One of the main topics I hear from women who are experiencing hair loss is the question of how a person can determine what type of hair loss they have. This can be very important as it can tell you how long you will have to deal with it and it can tell you how best to treat it so that you can get some relief sooner rather than later. And, I think women are often most concerned about whether they have androgenetic alopecia (AGA) or TE (telogen effluvium). At first, most women anticipate telogen effluvium because, optimally, the condition should resolve on its own. On the other hand, AGA often requires early treatment to achieve good results and outcomes.
However, sometimes when TE is long-lasting and lasts forever without any real treatment, some women tell me that they would actually prefer to take AGAs because at least then they would know what they are dealing with and they would know that there are treatments for it rather than taking the “wait and see” approach that is often recommended in the case of hair loss. The truth is, there are many similarities and differences between these two conditions and sometimes, lapsed treatments are recommended so that you can at least try something even if your hair is falling out. I will discuss this more in the next article.
Due to telogen effluvium vs due to AGA: Usually, temporary flushes are caused by a disruption in your system or some sort of stress on your body. Often for women, this can mean hormones, disease, or medications. And what can sometimes make the two overlap or difficult to diagnose is the fact that hormones (and androgens) are often to blame in androgenetic alopecia as well.
Now, it is very easy to identify medical problems and changes in your medication. Anything that can cause or trigger changes in your body points to temporary sagging rather than genetic thinness. And, in the case of shedding, it’s usually things like having a baby, going off contraceptives, or the hormone fluctuations that come with aging and the changes your body goes through. (These things are usually very easy to notice.)
However, hormonal changes that occur with aging or body changes can also give way to more androgens to take hold because protective sex hormones like estrogen no longer offer resistance to androgens. And this in turn paves the way for androgenetic alopecia, even if you don’t have a relative you know who had the condition. And to make things more confusing, in some cases for those who were already genetically predisposed, hormonal TE can eventually give way to AGA.
Some of the major differences between loss and thinning: So, with all these similarities, how can you tell the difference? It used to be that you were told that if you were losing a lot of hair (100 or more per day) then you were more likely to have TE. And it is certainly accurate sometimes. But, it is also possible to have a less severe problem of hair loss. And it’s possible to have very aggressive bouts of AGA where you’re even losing over 100 hairs per day. As you can see, while the amount of hair lost is one way to tell one from the other and should certainly be considered, you can’t always rely on it as not always being a textbook case.
The best way to differentiate between the two is to look at redevelopment. Because if you see miniaturization (hairs that are getting thinner and thinner) that could be a good sign that you’re looking at AGA. This condition causes the follicles (due to androgens) to shrink and become damaged so the hair that grows back will likely look different. It is often light in color and very fine in texture.
The regrowth that appears after TE should look like the rest of your hair without any miniaturization. In fact, as this happens, you may have to play with different styles to mix it up as new hairs may emerge as your hair regrows. This new growth is often black and healthy like the rest of your hair.
Similarities in the treatment of both: People often ask me if there are things they can do in terms of treatment if they are not sure which of these is responsible for their hair loss. Well, one thing that both these conditions have in common is inflammation. You’ll often see an angry-looking scalp (or even feel a tight and painful scalp), regardless of which type of scalp you have. So, anything you can do to rest the skin and reduce inflammation (without interruption) will bring some relief and help it re-grow. There are a number of topical treatments that work for this, but until you know for sure that you have AGA, you’ll want to avoid treatments that affect your hormone levels because this can sometimes only worsen the process as your body becomes out of whack again, develops another trigger, and gives way to a new round of shedding.
Additionally, both conditions may benefit from scalp stimulation aimed at making the regrowth more healthy and vigorous. Again, you want to focus on the things you can do internally and through the scalp rather than on things that are internal and may bring on more triggers.
Source by Ava Alderman
