Q. What is the difference between telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium are both types of hair loss, but they differ in terms of when and how they affect the hair growth cycle. Here's how they differ:
Telogen Effluvium:
1. Phase Affected: Telogen effluvium primarily affects the telogen phase of the hair growth cycle, which is the resting phase.
2. Cause: It is often triggered by a sudden shock or stress to the body, such as a major illness, surgery, childbirth, emotional stress, or nutritional deficiencies. The body shifts a large number of hair follicles into the telogen phase, leading to excessive shedding.
3. Onset: Hair shedding in telogen effluvium typically occurs about 2-3 months after the triggering event.
4. Pattern: The hair loss is generally diffuse, meaning it affects hair all over the scalp rather than in specific areas.
5. Duration: Telogen effluvium is usually temporary, and hair growth typically returns to normal once the underlying stressor is resolved or the body recovers.
Anagen Effluvium:
1. Phase Affected: Anagen effluvium primarily affects the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle, which is the active growth phase.
2. Cause: It is often triggered by factors like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or exposure to certain toxins or chemicals. These factors disrupt the rapid cell division of hair follicles during the anagen phase, leading to hair loss.
3. Onset: Hair loss in anagen effluvium can occur rapidly, often within days to weeks after exposure to the causative agent.
4. Pattern: The hair loss is typically abrupt and results in diffuse hair loss, rather than in specific patterns.
5. Duration: Anagen effluvium is often more severe than telogen effluvium and may result in near-complete hair loss during treatment. However, it is usually reversible once the cause is removed, and hair can regrow.
In summary, telogen effluvium is characterized by diffuse hair shedding that occurs after a triggering event or stress, with hair loss primarily in the resting (telogen) phase of the hair growth cycle. Anagen effluvium, on the other hand, is characterized by abrupt and rapid hair loss during the active (anagen) phase of the growth cycle, often due to factors like chemotherapy, and is typically reversible once the causative agent is removed.