Hair loss: find the cause before treating

A first distinction is made between sudden, diffuse shedding that occurs a few months after a trigger — childbirth, a deficiency, a diet, an infection, emotional shock, stopping contraception — and gradual loss that settles in and changes the hairline.

In the second case, the parting widens on the top of the scalp while the temples stay preserved for a long time: this is the classic profile of androgen-related alopecia, common with PCOS or after the menopause.

The consultation goes back over the timeline of the hair loss, family history, treatments, diet and the events of recent months. The examination assesses density, the frontal hairline, the condition of the scalp and the quality of the hair shafts.

A blood work-up is usually prescribed: iron and ferritin, thyroid, vitamin D, and a hormonal work-up depending on the context. It is what makes it possible to tell a correctable deficiency from a hormonal mechanism, and to avoid unnecessary treatments.

Care first corrects what can be corrected: iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalance. That is the foundation, and it is sometimes enough to stop reactive shedding.

Depending on the case, a local or systemic treatment prescribed by the doctor and sessions of scalp mesotherapy are added, delivering active ingredients that stimulate regrowth directly to the hair bulb.

The pace is explained from the outset: hair grows about one centimetre a month, so a hair treatment is assessed over several months, with photographs to support it.