Hair Loss Blood Test

Our blood test for hair loss lets you explore some specific health issues that could be to blame for hair loss or thinning.

It checks your thyroid hormones levels, which can indicate whether you have an underactive or overactive thyroid — both conditions can cause hair thinning. It also checks your ferritin level (iron store), as low iron is another possible cause.

Conversely, raised ferritin levels may indicate an inflammatory disorder, which could be affecting your hair growth. Our hair loss test includes an inflammatory marker (hs-CRP) to check whether this is likely.

Our test also checks your free testosterone level, as a high level of testosterone can contribute to hair loss in males. In females, hair loss is more likely to be caused by a hormonal imbalance where there’s excess androgens (a class of hormones that includes testosterone).

There are many reasons for hair loss. The most common is genetics — this is known as hereditary male or female pattern baldness. This can happen at any life stage but is more common with age.

Occasionally, hair loss can be the sign of a medical issue. These include autoimmune conditions (like a thyroid disorder, lupus, alopecia areata, or Crohn’s disease), hormone imbalances, and micronutrient deficiencies, such as low iron.

Other causes of hair loss include stress, illness, drug side effects, overstyling, and regularly applying chemicals to your hair, such as hair dye.

If you’re experiencing hair thinning or loss in addition to other symptoms, we recommend you see your GP.

Shedding hair is a normal part of life. On average, we have around 100,000 hair follicles on our heads and lose between 50–100 hairs per day, as part of the hair’s natural growth cycle.

Hair loss isn’t normally anything to worry about, but if you’re concerned about the amount of hair you’re losing, a blood test is a great first step to begin investigating possible causes.

This depends on the cause. Some types of hair loss are permanent, like male and female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss usually runs in families.

Other types of hair loss may be temporary, such as hair loss caused by stress, an illness, cancer treatment, or weight loss, and normally goes away as your body recovers from the trigger event.

Iron deficiency can cause hair loss and is more common in women who have periods, people with anaemia, and people who follow a plant-based diet.

Adding iron-rich foods to your diet may help to prevent hair loss if you find your iron level is below the normal range. And your doctor may recommend supplements if you have iron deficiency anaemia.

Healthy levels of riboflavin, biotin, B12, folate, selenium, zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium are also important for healthy hair.

The relationship between hair loss and testosterone is complicated. Testosterone itself doesn’t directly cause hair loss. It’s the action of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — a hormone made from testosterone — that can affect hair follicles leading to hair loss.

It’s not the amount of DHT that causes hair loss, it’s the sensitivity of the hair follicles to DHT. And that sensitivity is determined by genetics. Age, stress, and other factors can also play a part, but if you’re male and have a close male relative with male pattern baldness, you’re more likely to develop it too.

Hair loss is more common in males than females. It also tends to follow a different pattern. Genetic male pattern baldness typically begins with a receding front hairline and a bald spot at the crown of the head, while women tend to experience diffuse hair loss across the scalp.

It’s thought that as men constantly produce testosterone throughout their lives, they’re more likely to experience hair loss. For women, hormonal changes may lead to excess shedding, with many women noticing their hair thinning around menopause and after childbirth.

Hair loss and thinning can be upsetting. For many people, their hair is an important part of their identity.

If hair loss or thinning is affecting your mental health, we recommend that you seek help from your GP. You may also benefit from joining support groups and online forums, where you can talk to other people going through the same experience.

Yes, you can take our hair loss test at home. We’ll send you everything you need including a finger-prick test kit and a return envelope for your sample.

The reference range for testosterone has been adjusted to have a lower limit of 12 nmol/L to reflect guidance from the British Society for Sexual Medicine (BSSM) 2022.

Our medical advice regarding testosterone levels remains the same and we advise that if your total testosterone level is between the range of 8-12 nmol/L and you have symptoms of low testosterone you may be considered eligible for testosterone replacement therapy. If your testosterone level falls within this range but you have no symptoms this is considered satisfactory and no further action is required.