How Long Does Hair Loss from Stress Last?

Have you ever wondered, "How long will it take for my hair to grow back after stress has caused me to lose it?" I’m going to answer that question and a few more common concerns about your stress induced hair loss...right now. 

Did you know approximately 85 percent to 90 percent of the hair on your head is growing actively at this very moment. This is called the anagen phase. The other 10 to 15 percent is resting. This is called the telogen phase. A hair is typically in the anagen phase for 2 to 4 years before it enters the telogen phase for 2 to 4 months. The hair will then fall out and be replaced by a new hair in the anagen phase. We can expect to lose about 100 hairs a day. This is normal. 

When a person enters telogen effluvium, a stressful state that causes your hair to prematurely enter the telogen phase, also known as the resting phase, you can lose up to 300 hairs a day instead of 100! Telogen effluvium can be caused by a number of different stressful circumstances such as:  physical or emotional stress, trauma, surgery, illnesses or fever,  major weight loss or extreme diet change, hormonal fluctuations such as hypo or hyperthyroidism, vitamin deficiencies,  and a few medications.

One thing to note is, you may not see hair loss from telogen effluvium for 2-4 months after the stress occurs because that’s how long it takes for the phase to end and for the hair to fall out. Here’s some good news though...Telogen effluvium typically doesn’t last for more than 6 months. It’s part of a cycle so it will not lead to permanent baldness in most cases. After the hair falls out, it re-enters the anagen (Growth) phase and you will only notice hair thinning for a short period of time.