Out of all hair loss diagnostic methods, the most classic one is the physical exam that includes a pull test. In this method, the doctor pulls out a number of your hair. This is to see how many of them actually get plucked. And from it, the doctor determines if you actually suffer from hair loss. 

The doctor also looks for signs of swelling, infections, and redness to discard any possible underlying condition.

If around 15% of the total of hairs detach when pulled, then you are experiencing hair loss. 

Our doctors will tell you which type of hair loss you do have. Besides the pull test, there are more specific scalp tests as well.

Trichometric Analysis

Through a digital image tool called a Folliscope, our doctor can analyse your scalp with high-resolution imaging. The Folliscope is a small, handheld device that has a miniature camera attached at its end.

Our doctor places the device on top of the patient’s head and passes it around the top of the head, taking images of the hair and scalp. We show the images on a computer monitor and magnify them up to a hundred times to observe every detail.

Additionally, the Folliscope is able to measure the diameter of each individual hair and count the hairs on the scalp. In fact, these details can track if new hair is growing after the treatment.

Fungal Analysis

In the case of suspected fungal infection, the doctor scraps the scalp. A laboratory will receive the sample for testing through cultivation. Also, the cultivation process will take several days to determine the presence of fungal infections.

Punch Biopsy

Lesions of the scalp have many possible causes, all requiring different treatments. To determine with certainty which one it is, the doctor performs a biopsy. It requires cutting a small tissue sample from the scalp with a scalpel. The doctor sutures the cut and send the samples to the lab for tests. The result will show if it indeed is a lesion caused by alopecia (baldness) or something else.

Blood Tests

Hair loss can also happen because of a hormonal imbalance or mineral and vitamin deficiency in the patient. To know for certain, our doctor performs necessary blood tests. 

The doctors may get the following results that cause hair loss:

Iron Deficiency

Low levels of the protein ferritin cause this state. This happens to anaemic patients, menstruating women, or people that follow vegan or vegetarian diets. Foods rich in iron (such as red meat) or iron supplements can solve this and any hair loss due to it.

Thyroid Disease

An overactive or underactive thyroid gland can wreak havoc on your hormonal levels. This imbalance can lead to the body producing more of the hair-shrinking hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). A blood test measures the presence of “thyroid-stimulating hormones” in the body to confirm thyroid disease.

Androgen Excess

For women, the excess of androgens (male hormones) causes an abnormal pattern of hair loss on the head and hair growth on the face and arms. A simple blood test can determine this, and androgen suppressant medications can treat it directly.