I sometimes get emails from women who are so frustrated by hair shedding that never seems to end, no matter what they do. Sometimes, the hair loss and shedding will seem to get better for a short period of time, or will go through cycles, only for the massive shed to always come back in the end. People will often ask me things like: “am I going to have to just get used to this?,” “is this going to go on forever?”, or “I can’t keep going on this way. I’m not going to have any hair left. At this rate, I’ll go bald. How can I get this to stop?” I’ll try to answer these questions in this article.

CTE Or Chronic Telogen Effluvium Explained:

By medical definition, CTE is shedding that last for longer than six months, but countless people will tell you that it can last for literally years, sometimes longer. This is not as uncommon as you think. But, what’s really confusing is trying to determine if your shedding is the result or the cause of the original shed that just never gets resolved and keeps on going or if it is the result of brand new TEs that just come one right after another. Both are pretty common, but no matter which type you have, the key to the whole thing is finding and fixing your trigger and making sure your scalp is healthy and well nourished.

Why Hair Loss And Shedding Can Go On And On Seemingly Forever:

I have so many women who write me and tell me that they are the one in the hair loss forums who has been shedding the longest. It’s so discouraging when you and someone else started shedding at the same time, and that person eventually completely recovers while you’re still losing enough hair to produce a wig.

Often the reason that you’re still shedding is that you have not yet determined the real cause of the shed and have not fixed it. You’ve misidentified and treated the wrong trigger. For example, if your hair loss is thyroid related, it’s likely not going to stop until you treat this. If the CTE is due to fluctuating hormones, it’s not going to stop until you stabilize. Sometimes people will mistake this for AGA (genetic hair loss.) Sometimes, especially women’s AGA can present itself like TE.

And, some people actually think that they are treating their TE, but instead they just continue to kick off new ones. What I mean by this is that many people (especially women) are incredibly hormonally sensitive – so much so that even vitamins, herbal supplements, or adding in “treatment” hormones can kick off a whole new round of TE and shedding. Sometimes what you think is the treatment is actually the cause.

Harsh shampoos and growth simulators that contain alcohol or harsh chemicals can sometimes cause hair loss due to scalp issues. It’s important that you look at everything that might be causing this – health issues, your medications, your hormones, your androgen and cortisol levels, the shape of you scalp (often fungal, bacterial, yeast over growth, or scalp inflammation are overlooked.)

So, to answer the questions “does CTE end?” the answer is a resounding yes, but often it only happens once you find and eliminate your trigger once and for all.