Four routes, and the honest limits of each

They fall into four categories that do different jobs. Medical treatment aims to slow loss and may partially restore density, and is prescribed and monitored by a doctor. Trichology assesses the hair and scalp to establish what is happening. Hair transplantation moves follicles from a donor area and is limited by how much donor hair exists. Scalp micropigmentation changes the appearance of the scalp without treating the cause. They are frequently combined.

There is no single best treatment, because they address different problems. The right choice depends on the cause of your loss, the stage it has reached, whether the goal is to keep existing hair or change how the scalp looks, and how much ongoing maintenance you are willing to commit to. A treatment chosen before the cause is established is a guess, however well it works for someone else.

No. A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that relocates living follicles so that hair grows where it did not before. Scalp micropigmentation is non-surgical and deposits pigment to create the appearance of closely shaved follicles; no hair is added and nothing grows. Transplantation is constrained by donor supply, micropigmentation is not, and the two are sometimes used together — micropigmentation adding apparent density between transplanted hairs or camouflaging donor-area scarring.

Cosmetic procedures are not covered by Medicare. Consultations investigating a medical cause of hair loss may attract a rebate in the usual way a medical consultation does, and referred specialist care follows the standard rules. Whether any particular service attracts a rebate depends on the item billed and your circumstances, so confirm it with the practitioner and with Services Australia rather than assuming either way.

For pattern hair loss, generally yes. Medical treatments suppress an ongoing process rather than switch it off permanently, so stopping usually means the loss resumes and gains made are lost over the following months. Transplanted follicles are taken from areas that are typically resistant to the process and behave accordingly, though the untreated hair around them continues to change. Micropigmentation fades gradually and is maintained with periodic touch-ups.