When hair loss is worth a doctor’s visit
Most hair loss is not a sign of anything serious. The NHS says losing hair is not usually anything to worry about, and that it is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But some signs are worth showing a doctor promptly, and some slower changes are worth a routine appointment, because treatment tends to work better when it starts early.
This checklist sorts what you notice into those groups. It does not diagnose anything. It runs in your browser and nothing you tick is saved.
Signs worth showing a doctor soon
- Round or patchy bald spots. Patchy loss has causes, such as alopecia areata, that a dermatologist can identify.
- Itching, pain, tenderness or burning where hair is thinning. DermNet lists these symptoms in lichen planopilaris, an uncommon inflammatory condition that can cause permanent hair loss.
- Redness or scale around hairs at the edge of a thinning area. DermNet describes this pattern in the same condition.
- Eyebrows or eyelashes thinning too. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes that some people with alopecia areata lose eyebrows or eyelashes.
- Hair coming out quickly, over weeks. The AAD says some causes of hair loss need early care to prevent permanent loss.
- Hair loss since starting a new medicine or treatment. The AAD says to talk to your doctor, and warns that serious side effects can occur if you stop a treatment or drug suddenly.
Signs worth a routine appointment
- A widening part or a thinner ponytail. The AAD says these are often the first signs of female pattern hair loss.
- Temples moving back, or thinning at the top of the head. In men, the AAD says the first sign of hereditary hair loss is often a receding hairline or a bald spot at the top of the head.
- Shedding much more than usual for more than a few months. Shedding after a stressful event usually settles, but it can last if the stress continues.
- Hair loss affecting how you feel. The NHS suggests telling your GP if hair loss is affecting your wellbeing.
How the checklist decides
Any one sign from the first list gives “worth showing a doctor soon”. If you tick only signs from the second list, it gives “worth a routine appointment”. If you tick nothing, it says nothing you ticked is a warning sign. The grouping is ours, drawn from the sources above, and it is not medical advice.
Why early matters
The AAD says treatment for hereditary hair loss works better the earlier it starts, and that without treatment it continues. For some other causes, early care can prevent permanent loss. That is why slow changes are still worth an appointment, even when they are not urgent.
What to bring to an appointment
Photos help. A front photo of your hairline and a photo of your part or crown, taken the same way months apart, show change more clearly than memory. Note when you first noticed the change, any illness, stress or new medicine in the months before, and anything that runs in your family.
Keep a record in the HairLens app
The HairLens app scans your hair from five angles and keeps every scan, so you can bring a clear record of how your hair has changed to an appointment.