If this autumn you’ve started noticing a lot more hair in the shower, on your pillow, or on your brush, you’ve likely asked yourself the same question: is this shedding normal, or should I worry? The arrival of autumn often coincides with an increase in hair loss, and while in many cases it is a temporary process, there are signs that may indicate an underlying hair problem.
Dr. José María Ricart, medical director of IMR and a specialist in Hair Medicine, explains how to distinguish what is known as seasonal shedding from alopecia and what to do when the hair loss does not disappear.
Do you shed more hair in autumn? Here’s why
The change of season can coincide with a more intense renewal of the hair. This phenomenon is known as seasonal shedding or telogen effluvium, and it consists of a mass renewal of hair that is greater than usual and concentrated in a short period of time.
But autumn isn’t the only factor. After summer, hair accumulates the effects of sun exposure, seawater, pool chlorine, humidity, styling, and friction. In addition, returning to routine can be accompanied by stress, another factor that can influence the hair cycle.
Therefore, finding more hairs than usual in the shower drain does not automatically mean you have alopecia.
“The so-called seasonal shedding corresponds to telogen effluvium, that is, a mass renewal of hair that is greater than usual and concentrated over a short period of time,” explains Dr. Ricart.
The sign that hair loss is no longer normal
The key question is not only how much hair falls out, but how long this has been happening and whether there is real density loss.
According to the specialist, if the shedding lasts more than six weeks, is very intense, there is noticeable density loss, or bald patches appear, it’s advisable to consult a specialist.
The same applies when other scalp symptoms appear, such as .
There is also an especially important signal: the hair begins to become increasingly finer.
“We also need to differentiate it from incipient hormonal or androgenetic alopecia. In these cases, rather than a sudden shedding, we may observe that the hair shafts gradually become thinner and the hairline widens,” says Dr. Ricart.
In other words, temporary shedding and progressive density loss are not exactly the same thing.
What to do if the hair keeps falling out?
When shedding persists, diagnosis is the first step. Not all hair losses have the same origin, and therefore determining what is happening allows choosing the most appropriate treatment.
One of the tools used by specialists is trichoscopy, a technique that enables analysis of hair thickness, density, and possible miniaturization.
AI-based technologies can also be used to analyze patterns and detect alterations that are not always visible to the naked eye.
“At IMR we use advanced technology for hair diagnosis, including artificial intelligence, which allows us to analyze patterns and detect alterations that may go unnoticed at first glance,” explains the specialist.
Once the problem is identified, there are different options that can be used according to each patient’s needs, including oral active ingredients, mesotherapy, and regenerative therapies such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma).
Nutrition also plays an important role. Hair requires an adequate supply of amino acids, minerals, and vitamins to generate new hair strands. Therefore, the specialist recommends maintaining a balanced diet and avoiding highly restrictive diets.
And there is one thing to keep in mind: hair needs time to recover. In the case of telogen effluvium, the progression usually unfolds progressively over the following months. Therefore, more than counting every hair that falls daily, it is more useful to observe how the density and the quality of the hair evolve.
Follow-up can be conducted during clinic visits to assess the evolution, roughly at six months.
So if this autumn you notice more hair on your brush than usual, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are developing alopecia. The duration of shedding, the loss of density, and changes in hair thickness are some of the signals that can help determine when it is time to seek guidance.
