Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (Aug 2019)
Telogen effluvium: a comprehensive review
Abstract
Alfredo ReboraUniversity of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyCorrespondence: Alfredo ReboraClinica Dermatologica, 7, Viale Benedetto XV, Genova 16132, ItalyTel +3 901 0353 8417Email [email protected]: Excessive hair shedding is a common and alarming phenomenon, usually complained about by women. The disorder, named telogen effluvium (TE), bears several problems which are discussed in this essay. They are as follows: 1) how profuse a hair loss must be for TE to be diagnosed; 2) its heterogeneity that needs to be properly classified; 3) its distinction from androgenetic alopecia (AGA) with which it is often associated; 4) its main symptom, trichodynia, which is unclear how frequent and how diagnostic could be; 5) why histopathology has been reported to be nonspecific; and 6) its management, from diagnosis to treatment. A common mistake of the dermatologist is to minimize the complaint. Instead, the disorder may have a profound impact on the patients’ mind and would require attention, time, and empathy.Keywords: telogen effluvium, hair, alopecia
