What an assessment involves
- History — onset, pattern, family history, medication, diet, and what was happening three months before it started.
- Examination — density across the scalp, part width, whether follicle openings remain, and the condition of the scalp itself.
- Trichoscopy — magnified examination looking for miniaturised hairs, which distinguish a pattern process from a shedding one.
- Referral or bloods where the history points that way.
The most useful thing you can bring is photographs of the same area, in the same light, taken months apart. Progression is far easier to judge against an image than against memory.
Common questions
Is a trichologist a doctor?
Not necessarily — trichology is not a registered medical profession in Australia. A trichologist assesses hair and scalp; conditions needing medical treatment are referred.
Do I need a referral?
No.
What if the cause is medical?
Then the answer is referral, not a cosmetic recommendation. That is the point of assessing first.
How long does an assessment take?
Long enough to take a proper history and examine the scalp — this is not a five-minute look.
Will I get a diagnosis on the day?
Often, though bloods or a period of monitoring are sometimes needed before anything is certain.
What should I bring?
Photographs over time, a list of medications, and any recent blood results.
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.