The Alopecia Help Collection

Hair loss is often explained using words such as miniaturisation, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and follicular units. These are scientifically accurate terms, but they can be difficult to picture. What if, instead, you imagined your scalp as a town? This essay explores androgenetic alopecia through a simple analogy inspired by published trichoscopy research, helping to explain why the town often becomes quieter before it becomes smaller.

Hair follicles and eyes share an unusual biological feature: both depend on carefully controlled immune privilege.

One treatment kept standing As I reached the end of the paper, one treatment kept surviving. Low-level laser therapy. It isn’t the most powerful treatment we have for hair loss. But it is drug-free. It is non-invasive. And it has one of the most reassuring safety profiles during pregnancy.

“The most important part of PRP happens long before the first injection.” “We specialise in PRP. But we don’t start with PRP. We start with you.”

Where Do You Keep Your Minoxidil? My latest bottle of freshly compounded 6% topical minoxidil arrived in the post this morning. I unpacked the little 30 mL bottle and left it at the bottom of the stairs, intending to take it upstairs later. Then I made myself a hot chocolate and sat down to read some newly published research papers. Within a few minutes, I’d got up and moved the bottle because of what I’d just read. I like to think I’m pretty careful with medicines. Tabl

Most people with hair loss know that hair loss can hurt emotionally. But what about when hair loss hurts physically? Over the last few years, I’ve heard people describe their scalp pain in all sorts of ways. “It feels like it’s burning.” “My scalp feels like it’s on fire.” “I can’t put any products on my scalp at all.” “Sometimes I can’t even wash my hair because touching it hurts so much.” “I’ve gone grey, but I can’t colour the little bit of hair I have left at the front be

One thing that struck me was how much of the discussion wasn’t really about eyebrows at all. It was about confidence. Before their transplants, many of the 30 described spending a lot of mental energy thinking about their eyebrows.

If you wear a wig, topper or hair system and you’re struggling with scalp sweating today, I’m thinking of you. As temperatures climb across the UK, Dr Gwen Adey explains why sweating under wigs happens, why many people don’t realise treatment options exist, and how reducing excessive scalp sweating may help make life under a wig more comfortable.

A new study published online ahead of print has reported that applying a liposomal dutasteride formulation to damp scalp skin resulted in more dutasteride in the hair follicles than with application to dry skin.

Why does hair loss usually affect the top of the scalp while the hair at the back and sides often remains thick for decades? Modern research suggests that hair follicles from different parts of the scalp are biologically different and may even carry a “memory” of where they came from. Dr Gwen Adey explores one of the most fascinating mysteries in hair biology: how hair follicles seem to know where they are.

Imagine your phone battery. When it’s brand new, it lasts all day. A few years later, it doesn’t. It still works. Just not as well. A fascinating new study published in 2026 made me wonder whether something similar might happen inside some hair follicles

Could hair loss treatment affect your chances of having children one day? A new review published in May 2026 examined the evidence surrounding finasteride, dutasteride, male fertility and sexual function.

PRP wasn’t originally developed for hair loss. Discover how a treatment designed to support wound healing evolved into one of the most widely studied regenerative therapies for androgenetic alopecia.

Does Mounjaro cause hair loss? Dr Gwen Adey explores what the latest research actually shows, why rapid weight loss may be the real culprit, and what she would look for in clinic if a patient developed hair shedding while taking Mounjaro.

Excerpt Scientists are now experimenting with engineering early hair follicle structures using living cells, biomaterials and advanced bioprinting technologies. Could regenerative medicine eventually move beyond preserving hair… toward creating entirely new follicles?

A new 2026 review explores how hair loss affects transgender women, including the role of hormone therapy, oral minoxidil, finasteride, hair transplantation and emerging approaches to hair restoration.

If you have alopecia areata, it may be worth checking your vitamin D level. A recent systematic review found that low vitamin D levels were more common in people with alopecia areata and may be linked with more severe disease.

Could hayfever and hair loss be connected? A large 2026 study explored possible links between allergic inflammation, antihistamines and androgenetic alopecia — raising new questions about histamine, prostaglandins and hair follicle biology.

Could hair transplants eventually be performed without the obvious shaved-head recovery phase? A new experimental technique called Long Hair FUE aims to reduce visible downtime and preserve immediate cosmetic improvement after surgery.

New research suggests PRP is far more complex than platelet count alone, with patient biology and inflammation also influencing outcomes.