Have you been noticing more hair falling out than usual?
Maybe you've been finding clumps of hair on your brush or pillow, or you've started to notice thinning or bald patches on your scalp…
Also known as telogen effluvium, excess hair shedding can be a frustrating and alarming experience – especially for women.
But that doesn’t have to spell the end for your mane.
Whether you're dealing with post-pregnancy hair loss or unexplained thinning as you age, there’s still hope – and Cynatine HNS could be the secret ingredient that keeps your locks looking luscious and full.
What is telogen effluvium?
A common cause of alopecia, telogen effluvium is a fancy word for when hair follicles enter the resting (telogen) phase of the hair growth cycle too early. Then, hair falls out in greater than normal amounts.
At any given time, we have about 100,000 strands of hair on our scalp, and our normal hair-shedding cycle causes us to lose between 50 and 100 hairs each day.
With telogen effluvium, however, this hair shedding can increase up to losing 300 strands per day, effectively more than tripling those fallen hairs.
This excess hair shedding is most obvious on the scalp, but it may even be noticeable on other parts of the body, too.
Yikes!
What causes telogen effluvium?
Excessive hair loss has a lot of possible causes, and the culprit is not always obvious. Often, it takes a specialist to fully understand why you’re facing this issue.
Possible causes include:
- Physical stress or shock (such as losing a lot of weight, surgery, anemia, illness, having a baby)
- Emotional stress (like mental illness or the death of a loved one)
- Thyroid issues or other illnesses
- Medications
- Hormone changes caused by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills
Symptoms of telogen effluvium
The trademark symptom is, of course, excessive hair shedding. It’s often most noticeable during hair washing, when all that hair threatens to clog your drain, or hair brushing – when your comb seems to have more hair than you do!
Excessive hair shedding can also look like:
- Thinning hair or bald patches on the scalp
- Hair that appears weak, brittle, or lifeless
- Hair that’s slow to grow or doesn't grow back at all
However it shows up, excess hair shedding can wreak havoc with your hair health and style.
Types of Telogen effluvium
Typically, excessive shedding comes in two types:
- Acute: hair shedding that lasts for less than six months
- Chronic: hair shedding that lasts for more than six months
Acute telogen effluvium
Lasting for less than six months, this usually occurs two to three months after something triggers it, and, in about 33% of cases, that trigger is unclear.
The good news is that in 95% of cases, acute telogen effluvium usually goes away when its cause is addressed.
-> A variant of this hair-shedding condition is called telogen gravidarum, which happens two to five months after childbirth.
Chronic telogen effluvium
Lasting for more than six months, this type of excess hair shedding mostly occurs in middle-aged women. It can fluctuate between flare-ups and calm spells.
It’s also known as diffuse hair loss because the shedding hair is not typically concentrated in a particular area of the scalp.
Chronic telogen effluvium is more common in women, and is often referred to as "female pattern hair loss." However, the pattern is not the same as the classic male pattern baldness (which typically develops starting at the crown of the head).
Diagnosing telogen effluvium
Diagnosing telogen effluvium can be challenging, as the condition shares symptoms with many other types of hair loss.
The best way to determine if it’s telogen effluvium is to visit your dermatologist (or other healthcare professional). They will take your detailed medical history, perform a physical exam, and may even order a round of tests to rule out other potential causes.
Once diagnosed, there are several treatment options available, depending on the underlying cause.
How Cynatine HNS can help combat telogen effluvium
One promising approach to treating telogen effluvium is through the use of Cynatine HNS, a patented form of solubilized keratin. It's been shown to improve the health and appearance of hair, skin, and nails, and has been specifically studied for its potential in treating hair loss.
Cynatine HNS contains a unique blend of amino acids and bioavailable (absorbable) nutrients, that support healthy hair growth and reduce shedding by keeping hair in its natural growth (anagen) phase for longer.
Healthy-hair benefits of using Cynatine HNS:
- Promotes healthy hair growth: by providing essential vitamins (such as biotin and vitamin C) and minerals (like zinc) your hair needs to grow healthy and strong.
- Reduces hair breakage: its unique blend of amino acids (like cysteine) strengthens hair and increases hair’s resilience to reduce breakage. This can help prevent further hair damage and promote healthy new growth.
- Improves hair appearance: by reducing frizz, increasing shine, and enhancing the overall hair texture with amino acids like glycine, proline, and serine – all essential in the structure and function of keratin (the essential building block for healthy hair!)
While not an outright cure for telogen effluvium, Cynatine HNS provides the necessary nutrients and building blocks for healthy new hair growth, which can help manage telogen effluvium.
Managing telogen effluvium
If you’re experiencing unexplained hair loss, speak with your doctor, dermatologist or trichologist (a specialist trained in the diagnosis and treatment of hair and scalp conditions) to determine the best approach for your specific needs.
They will help you identify underlying causes (such as deficiencies or imbalances), and help you address them to regain healthier, thicker hair.
Consider lifestyle adjustments, such as improving your diet, reducing stress, avoiding harsh hair treatments, and supplementing.
Keep your head up, beauty. You’ve taken the first step in growing healthier hair: seeking to understand!
xoxo
Kaley
