Abnormal hair loss at 18. Is it Telogen Effluvium?

I don't know why it happened but the shedding has been going on for about one year already. One day, I saw a lot of hairs like about 20 on the pillows and this condition started for a few months since I was preparing for piano audition into college. I have always been lacking of sleep and an inadequate diet coupled with tiredness everyday for the 3 – 4 years.

Now, it's getting worse because whenever I wash my hair, there was like 50 hairs coming out. I don't know what to do since I feel always sleepy and stressed out every single day, even to a point where I would get heart ache. Last summer, I had a vacation and that seemed to stop the shedding somehow but when I returned to the US again for college, it started to shed like crazy again but this time, more stress was induced because I found out that my girl friend was cheating on me!!! What a life!

What do I need to do? I am trying the Onion extract and apply it 3 times a week. I am also using Nizoral 2% since dandruff was killing me like crazy for its itchiness. All blood tests came back normal and all three doctors that I went to the tingling sensations on top of my scalp were due to anxiety.

I am really lost, please help me. The shedding is causing more stress than anything else and my scalp is very oily too. My family has no known hair loss history and there is nobody who loses hair. So I highly doubt that genetics is the cause. My hairline is fine and it’s just that the whole scalp just started to shed really easy. Even in pubic area, I can pull and like tons would come out. What do I need to do?

Editor’s Comments,

Hello there 18 year old,

Anxiety problems are classic symptoms of stress and it looks like you might have overdone yourself in this area. If you are suffering from anxiety problems, the nervousness itself might amplify your mental and physical stress levels further, which in return, leads to more hair loss.

Lack of sleep, poor diet and insufficient exercises are all hair follicle killers and also the main cause of oily scalp and dandruff problems. Your story does resemble a very stressful life but for teenagers struggling for a good future, it’s not really an uncommon scene. Things are getting tougher in the real world and nowadays people have to work twice as hard just to get an equal footing in the society.

Since you have seen your doctor and I assume that he or she did not mention anything about Male Pattern Baldness or other disease related hair loss, your condition should be linked to your anxiety problems triggered by continued stress at college and your personal life.

How much hair you are losing are directly linked on how efficient your body can tolerate stress before it starts to shut down so these are signs that your body is telling you that physically and mentally you are facing with some tremendous pressure. So your first step is should be reducing stress, as much as possible and as soon as possible.

Keep a healthy lifestyle, arrange your schedule, allow some time to relax and exercise and also make sure your diet is balanced. Take more greens and fish for your diet as it contains a lot of nutrients essential for a good immune system. Take some vitamin C to boosts your immune system and vitamin B complex helps with calming your nervous system too and it helps with hair growth! You might want to check out this article I’ve found on vitamins for anxiety problems here. There are also more tips in my Preventing Hair Loss section as well if you want to get some more ideas.

The main idea is to get your life back into balance first and in time I strongly believe that your hair will grow back as you are just suffering with a period of chronic Telogen Effluvium. If you manage stress correctly, you should see some significant hair growth after a few months so I really don’t recommend any medical treatments for now. Hope this helps.