if you are experiencing hair loss your doctor will ask you several questions including: when did the hair loss start? how quickly has the hair been falling out? what other symptoms do you have such as scalp itching burning or tingling? what drugs were you taking in the four months leading up to the hair loss? what other illnesses do you have? have you made any changes to your diet or hair-care routine? the doctor also will examine your scalp to look at the pattern of hair loss. tests that may be done include: thyroid function tests to look for thyroid disorders which can sometimes cause hair loss. hair shaft exam to look at the shape length and fragility of the hairs. pull test: gently pulling on about 60 hairs to see how many come out. biopsy: removing a piece of scalp tissue for examination. hormone tests. it can be difficult to prove which drug is causing the hair loss or even that a drug is to blame. your doctor may ask you to stop taking one drug at a time and see whether your hair stops falling out but it can take two to three months after stopping a drug for the hair loss to end.
how is drug-induced hair loss diagnosed?