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ArticlesTopic 06
Thinning, shedding, chin hairs and ingrowns. What’s hormonal, what’s not, and what works.
HairEvidence check
Handfuls of hair a couple of months after COVID or a bad fever can be frightening. A review of 465 people with shedding after COVID found it began a mean of 74 days after symptoms, and most people recovered. A larger review found this kind of shed was almost always new, set off by the infection. Here is the timeline and the signs that point to something else.
HairEvidence check
Most sheds settle within months. When shedding runs on for half a year or more with no clear cause, the label is often chronic telogen effluvium. A 1996 study of 355 patients described it in women aged 30 to 60, and a small follow-up found no visible loss of density after 7 years. But a 2023 review of 1,628 cases warned that many may be early pattern thinning or a missed trigger. Here is what the research shows.
HairEvidence check
If your ponytail feels thinner and your hair behaves differently than it did at 40, the measurements back you up. In a study of more than 1,400 women, strands grew thicker until about 40 to 45 and then got finer, while the number of hairs fell from the 20s on. Here is what changes, how common pattern thinning is after menopause, and which changes need a dermatologist.
HairEvidence check
The usual answer is 50 to 100 hairs a day. A hair specialist's 2019 review points out that children counted under standard conditions shed about 11 hairs every five days, and suggests shedding is worth a look when it passes 100 hairs in five days. A dermatologist's pull test has a new normal too: two hairs or fewer. Here is why a count is a shaky guide, and what to track instead.
HairExplainer
Doctors judge excess facial and body hair in women with a 0-to-36 score built from nine body areas. In 633 women at routine job physicals, 22% scored 3 or more, and most of them already thought of themselves as hairy. Where the line for 'too much' sits depends on ancestry: a 2025 study of 9,829 women put it anywhere from 4 to 8. Here is how the score works and when hair growth needs a check.
HairThe short version
Covering skin treated with an OTC pain-relief product can increase the risk of serious side effects.
HairExplainer
Testosterone gel can rub off a partner's skin onto yours. The prescribing information warns that women can develop new body hair or acne from contact, and in a transfer study women's testosterone rose by about 60% after a week of skin contact through a T-shirt. In one case, a 63-year-old woman developed male-pattern changes from a shared washcloth. Here is how transfer happens and how to prevent it.
HairExplainer
Heavy shedding a few months after giving birth is one of the most familiar hair worries. Dermatology guidance says it usually peaks around four months and most women are back to normal fullness by the baby's first birthday. One review puts a marked shed at about 1 in 5 women, and another questions whether it is a distinct condition at all. Here is the timeline, what helps, and when to get checked.
HairEvidence check
Razor bumps happen when curly hair grows back into the skin after shaving, and they're most common on darker skin. Laser hair removal studies, mostly run by military dermatologists, cut bumps sharply: from about 7 to 1 in one study, and by 91% in another. Adding a prescription hair-slowing cream sped results up. The trials treated men's necks, though. Here is what they found and what it means for women.
HairExplainer
Dermatologists advise drying before bed to reduce breakage. Why wet strands, pillow friction and tight styles matter, and what the sources say about scalp problems.
HairGuide
Retinol, retinyl esters and beta-carotene count differently when checking the adult upper limit. Bring the full label to your appointment.
HairExplainer
A widening part is the classic first sign of female pattern hair loss, the most common cause of hair loss in women. It usually starts in the 40s to 60s, and most women with it have normal hormone tests. Treatment works best when it starts early. Here is how to tell it from a shed and what dermatologists use.
