More hair in the drain
There is more hair in the shower drain than there used to be, and more on the pillow. Before you guess at a cause, here are the blood tests worth asking for.
Look back two to three months
Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Each hair grows for years, rests, then falls out and is replaced. What changes with shedding is how many hairs move into the resting phase at once.
A shock to the body can push a large batch into rest at the same time. They then fall out together, usually two to three months later. That delay is why the cause is so easy to miss. Common triggers include:
- A high fever or a bad illness
- Surgery, or having a baby
- A stressful stretch at work or at home
- Crash dieting or losing weight quickly
- Stopping or changing hormonal contraception
This kind of shedding usually settles on its own within six months once the trigger has passed. If nothing like this happened, or the shedding keeps going, bloods are the next place to look.
The core tests
Ferritin and iron
Ferritin shows your iron stores, and low stores are one of the most common findings in people with shedding, especially women who menstruate. Many labs print results from around 15 as normal, but low stores can affect hair before they affect your blood count. Ask for the full iron profile so ferritin can be read alongside serum iron and transferrin saturation.
Thyroid: TSH, free T4 and free T3
Both an underactive and an overactive thyroid can cause thinning across the whole scalp. Many routine checks report TSH alone. Free T4 and free T3 show what the thyroid is actually producing, so ask for all three.
Vitamin D
Low vitamin D is linked with hair shedding, and it is very common in the UAE because so much of life happens indoors. The line most guidelines use for sufficiency is 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L).
Vitamin B12
B12 is needed to make new cells, including the fast-growing cells at the root of each hair. Low levels are more likely on a plant-based diet or with long-term antacid use.
Full blood count
A full blood count checks for anaemia, which can cause shedding along with tiredness and breathlessness. It also gives the context for your iron results.
When hormones are worth checking
If the hair is thinning at the crown or the parting rather than shedding evenly, or if it comes with other changes, hormones are worth adding.
- Testosterone and DHEA-S. In women, raised levels of these androgens are linked with thinning on top, along with acne, irregular periods or extra hair on the face and body. In men, pattern hair loss usually comes from how sensitive the follicles are to normal hormone levels, so results are often normal. They still help rule other causes in or out.
- Prolactin. High prolactin can affect other hormones and is linked with hair thinning, changes to the menstrual cycle and low sex drive. It is a simple blood test and worth including if any of those apply.
Reference ranges for hormones vary by lab, by sex and by age, and some change through the menstrual cycle. Results are best read by someone who knows your history, not against the range alone.
What to do next
Write down when the shedding started and anything that happened two to three months before it. Then take this list to your own doctor or a lab: ferritin and the iron profile, TSH with free T4 and free T3, vitamin D, B12 and a full blood count. Add testosterone, DHEA-S and prolactin if the thinning is on top or comes with other changes.
Or do it at home. Baseline’s blood screen covers every test above, among 122 parameters across ten systems, from one draw at home with results in 48 hours. A consultant then goes through every result with you on video, so you know which numbers matter for your hair and which do not.
See everything the screen covers
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If hair is coming out in patches, your scalp is sore, red or scaly, or the loss is sudden, speak to a doctor or a dermatologist.
Find out whether this is appropriate for you
Reading is not a diagnosis. A consultation goes through your history with you and tells you plainly whether a program fits, including when it does not. AED 350, credited in full against your first order.