Conditions · Skin
Acupuncture for Hair Loss
Hair loss has many causes, from stress and illness to hormones, genes and the immune system. Chinese medicine looks at the pattern behind it, and treatment supports your general health alongside your doctor's assessment.
Common symptoms
- More hair than usual in the brush, the shower drain or on the pillow
- Gradual thinning at the crown, the part or the temples
- Round, smooth bald patches (alopecia areata)
- A widening part or a thinner ponytail
- Shedding a few months after an illness, surgery, childbirth or a stressful time
Common causes
- Pattern hair loss, which runs in families and is linked to hormones
- Heavy shedding (telogen effluvium) after illness, childbirth, surgery, crash dieting or severe stress
- Alopecia areata, where the immune system attacks hair follicles
- Thyroid problems, low iron and some medicines
- Tight hairstyles and harsh hair treatments
How Chinese medicine understands hair loss
In Chinese medicine, hair is called “the surplus of Blood”. It is nourished by Blood and rooted in the Kidney. When there is enough Blood and the Kidney is strong, hair is thick and glossy. When Blood is thin or cannot reach the scalp, hair is said to lose its nourishment.
The common patterns are:
- Blood deficiency. Diffuse thinning and dry, brittle hair, often with a pale face, tiredness, dizziness on standing, or light periods. It often follows childbirth, heavy periods or illness.
- Liver and Kidney deficiency. Gradual thinning with age, early greying, a weak or sore lower back, and sometimes ringing in the ears or poor sleep.
- Liver Qi stagnation and Blood stasis. Hair loss after a period of stress, shock or grief, sometimes in patches, with tension, poor sleep or a feeling of heat.
- Damp-heat. An oily, itchy or flaky scalp with shedding, often worse with rich food and alcohol.
The pattern shapes the plan. Thinning from depleted Blood is treated by building Blood. Hair loss after stress or shock is treated by moving Qi and calming the mind.
What treatment involves
It is best to have your doctor assess hair loss first, including blood tests for iron and thyroid, because some causes need medical treatment. The first visit includes a lot of questions: when the hair loss started, whether it is patchy or all over, recent illness, childbirth or stress, your diet, periods, sleep and medicines. I also look at your tongue and take your pulse.
Acupuncture points are commonly chosen on the body for your pattern, with points on the scalp in some cases. The aim is to support circulation, sleep and your general health, and to ease the stress that often comes with losing hair.
Chinese herbal medicine is often part of treatment, because building Blood and supporting the Kidney is a daily, slow process. I write a formula for your pattern and dispense it at the clinic.
Hair grows slowly, and changes take months. The clinic is in Keswick. Plan on 5–10 treatments to judge progress with your general health; research on acupuncture for hair loss is still developing.
Between visits
- Eat enough protein and iron-rich foods, and avoid crash diets, which can set off shedding.
- Be gentle with your hair. Avoid tight ponytails and braids, and limit heat styling, bleaching and chemical straightening.
- Look after your sleep and stress. Both matter to Chinese medicine and to shedding.
- Take supplements only with advice. Too much of some, such as vitamin A or selenium, can itself cause hair loss.
- Track it. Photos of your part or crown every month show change better than memory.
When to see your doctor first
See your doctor or a dermatologist if:
- Hair loss is sudden, heavy, or in round patches.
- Your scalp is red, scaly, painful or scarred, or has pus-filled bumps.
- You also have tiredness, feeling cold, weight change, heavy periods or palpitations, which can point to thyroid or iron problems.
- A woman has thinning along with acne, facial hair or irregular periods.
- Hair loss started after a new medicine.
- You lose eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair as well.
Questions about hair loss
Will acupuncture make my hair grow back?
No one can promise that, and I do not. Hair loss has many causes, and some, such as inherited thinning, follow their own course. Treatment works on your general health and the pattern behind the hair loss. Your doctor or a dermatologist should assess the cause, and treatment here runs alongside theirs.
My hair started falling out a few months after I had a baby. Is that related?
Very often, yes. Heavy shedding two to four months after childbirth is common and usually settles by itself. In Chinese medicine it is often seen as Blood depleted by pregnancy and birth. If it goes on for more than six months, or you also feel very tired, see your doctor to check iron and thyroid.
Do you use a plum-blossom needle on the scalp?
A plum-blossom needle, a small hammer with a cluster of short needles that taps the skin lightly, is traditionally used on the scalp in Chinese medicine. Whether it suits you depends on your pattern and the state of your scalp, and the options are explained at your first visit.