Most hair loss does not need treatment, and the NHS says so directly: it is usually either temporary and will grow back, or it is permanent pattern baldness. Losing between 50 and 100 hairs a day is normal and often unnoticed.

Where treatment is genuinely useful, the honest summary is narrow. There are few licensed medicines, they work while you take them and not after, and the most effective one is for men only and carries handling restrictions that matter to anyone else in the household. That is a less appealing story than most hair-loss marketing tells, which is exactly why it is worth having straight.

Key takeaways

  • Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Hair loss is not usually anything to worry about, though occasionally it signals a medical condition.
  • Pattern baldness is permanent and usually runs in the family, which is what separates it from the temporary types.
  • Get a diagnosis first. The NHS advises seeing a GP to find out the cause before considering a commercial hair clinic.
  • Finasteride is licensed for male pattern hair loss in men only, and is not indicated for women.
  • Women who are or may be pregnant must not handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets, or dutasteride capsules at all, because of risk to a male fetus.
  • Treatment is indefinite. These medicines maintain a result rather than cure a cause, so stopping reverses the benefit.
  • Finasteride lowers PSA, which matters for prostate cancer screening and must be mentioned to any doctor testing it.

What is actually causing my hair loss?

That is the question to answer before spending anything, because the answer determines whether treatment can help at all.

The NHS divides it usefully. Some hair loss is temporary and will grow back. Some types are permanent, notably male and female pattern baldness, which usually runs in the family. Occasionally hair loss is a sign of a medical condition, which is the case that most needs identifying rather than covering up.

Causes worth ruling out before assuming pattern baldness include thyroid problems, iron deficiency, a recent illness, surgery or major stress, and some medicines. Several of these are treatable, and treating them addresses the hair loss at source.

The NHS’s own advice on sequencing is blunt and worth repeating: see a GP to get an idea about what is causing your hair loss before thinking about going to a commercial hair clinic. A clinic that sells a procedure is not the right place to establish whether you needed one.

This matters here more than in most markets, because Dubai is a hair transplant destination and the commercial offer is everywhere. A transplant moves existing hair; it does not stop the process that thinned it. Which is why the medical question comes first.

What treatments actually have evidence behind them?

For pattern hair loss, a short list, and each has a real cost attached.

Minoxidil, applied to the scalp. Available without prescription in many markets and used for both male and female pattern loss. It has to be continued; stopping reverses the gain.

Finasteride, a tablet. Its label is precise: it is a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in MEN ONLY, and it is not indicated for use in women. This is the option with the strongest evidence in men and the one with the most conditions attached. See finasteride vs dutasteride for how it compares with the other 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor people ask about.

Ketoconazole shampoo, which addresses scalp conditions that can accompany hair loss rather than pattern baldness itself.

Spironolactone, used in some women for androgen-related hair loss, as a clinical decision rather than a self-treatment.

The NHS also lists non-medicine options including steroid injections and creams for patchy loss, immunotherapy, light treatment, micropigmentation, hair transplant, and scalp reduction surgery, noting that some may not be available on the NHS. Which of these is relevant depends entirely on the diagnosis, which is the point of getting one.

What does “you have to keep taking it” really mean?

That these medicines hold a result rather than fix a cause, so the result unwinds when you stop.

This is the cost people underestimate. It is not a course of treatment with an end date. It is an ongoing commitment, indefinitely, with ongoing expense and ongoing exposure to side effects, and hair gained will be lost again after stopping.

That is not an argument against treating. It is an argument for deciding deliberately rather than drifting into it, and for asking your prescriber what stopping looks like before you start.

What restrictions should I know about before starting?

Two that are frequently skipped in consumer articles, and both matter.

Handling and pregnancy. The finasteride label states that women should not handle crushed or broken tablets when they are pregnant or may potentially be pregnant, due to potential risk to a male fetus. Dutasteride goes further: women who are pregnant or may be pregnant should not handle the capsules at all, and its use is contraindicated in women who are pregnant. If you share a home, this is a storage and handling matter, not just a personal one.

PSA and prostate cancer screening. The finasteride label states that it causes a decrease in serum PSA levels, and that any confirmed increase in PSA while taking it may signal the presence of prostate cancer and should be evaluated, even if the value is still within the normal range for men not taking a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor. In practice: tell any doctor arranging a PSA test that you take finasteride. A result that looks reassuring may not be.

Is a hair transplant the answer?

It can be, for the right diagnosis, but it does not stop the underlying process.

A transplant relocates hair from the back of the head to thinning areas. The transplanted hair tends to persist, but the hair around it continues to behave as it did, which is why maintenance medication is usually part of the plan rather than an upsell.

Questions worth asking any clinic:

  • What is my diagnosis, and how was it established?
  • What happens to my non-transplanted hair over the next five years?
  • What medication will I need afterwards, and for how long?
  • What does the result look like if I stop that medication?

If a clinic cannot answer the last two clearly, that is informative.

Do and don’t

Do:

  • Get the cause diagnosed before paying for a commercial treatment.
  • Ask about thyroid, iron and medicines as possible causes.
  • Tell any doctor testing your PSA that you take finasteride.
  • Store finasteride and dutasteride away from anyone who is or may be pregnant.
  • Ask what happens when you stop, before you start.

Don’t:

  • Don’t take finasteride or dutasteride if you are a woman who is or may become pregnant, and don’t handle broken tablets or dutasteride capsules.
  • Don’t expect a result to persist after stopping treatment.
  • Don’t start with a clinic that sells the procedure rather than a diagnosis.
  • Don’t assume shedding is pattern baldness; some causes are reversible.

Frequently asked questions

Is some daily hair loss normal? Yes. The NHS puts the normal range at 50 to 100 hairs a day, often lost without noticing. A change in the pattern or rate is more meaningful than the absolute number.

Can women take the same medicines as men? Not the same ones. Finasteride’s label states it is indicated in men only and is not indicated for use in women. Female pattern hair loss is treated, but with a different set of options and after a different assessment, since causes such as thyroid disease and iron deficiency are more commonly implicated.

Does the climate here cause hair loss? Heat, sun and swimming affect hair condition rather than causing pattern baldness, which is driven by genetics and hormones. Damage and shedding are different things, and telling them apart is part of what a diagnosis is for.

Where to go next

The hair loss category lists what is stocked here, and androgenetic alopecia approaches it from the diagnosis. If you are weighing the two tablet options, that is covered in finasteride vs dutasteride.

MedicForce option: our hair loss listings are organised by active ingredient and strength, so you can identify what you were prescribed elsewhere.

  • Hair loss, NHS causes, what is normal, when to see a GP, and the full range of treatment options including the non-medicine ones.
  • Finasteride, NHS patient-facing guidance on taking finasteride for hair loss and prostate enlargement.

Label statements quoted above are from the approved product information for Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride).