Hair bulb

[Brasileirao]

Hello All,

Since the start of Propecia my hair has gone through some intense shedding and some not so intense shedding. Everytime I pick up a hair that falls out it has a white bulb at the end. I read somewhere that this is because the hair was resting and when it is ejected the white bulb comes with it. If the hair has a black end it means its in growing. So in conclusion, could this mean that my hairs are shedding so bad because my hair are coming out of its rest and are going to start re-growth? Is it a good sign.

Anyone?

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Stokes]

My dermatologist said that it was a good sign my hair was falling out with a white bulb at the end of it.

 

[hoping]

here buddy:
Making the diagnosis of a telogen effluvium is quite straightforward. A ‘hair pull’ will determine whether or not a disproportionate number of hair follicles are in the telogen phase. And this is a test, which the patient can do himself or herself. Pinch a bunch of hair between your thumb and middle finger. You will have approximately 25 to 30 hairs within the pinch. Give the bunch of hair a sharp tug. Repeat this tug in several places over the scalp. It would be normal to dislodge one or two hairs with each pull, because approximately 10% of the hairs on the scalp are in the telogen phase. The hairs that are dislodged should have a small, friable, whitish bulb on the scalp end. If you pull out more than 4 or 5 hairs in each pull, it’s likely that you are having a period of telogen effluvium. Since a telogen effluvium is not limited to the hair follicles at risk for male pattern baldness or FPB, shedding can involve hair on any part of the scalp (and even body hair). The underlying scalp has a normal appearance without scarring or inflammation and there should not be any areas of complete alopecia. A close examination of the scalp may reveal a higher than expected number of short new hairs growing in.

 

[Kramer3]

When did Telogen Effluvium enter this discussion?

 

[try2beme22]

what does that all mean in lamens terms... the white bulb is good or bad?!

 

[George Costanza]

Pinch a bunch of hair between your thumb and middle finger. You will have approximately 25 to 30 hairs within the pinch. Give the bunch of hair a sharp tug. Repeat this tug in several places over the scalp.

Ouch! :freaked2:

 

[Brasileirao]

Telogen Effluvium

Okay, now I am a bit confused. So having those white bulbs at the end of each hair means that I have Telogen Effluvium? I have been shedding a lot of hair for a few months, but my temples are receding and I do have a ton of uncles with hair loss. I went to the doctor and had a blood test and everything was ok. Could I be suffering from Telogen Effluvium still? What does this white bulb mean? I lose about 100 to 150 hairs per day.

Thanks,
Tony

 

[The Gardener]

No, white bulbs do NOT necessarily mean that you have Telogen Effluvium.

A white bulb on the end of a shed hair means that the hair was ejected as part of the normal hair cycle, as opposed to being broken off due to brittleness or poor hair health. All people shed hairs, even those without male pattern baldness, as hair goes through cycles of growth and rest.

Someone treating themselves for male pattern baldness should not be as concerned with the number of hairs they are shedding as the size and thickness of the bulb at the end of the hair, and of the hair at the bulb end. When hair starts its growth cycle, it begins narrow and gets increasingly thicker as it approaches the end of the cycle. Thus, the hair at the bulb end is theoretically the thickest that hair follicle produced. So, instead of counting hairs, one should be more concerned about hair thickness at the bulb over time... if you see a trend towards hairs that are thicker and have larger bulbs, then you know the follicles are getting healthier. This is a more reliable and accurate way of determining improvement in hair quality than just an examination of hair quality on the scalp, as hair on the scalp could be in any number of stages of growth.

As for your case in particular, Tony, it is probably one of a few situations. You might be suffering from pattern baldness, or, you might just be going through a normal shed which can be caused by traumatic events or severe malnutrition, most probably traumatic events. If the shed hair is coming mainly from male pattern baldness-affected areas such as the temples and crown then it is probably male pattern baldness. If it is Telogen Effluvium, you would be shedding hair everywhere.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Pinch a bunch of hair between your thumb and middle finger. You will have approximately 25 to 30 hairs within the pinch. Give the bunch of hair a sharp tug. Repeat this tug in several places over the scalp.

Glad you specified the scalp as the area to perform this test on, don't want people to go giving their hair a sharp tug in any other areas.

 

[Brasileirao]

Could this be caused by me taking Propecia? The weird thing is that I have a diffused hair loss. My temples have receded a bit, and now I seem to be lossing hair all over. The hairs falling out are all dark at the tip and then get reallly light at the end with a big buld. I dont know if these were hairs that were lossing pigment and now are going to grow in thicker. I eat fairly healthy and take vitamins. I did start lifting weights and noticed a little more hairloss since then. Im hoping the Propecia will help stabalize the problem if it is male pattern baldness, and if it is Telogen Effluvium I hope it goes away with time.

Thanks,
Tony