Hair falling out after stress

A big shock to the system — illness, surgery, a bereavement, a crash diet, severe stress at work — and two to three months later your hair starts falling out. Not in patches, just everywhere at once. It looks terrifying, but for most people it’s temporary.

Why it happens

Stress pushes a large number of hair follicles into their resting phase at the same time. Two to three months later, those hairs fall out together. Doctors call it telogen effluvium. The gap between the trigger and the shedding is why it confuses everyone — by the time your hair falls out, the stressful event feels like old news.

What’s normal

Shedding all over the head, not in patches. More hair in the shower, on the pillow, in your hands when you run them through. It can feel like a lot, but there are no bald spots. It usually peaks around month three or four after the trigger and settles within three to six months.

When to see someone

If it’s still going after six months, if you see bald patches rather than general thinning, or if your scalp is sore or flaky. Also worth getting iron, ferritin, thyroid and vitamin D checked — low levels are common after illness or stress and they keep the shedding going longer than it should.

Why tracking matters

The worst part of stress shedding is not knowing whether it’s slowing down. You can’t tell from the shower drain because some days are worse than others. One photo of your parting a month, same light, same angle, shows you the trend. Most people see it turn between month three and six. If yours doesn’t, the photos give your GP something concrete to work with.