Hair loss & thinning

Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Seeing them on the pillow, in the drain and on your shoulders is not evidence of a problem, it is evidence that you have started counting. The useful question is not how much is coming out, it is whether your parting is widening or your ponytail is thinner than it was a year ago.

What's actually going on: hair grows in cycles, and at any moment some proportion is resting and due to shed. Sudden diffuse shedding two to three months after an event, an illness, a fever, childbirth, a crash diet, surgery or serious stress, is usually telogen effluvium: the cycle synchronised itself and a batch is leaving together. It typically recovers on its own. Gradual thinning at the parting or temples over years is a different thing, and it does not.

Tier 1, sudden shedding after a known trigger: treat the trigger, be gentle with your hair, and wait. This is the hard part. Telogen effluvium usually resolves over three to six months without any product, and the shampoos sold for it are largely selling you the passage of time. Do not start four treatments at once, because you will not know which of them the recovery belonged to.

Tier 2, worth ruling out: ask a doctor for blood tests. Iron deficiency, thyroid problems and vitamin D deficiency are all common causes of hair loss, all common in Pakistan, particularly among women, and all invisible without a test. Supplementing blind is a bad idea, especially with iron, which is harmful in excess. Get the number first.

Tier 3, gradual thinning, a widening parting, or patches: dermatologist, and sooner rather than later. Pattern hair loss has treatments with real evidence behind them, they work better the earlier they start, and they are prescription decisions rather than shopping ones. Patchy loss with smooth bald areas is something else again and needs looking at. This is not a failure state, and a consult costs less than a year of hopeful serums.

Honest expectations: nothing regrows hair in a month. Hair grows about a centimetre a month, so even a treatment that works takes three to six months before you can judge it. Before and after photos taken twelve weeks apart, same light, same parting, are worth more than any daily impression in a bathroom mirror.

Watch out for: this is the most exploited category in the market. Oils, herbal blends and shampoos routinely promise regrowth with nothing behind the claim, and none of those words are regulated. Be especially wary of anything marketed for hair fall with no ingredient list, no DRAP enlistment and a lot of testimonials. A healthy scalp supports the hair you have, which is worth doing, but it is not a regrowth treatment and honest products do not claim to be.

If your hair is thinning and you are worried, see a doctor before you buy anything. That is the whole advice, and we would rather say it than sell you something.

The BYOUT Library is educational content, not personalised medical advice. For persistent or severe skin concerns, a dermatologist beats any article, including ours.