Hair loss treatment questions, answered

It depends on the cause. For male pattern hair loss the two medicines with solid evidence are minoxidil on the scalp and finasteride tablets, and a transplant can move hair once the loss has settled. For women, minoxidil is the main medicine. Patchy loss (alopecia areata) is treated by doctors with steroids. No treatment works for everyone, and the HSE is plain that no hair loss treatment is 100% effective.

Our price guide: a consultation costs €50 to €250, minoxidil €50 to €85 for three months, finasteride €79 for 12 weeks, PRP €225 to €400 a session, and a hair transplant €1,500 to €10,000, with most at €3,500 to €9,500.

Yes, if the cause isn't obvious. The HSE says to see a GP if your hair loss is sudden, patchy, coming out in clumps, itchy or sore, or you're worried about it. A GP can check for causes a clinic can't treat, such as low iron or a thyroid problem.

Yes, though the options differ. Minoxidil is the main medicine for female pattern hair loss, finasteride is not used in women who could become pregnant, and a blood test for iron and thyroid comes first because both are common, fixable causes.

Give any treatment three to six months before you judge it. Hair grows about a centimetre a month, and minoxidil can cause extra shedding in the first weeks before it helps.

Often, if the cause was temporary. Shedding after illness, stress, childbirth or weight loss usually settles within about six months. Pattern hair loss doesn't reverse without treatment, and it usually keeps going slowly.

The moved hairs usually last, because they come from the back and sides where hair resists the hormone that causes balding. The hair around them can keep thinning, which is why surgeons usually want you on a medicine as well.

One Irish hair clinic, not five. We pass your answers on only if you ask us to and tick the consent box. Nothing is booked, and nothing is paid, until you say yes to the clinic.

Mostly not for pattern hair loss, which is treated as cosmetic. Your GP can tell you whether a medicine is covered by your medical card or the Drugs Payment Scheme. If your hair loss comes from an illness or its treatment, such as cancer treatment or certain types of alopecia, the Treatment Benefit Scheme pays up to €500 once a calendar year towards a wig or hairpiece, if you or your partner have enough PRSI contributions. It doesn't cover hair loss from ageing.

Revenue gives no tax relief on cosmetic procedures. Doctors' fees and prescribed medicines for a diagnosed medical condition can qualify for relief at the standard rate of 20%, so keep your receipts and check with Revenue.

For pattern hair loss, finasteride tablets and minoxidil have the strongest evidence, and many men use both. A transplant adds hair where it has gone. No treatment works for everyone, and the HSE is plain that no hair loss treatment is 100% effective.

For female pattern hair loss, minoxidil on the scalp has the most evidence. If a blood test finds low iron or a thyroid problem, treating that comes first and may be all you need.

There isn't one for everybody. For male pattern hair loss, finasteride has the strongest effect of the medicines; for women it's minoxidil. The cause decides.

Yes. A GP, a dermatologist or an online doctor registered in Ireland can prescribe it after checking it suits you.

It works better on the crown and top than on the temples. It may slow a receding hairline but rarely brings one back.

€225 to €400 a session in our price guide, and from about €1,200 for a course of four.

€1,500 to €10,000 in our price guide, with most procedures at €3,500 to €9,500, or about €3 to €4 a graft.

It can thicken thinning hair a little in some people. It doesn't regrow hair on bare scalp.

Done well, on a shaved head, it reads as stubble at normal distance. It has no texture, so it works with very short hair or under existing hair.

Low iron is the common one, especially in women. Very low vitamin D, B12 or zinc can add to it. A GP blood test tells you.

Adults with enough PRSI contributions, or their dependent partner, whose hair loss comes from a disease or its treatment, such as cancer treatment or certain types of alopecia. Not hair loss from ageing.

Any time after puberty. Many men notice it in their twenties or thirties; about half have some by 50.

Very unlikely. Female pattern hair loss thins the top of the head but rarely leaves bare scalp.

For most people with a few patches, yes, usually within a year. It can return later. Wider or long-standing loss is harder to predict.

Shedding usually eases within three to six months. Thickness takes longer to return, because hair grows about a centimetre a month.

Usually around three months after the birth.

It tends to stay without treatment. Minoxidil can improve it while you use it.

Pattern hair loss, in both men and women. It is inherited and gets more common with age.

Recently thinned hair can thicken on treatment. Skin that has been bare for years won't regrow hair; a transplant can cover it.

Not by itself. Heavy scratching and inflammation can cause some shedding, which recovers when the scalp is treated.

€50 to €250 in our guide. Some transplant clinics don't charge for the first consultation.

A full blood count, ferritin and thyroid function cover the common causes. Your GP adds others if your history suggests them.

No. Trichologists are not medical doctors and can't prescribe or order blood tests.

No, but a GP visit first is wise if the cause isn't clear, and it costs less than most clinic consultations.

Only when the conditions match in both: light, angle, hair length and dry hair. Ask to see more than the three on the wall.

It depends on the clinic and who does the work. Some are excellent; some run several patients at once with technicians doing the surgery. Check the doctor before you book.