How to tell the difference between telogen effluvium and MPB?

Author: Mrs. Chyna O'Hara DVM  |  Last update: Saturday, August 2, 2025

Hair pull test — this helps differentiate between telogen effluvium from male or female pattern baldness (TE has a positive hair pull result, while pattern hair loss has a negative result). Wash test — counting the amount of scalp hair lost during washing can indicate TE or another cause.

Is it telogen effluvium or male pattern baldness?

Hair loss due to telogen effluvium is usually temporary, and your hair often grows back without treatment once you no longer have that stress. Androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness) is a type of hair loss that's more gradual than telogen effluvium.

How do you know if your hair is shedding or balding?

If you begin to notice patches on your head with noticeably thinner hair than normal, or if you have bald spots, you are more likely to be experiencing hair loss than excessive hair shedding.

How to tell if hair loss is stress or male pattern baldness?

Because telogen effluvium is less gradual than male pattern hair loss, it doesn't manifest similarly. For example, patchy areas can appear at any part of your scalp and won't regress consistently, like androgenetic alopecia; this is a clear indicator that stress is the reason for your hair loss.

How to tell if it's AGA or te?

If you look at the hair you are shedding; longer hair is usually the result of TE, as hair shedding from AGA is characteristically shorter.

Are You Shedding Or Balding? (Telogen Effluvium Vs Male Pattern Baldness)

Can telogen effluvium look like MPB?

What are the symptoms of telogen effluvium? Unlike male pattern baldness, which is characterised by hair loss in specific areas (namely the crown and temples), TE usually manifests as hair loss across the scalp.

How to test if your hair loss is androgenic alopecia or temporary shedding?

This test involves gently tugging on your hairs to see if a large number of loose hairs shed at once. If you have a positive hair pull test result, your healthcare provider may perform a scalp biopsy to identify the underlying cause of your hair loss. They may also look at the length of the hairs you're losing.

Am I balding or just losing hair?

Am I balding or just losing hair? Shedding 50-100 hairs daily is normal. But consistent loss beyond that coupled with seeing more scalp indicates balding, especially in the frontal and top areas for male and female patterns.

What does telogen effluvium regrowth look like?

Whether you call them flyaways or baby hairs, the new hair regrowth will be short and unmanageable until it reaches a length where it can blend easily with the rest of your hair. Even though this sign of telogen effluvium regrowth is annoying, it's an indication that your hair is moving in the right direction!

Is stage 2 hair loss reversible?

Hair loss is easiest to reverse when it is treated early and quickly before any severe balding has begun. If you are able to recognize the early stages of male pattern hair loss, you will be able to seek treatment sooner, and ultimately retain a full head of hair.

How did I cured my telogen effluvium?

Telogen effluvium home remedies include consuming foods that are good for the hair, adopting a proper hair care regimen, following a good workout routine, and managing stress, as these factors account for a healthy lifestyle which is essential for hair and scalp health, as well as overall fitness.

Am I balding or is my hair damaged?

“While hair loss and hair thinning is an issue with the absence of hair growing from the scalp and hair follicle, hair breakage is a break in the hair shaft below the surface of the scalp, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, including a malformation of the hair shaft itself, chemical treatments, excessive ...

Do you go completely bald with telogen effluvium?

It does not cause complete baldness and does appear to be self-limiting in the long run.

Can blood work be normal but still losing hair?

The reason blood tests do not highlight the cause of the hair loss in many patients is that an abnormality in the blood may not be the actual cause of patient's hair loss. The abnormality lies in the scalp itself - and only a clinical examination can reveal the cause.

Is my hair fine or am I balding?

The best way to understand if you have thin or thinning hair is to look for changes in your hair quality and hairline over time. “If you're thinning, you are going to see areas around your hairline start to recess,” says Hall, and you'll start to be able to see more scalp through the hair.

How to tell the difference between hair breakage and regrowth?

Stylists say the easiest way to do this is by examining the ends. “Breakage often appears frayed or split at the end, while new growth tends to have a smooth, tapered tip,” says Ona Diaz-Santin, the owner of 5 Salon & Spa in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

What can be mistaken for telogen effluvium?

The condition usually affects women over 40 years of age who complain of diffuse alopecia and may be misdiagnosed as having telogen effluvium, and has also been designated 'alopecia areata incognita' (yet another synonymous designation for the same condition proposed by Rebora [30] in 1987).

Does telogen effluvium stop suddenly or gradually?

Telogen effluvium usually resolves completely without any treatment over several months. The normal duration of telogen is approximately 100 days (3 to 6 months) after which period the hair starts growing again.

Am I balding or is my hairline weird?

As you advance in age and your hairline reaches its mature form, your hairline can end up 1.5 – 2 cm higher above your brow than it was in your adolescence. But this would normally happen slowly, over time. If your hairline recedes more than 2 cm in just a few months, you may start suspecting frontal balding.

How to know if hair follicles are dead?

So dead hair follicles can look like a smooth, bald patch of skin or like a scar. A trichologist may be able to get a better view of your follicles by using a microscope or other trichological tools.

Can thin hair become thick again?

Yes, absolutely! Stress, excessive heat styling, age and even genetics can deplete your hair's thickness. Keeping your scalp and roots healthy is how you can promote the growth of thick hair. You can do the same by oiling regularly, refraining from wearing tight hairstyles and following a nourishing hair care routine.

What is the shower test for androgenetic alopecia?

The wash test involves a clinician washing your hair in a sink after you haven't washed your hair with shampoo for five full days. [2] After the washing, the clinician counts the number of hairs that have fallen out. The number gives a clear idea of how many telogen hairs are on the scalp.

How close are we to curing baldness?

It is highly unlikely that baldness will be cured by 2030, as there is presently no such cure in the process of being approved for large-scale commercial use. It normally takes several years to pass through multiple phases of clinical trials before receiving this approval.

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