Side by side
| Route | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Trichology | Establishes the diagnosis | Treat, by itself |
| Medical treatment | Slows the process; supports cycling follicles | Restore dormant follicles |
| Transplantation | Redistributes follicles from donor areas | Create new hair, or stop ongoing loss |
| Micropigmentation | Changes the appearance of density | Add hair |
None of these regrows a follicle that has been dormant for years. Combinations are common, because preservation and appearance are different problems.
The honest summary: diagnose first, preserve early if that is still possible, and treat appearance as a separate decision from progression. Anyone offering a single answer before examining your scalp is guessing.
Common questions
Which is best?
Not a question with an answer in the abstract — they do different jobs. Which suits you depends on cause, stage and what you want to change.
Can I combine them?
Yes, and combinations are common: medical treatment for the process, pigmentation or transplantation for appearance.
Which is cheapest?
Cost varies with the work involved rather than the category, which is why this site answers pricing with what affects cost rather than a figure.
What if I do nothing?
Pattern loss generally continues. Shedding from a temporary cause usually settles on its own. Which of those you have is the useful thing to establish.
What an assessment establishes
- 1.Which process is causing the loss
Pattern loss, telogen effluvium, traction and scarring alopecia look similar in a mirror and behave nothing alike. The examination separates them, because the answer decides which routes are worth discussing at all.
- 2.Whether it is stable or still moving
Loss that is still progressing changes what any treatment can hold. It is the difference between planning around a fixed area and planning around one that will keep widening, and it is judged from history and examination rather than a single photograph.
- 3.Which routes are available to you, and which are not
Donor supply, scalp condition, skin type and how the loss is behaving each rule options in or out. You leave knowing what is on the table and what is not, without a price attached to the conversation.