Hair thinning and hair loss
Find the type first. The treatment for one kind does nothing for another.
More hair in the brush, a wider parting, a receding hairline, or a smooth bald patch that appeared in weeks: these are different conditions with different causes, and the first job is to work out which you have. Hair loss (alopecia) is common. The NHS says we lose 50 to 100 hairs a day without noticing, so a change in the amount, the pattern or the scalp itself is what matters.
What treats it depends on the type. The common pattern type has treatments with real evidence, including prescription options, most of them long term. Shedding after an illness or a birth usually settles on its own. Patchy loss and a sore, scaly or shiny scalp need a medical diagnosis first. At Nova we assess your scalp and hair at a free consultation, say which type it looks like and what has evidence, and refer when it needs a doctor.
What causes it
What actually treats it
When to see your GP
Pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) is the commonest type in men and women. Follicles sensitive to normal male-type hormones shrink over years, so each hair grows finer and shorter until the scalp shows through. In men it is the temples and crown; in women a widening parting with the front hairline kept. It runs in families and progresses if untreated.
Shedding (telogen effluvium) is a sudden fall of hair from all over the scalp two to four months after a trigger: a high fever, childbirth, surgery, crash dieting, iron deficiency, thyroid problems, stopping the pill, a new medicine or hard stress. It does not cause baldness and tapers off over several months.
Patchy loss (alopecia areata) is an immune condition that gives smooth round bald patches. It is unpredictable, often regrows, and can be linked to thyroid disease.
Traction comes from tight braids, buns, weaves and extensions pulling at the hairline. It is reversible early, and not once the follicles scar.
Scarring hair loss is a group of inflammatory conditions, including frontal fibrosing alopecia, where the follicle is destroyed. Itch, burning or pain often comes first, then a shiny scalp without visible pores. Hair lost here does not regrow.
For pattern hair loss, medical treatment carries the evidence and devices are add-ons. A lotion or foam applied to the scalp is the first-line treatment for men and women and is sold in pharmacies without a prescription; a temporary extra shed in the first weeks is normal, and stopping loses the gains within about a year. For men, a daily prescription tablet stabilises loss in most within months; it carries MHRA warnings (2024, strengthened 2026) about mood changes and sexual side effects that can persist, so it is only prescribed after a proper conversation. For women, prescription tablet options exist, used off-label. A low-dose tablet form of the scalp treatment is used off-label for both sexes after a heart and blood pressure check. We cannot name any of these on a website. Where one is right for you we say so at a face-to-face consultation, and your GP can prescribe several of them.
Of the clinic treatments, microneedling alongside the scalp lotion has the strongest evidence: a 2025 meta-analysis of 10 randomised trials found the combination beat the lotion alone on hair count, though the trials varied widely in quality. PRP injections are the most studied regenerative option, but preparations differ so much between clinics that the true size of any benefit is unknown; the evidence is low certainty and it is an add-on to medical treatment. LED and laser caps have not been shown to work on their own. Exosome products have very little evidence and are not injected at Nova.
Nova's scalp PRP and Hair Loss Programme are on hold while we review them, so we are not selling scalp treatment at the moment. What we offer is the assessment: a close look at the scalp and hair pattern, a pull test, a check for the red flags below, a photograph record, and a plain conversation about which route has evidence for your type. If bloods are needed (iron, thyroid, vitamin D) we write to your GP.
For shedding, the treatment is finding and fixing the trigger. It resolves on its own, and a course sold during a shed would take credit for a recovery that was coming anyway, so we do not sell one.
For patchy, traction and scarring loss, the first step is a GP or dermatologist. Patchy loss has prescription treatments and, for severe cases, newer NICE-approved tablets through a specialist. Scarring types need a biopsy and specialist treatment.
See your GP if hair is coming out in patches; if the scalp itches, burns, hurts, flakes heavily or looks shiny and smooth; if the loss is sudden and heavy or has gone on for more than six months; if you are losing eyebrow hair; if it comes with irregular periods, acne or excess facial hair, which points to a hormonal cause; or if you feel unwell or have lost weight. The NHS advises seeing a GP before going to a commercial hair clinic, and we agree.
What we will not do
We will not needle, inject or treat a scalp that is sore, scaly, shiny or patchy until a dermatologist has named the condition and called it inactive. We will not sell a scalp course during a shed, or to anyone with the pattern type who has not been told that the pharmacy lotion and the prescription options come first. We will not make regrowth claims for PRP, LED or exosomes; the evidence does not support them. Results vary and cannot be guaranteed.
Skincare at home
Hair care cannot regrow hair, but it stops making things worse. Wash as often as you like with a gentle shampoo; washing does not cause loss. For a flaky, itchy scalp use an anti-dandruff shampoo from the pharmacy twice a week, because dandruff or eczema needs clearing before any treatment. Loosen tight styles, cut heat and relaxers, and go easy with extensions. Eat enough protein and iron; a crash diet is a common shedding trigger.
We stock Obagi Nu-Cil BioStim Scalp Serum 60ml, a cosmetic scalp serum for the look and feel of hair and scalp. It is not a treatment for pattern hair loss.
Common questions
How do I know if my hair loss is normal?
The NHS puts normal loss at 50 to 100 hairs a day. A change in the amount, a widening parting, a receding hairline, patches or a sore scalp is worth an assessment. Bring old photos if you have them.
Does PRP work for hair loss?
Some trials show a benefit as an add-on to medical treatment, but preparations vary so much that nobody can say how big the benefit is. It is low-certainty evidence. Our scalp PRP is on hold while we review it.
Is there a prescription treatment for hair loss?
Yes, for the pattern type: a daily tablet for men, tablet options for women, and a tablet form of the scalp lotion used off-label. We cannot name them online. They are discussed at a face-to-face consultation, and your GP can prescribe several of them.
Will my hair grow back after having a baby?
Usually, yes. Shedding after childbirth starts two to four months later and tapers off over about six to nine months. It needs no treatment unless it carries on past six months, when iron and thyroid are worth checking.
Is hair loss in women different?
The pattern type in women thins the crown and widens the parting while keeping the hairline, often mixed with shedding. The scalp lotion is first line; the men's tablet is not used in women. Hormonal causes are checked when periods are irregular or there is acne or excess hair.
My scalp itches and burns and the hair is going. What is it?
That combination needs a GP or dermatologist promptly, because it can be a scarring type where early treatment stops further loss and lost hair does not come back. We will not treat it until it has been diagnosed.
Nova Beauty Clinic is in East Finchley, three minutes on foot from East Finchley station on the Northern line, with a car park next door. People come to us about hair thinning from Hampstead, Highgate, Muswell Hill and Finchley, and from Hampstead Garden Suburb, Golders Green, Crouch End and Barnet.
This page is general information, not medical advice. What suits you depends on your own scalp, health and history, which we go through at a free consultation before anything is booked.