How to Talk to Your Doctor About Hair Loss

It may seem like an easy thing to talk about a physical condition with your doctor, but hair loss is more complicated than meets the eye. The cause of hair loss, along with personal medical history, current overall health and goals for hair replacement, will help to determine your treatment. While a look in the mirror may tell you that your hair is thinning, your doctor can tell you why.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Doctor's appointment

Talk to Your Doctor About Hair Loss

1. Assess your condition. You may not have excessive hair loss. Some daily "shedding" (up to 100 or 150 hairs) is normal for everybody. This minimal hair loss may be reduced by scalp massage, a scalp health shampoo or avoiding chemical or heat treatments.
2. Evaluate the nature of any symptoms, such as where hair is being lost, if the bald patch is partial or total and whether hair loss is constant or temporary yet recurrent.
3. Determine what type of hair loss your symptoms suggest by reading relevant material that discusses the various causes, such as the guidebook on hair loss, "The Bald Truth" (see Resources below).
4. Consult a medical doctor or dermatologist to get a diagnosis and to learn about which treatment options may be right for you. Relate all the symptoms and their degree of severity, as well as your ideas about the underlying cause of your hair loss.
5. Accept your doctor's assessment of your condition or get a second opinion. A doctor's examination will be more extensive and more informed than your own inspection.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't make assumptions. Research the reasons for hair loss, assess your symptoms and let a doctor give you a firm diagnosis.
• Hair grows and "sheds" on a continuum, so give yourself and your doctor time to observe your hair loss pattern.
• Baldness can be caused by genetics or health-related issues, and successful treatment will depend on a correct diagnosis.
• Be sure you see a board-certified physician, not a non-medical hair loss or hair replacement "specialist" or "consultant."

Who Can Help: