Dermatologist or Trichologist ? Who Can Help You With Your Hair Loss Problem?

Hair loss is a common hair problem, and you need a dermatologist or skin doctor to take care of it. If you are suffering from hair loss, you need to know the facts before getting the proper treatment. There are several reasons for hair loss, including thyroid disorder, alopecia areata, anaemia, traction and baldness. While these reasons are valid for both men and women, female hair loss can also occur due to polycystic ovary syndrome after pregnancy or during menopause.

Now that you know there are so many reasons leading to your hair loss, you might be considering visiting a trichologist who will check your scalp and analyze it for further inflammation, lesion, or damaged hair follicles. In short, the trichologist is an expert in human hair. So visiting a trichologist might be a great option? No. 

Dermatology is a branch of science that deals with the skin or let's say a skin specialist, while trichology deals with the hair and scalp. With so many possible reasons behind your hair loss, visiting a dermatologist a.k.a skin doctor is an excellent option. Dermatologist who are skin specialist are qualified and have medical training. They are medical doctors who specialize in treating problems relating to your hair, skin, and nails. Furthermore, they also have the training and required expertise to perform an examination and any needed tests required for an accurate and correct diagnosis. 

On the other hand, a trichologist treats problems related to your hair and scalp. When you visit a trichologist with your hair loss problem, you will for sure get some help with only topical treatment for hair loss. They cannot perform any test that might help to diagnose or understand your issue in depth. This is because a trichologist is not medically trained. 

Before rushing to decide weather to visit a Dermatologist or a Trichologist why don't you take Traya's Free Hair Test to understand the severity of your Hair Fall using a Doctor recommended test to understand the root cause of your hair loss which takes less than 2 minutes.   

To sum up, a dermatologist from the field of dermatology is more qualified and can give you exact reasons and effective medication for your hair loss problem.

Trichologist vs. Dermatologist – Who Should You See for Hair Loss?

When hair fall becomes severe, many people get confused as to whom should they consult. 

Should they consult a trichologist or a dermatologist? 

Both branches specialize in hair and scalp health, but their expertise and treatment approaches differ. The truth? Hair loss often requires more than one expert. This is why at Traya, we don’t make you choose we combine the expertise of Ayurvedic doctors, dermatologists, and nutritionists to create a personalized, root-cause treatment plan.

Let’s break down the difference between a trichologist and a dermatologist and explain why a multi-expert approach is the best solution for long-term hair health.

Trichologist vs. Dermatologist – Quick Comparison

Many assume a trichologist is the same as a dermatologist, but that’s not the case. Here’s a side-by-side comparison to clarify their roles:

Trichologists focus on general scalp health and hair care, while dermatologists diagnose and treat medical conditions affecting the scalp and hair. For best results, many hair issues require both experts which is exactly what Traya offers.

How Does a Dermatologist Help With Hair Loss?

As you already know, a dermatologist for hair can help you with hair loss treatment. Be informed that he or she is trained to evaluate and manage patients with skin disorders, hair, and nails and its adjacent mucous membrane. This means a dermatologist who is generally a skin doctor focuses primarily on the skin and its related ailments. 

Dermatologist recommend treating hair loss early before you lose a lot of hair. If you suffer from severe hair loss or medical conditions like alopecia areata, the dermatologist/ skin doctor may prescribe medications or over-the-counter medications such as minoxidil. There are specific special procedures that you might benefit from, such as laser therapy, PRP for hair loss, nutrafol, corticosteroid and platelet-rich plasma therapy. 

Besides, your dermatologist who is a skin doctor might recommend certain invasive procedures for hair loss, such as hair transplantation, scalp reduction, scalp expansion, etc. 

What Does a Trichologist Do?

A trichologist deals with all aspects of hair and scalp problems. Trichologists examine the hair and scalp to diagnose the issue and then recommend an effective solution. They determine the root cause of your hair loss problem, hair breakage, hair thinning and another related scalp issue that might be causing the issue. A Trichologist will not just examine the condition and detect the issue, but will also lighten up on best shampoos or treatments to cure hair loss. 

When a trichologist detects the root cause of your hair loss, he or she will take a holistic view of your lifestyle, including diet, the cosmetics and other hair care products you use, family history of hair fall, or if you have ever experienced any form of allergy or scalp issue. Once all the information is required for your treatment, your trichologist will prescribe you some topical medications for hair loss, such as minoxidil. A trichologist based on the type of hair loss may also suggest ultraviolet and infrared therapies. Your trichologist might also prescribe you iron, niacin and biotin, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and other multivitamins among oral medications.

How Can Each of These Professions Help With Hair Loss?

A dermatologist performs the diagnosis and conducts treatments for several skin-related issues as skin cancer, seborrhea, tumours, and other infectious diseases. As a dermatologist focuses on the problems of the skin, hair, and nail ailments and will therefore only be able to help when the hair loss is caused due to any of these reasons. They treat hair and skin-related issues, and such methods include derma fillers and small scale needling for such problems as acne, dermatitis and string veins.

A trichologist, on the other hand, works on the science and physiology of hair and scalp. He or she will take any scalp related problem or hair loss and will treat the same with topical medication. The main objective of a trichologist is to maintain the scalp and hair health of a person and help the person achieve goals of thick and fuller hair. To do this, the trichologist diagnoses the scalp and treats the hair follicles. However, being a certified professional, the trichologist cannot perform surgery.

Who Should You See First?

Feeling Confused? Not sure whether you need a trichologist or a dermatologist?  

Here’s an easy guide to help you make the right choice.

Use this quick guide to decide:

See a trichologist if:

• You are experiencing mild hair thinning

• No symptoms of infection, flaking, or patchy hair loss. 

• You are looking for basic scalp care & non-prescriptive solutions

• You are seeking help to improve overall scalp health and prevent future issues.

See a dermatologist if:

• If you notice bald patches, inflammation, or redness

• Dandruff is chronic, itchy, painful, and doesn't seem to go.

• You’ve tried multiple treatments  but nothing worked

• There is a chance of an underlying skin or autoimmune condition

Best solution? A combined approach. Traya offers a team of experts who work together to address both surface-level symptoms and deeper root causes.

Verdict : Trichologist vs Dermatologist For Your Hair Problems?

A dermatologist is a dermatology specialist who will try to understand the symptoms of hair problems such as hair loss and will not always carry out a thorough examination of the scalp. On the contrary, a trichologist will take a full hair history and check the scalp for signs of inflammation, lesion, pimples, and damaged hair follicles to further analyze the issue.

Talking about the treatments, dermatologist are allopathic physicians and use medical therapies such as minoxidil, antifungal creams, and steroids. At maximum, they will perform a biopsy to diagnose the form of alopecia that might be causing the issue. Sadly, this is not enough to solve the problem of hair loss.

On the other hand, a trichologist will approach a holistic perspective for hair loss and take on a wide range of medication to treat hair loss issues such as nutritional supplements, scalp therapy products, low-level laser therapy, and also traditional methods of treatment such as minoxidil. If needed, a trichologist will even partner with a medical doctor who will help them run blood tests to further understand the cause of hair loss. 

Therefore, seeing a trichologist for hair fall solution is more beneficial.

Besides the treatments you can opt for from a trichologist and a dermatologist, you can always trust and use natural hair care products from Traya. Products such as hair root serum, minoxidil 2% and minoxidil 5%, hair vitamins, hair fall shampoo, scalp oil and a whole range of hair care products to solve your hair related blues. 

Traya’s 3-Expert System – No More Guesswork

Why Choose When You Can Benefit from the Expertise of All Three?

At Traya, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all hair loss treatments. Instead, we use a 3-expert system to diagnose and treat hair loss from every angle.

Each plan is customized based on 50+ hair health parameters from your Traya Hair Test.

The result? A doctor-guided, science-backed plan that works without trial and error.

Limitations of Relying on Only One Specialist

Why Hair Loss Often Needs More Than One Expert

Many people make the mistake of seeing only one specialist for hair loss. Here’s why that approach can fail:

Trichologists may miss underlying medical conditions such as PCOS, thyroid disorders, and autoimmune alopecia. These require a medical diagnosis that a trichologist cannot provide.

Dermatologists may treat symptoms but might miss lifestyle factors. Scalp treatments won’t work long-term if internal imbalances like poor gut health or vitamin deficiencies aren’t addressed.

A one-time consultation isn’t enough. Hair regrowth takes time, and tracking monthly progress is key. That’s why Traya includes hair coaching and expert follow-ups so your treatment adapts as your scalp and body heal.

Get a Diagnosis from 3 Experts Without a Clinic Visit

Why choose between a dermatologist or trichologist when you can consult both plus a nutritionist from the comfort of your home?

Take Traya’s Hair Test today and get a doctor-reviewed plan designed for your hair stage and root cause.