@drheejink: Telogen effluvium, or excessive hair shedding, is an incredibly common concern that I evaluate daily in my clinic. If you are noticing more hairs than usual in the shower or on your brush, here is my clinical roadmap to address and treat it: * Schedule a professional evaluation: Your first step should always be to see a board-certified dermatologist. We need to perform a scalp examination to confirm that this is temporary shedding rather than a progressive form of hair loss. * Investigate the 3-month timeline: Hair shedding typically peaks about three months after a triggering event. Reflect on any major physical or emotional stressors from last quarter, such as postpartum, rapid weight loss from GLP1 medication, surgery, intense stress, or illness, etc. * Order targeted bloodwork: Internal imbalances frequently drive hair shedding. I routinely screen for systemic culprits by checking iron stores (ferritin), thyroid function, and specific vitamin deficiencies. * Commit to topical minoxidil: Applying minoxidil 5% foam or solution daily is a gold-standard approach to stimulate growth. However, hair cycles move slowly—you must commit to daily use for a minimum of six consecutive months to evaluate its efficacy. Usually for telogen effluvium which is temporary, you don’t have to continue to use minoxidil—UNLESS you see more fullness than before and you want to keep that density than going back to baseline (how much hair you had prior to telogen effluvium) * Incorporate red light treatment: A red-light helmet can be an excellent non-invasive tool to boost cellular activity in the follicles. This modality is highly compliance-dependent, so only invest if you can use it consistently for six months. * Audit your oral supplements: High-quality nutraceuticals like Nutrafol or Viviscal can provide essential building blocks for hair synthesis. However, be cautious not to stack multiple hair vitamins, as megadosing certain nutrients can inadvertently affect your body.

Dr.Koh Dermatologist

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Region: US

Tuesday 21 July 2026 15:00:00 GMT