Hormonal · Hair & skin
Hair thinning & shedding
Diffuse shedding almost always has a biomarker cause. The trick is catching it in the first 3 months - once a hair cycle completes, regrowth takes 6–9 months regardless of what you fix.
Feels like
Does this sound like you?
- More hair in the shower drain than normal
- Visible scalp at the part line
- Hair feels thinner, not just shorter
- Eyebrows or eyelashes sparser
What to measure
The biomarkers that explain this symptom.
Grouped by the panel that tests them. We usually recommend running the top two panels together - patterns only show when you can see biomarkers next to each other.
Panel
nutrients
- FerritinFerritin under 50 ng/mL causes telogen effluvium even without anemia. Gold-standard for hair complaints.
- Vitamin DStrong association with alopecia areata and diffuse shedding.
- ZincLow zinc is a common and overlooked contributor.
Panel
thyroid
- TSH / Free T4Both hypo and hyperthyroidism cause diffuse hair loss.
Panel
hormones
- Testosterone (Free) / DHTElevated androgens cause pattern hair loss at the crown and temples.
Patterns we see
Three common clusters.
Your specific pattern will be unique, but most people land in one of these.
01
Ferritin-driven
Ferritin <50, normal hemoglobin. Most common and most reversible.
02
Post-stress telogen
Massive shed 3 months after illness, surgery, or postpartum.
03
Androgenic
Pattern loss at crown/temples, often with free T elevation.
Ready to look?
Order the nutrients + thyroid panels.
Running the top two panels together is what lets us see patterns. Add a third if you want a fuller picture - most people benefit from the trio.
Further reading