Hair coming out by the handful in the brush, a parting that is getting wider, a ponytail that is getting thinner: in women, hair loss almost always has an explanation, and it should be looked for before choosing a treatment. In Marrakech, Dr Sara Zahid, dermatologist in Guéliz, starts by listening to what happened in the previous three months, then examines the scalp with trichoscopy and requests blood tests when the picture calls for them. A random shampoo or a course of vitamins often delays the right diagnosis: the earlier you consult, the more hair you keep.
Losing fifty to a hundred hairs a day is usual, more in autumn. It is a real hair loss when the volume has changed: a pillow covered in hair, a clogged shower drain, a thinner ponytail, a wider parting, a receding front or temples. Counting hairs tells you little; comparing photos taken in the same light, before and now, tells you more.
Telogen effluvium is a sudden, diffuse shedding triggered two to three months earlier by childbirth, a fever, an operation, a strict diet or an emotional shock. Female androgenetic alopecia slowly thins the top of the head and widens the parting. Iron deficiency, a thyroid disorder, the menopause, certain medicines, hairstyles that pull (tight braids, extensions), repeated relaxing or straightening, or a scalp condition (seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis, alopecia areata) can also be responsible, alone or combined.
The consultation starts with your periods, pregnancies, diet, medicines, hair care and family history. Trichoscopy, a painless examination with a magnifying device, shows whether hairs are thinning, whether the skin is inflamed and how many hairs are regrowing. Depending on the case, we request ferritin and an iron profile, the thyroid (TSH) and sometimes vitamin D or a hormonal assessment.
In effluvium, we correct what triggered the shedding (iron, thyroid, diet, stress) and wait for regrowth, which takes three to six months. In androgenetic alopecia, topical minoxidil, sometimes taken orally, and certain hormonal treatments slow the loss and thicken part of the hair; they are taken for a long time and shedding rarely stops without them. Scalp conditions are treated first, because an inflamed scalp stops hair growing properly. No treatment should be stopped without medical advice.
These are supporting treatments, discussed after the work-up and not instead of it. Hair PRP (plasma prepared from your own blood) and scalp mesotherapy can accompany a main treatment in certain types of alopecia; they have no place when a deficiency has not been corrected. The expected benefits, the limits and the number of sessions are explained before any protocol.
Hair grows about a centimetre a month, which explains the slowness. A treatment is judged over several months: shedding starts to slow down before density improves. Photographs of the scalp taken in the same conditions at each appointment let us measure progress on facts, and avoid changing treatment out of impatience.
Avoid tight hairstyles and relaxing or straightening treatments too close together, dry at a moderate temperature, do not rub an irritated scalp. The sun and heat of Marrakech dry out the hair fibre and make hair brittle, but they do not alone explain a real hair loss: if it lasts, a cause is sought.
If it started two to three months after childbirth, a fever, an operation, a diet or significant stress, it is often a temporary telogen effluvium. If it lasts more than three months or comes with a wider parting, a consultation is useful.
Yes, low ferritin is a common cause of diffuse hair loss in women, especially with heavy periods or a diet low in iron. The test is requested during the consultation; supplements are adjusted to the result, not taken blindly.
A major emotional shock can trigger an effluvium two to three months later. Everyday stress does not explain a prolonged hair loss: another cause is then sought.
In the vast majority of effluviums, yes, within three to six months once the cause is removed. In androgenetic alopecia, treatment stabilises and thickens, but complete regrowth is not the rule.
A trichoscopy at the clinic and, depending on the case, a blood test: ferritin and iron, thyroid, sometimes vitamin D or hormones. Dr Zahid decides at the examination which ones are useful.
Yes. Stopping or changing a pill, the period after childbirth and the menopause all change the hormonal balance of the hair. Treatment depends on each woman’s situation and is discussed in consultation.
It can be considered as a supporting treatment in certain alopecias after a work-up. It does not replace correcting a deficiency or a main treatment, and its value depends on the cause.
As soon as it seems abnormal, lasts more than two to three months, or comes with bald patches, itching or marked dandruff. Dr Zahid sees patients in Guéliz, by appointment, in French, English and Arabic.
There is no single advertised price: the consultation and any treatments (PRP, mesotherapy) depend on what the work-up shows. A detailed quote is given before any procedure.
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