What could be the cause of hair loss in a teenage female?

The causes of hair loss in a teenage girl is also similar to that of a mature lady.

However, the more dominant causes are as mentioned by Dr Colin, mainly Telogen Effluvium. Another common cause is Traction Alopecia, due to tying hair too tightly.

Other causes like Autoimmune Disease ( SLE, Thyroid conditions) and Nutritional Deficiencies are common and need to be ruled out as well via blood tests and a physical examination.

It’s best to seek the consultation of a doctor/dermatologist experienced in hair loss diagnosis and treatment.

If not, you can try buying Minoxidil 2% from the pharmacist and observe the hair loss condition after using it for 3-6 months, by which any telogium effluvium would have recovered usually.

Thank you for the question.

There many causes of hair loss in teenagers, and it is difficult to tell you what your daughter has without seeing and examining her.

One of the commonest cause of hair loss is telogen effluvium. This is hairfall following a stressful episode such as high fever, crash diets, emotional stress etc.

The hair will fall usually starts about 2 months after the stressful event, and may persist for 2 to 4 months. However, the hair that is lost will gradually regrow.

Blood tests to rule out underlying medical conditions such as thyroid disease or iron deficiency and autoimmune conditions may need to done in some cases.

There are many other causes of hair loss too like alopecia areata, trichotillomania, female pattern hair loss etc.

I would suggest you bring your daughter to see a dermatologist/doctor for a proper assess and management of her hair loss.