up to you: cutting your hair does not change telogen effluvium or speed regrowth, but a shorter cut can make thinning hair look fuller, is easier to care for while the new hairs come through, and hides the uneven lengths as regrowth starts. Avoid tight styles, harsh colouring and heat, which stress hair that is already shedding.
Which vitamin deficiency causes hair loss?
Low iron is a recognised cause of temporary hair loss and telogen effluvium, and low vitamin B12 or folate can also play a part. Supplements help when levels are low, but there is not enough evidence that they help when levels are normal.
Can weight-loss injections cause hair loss?
Hair loss has been reported with weight-loss medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, mostly in women. Rapid weight loss is a known trigger of telogen effluvium, which is the likely explanation. Do not stop the medicine on your own: talk to your prescriber.
Can telogen effluvium be prevented?
Not always, because illness, operations and childbirth cannot be avoided, but the triggers you control can be: avoid crash diets and keep protein and iron up, since rapid weight loss is a common cause of telogen effluvium; manage stress and sleep; have iron and thyroid levels checked if you have heavy periods, are vegetarian or feel tired; and ask a doctor before stopping or starting medicines known to cause shedding, such as some blood thinners, beta-blockers and retinoids.
Is telogen effluvium permanent?
Usually not. In telogen effluvium the follicles are not damaged, and the hair grows back once the trigger has passed. Sometimes it reveals pattern hair loss that was already starting, which is worth checking if your hair has not recovered after 6 to 9 months.
Can an online doctor help with hair shedding?
Yes, usually. A doctor can go through the trigger for your hair shedding and your photos by video, arrange blood tests at a laboratory near you, and treat what is found. Patches or a sore scalp need an examination in person.
- Telogen effluvium (hair shedding), DermNet, New Zealand, updated June 2024.
- Telogen effluvium, Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 1 December 2022.
- Postpartum hair loss, Cleveland Clinic (US), reviewed 13 June 2022.
- Hair loss, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 24 January 2024.
- Hair loss, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 14 April 2023.
- Alopecia areata, DermNet, New Zealand, updated July 2024.
- Frontal fibrosing alopecia, DermNet, New Zealand, updated 2024.
- Iron deficiency anaemia, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 26 January 2024.
- Alopecia as an emerging adverse effect associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for weight loss: a scoping review, Rojas Lopez R, Lynett Barrera D, Amaya Muñoz M, Saavedra Diaz MP. Cureus, 2025.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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