This is part two of my TE / CTE FAQ article. The first article answered what I believe are the five most commonly asked questions. To later read the first article (which covered shedding causes, scalp tingling / pain, length of TE and a white bulb on the hair shaft,) you can click on my author link at the top of this article.
I need to disclose again that I am not a doctor, but a woman with extensive personal experience with CTE and TE. Of course you should address any questions with your doctor. I am just sharing my own experiences and I hope they help.
1. How Can I Treat Or Stop My Telogen Effluvium or CTE? Because most experts will tell you that TE and CTE will end on its own, there's no specific treatment typically given for it. In my experience though, there are things you can do to support your recovery and the regrowth of the shed hair. The most important aspect of TE recovery is to not prolong it by obsessing or becoming severely disturbed or depressed by the shedding. I know from experience this is easier said than done. However, I firmly believe that excess stress raises cortisol which can contribute to longer shedding. Try your best to trust that your body can heal quickly. Secondly, you can encourage regrowth by using anti-inflammatory shampoos and topicals and by using emu oil on your scalp in areas where it hurts. It's important to still shampoo regularly to remove any clogging sebum from your scalp. Third, if you know of any medical issue that caused your shedding (crash dieting, hypothyroidism) fix the problem as this will likely help the hair loss.
2. What Can I Do To Decrease The Number Of Hairs That Are Falling Out? While you don't have control over the fact that you are shedding, you can avoid things that may cause additional hair loss by treating your hair gently. Although it's very tempting to put shedding hair in a ponytail so it doesn't bother you, if your hair is too short to wear in a very lose ponytail, reconsider. If you are pulling on your hair in any way, it could fall out. You still need to brush shedding hair, but you can do it very gently. When I shed very badly, I used to put my shampoo in a squirt bottle so that I could get shampoo over my entire head without having to overly manipulate my hair. I know that sounds silly now, but in those days, saving even a handful of hairs was important to me.
3. What Type Of Doctor Should I See To Evaluate My Shedding And Hair Loss? Give the shedding a chance to stop, but it depends upon which doctor you have the best relationship with. A dermatologist is usually the first stop, but if the shedding has lasted a while, you will probably want to get blood work to flag any thyroid, adrenal, cortisol, iron / ferritin, autoimmune or DHEA issues, to name a few. Sometimes a dermatologist will ask your regular doctor to order all of this blood work. An endocrinologist can help if you know of or suspect thyroid or adrenal issues. Since you may be asking a lot of questions of any doctor with whom you consult, chose whoever you have a good relationship with.
4. How Do I Know If My TE Is Ending Or If I Am In Recovery?: In my personal experience, shedding ends gradually rather than all at once. You might notice that little by little, you aren't noticing as much hair. You may also notice regrowth starting to pop up. I used to think that my regrowth would look like a crew cut growing within my regular hair. For the most part, it doesn't. The best way to see regrowth is to spray dry shampoo at the roots of your dry hair. The dry shampoo will be white and you'll be able to see tiny bits of regrowth standing at attention at your roots. This can be very reassuring.
5. How Do I Know That I Don't Have AGA Or Patterned Baldness: As you probably know, there are generally three more common types of women's hair loss: shedding, autoimmune hair loss, and genetic patterned hair loss (this used to be called male patterned baldness but now that more women have it, it's called AGA or androgenic alopecia.) Other than the round patchy loss of autoimmune hair loss, AGA and TE can look alike at first. And, TE can unfortunately kick off patterned loss. The only way to really know the difference is to keep an eye on any patterns that develop over several months. This is easier said than done because TE or CTE can also thin out the areas that are normally the sparsest parts of your hair like the bangs, temples and crown. These are unfortunately the same parts that thin with AGA. However, with shedding these areas will grow back normally, but with AGA, the hair will eventually grow back sparse and/ or minturized (thinner, weaker hairs).
I hope this has helped some. The very best advice I have is to try to trust that your body will recover, pamper yourself as much as you can and although you should educate yourself and support your regrowth, don't allow yourself to become so upset that your stress prolongs the hair loss. Know that you do have some control in supporting healthy regrowth, but accept that ultimately the end of TE is sometimes just a matter of playing the waiting game, an end to which will eventually come.