Hair Loss

Yes, stress can cause hair loss, though the link is often misunderstood. The most common form is a temporary, diffuse shedding called telogen effluvium, which usually appears a few months after a stressful event and tends to recover on its own. This guide explains how stress affects hair, what the typical timeline looks like, and what you can do. If you are worried about ongoing thinning, our hair loss page sets out the assessment and treatment options, all provided after a clinical consultation.

Can Stress Really Cause Hair to Fall Out?

It can, but not in the way many people imagine. Stress does not usually cause hair to fall out in clumps overnight. Instead, a significant physical or emotional stressor can push a larger than normal share of your hair follicles out of their growth phase and into the resting phase ahead of schedule. A couple of months later, those hairs shed together, and you notice more hair than usual on your pillow, in the shower or on your brush.

Understanding Telogen

If you want to understand male hair loss, you have to understand DHT. Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is the hormone behind most male pattern baldness, and knowing how it works explains why certain treatments succeed where others do not. This guide covers what DHT is, how it shrinks hair follicles, and the proven ways to block its effect. Treatments such as finasteride target DHT directly, and you can read about the full range on our hair loss page, with any prescription issued only after a clinical assessment.

What Is DHT?

DHT is a hormone made from testosterone. An enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase converts a portion of your testosterone into DHT, which is more potent at binding to receptors in certain tissues. DHT has important roles in male development, but in adulthood it is also the main driver of androgenetic alopecia, the medical name for male pattern baldness.

How DHT Causes Hair Loss

Hair grows in cycles: a long growth phase, a short transition, and a resting phase before the hair