At Medi Tresse, when we see a patient for the first time, we complete a full medical history. This includes not only the history about the hair loss, but their entire medical history as well. We have all our patients fill out several forms regarding prior diagnoses, surgeries, medical diagnoses, as well as medications, diet and supplements. We also need to know about any family history of hair loss, both men and women. We get a time line of the patient’s hair loss, describing when it started and what was the woman’s overall health at that time.
Alopecia, the official medical diagnostic term for all types of hair loss, can be caused by many different conditions. There are more than five types of the most common causes of hair loss, as well as many sub-types. It takes a skilled and highly trained medical professional to do a thorough exam, order the proper tests and make the correct diagnosis. If any of these steps are skipped, the wrong diagnosis can be made, and then treatment may not work. It’s important to remember that not all treatments work for all types of hair loss.
It is essential to have the proper diagnosis before the correct treatment can be recommended. Plus, with labs tests we can be sure that all of the body’s chemistries are correct, making the environment the absolute best for hair regrowth. One of the most common causes of hair shedding in women is iron deficiency, which is easily treated, but without replacing the lost iron, the other treatments for hair loss will not work as well. Even mild alterations in thyroid function will result in poor hair growth, so it is essential to check that as well. These are just a few of the tests we may order on our patients.
So, it is incredibly important to be properly evaluated and obtain the correct diagnosis BEFORE starting any hair loss treatment. Just picking up a bottle of minoxidil or a special shampoo at the pharmacy is not the answer. At Medi Tresse all our patients are given a complete evaluation by a trained medical professional who has many years of experience treating alopecia in women, who knows the importance of the evaluation, and who can prescribe the best hair loss treatment available.
Posted by Your Medi Tresse Team
