Hair loss in Lagos has many treatable causes — iron deficiency, thyroid disease, PCOS, hormonal changes, traction damage, or alopecia areata. At Mascot Healthcare, Akoka, we identify the cause with blood tests and clinical assessment, and prescribe appropriate treatment. Walk-in from ₦5,000.
Generalised hair thinning — reduced hair density across the whole scalp. Most commonly iron deficiency, thyroid disease, or telogen effluvium (stress/illness-triggered shedding).
FBC + ferritin + TSHSmooth, round, or oval bald patches on the scalp — alopecia areata (autoimmune). May affect beard, eyebrows, and other areas.
Clinical diagnosis + dermatologyProgressive recession of the frontal hairline — androgenetic alopecia (male-pattern). Also affects women (female-pattern hair loss — diffuse crown thinning).
Clinical assessment + hormonesThis combination in women — alopecia at temples, jawline acne, irregular periods — is the PCOS triad. Hormonal imbalance is the cause.
PCOS hormonal panelTelogen effluvium — diffuse shedding 2–4 months after a significant stressor (fever, malaria, surgery, rapid weight loss, major illness). Usually temporary.
Clinical assessment + FBCTraction alopecia — hair loss at the hairline from tight braids, weaves, or extensions. A significant and under-recognised cause in Lagos women.
Clinical diagnosis + adviceIron is essential for hair follicle function. Iron deficiency — extremely common in Lagos women due to heavy menstrual bleeding and dietary inadequacy — causes diffuse hair thinning long before anaemia develops. Serum ferritin (iron stores) is the most sensitive test — it can be low even when haemoglobin is normal. Treatment: iron supplementation and addressing the source of blood loss.
Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism cause hair loss. Hypothyroid hair is dry, brittle, and diffusely thin; hyperthyroid hair is fine and shed diffusely. A TSH test diagnoses both. Hair loss resolves with thyroid treatment.
Elevated androgens in PCOS cause female-pattern hair loss — thinning at the crown and temple recession. The same androgens cause acne and hirsutism. Hormonal management of PCOS (combined pill, anti-androgens) slows hair loss progression.
The most preventable cause in Lagos — chronic tension from tight braids, weaves, and extensions gradually destroys hair follicles at the frontal hairline and temples. Early traction alopecia is reversible; late-stage scarring alopecia is permanent. Hairstyle modification is the treatment.
Treatment is cause-specific:
Blood tests + clinical assessment at Mascot Healthcare, Akoka. Walk-in from ₦5,000.