non-inflammatory hair loss for 1 1/2 years

I'm 30 years old, summer of 07  I had moved lost 20 pounds and went through a bad relationship on and off, which just ended 6months ago, but 2 months after the beginning of the stress I started losing massive amounts of hair on going up to now I have lost over 50% of my hair its noticeably thin over the entire scalp. Mainly I'm worried because its just on going. I've had all the tests performed thyroid, ana inflammatory, testosterone but that was at the start i don't know if i should have it checked again, blood count, kidney urinalysis. I have no entirely bald patches itching or inflammation, my diet is very good in fact I've put on 5 pounds due to my sadness, no stress plenty of sleep no dying of hair all natural gentle products and cleansers and I have no balding on my mothers side I'm not sure but I believe my father is a little thin on top but not his father or my grandmothers.  what do you feel is going on, how long will the excessive loss continue? Its been 1 1/2 years I dont know if the loss slowed and then picked up again.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

When people lose hair in massive amounts, it's usually something called telogen effluvium.  2-3 months after an acute shock to the system (childbirth, surgery, high fever, severe stress), lots of telogen (resting) hairs fall out, much more than the normal rate of 50-100 hairs per day.  This represents a disturbance of the body's rhythm, which straightens itself out over the following 3-6 months.  Gradually, less and less hair falls out and the hair grows back.  Tests are usually normal, as yours are.  Of course, you will need to see a skin specialist in person to establish this diagnosis, but that's what I think you may have, and that's why I think that your hair will grow back in.  Hair care--shampoos, permanents, and so forth--don't matter.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff