I recently heard from a woman who had been losing a large amount of hair for a few months. After researching phrases like “causes of hair loss” and “loss of large amounts of hair,” she suspected that she had telogen effluvium or TE because she was suddenly losing very high levels of hair and this was definitely not normal for her. However, to be sure, she asked me how many hairs people with ET lose each day. I will discuss more about this matter in the next article.

The amount of hair lost each day with TE telogen effluvium varies, but typically averages more than 100: I suspect that most people reading this article have also read that it is normal to lose up to 100 hairs a day. And sometimes people tell me that one day they lose 250 hairs, but the next day they only lose 30, so they’re not sure if they could have ET. It is my belief that it is really the average that counts. Because there are many factors that go into how many strands you’ll lose each day, including hair washing, brushing, health issues or triggers, and hair styling.

Most people lose less hair on non-shampoo days. (In my opinion, this doesn’t mean you should wash your hair less when you have ET. Doing so could lead to inflammation, dirt, and blockages that only make things worse.)

I have heard and seen a wide range of daily molt estimates for people with ET. I have heard numbers ranging from 150 to 250 to over 400 hairs. I sometimes have readers ask me how people know the exact number of hairs they are losing. The truth is that people who lose hair sometimes count the strands. I know it sounds silly to people who haven’t had to go through this. But, when you’re going through it, sometimes you want to know exactly what you’re dealing with so you can count.

I know of people who use zip-lock bags for hair that comes out on the comb, in the shower, and on the floor. People often brush over a white sink so they can see exactly what has spilled. Although I am describing this method, I do not recommend it at all because I know from experience that it can become repetitive behavior that only seems to make things worse.

You are likely to feel a great deal of stress when you are counting hairs and this stress could make shedding worse. Not only that, but there is nothing you can do with the hairs that have already come out. That is in the past. So why tell and let it ruin the rest of your day so you do nothing but focus on your hair and feel bad? Honestly, once you count a few times, you can usually see what comes up and know if it’s a good day or a bad day without needing to know specific numbers. I think this guest estimation method is preferable both for your sanity and for the time each method takes.

With telogen effluvium, or TE, regrowth counts as much as the amount of hair lost: Here’s the thing. Most people in this situation only focus on the numbers that are lost each day. And, I understand this. When you’re losing so much hair, you worry about what it’s going to look like next week or next month. But with TE, regrowth is really the key. If you’re regaining what you’ve lost, then while you may be losing volume and your hair may not look the way you want it to, at least you shouldn’t be seeing bald spots or scalps.

Regrowth is one thing that sets TE apart from other conditions like androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Because with AGA, new growth is often compromised so that it cannot fully replace the texture and quality of hair that has been lost. So sometimes, not only are you losing hair, but you’re also thinning because the new growth miniaturizes. But with true TE, miniaturization shouldn’t come into play. So, if you can stop the trigger that’s causing the shedding while encouraging new growth, hopefully you won’t need to focus so much on the numbers (at least eventually), though I know firsthand that’s easier said than done. .