Seeing more and more hair in the shower or on the brush every day makes you feel anxious very quickly. Is it just a passing phase or the beginning of a lasting problem of female hair loss? Where is the limit?
Doctors point out that some daily loss is normal, linked to the life cycle of the hair, while other losses reveal androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium or a disease. The issue of hair loss when worrying is there, between banal and pathological.
Hair loss: what is still normal
Each hair follows a hair cycle: anagen growth phase, transitional catagen phase, then resting telogen phase before shedding. At any time, part of the hair is at the end of the cycle, which explains visible loss without the volume really changing.
Dermatologists generally place so-called normal loss between 50 and 100 hairs per day, with no drop in overall density. A slightly more pronounced fall is common in spring or autumn and then lasts four to six weeks before calming down. As long as regrowths follow, it is often a simple seasonal episode.
Hair loss: the real warning signs
When the quantity increases significantly, the brush fills up with each styling or we find handfuls of hair on the pillow, the threshold of 100 hairs per day is probably exceeded. If this situation persists for more than six to eight weeks, we must start talking about excessive fall rather than normal variation.
Another signal: the mass which decreases, the line which widens or the top of the skull which becomes thinning, typical of female androgenetic alopecia. Completely bare round patches suggest alopecia areata. Itching, redness, scabs, scalp pain or sudden drop after high fever point to an inflammatory or infectious condition, which requires specialist advice without delay.
When to consult for hair loss
In many cases, especially after significant stress, an operation, an infection or childbirth, it is telogen effluvium: the loss begins two to three months after the event and often resolves in less than six months. If it lasts more than three or four months, or clearly exceeds six months, medical advice is recommended to rule out a deficiency, thyroid problem or autoimmune disease.
The process generally begins with the treating physician, then with a dermatologist or trichologist who can perform a digital trichoscopy and request a blood test with ferritin or thyroid hormones, especially around menopause. To break isolation, the HACT brand recalls: , quoted by Marie Claire.
Hair loss: how much hair loss per day is normal?
We consider that a loss of between 50 and 100 hairs per day remains physiological if the overall density does not change and the scalp appears healthy.
Seasonal hair loss: how long does it last?
Seasonal shedding peaks, especially in spring and autumn, generally last four to six weeks, then the rate of regrowth gradually resumes.
Hair loss after childbirth: when to worry?
Postpartum shedding often begins two to three months after birth and subsides within a few months. If it persists beyond six months or is accompanied by other symptoms, medical advice is recommended.
What examination should the doctor ask for severe hair loss?
The doctor or dermatologist can offer a detailed clinical examination, a digital trichoscopy and a blood test targeting ferritin, thyroid and sometimes hormones to guide the diagnosis.
