High Fever, Severe Flu or Surgery Causes Hair Loss

by Jeanette Pollock

A lot of people who recently suffered high fever, severe flu or those who underwent surgery experiences hair loss three to four month after the illness or the surgery. According to medical studies, this type of hair loss, which at times may lead to baldness, is often temporary and would soon correct itself without any medical interventions. The temporary hair loss occurs after cases of high fever and severe flu since the growth activities of the body, including the hair, slow down during illness.

As the body slows down due to illness, the hair shifts rapidly from the growth stage to the resting phase otherwise known as the telogen effluvium, where growth becomes minimal and aging of the hair is hasten. Note that the strands of our hair have their own individual lifespan of about 2 to 6 years and thereafter, the mature hair would enter into the telogen phase where it ceases to grow and will then be shed off and replaced by new ones. Under normal circumstances, only 10% of the hair in your head matures and is shed off at one time. In the case of ailing people, the growth stage is interrupted and the hair prematurely enters into the telogen phase. The premature aging of the hair would disrupt the cycle thereby causing excessive hair loss at one time.

Under normal circumstances, hair loss is compensated by new growth, thus no baldness would result. In sick people, growth activities of the body are inhibited. As a result, no hair will replace the strands shed off from the scalp of the sick person. However, this, as the person recovers from this illness, the natural growth of hair resumes and the patient would eventually recover a head full of hair.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of insidehairloss.com. Visit Jeanette’s site to learn more about hair loss causes.