A trichologist in Greenwich can tell you what kind of hair loss you have, which is usually the missing piece. They examine the scalp under magnification, run a pull test, take a detailed history, and produce a written plan covering washing, styling, products and the blood tests to request from your GP. Trichologists are not doctors and cannot prescribe or diagnose medically, so check membership of the Institute of Trichologists or the Trichological Society before booking, budget 60 to 150 pounds for a first consultation, and go to your GP first if the loss is patchy, painful or sudden.

What can a trichologist tell you that you cannot work out yourself?

Most people arrive at a trichology appointment having already read a great deal online and tried at least two products. What they are missing is a category. Hair loss is not one condition, it is roughly six, and the correct response to each is completely different.

Under magnification a trained practitioner can see things that are invisible in a bathroom mirror: whether follicle openings are still present, whether hair shafts vary in thickness within a small area, whether there is inflammation around the follicle, whether the scalp is scaling or scarring. Those observations separate androgenetic alopecia from telogen effluvium from a scalp condition from mechanical breakage in a single appointment.

That is the honest reason to pay for a consultation. Not a miracle product, but the end of guessing, and a plan sized to a realistic timeline.

How do you choose a trichologist in Greenwich?

Trichologist is not a protected title in the UK. There is no legal barrier to using it, which means the professional register is doing the work that regulation would otherwise do.

1. Search the two registers. The Institute of Trichologists and the Trichological Society both publish member directories. Search south east London to cover Greenwich, Blackheath, Deptford, Woolwich and Charlton.
2. Look for MIT or AIT after the name. These indicate Institute of Trichologists membership, which requires accredited training, adherence to a code of practice, and professional indemnity insurance.
3. Read the consultation description carefully. It should mention history taking, trichoscopy, a pull test and a written plan. A page that only advertises a treatment programme is selling a product, not an assessment.
4. Ask about your hair type. Greenwich is diverse and assessment of Afro-textured or chemically treated hair benefits from genuine day-to-day experience, not a generic protocol.
5. Judge how they talk about outcomes. Careful language about what can and cannot change is a good sign. Guaranteed regrowth is not.

Which type of hair loss do you actually have?

Use this as an orientation before your appointment, not as a diagnosis.

If your row sits in the medical column, that is where to start. A cosmetic routine has a place alongside, but it will not do the work.

What does a Greenwich trichology appointment involve?

Roughly an hour, and largely conversation.

The history. Onset, rate, distribution, family history, medication, recent illness or surgery, diet, sleep, stress and, for women, menstrual and hormonal history. Expect this to take the largest share of the appointment, because it produces the largest share of the answer.

Trichoscopy. Magnified imaging of the scalp at 20x to 70x. Painless, and the images give you something concrete to compare against at your review.

The pull test. Fifty to sixty hairs held and gently pulled. More than about six releasing indicates active shedding rather than settled loss.

Density and shaft assessment. Comparing affected and unaffected regions, and checking whether breakage is happening at the root or along the shaft.

The plan. Written, with wash frequency, product changes, styling adjustments, dietary points, a list of blood tests to ask your GP for, and a review date, usually at three months.

Which common hair beliefs are simply wrong?

A surprising amount of the advice circulating online makes things worse. These are the ones trichologists correct most often.

Washing your hair causes hair loss. It does not. The hairs in the plughole had already detached from the follicle days earlier. Washing less simply batches them up so they arrive together and look alarming, while an unwashed scalp with seborrhoeic dermatitis gets steadily worse.

Hair loss comes from your mother's side. Androgenetic alopecia is polygenic. Genes from both parents contribute, which is why family pattern is a rough guide rather than a prediction.

Wearing hats suffocates follicles. Follicles are supplied by blood, not air. Hats are only a problem when they are tight enough to cause friction and tension at the hairline.

More biotin equals more hair. Biotin deficiency is rare in people eating a normal diet, and supplementing above requirement does nothing for hair while it does interfere with thyroid and cardiac blood tests. Fix a measured deficiency, do not chase a megadose.

Cold water seals the cuticle and stops shedding. Temperature has no meaningful effect on shedding. Very hot water can add to dryness and irritation, so lukewarm is a reasonable habit, but that is the whole of it.

If a product does not work in a month, it does not work. Almost nothing shows a visible result in a month. The follicle cycle sets the pace, not the formulation. For a fuller picture of what normal looks like, see what counts as normal hair loss for a woman after 40.

What can you do between now and your appointment?

Everything on this list is free, and a trichologist will ask about all of it.

• Photograph your parting and crown monthly in the same daylight, same angle, no filter. This is the single most useful thing you can bring.
• Wash on a regular schedule. Two to three times a week suits most people, daily is fine for fine or oily hair. A clean scalp is a calmer scalp.
• Loosen your styling. If it aches, it is too tight. Tension at the hairline is one of the few causes of permanent loss that is entirely within your control.
• Cut heat and chemical processing back while you work out what is happening. Breakage improves faster than any other category.
• Eat enough, particularly protein and iron. Rapid weight loss reliably triggers shedding roughly three months later.
• Write down every product and supplement you use, with dates you started them. Timelines matter more than people expect.

If a new product has left your scalp itchy or irritated, that is worth noting rather than pushing through. Our guide on whether hair growth products can cause scalp itching and irritation explains what is normal and what is not.

Grow Me® Hair Growth Shampoo, 14.95 pounds

Sulphate-free, with biotin, caffeine, rosemary, niacinamide and hydrolysed lupine protein. Built for the frequent gentle washing that scalp health depends on, cleansing thoroughly without stripping, and supporting fuller-looking hair. Vegan and made in the UK.

View Grow Me® Shampoo

Grow More® Elixir Scalp Serum, 25.50 pounds

A leave-on overnight serum for lower-density areas, with rosemary, caffeine, niacinamide, allantoin and hydrolysed lupine protein. Applied directly to the parting or crown, it supports scalp comfort and the appearance of density between washes. Cosmetic support, not a medical treatment.

View Grow More® Elixir

Watermans products are cosmetic haircare. They support the look, feel and condition of hair and scalp, and are not a treatment for any medical condition. See your GP about sudden, patchy or painful hair loss.

What does the evidence actually support?

Sorting options into tiers is the fastest way to spend sensibly.

Established medical evidence. Topical minoxidil, and oral finasteride for men, have the largest clinical evidence base for androgenetic alopecia. Both are medicines, both need a pharmacist or prescriber conversation, and both lose their effect when stopped. A trichologist can explain where they fit but cannot prescribe them.

Sensible cosmetic support. Gentle sulphate-free cleansing, protein and moisture balance, heat protection and reduced tension genuinely reduce breakage and improve apparent density. Ingredients such as caffeine, rosemary and niacinamide have supportive laboratory and small-trial data around scalp condition, which is why they earn a place in a routine, in the cosmetic column rather than the medical one. Our evidence-ranked review of the benefits of rosemary oil for hair is worth reading before you buy anything marketed on rosemary alone.

Limited or early evidence. Microneedling, low-level laser devices, platelet-rich plasma and most oral supplements. Some show promise, study quality varies, and none replaces a diagnosis. Supplementing iron or vitamin D without a blood result is guesswork.

For a routine that combines the sensible parts of all of this, our daily, weekly and monthly protocol for preventing hair loss sets it out in order.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a trichologist on the NHS in Greenwich?

No. Trichology is private and non-medical, so consultations are self-funded. Your GP can refer you to NHS dermatology for medical hair and scalp conditions, and that pathway is free.

What does a trichologist consultation cost in south east London?

Typically 60 to 150 pounds for a first appointment and 40 to 80 pounds for follow-ups. Confirm before booking whether trichoscopy and a written plan are included and whether products are charged separately.

How many hairs a day is too many?

Losing 50 to 100 a day is normal, and wash days look worse simply because several days of already-detached hairs come away at once. Consistently higher shedding beyond three months, or a parting that is visibly wider in photographs, is the point to seek assessment.

Can a trichologist tell if my hair will grow back?

They can tell you whether the follicles are still there, which is the question that matters. Intact follicle openings on trichoscopy mean regrowth remains possible. Absent openings and smooth, shiny scalp suggest scarring, where loss is permanent. Neither a trichologist nor a doctor can promise regrowth.

Does the water or air quality in London affect hair?

London water is hard, and mineral residue makes hair feel rough and harder to detangle, which increases breakage over time. Urban particulates can add to scalp irritation. Neither causes follicle-level hair loss. Regular thorough washing and an occasional clarifying wash handle both.

Should I stop dyeing my hair?

Dye does not cause hair loss at the follicle, but bleach and repeated lightening weaken the shaft and cause breakage that looks identical to thinning. If your hair is snapping, spacing out lightening sessions and adding a protein and moisture routine will do more than any growth product.

How long should I give a new routine before deciding?

Three to six months. Hair grows about one centimetre a month, so a follicle re-entering the anagen phase now shows visible length in that window. Use monthly photographs rather than daily impressions to judge it.

Can men and women see the same trichologist?

Yes. The assessment method is identical. Presentation differs, with men more often showing temple recession and crown thinning and women more often a widening central parting, but the examination and the reasoning are the same.

Is it worth going if I have already been told it is genetic?

Often yes. Genetic thinning frequently sits alongside a second, treatable factor such as low ferritin, thyroid dysfunction, breakage or traction. Removing that second layer will not reverse the genetics, but it usually improves what you see in the mirror.

What should I bring to the appointment?

Monthly photographs of your parting and crown, your medication and supplement list with start dates, any blood results from the past year, and the actual products you use so the labels can be read. That combination often removes the need for a second appointment.