How to spot hair loss early on

Although there is no cure for many forms of hair loss, there are treatments which can be effective in preventing further loss such as minoxidil or finasteride. Success in using these compounds is dependent on two factors though: firstly, you have to keep using them. If you stop the hair loss will continue at the same rate as previously.

Secondly, you have to catch the problem early enough. Whilst occasionally some regrowth has been seen with these products they really only arrest hair loss.

So, given the need to act quickly there are several checks we can all do regularly to spot the potential signs of balding, particularly if there’s a history of it in the family:

1. Keep a look out for a receding hair line

A receding hairline is  often the first sign of androgenic alopecia. Also check your partings and ask the barber if there’s any sign of thinning on the crown.

2. Have you recently gone through any stressful situations

Often extreme stress or anxiety can result in hair loss. If you can pre-empt this, so much the better.

3. General shedding

It’s normal to lose about 100 hairs per day but if you regularly see more than that, (the shower is a good place to spot clumps of hair falling out) then you may have a problem.

4. Consider your age

By 50 most at least half of men will have experienced some hair loss with similar proportions for women aged over 65.

5. Spot the difference between patchy loss and general thinning

With patchy loss you’re more like to have an auto immune condition like alopecia areata.

Hopefully, the above checks will help to nip a potential problem in the bud. If they don’t or if the treatment isn’t working out it’s not the end of the world though. There are other options such as a hair transplant or the increasing popular scalp micropigmentation which creates a realistic illusion of short cropped hair and is indistinguishable from the real thing. To find out more why not book a free consultation with one of our hair loss experts.