Westmeath at a glance
- People in County Westmeath
- 96,221CSO Census 2022, 8.4% more than in 2016
- Men and women
- 47,721 menand 48,500 women, CSO Census 2022
- Largest towns
- AthloneAthlone (22,869), Mullingar (22,667), Kinnegad (3,064)
- Aged 25 to 54
- 41%of the county, CSO 2022 (Ireland: 41%)
- To Dublin
- 1 hour 35 minutes125 km by road from Athlone, outside rush hour
- Nearest city for clinics
- Galwayabout 1 hour by car from Athlone
Athlone is about an hour from Galway and an hour and a half from Dublin on the M6. Mullingar is closer to Dublin.
What it costs
A consultation costs €50 to €250. Minoxidil is €50 to €85 for three months and finasteride €79 for 12 weeks. PRP is €225 to €400 a session, and a hair transplant €1,500 to €10,000, with most at €3,500 to €9,500. Our price guide shows what moves each price.
Where you'd be seen from Westmeath
Minoxidil comes from any pharmacy and finasteride from your GP or an online doctor, so the medicines need no travel at all. A course of PRP is three or four visits, a month apart. From Athlone to Galway and back four times is about 8.3 hours in the car altogether.
A transplant is a consultation, one long day under local anaesthetic, and a check a week or two later. Ask whether the consultation can be by video and the check by photos. Arrange a lift home on the day: it runs four to eight hours and you'll be tired.
Start with the cause
The right treatment depends on the type of hair loss. Slow thinning in a pattern is treated one way, sudden shedding another, and patches another again. Our guides for men and women set out the options, and your GP and the blood tests explains the first visit.
Choosing who treats you
Every doctor practising in Ireland must be on the Medical Council's register, and you can search it by name. Hair restoration has no specialty of its own on that register, so ask what training the doctor has and how many of these procedures they do in a year.
Hair loss is never an emergency sale. If a clinic pushes you to pay a deposit on the day, walk away and take your time.
Is a clinic the right step?
Paying a clinic isn't the right first step if:
- you're under 18
- the hair loss started suddenly, in the last few weeks or months, and nobody has looked at why
- it's patchy, or your scalp is sore, scaly or scarred, and a GP hasn't seen it
- you've just had a baby, been ill, lost a lot of weight or started a new medicine: shedding like that usually settles
Guides
Questions from Westmeath
Where can I get hair loss treatment in Westmeath?
Start with your GP, and a pharmacy for minoxidil. Your GP and pharmacy cover the first steps close to home. For a dermatologist or a hair clinic, the nearest city to Athlone is Galway, about 1 hour by car; Dublin is 1 hour 35 minutes.
Do I have to travel to Dublin from Westmeath?
No, for most treatment. Your GP and pharmacy cover the first steps close to home. For a dermatologist or a hair clinic, the nearest city to Athlone is Galway, about 1 hour by car; Dublin is 1 hour 35 minutes.
Is hair loss treatment cheaper in Westmeath?
Not really. Prices around the country sit in the same ranges: a consultation €50 to €250, PRP €225 to €400 a session, and most transplants €3,500 to €9,500.
Can the first consultation be by video?
Many clinics offer one, and it's a fair way to hear the options. Someone still has to examine your scalp in person before any treatment starts.
Who contacts me if I use the check from Westmeath?
One Irish hair clinic, not five, and only if you ask us to pass your answers on. Nothing is booked until you say yes.