telogen

noun

te·​lo·​gen ˈtē-lə-ˌjen 

: the resting phase of the hair growth cycle that typically lasts three months, is preceded by anagen and catagen, and is usually followed by shedding of the hair shaft during exogen

Note: Anagen will immediately follow telogen if hair is not shed at the end of telogen during the exogen phase.

Examples of telogen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since telogen effluvium’s hair loss occurs with stress on the body, Moustafa explained, once that stressor is removed, patients should make a full recovery. —Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

Excessive hair shedding, also known as telogen effluvium, can be triggered by a multitude of stressors, such as giving birth or recovering from an illness. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

This condition, known as ‘telogen effluvium,’ causes temporary hair shedding and your hairs thins out all over your scalp, unlike male or female pattern baldness which typically causes a receding hairline or a bald patch on the crown. —Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2025

Around the age of 49 days, mice enter the telogen phase, during which hair follicles are naturally dormant and no new growth occurs for about six weeks. —New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

telo- + -gen

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

telogen

noun

te·​lo·​gen ˈtē-lə-ˌjen 

: the resting phase of the hair growth cycle that typically lasts three months, is preceded by anagen and catagen, and is usually followed by shedding of the hair shaft during exogen

Note: Anagen will immediately follow telogen if hair is not shed at the end of telogen during the exogen phase.

Scalp hairs spend four to eight years in anagen and just two to four months in telogen.

—Julianne Dunphy

The remaining 10 percent of hairs are in a resting phase called telogen that lasts about three months, after which the resting hairs start falling out.

—Jane E. Brody