Hair Loss and Scalp Conditions: Dermatologist in Dubai
Hair loss has several causes and they are treated differently: the gradual thinning of pattern hair loss, the sudden shedding that follows illness, childbirth or stress, patchy loss from alopecia areata, and scalp conditions that damage the follicle. At Smart Care Polyclinic in Deira, a specialist dermatologist examines the scalp, checks the bloods that matter, and tells you which you have before any treatment is suggested.
For: thinning, shedding, patches, dandruff, itchy or flaking scalp
Takes: a 20-30 minute consultation; blood tests where indicated
Price: consultation AED 125
What it is
Pattern hair loss is the commonest cause in both sexes. It is inherited and hormone-driven: the follicles at the temples and crown in men, and across the top of the scalp in women, gradually shrink and produce finer, shorter hairs. It is slow and progressive, which is why treatment aims to hold what is there as much as to regrow.
Telogen effluvium is the sudden, diffuse shedding that starts two to four months after a trigger — a high fever, surgery, childbirth, crash dieting, iron deficiency, thyroid change or severe stress — and usually recovers by itself once the trigger has passed. Alopecia areata causes smooth round patches and is autoimmune. Scalp conditions such as seborrhoeic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis cause flaking and itch and can add to shedding.
Blood tests are part of the assessment, not an optional extra. Iron stores, thyroid function and vitamin D are checked because deficiency is common in Dubai and correctable. For pattern hair loss, treatments with evidence include topical minoxidil, oral medicines chosen for your sex and health, and injectable therapies; a systematic review of injectable options for pattern hair loss is cited here so you can see the state of that evidence rather than a claim.1
Trichoscopy: looking properly before treating
The scalp is examined with trichoscopy at the consultation. A dermatoscope — the same magnifying device used to assess a mole — is held against the scalp and lit, so the dermatologist sees the individual hair shafts and the skin between them at magnification instead of judging by eye across a room.
It matters because the common causes of hair loss look alike at arm's length and quite different close up. Pattern loss shows hairs of visibly different thicknesses side by side in the same area. Sudden diffuse shedding shows short regrowing hairs across the whole scalp. Patchy loss and the scarring conditions each have their own appearance, and the scarring ones matter most to catch early because the follicle can be lost for good. These are different diagnoses needing different treatment, and getting them the wrong way round costs months.
It takes a few minutes, nothing is injected and nothing is taken. The views are recorded and repeated later in the course, which is what makes it possible to say whether a treatment is actually working rather than relying on whether it feels like it is.
PRP and mesotherapy for hair: where they fit
Platelet-rich plasma and scalp mesotherapy are offered here, and they are offered after the diagnosis, not instead of it. They have a role in pattern hair loss alongside proven medicines, and none in telogen effluvium that will recover on its own or in alopecia areata that needs different treatment. The dermatologist will say which applies to you, and the treatment pages state what the studies found.
Dandruff, itch and flaking
Persistent dandruff is usually seborrhoeic dermatitis, a yeast-driven inflammation that responds to antifungal shampoos used correctly, and sometimes to short courses of a topical steroid. Thick, silvery scale that extends past the hairline is more likely scalp psoriasis. Both are common, both are treatable, and neither causes permanent hair loss when treated.
The consultation, and what follows from it
Dermatology consultation
Assessment, examination and a plan with every cost stated before anything further is done.
AED 125
Bookiron, thyroid and vitamin D in one draw
what the studies found, and the price
Questions patients ask
Shedding after illness, childbirth or stress usually recovers within six to nine months. Pattern hair loss is progressive but can be slowed and partly reversed with treatment. Scarring types are permanent, which is why early assessment matters.
Typically ferritin (iron stores), thyroid function and vitamin D, with others depending on your history. The hair-loss panel on this site bundles the usual ones; the dermatologist can add to it.
It has evidence in pattern hair loss, with results that vary between studies and people, and the treatment page sets that evidence out. It is not the right treatment for every cause of hair loss, which is why the diagnosis comes first.
This guide is general information about a condition, not a diagnosis. Skin conditions overlap, and what looks like one thing is often another; the dermatologist's examination is what decides your treatment.
References
- Beer J, Boghosian T, Mendez H, Sayegh M, Beer K, Wambier CG. Injectable Therapy for Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review. Dermatologic Surgery. 2026;52(7):659-665. PMID 41603616. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000004999A systematic review of injectable treatments for pattern hair loss, covering platelet-rich plasma and injected micronutrients.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.