Hair is thinner toward the roots. What is this?

Question

Some of my hair is thinner toward the roots. I was diagnosed with telogen effluvium but some of the hair I loose is thin on the roots like 2/4 the size or less. What is this?

Mehmet Erdogan, MD · Answer

What you’re describing &mdash; hairs that are thinner near the root and thicker toward the end &mdash; is most consistent with miniaturized hairs, not classic telogen hairs. In true telogen effluvium, hairs typically shed with a club-shaped bulb that is uniform in thickness; they’re not usually thinner at the root and normal farther down.
When hairs are objectively thinner at the base, that suggests the follicle is producing a miniaturized hair, which is a hallmark of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Miniaturization means the follicle is shrinking over time, so the hair it makes becomes progressively finer &mdash; often most noticeable near the root.
So if someone is shedding:
hairs that look thin at the root and thicker distally, and
this continues beyond a short, acute period,
that pattern points toward AGA (or AGA + TE) rather than pure TE.
In short: pure TE doesn’t usually cause hairs that are gradually thinner at the root &mdash; that pattern is more typical of miniaturization from AGA.

Ross Kopelman, DO · Answer

When you notice that some of your hair is thinner toward the roots, it can be related to a disruption in the hair growth cycle, especially since you’ve been diagnosed with telogen effluvium (TE). In TE, hair prematurely enters the resting (telogen) phase, causing it to shed. The thinner roots you're seeing could be a sign of miniaturization, where the hair follicles are producing weaker or finer hair due to stress, hormonal changes, or other factors triggering TE.
As your hair recovers from TE, it’s normal to see thinner, finer hair temporarily as the follicles work to restart the growth cycle. Over time, as the growth phase stabilizes, the hairs should become thicker and more uniform from root to tip again.

Hair is thinner toward the roots. What is this?

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