My brush with Telogen Effluvium

My hair on Aug 10

On early May 2011, I was admitted for a mysterious illness that made my head and face swell. There were some bleeding inside my nose and ear but the ENT specialist said those swellings are from skin infection due to my diabetic condition. Although I didn’t feel that was the right diagnoses, I made big changes to my life after that incident.

Anyhow, after the swellings subsides, areas effected was left with peeling skin, especially on my head. It’s like when we have bad sunburn on our heads, we scratch and layers of skin comes out. It was painless, looks like very bad dandruff cases if you don’t remove them from your hair.

My hair on Aug 19, isn't getting any better

Perhaps it was due to that, after one month, my hair started to drop in alarming volume. I brushed my worries aside, thinking it’s just for a while. Well! This continued on for 4 months and by August 2011, I must’ve lost more than 50% of my hair. It’s an overall head hair loss, not in patches and other areas bodily hairs are not effected. Just running my fingers through my hair once would result in about 20-30 hairs on my palm. My hair is found everywhere, not so much on my pillow when I wake up but on the floor, on my clothes. After I sense people turning to double take on my hair, I started wearing a baseball cap wherever I go. It was extremely uncomfortable for me doing so, especially when I’m in a shopping complex or eating in a restaurant with my family.

The GP I went to see about my problem recommended I see a skin specialist! I didn’t know we see a skin specialist for serious hair problems. Well, the skin specialist need just ask a few questions before confirming I have a condition called `Telogen Effluvium’. It’s a condition where massive hair loss occurs after a high fever, serious infection or after a surgical procedure. Some women experience it after giving birth. It can also be caused by stress and sudden weight loss. Telogen Efflivium was already written inside my diary as I have been doing research on my condition in the internet and this kept popping up when I read on it’s symptoms. The skin specialist smiled when I showed him this. I’m convinced, in my case, it’s because of the swellings I had and I did have very high fever then. It couldn’t be stress because I have it all the time! It couldn’t be due to the weight loss because I’ve read that losing 2-3kgs a month is ideal.

The specialist couldn’t say when my hair will stop falling as it differs from case to case but he ensures me that it will grow back. He added that me worrying about this (hence adding stress) will actually make my hair fall even more. He said I should focus on the positive instead, like eventually my hair will grow back. I was given `Minoxidil’, a liquid solution to be sprayed on my scalp everyday. Minoxidil doesn’t stop the hair falling process, it just encourages hair re-growth. And like any skin medication in Malaysia, it wasn’t cheap.

Me at the men's saloon getting my head shave on Sept 5

Freshly crew cut on Sept 5

So, after about a few weeks of application, I still see hair loss and my frustration increases. Wearing a cap just seem pointless since only few bits of my remaining hair is sticking out from the cap, looking like rat tails. I guess out of frustration and my will not to worry about this anymore, I decided to give my head a shave! I did the deed on Sept 5, I hope it’ll be the one and only time I need to do it. I wasn’t very concerned about my shave, I did want to try it from my early twenties and now’s the chance. Well, it wasn’t as bad as it seems although I did second guess myself at last minute. I couldn’t turn back, by then the first run through with the electric shaver has grazed on my head.

I'm happy seeing my hair growing again - as at Sept 25

It’s Sept 26 and although I did notice my hair did continue to fall, I also notice my hair growing. It’s really a HUGE relief seeing that. I shall further update this blog as I progress but I hope I am already out of the red.












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Picture above is taken on Oct 26, 2011. Hair has grown back and it's safe to say my hair is no longer falling. In fact, it seem a little thicker than usual but then again, it's still very short to compare it when my hair is a lot longer. 


Perhaps i didn't need to buy that medication that cost RM160 for a small bottle and let nature take it's course.


But i'm very happy and immensely relieved this hair-ish nightmare is over!