Article: Trichologists Northampton: Blood Tests to Ask Your GP For First

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Two blood sample tubes in a gloved hand, the iron and thyroid checks to get before seeing trichologists Northampton

Jul 14, 2025Hair Loss

Trichologists Northampton: Blood Tests to Ask Your GP For First

Before you pay a hair specialist, a free NHS blood test can check for low iron and thyroid problems behind your shedding.

If you are searching for trichologists Northampton because hair is coming out all over your head, ask your GP about blood tests first. A full blood count, ferritin (your iron stores) and thyroid function are the usual starting checks, with vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D added when your diet or symptoms point that way. The NHS lists iron deficiency among the causes of temporary hair loss, and NHS tests are free. A trichologist adds most value once normal results are back.

Key takeaways

The NHS lists iron deficiency among causes of temporary hair loss, and hair loss among symptoms of an underactive thyroid.
Hair can shed before iron runs low enough to change a full blood count, so ask for ferritin as well.
NICE says a ferritin below 30 micrograms per litre confirms iron deficiency, but some hair researchers argue for a higher level.
If you take biotin, say so when your blood is taken, as it can affect thyroid readings.
Trichologists Northampton residents see privately earn their fee when results are normal but shedding carries on.

Why can low iron or a thyroid problem make your hair shed?

Low iron and thyroid problems can make hair shed because both disturb the hair growth cycle, pushing more growing hairs into their resting phase at once, and resting hairs fall out a few months later, which shows up as diffuse shedding across the whole scalp rather than a single bald patch.

DermNet lists iron deficiency and both an underactive and an overactive thyroid among the triggers of telogen effluvium, the medical name for this shedding, and says it can affect up to 50% of scalp hair. The NHS lists dry hair or hair loss among the common symptoms of an underactive thyroid, and more hair coming out when brushing or washing as a less common symptom of iron deficiency anaemia.

Woman with curly hair checking it in the bathroom mirror for the all-over shedding trichologists Northampton are often asked about

StatPearls notes that because the body puts blood before hair, hair can shed before iron runs low enough to change your red blood cells, so a normal full blood count alone does not rule out low iron. Our guide to how thyroid-related hair loss shows up covers the thyroid side in depth.

How do you tell shedding from breakage and hair loss?

Shedding, breakage and hair loss are three different problems: shedding is the growth cycle releasing whole hairs with a small pale bulb at the root, breakage is the hair fibre snapping part way along, and hair loss means the follicles themselves are changing, as in pattern thinning or patchy alopecia. When the change is slow thinning at the parting or crown and a parent had the same pattern, our Colchester guide to family history and pattern thinning covers what inheritance can and cannot predict.

The NHS says losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal, so what counts is a clear change from your own baseline.

Sign	Shedding	Breakage	Hair loss
What you find	Full length hairs with a small pale bulb, all over the scalp	Short pieces with blunt or frayed ends	Finer hairs at the parting or crown, or smooth patches
Link to blood results	Low iron and thyroid changes are recognised triggers	Usually heat, colour, friction and tension instead	Pattern thinning usually runs in the family, says the NHS

Which blood tests can a GP check when your hair is shedding?

The blood tests a GP can check when your hair is shedding usually start with a full blood count for anaemia, ferritin for your iron stores and thyroid function, with vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D added when your diet, symptoms or medical history suggest they are worth looking at.

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) says a blood test may be done to exclude other causes of shedding, including thyroid conditions and iron deficiency.

Test	What it measures	Why it matters for shedding
Full blood count (FBC)	Blood cell numbers, checking for conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia (NHS)	Shows anaemia, but hair can shed before the count changes
Ferritin	Stored iron, the test NICE says most reliably reflects body iron stores	Low iron is a recognised shedding trigger
Thyroid function	Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (T4)	An underactive or overactive thyroid can trigger shedding
Vitamin B12 and folate	Two vitamins needed for healthy red blood cells	DermNet lists both among levels to correct in shedding
Vitamin D	Your vitamin D level	Linked with several types of hair loss, but supplement benefit is unproven

Not every GP will run every test: a 2006 review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found too little evidence to screen everyone with hair loss for iron deficiency.

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How do you ask for blood tests in Northamptonshire?

Asking for blood tests in Northamptonshire starts with your own NHS GP surgery: describe the shedding, when it started and any other symptoms, and if the GP agrees the checks are needed they send an electronic request, then your blood is taken at the surgery or at a hospital phlebotomy service.

Kettering General Hospital's phlebotomy service, for example, says routine blood tests are pre-booked online, you need your NHS number to book, and the test will not go ahead without a valid request from your GP or hospital clinician. Northampton General Hospital has its own Blood Taking Unit.

GP in a white coat talking through blood test results with a man in a surgery consultation room

The NHS says results may come back after a few days and usually within a few weeks. If you are registered with a GP surgery and aged 16 or over, you can view results added to your GP record in the NHS App. Printed results make any later visit to trichologists Northampton residents use far more useful.

What to tell your GP

When the shedding began, and whether anything big happened one to six months before.
Whether your periods are heavy, and whether you eat meat, fish or dairy.
Other symptoms: tiredness, breathlessness, feeling cold, a racing heart, weight change.
Every supplement you take. The British Thyroid Foundation asks you to mention any containing biotin or iodine, as they can affect thyroid readings.

If your shedding started a few months after a fever or an operation, our Derby guide to shedding after an illness explains that pattern.

What do your blood test results mean in plain words?

Blood test results mean most when read against the laboratory's own reference range and your symptoms: a low haemoglobin points to anaemia, a low ferritin points to depleted iron stores, and a TSH outside its range suggests your thyroid may be making too much or too little hormone, which your GP will explain and follow up.

Result	In plain words	Worth asking
Haemoglobin below range	Anaemia: fewer oxygen-carrying red cells than normal	What is causing it? NICE says the underlying cause should be found
Ferritin below 30 micrograms per litre	Iron deficiency, confirmed according to NICE, even with normal haemoglobin	Is an iron supplement right for me, and when do we recheck?
Normal ferritin soon after an illness	Possibly misleading: NICE says infection or inflammation can raise ferritin even when iron is low	Would a later recheck help?
TSH within range (typically 0.4 to 4.0 mU/l)	The British Thyroid Foundation says the thyroid is very likely working normally	Ranges vary by laboratory, so ask for yours
TSH above or below range	The thyroid may be underactive or overactive; many laboratories then measure T4 automatically	What happens next, and when do we retest?
Low B12 or folate	The NHS links deficiency with extreme tiredness, pins and needles and a sore, red tongue	Why is it low: diet, absorption or something else?

Why do sources disagree on the right ferritin level for hair?

Sources disagree on the right ferritin level for hair because NICE sets its cut-off to confirm iron deficiency in general, below 30 micrograms per litre, while some hair researchers argue that people with ongoing shedding may need more iron in reserve, and the studies comparing ferritin in people with and without shedding do not all agree.

NICE (revised July 2026). Below 30 micrograms per litre confirms iron deficiency in all people, though results are hard to read during infection or inflammation.
Rushton, 2002. A review in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology suggested 70 micrograms per litre for people with increased shedding, while saying the right level had yet to be definitively established.
Treister-Goltzman and colleagues, 2022. A meta-analysis of 36 studies and 10,029 participants found women with non-scarring hair loss had lower ferritin on average than women without.
Durusu Turkoglu and colleagues, 2024. Comparing 90 women with chronic telogen effluvium and 90 without found no difference in ferritin, B12, thyroid tests or vitamin D, and concluded nutritional deficiencies are not as common as thought.

So a ferritin of 35 is normal by the NICE definition but well short of Rushton's level. Ask for your actual number and talk it through with your GP.

Do not chase a ferritin number on your own

The 2006 review warns that too much supplemental iron can cause iron overload, especially with hereditary haemochromatosis. Take iron supplements only on the advice of your GP or a registered dietitian.

Can food help keep iron, B12 and vitamin D topped up?

Food can help keep iron, B12 and vitamin D topped up for most people, and the NHS points to red meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit and fortified cereals for iron, fortified foods or supplements for B12 on a vegan diet, and a daily vitamin D supplement in autumn and winter.

Plates of red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts, seeds and vegetables, plant sources of iron for hair shedding

Iron. The NHS lists liver (avoid it in pregnancy), red meat, beans such as red kidney beans and chickpeas, nuts, dried apricots and fortified breakfast cereals, and suggests cutting back on tea, coffee and milk, which can stop your body absorbing iron.
Vitamin B12. The NHS says a deficiency can happen on a vegan diet without supplements or fortified foods, and the BAD suggests considering supplements if your diet is restricted.
Vitamin D. The NHS says we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight between October and early March, that 10 micrograms a day is enough for most people, and not to take more than 100 micrograms a day.

The NHS lists wanting to eat non-food items such as paper or ice, known as pica, among symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia, and a 2023 scoping review of 20 reports found pica cleared up in every one once the iron deficiency was dealt with.

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Sugar-free vegan gummies, taken two a day, with biotin and zinc, which contribute to the maintenance of normal hair. They are no substitute for a GP checking your iron, and because they contain biotin, mention them whenever your thyroid blood test is taken.

When do trichologists Northampton add value after normal blood tests?

Trichologists Northampton residents see privately add most value when blood tests come back normal but shedding carries on beyond six months, when you cannot tell shedding from breakage or early pattern thinning, or when you want a trained eye to measure and record changes in your hair and scalp over several months.

The BAD classes shedding that lasts more than six months as chronic. A trichologist will take a detailed history, examine your scalp and collected hairs under magnification, and may do a gentle pull test, which the BAD says can be falsely negative if hair was washed within the previous 48 hours.

A trichologist cannot order NHS blood tests, and a reputable one will send you back to your GP when something looks medical. Check that any practitioner is a member of the Institute of Trichologists, which runs a Find a Trichologist search, or the Trichological Society.

How can you look after shedding hair while you wait for results?

Looking after shedding hair while you wait for results means washing as often as you normally would with a mild shampoo, conditioning every time and cutting out extra breakage, because skipping washes does not save hairs that are already resting: they simply come out together on the next wash day.

Rushton's 2002 review observed that many people cut back on shampooing for fear of losing more hair, which only increases the amount they see at the next wash.

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When should you see a GP promptly instead of waiting?

See a GP promptly instead of waiting if shedding comes with smooth bald patches, a sore, red or scaling scalp, breathlessness, a racing or irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, heavy periods, or weight change you cannot explain, because these signs point beyond the hair to something a doctor needs to look at.

The NHS lists tiredness, shortness of breath and heart palpitations among symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia, and weight loss and sensitivity to heat among those of an overactive thyroid.

Our range is vegan, made in the UK and has sold over 6.5 million bottles since 2012. It is cosmetic: it reduces breakage and helps hair look and feel healthier, and it cannot correct low iron or a thyroid problem.

Frequently asked questions

Should I see my GP or trichologists Northampton first?

See your GP first. An NHS GP can request a full blood count, ferritin and thyroid function free of charge, which can rule out low iron or a thyroid problem. If the results are normal and shedding carries on, a registered trichologist can examine your scalp under magnification and track changes over several months.

What ferritin level is too low for hair?

NICE says a ferritin below 30 micrograms per litre confirms iron deficiency. Some hair researchers have suggested aiming higher for people with ongoing shedding, and one 2002 review proposed 70, but it also said the right level had not been definitively established. Discuss your own number, and any supplements, with your GP.

Can a normal ferritin result still hide low iron?

Yes. Ferritin rises during infection and inflammation, so NICE warns it can read high even when iron is low, and StatPearls adds that a normal ferritin does not exclude iron deficiency. If you were recently ill, ask your GP whether other iron tests or a later recheck would help.

Do biotin gummies affect thyroid blood tests?

They can. The British Thyroid Foundation asks you to tell the person taking your blood about any vitamin or mineral supplements, particularly those containing biotin or iodine, because they can affect thyroid test readings. Mention every supplement you take when your GP requests the test.

Is vitamin D worth checking for hair shedding?

It can be, especially if you get little sun or cover your skin outdoors. A 2021 review found most studies link lower vitamin D with several types of non-scarring hair loss, but conclusive evidence that supplements help hair is lacking. The NHS suggests considering 10 micrograms a day in autumn and winter.

Will my hair recover once low iron is corrected?

Often, yes. StatPearls says hair growth returns once a deficiency such as low iron is corrected, and the British Association of Dermatologists warns that shedding can come back if low iron is left unaddressed. New hair takes months to show, so judge progress with dated monthly photos rather than daily hair counts. For a closer look at a widening parting specifically, our Wellingborough guide to female pattern hair loss explains the Ludwig scale and the blood tests worth asking a GP about.

Sources & references

What is the bottom line on trichologists Northampton?

Diffuse shedding has several possible causes, and low iron and thyroid problems are two you can check for free. Before you pay any of the trichologists Northampton has, ask your GP for a full blood count, ferritin and thyroid function, plus B12, folate or vitamin D if your diet or symptoms suggest them, and ask for the actual numbers, because ferritin cut-offs are still debated. If results are normal and shedding carries on past six months, a registered trichologist is worth the fee.

While you wait for results, sugar-free vegan hair gummies such as GrowPro add biotin and zinc, which contribute to the maintenance of normal hair, alongside a balanced diet rather than instead of a GP iron check.

Watermans products are 100% cosmetic and do not treat medical hair loss. Individual results may vary.

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Medically reviewed by Dr. Amy Revene M.B.B.S. A dedicated General Physician at New Hope Medical Center, holds a distinguished academic background from the University of Sharjah. Beyond her clinical role, she nurtures a fervent passion for researching and crafting hair care and cosmetic products. Merging medical insights with her love for dermatological science, Dr. Revene aspires to improve well-being through innovative personal care discoveries.