ResearchMinoxidil7 months ago

Rosemary Oil vs Minoxidil: The 2024 Trial That Actually Held Up

A widely cited 2015 trial suggested rosemary oil matched 2% minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia. A more rigorous 2024 replication has now tested whether that finding survives proper methodology.

Dr. Maya

16.9k views3 min read

ResearchDHT7 months ago

Saw Palmetto for Hair Loss: A Mechanism Without Clinical Evidence

Saw palmetto extract is in dozens of hair loss supplements. The 5-alpha reductase inhibition is real in vitro. The clinical evidence remains stubbornly thin.

Liam Foster,

8.2k views3 min read

NutritionTelogen Effluvium7 months ago

Iron Supplementation for Hair Loss: Why Ferritin Below 70 Is the Real Threshold

Most physicians say ferritin within the normal range is fine. For hair loss, the relevant threshold appears to be substantially higher than the general anemia cutoff.

Dr. Maya

4.3k views3 min read

NutritionResearch7 months ago

Vitamin D Deficiency and Hair Loss: The Causal Question Is Still Open

Vitamin D receptors are expressed on hair follicle cells, and deficient patients often have hair loss. Whether supplementation reverses the loss is a more complicated question.

Liam Foster,

3.9k views3 min read

ResearchTreatment7 months ago

Scalp Massage: A 4-Minute Daily Protocol With Surprisingly Real Evidence

A 2016 Japanese study found that 4 minutes of daily scalp massage produced measurable hair thickening over 24 weeks. The follow-up survey of 327 men added a real-world dimension to the finding.

Dr. Maya

10.5k views3 min read

Female Pattern Hair LossDHT8 months ago

PCOS and Hair Loss: Treatment Considerations for the Underlying Endocrinology

Polycystic ovary syndrome affects 10 to 15% of women of reproductive age. Hair loss is a common feature, and treating it without addressing the underlying endocrinology often fails.

Dr. Maya

2.1k views3 min read

Telogen EffluviumFemale Pattern Hair Loss8 months ago

Postpartum Hair Loss: Timing, Severity, and When to Worry

Postpartum hair shedding affects roughly half of new mothers. The timing is predictable, the cause is well understood, but a meaningful minority of women have persistent effects.

Liam Foster,

14.4k views3 min read

DiagnosisResearch8 months ago

Trichoscopy: The Diagnostic Tool That Should Be Standard in Every Hair Consultation

A handheld dermatoscope and three minutes is enough to distinguish androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, scarring alopecias, and telogen effluvium. Many consultations still rely on visual inspection alone.

Dr. Maya

16.7k views3 min read

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ResearchNutrition8 months ago

Pumpkin Seed Oil for Hair Loss: A Surprising Trial With Replication Pending

A 2014 Korean trial reported substantial hair count improvements from oral pumpkin seed oil. The methodology was unusual and replication is overdue, but the mechanism is plausible.

Liam Foster,

2.5k views3 min read

Telogen EffluviumResearch8 months ago

Thyroid Hormone and Hair Loss: Both Hypo and Hyperthyroidism Trigger Shedding

Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism both cause hair loss, but through different mechanisms. Testing TSH is the most basic workup item for unexplained shedding, and one of the most commonly overlooked.

Dr. Maya

6.1k views3 min read

Hair TransplantTreatment8 months ago

Scalp Micropigmentation: When the Best Hair Loss Treatment Isn't About Hair

Scalp micropigmentation creates the appearance of a closely shaved head through pointillist pigment deposits. For some patients it produces better cosmetic outcomes than any hair-growing approach.

Liam Foster,

6.7k views3 min read

ResearchTreatment8 months ago

Latanoprost and Bimatoprost for Hair Growth: A Prostaglandin Story Worth Following

Eye drops for glaucoma turned out to grow eyelashes. The mechanism, prostaglandin F2-alpha receptor agonism, has obvious implications for scalp hair, though the clinical data remains mixed.

Dr. Maya

16.6k views3 min read

DiagnosisHair Transplant9 months ago

Norwood Scale: Why the Classification System Matters More Than People Realise

The Norwood scale is older than most current hair loss treatments. It remains the standard staging tool, and getting the staging right shapes every subsequent treatment decision.

Dr. Maya

4.4k views3 min read

GeneticsResearch9 months ago

Genetic Testing for Hair Loss: What 23andMe and Polygenic Scores Actually Predict

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests report male pattern hair loss risk. The science behind those reports is more complicated, and less predictive, than the marketing suggests.

Liam Foster,

8.2k views3 min read

NutritionResearch9 months ago

Nutrafol Clinical Data: What the Trial Actually Showed

Nutrafol is the most expensively marketed hair loss supplement on the market. The trial data is real, but the trial design is unusual, and the effect size compared to alternatives is what matters.

Dr. Maya

9.1k views3 min read

TreatmentMinoxidil9 months ago

Compounded Topical Formulations: The Pharmacy Workaround That Has Quietly Reshaped Treatment

Compounding pharmacies have become a significant force in hair loss treatment, producing custom topical formulations that combine multiple active ingredients in single products.

Liam Foster,

11.7k views3 min read

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Hair TransplantTreatment9 months ago

Hair Transplant Turkey: Cost Savings vs Quality Trade-offs

Turkey now performs more hair transplants than any other country worldwide. The cost advantage is genuine, but the quality variance is substantial, and patients need to understand both.

Dr. Maya

8.3k views3 min read

Female Pattern Hair LossResearch9 months ago

Hair Loss in Postmenopausal Women: Distinct Patterns Need Distinct Treatment

Female pattern hair loss in postmenopausal women has distinct features compared to pre-menopausal cases, and treatment approaches that work pre-menopause sometimes fail after.

Liam Foster,

12.2k views3 min read

DiagnosisFemale Pattern Hair Loss9 months ago

Ludwig Scale vs Sinclair Scale: Choosing the Right Female Pattern Classification

The Ludwig scale has been the standard female pattern hair loss classification since 1977. The Sinclair scale offers more granular staging that has become preferred for clinical trials.

Dr. Maya

10.4k views3 min read

CosmeticTreatment9 months ago

Hair Fibre Concealers: Toppik, Caboki, and What Actually Works

Keratin hair fibres are the most cost-effective cosmetic treatment for mild hair loss. Different brands use different fibre materials with substantially different performance characteristics.

Liam Foster,

14.1k views3 min read

MinoxidilTreatment10 months ago

Caffeine Shampoo Alpecin Marketing: Reading Between the Claims

Alpecin's caffeine shampoo has captured significant market share through aggressive marketing. The clinical claims sit on a foundation of in vitro data, and very short-contact-time application.

Dr. Maya

10.0k views3 min read

ResearchDHT10 months ago

Setipiprant: The PGD2 Antagonist That Almost Was

Setipiprant blocks the prostaglandin D2 receptor implicated in androgenetic alopecia. The drug had a promising mechanism and a disappointing development path. Here's what happened.

Liam Foster,

12.6k views3 min read

ResearchInflammation10 months ago

Cetirizine for Hair Loss: An Antihistamine With Surprising Pilot Data

Topical cetirizine has produced unexpectedly positive hair count results in small trials. The mechanism, PGD2-pathway interference and inflammatory modulation, is plausible but the data is preliminary.

Dr. Maya

2.8k views3 min read

CosmeticTreatment10 months ago

Sulfate-Free Shampoo: Marketing Hype or Genuine Hair Health Benefit?

Sulfate-free shampoos dominate the premium hair care market with claims of gentler cleansing. The trichology evidence is more measured than the marketing language suggests.

Liam Foster,

12.0k views3 min read

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ResearchLifestyle10 months ago

Smoking and Androgenetic Alopecia: An Independent Risk Factor With a Plausible Mechanism

Multiple epidemiological studies have linked smoking to accelerated androgenetic alopecia. The relationship survives statistical adjustment, and the proposed mechanism makes biological sense.

Dr. Maya

9.5k views3 min read

TreatmentCosmetic10 months ago

Hair Systems and Toppers: When Wearing Hair Makes More Sense Than Growing It

Modern hair systems are unrecognisable from the toupées of the 1980s. For patients with extensive hair loss, they offer instant, high-quality cosmetic transformation that other approaches can't match.

Liam Foster,

7.7k views3 min read

Alopecia AreataJAK Inhibitors10 months ago

Alopecia Areata: Beyond JAK Inhibitors, What Else Is in the Pipeline

JAK inhibitors transformed alopecia areata treatment, but they're not the end of the story. Several other immune-modulating approaches are advancing through clinical trials.

Dr. Maya

13.8k views3 min read

Telogen EffluviumNutrition11 months ago

Telogen Effluvium After Bariatric Surgery: What 5-Year Data Reveals

Significant weight loss after bariatric surgery triggers telogen effluvium in roughly half of patients. The long-term recovery data is more complicated than acute studies suggested.

Dr. Maya

7.5k views3 min read

TreatmentResearch11 months ago

Cold Cap Therapy for Chemotherapy Hair Loss: What 2025 Data Shows

Scalp cooling during chemotherapy can preserve hair for many patients. The 2025 outcomes registry of 8,400 patients defines who benefits and how much.

Liam Foster,

7.8k views3 min read

TreatmentResearch11 months ago

Microneedling for Hair Loss: 0.5mm vs 1.5mm, Depth Matters

Microneedling protocols vary widely in needle depth and frequency. The 2024 comparison study finally provides standardised guidance for at-home and clinical protocols.

Dr. Maya

8.3k views3 min read