Signature Offerings > TCM Hair Loss Treatment
TCM Hair Loss Treatment
~Holistic, Full-body approach to hair loss ~
Did you know that your hair is constantly growing, resting, shedding, and renewing itself?
Each hair follicle follows its own growth cycle, which is why we don't lose all our hair at once. At any given time, different hairs are at different stages of this cycle.
Understanding what happens at each stage, and what may be interfering with the natural growth process, is an important part of addressing hair loss at its root.
This page offers an information about hair growth cycle and hair loss, and how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may support to regain hair.
Feel free to scroll at your own pace, or jump to the section that speaks to you most.
Hair Growth Cycle
Each individual hair follows its own cycle, moving through three main phases;
Anagen (Growth phase): The active growth phase. This typically lasts 2–6 years for scalp hair, although it varies between individuals. During this phase, hair grows approximately 1 cm per month.
Catagen (Transition phase): A short transitional period, usually lasting around 2–3 weeks, when active growth stops and the follicle begins to shrink.
Telogen (Resting phase): The resting phase, generally lasting around 2–3 months, after which the hair sheds and a new growth cycle begins.
We normally shed approximately 50–100 hairs per day.
Around 80–90% of scalp hairs are typically in the active growth phase (Anagen).
Scalp hair grows approximately 1 cm per month, or around 12 cm per year.
The length of the Anagen phase largely determines how long your hair can grow.
Most scalp follicular units contain 2–4 individual hairs growing together.
Hair follicles can produce progressively finer and shorter hairs over successive growth cycles, a process known as follicular miniaturization.
A hair follicle may undergo approximately 25–30 growth cycles throughout its lifetime, although the number varies.
Some Interesting Facts About Your Hair
Factors That Influence Hair Growth
Your hair growth cycle is influenced by many factors, including
genetics
hormones
nutrition
stress
underlying health conditions, and
certain medications
When this cycle is disrupted, hair may shed prematurely, the active growth phase may become shorter, or individual follicles may gradually produce thinner and weaker hairs.
Understanding how your hair grows, and what may be interfering with its natural cycle, is an important first step towards supporting healthier hair.
Types of Alopecia (Hair Loss)
There are various types of hair loss (alopecia), which can be classified according to their underlying causes, location, pattern, and severity.
Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA): Often referred to as male pattern baldness. It is characterized by gradual hair thinning, typically around the temples and crown in men. It is associated with genetic and hormonal influences and progressive miniaturization of hair follicles.
Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL): Although related to androgenetic alopecia, the pattern of hair loss in women is often different. Rather than a receding hairline or a distinct bald spot on the crown, FPHL typically causes diffuse thinning across the top of the scalp, often becoming most noticeable as a widening of the central part line.
Diffuse Alopecia: Hair thinning or loss occurs across the scalp rather than in one specific area or distinct patches. It may be associated with various factors, including hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, stress, illness, or certain medications.
Alopecia Areata: An autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, often resulting in distinct, round or oval patches of hair loss.
Alopecia Totalis: A more extensive form of alopecia areata involving complete hair loss on the scalp.
Alopecia Universalis: The most extensive form, involving complete hair loss across the scalp, face, and body.
Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia (CIA): Hair loss that occurs as a result of chemotherapy drugs affecting rapidly dividing cells, including those involved in hair growth. The extent and duration of hair loss depend on the medications and treatment regimen.
Anagen Effluvium: Rapid hair shedding caused by disruption of the active growth phase (anagen). It is commonly associated with chemotherapy and certain other medications or exposures.
Traction Alopecia: Hair loss caused by repeated pulling or tension on the hair follicles, often resulting from tight hairstyles worn over an extended period.
The TCM Approach to Hair Regrowth
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hair is more than just what grows on your scalp. It is considered a reflection of your internal health such as state of vitality, aging, stress, and nutritional state.
TCM associates hair with the health of the Blood and Kidneys. The Liver also plays an important role in storing and regulating Blood. The Spleen reflects digestion and nourishment of the hair.
When the body is not receiving adequate nourishment, or when its internal balance is disrupted, hair health may be affected.
Rather than looking at hair loss as an isolated problem, we look at the person as a whole.
Our approach focuses on three areas:
1. Supporting a Healthy Hair Growth Cycle
One of our goals is to identify and address factors that may be disrupting the hair growth cycle or shortening the active growth phase (Anagen).
Stress, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes, and other underlying health concerns may all influence how long a hair remains in its growth phase.
By addressing contributing factors, we aim to support the body's ability to maintain a healthy hair growth cycle.
2. Supporting Follicular Health
Hair follicles are living structures that require adequate nourishment to produce healthy hair.
We pay attention not only to hair shedding, but also to the health and quality of individual hairs.
For example, some people experience progressive thinning, where hair follicles gradually produce finer and shorter hairs. This is known as follicular miniaturization.
Scalp health, circulation, nutritional status, stress, and the body's overall internal balance are all considerations in our approach.
3. Addressing Underlying Imbalances
Hair loss can sometimes be a reflection of broader changes happening within the body.
Through TCM assessment, we look at your overall constitution and identify patterns of imbalance that may be contributing to your hair concerns.
This may involve assessing the health of your Qi and Blood, the balance of Yin and Yang, and the functions of the Liver, Kidneys, and Spleen from a Chinese Medicine perspective.
Your treatment plan is tailored to your individual needs and may incorporate acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
What Does TCM Hair Regrowth Treatment Look Like?
Hair regrowth takes time. Our approach combines regular in-person treatments with ongoing assessment and individualized care.
3-6 months of treatment is considered one course of treatment.
1. Initial Online Consultation
$150 / 45 minutes
This is one of the most important steps in your treatment journey.
Before focusing on the hair and scalp, we want to understand what is happening in your body and what may be contributing to your hair concerns.
During this session:
We go through your health history, current symptoms, lifestyle, and hair concerns in detail.
A TCM-based assessment is conducted as we explore your health history and current condition.
You'll gain a better understanding of your condition through the lens of Chinese Medicine.
Personalized dietary and lifestyle recommendations are provided for you to start implementing.
Herbal medicine will most likely be recommended as an additional way to support your treatment.
Herbal medicine is charged separately. See [HERE] for approximate costs of different herbal preparations.
2. Weekly Acupuncture (with Electrostimulation)
An initial commitment of 6+ months
Acupuncture is one of the main components of our hair regrowth treatment.
We use a combination of scalp and body acupuncture, with electrostimulation (electroacupuncture) incorporated where appropriate.
Scalp acupuncture: Selected acupuncture points on the scalp are used as part of our approach to supporting scalp health and circulation.
Body acupuncture: Additional points are selected according to your individual TCM assessment, addressing underlying patterns and supporting your overall health.
The treatment is not limited to the scalp. We work with both the local area and the body's internal condition, recognizing that the two are interconnected.
Consistency is important, as hair growth is a relatively slow process. We recommend weekly treatments for at least the initial six months to allow sufficient time to work on the contributing factors and monitor changes.
Some people, particularly those with longstanding or more complex conditions, may require 12 months or longer of continued care.
3. Online Follow-up Consultations
Every 4–6 weeks
Your treatment doesn't stop at the treatment table in our office.
Regular online follow-ups allow us to review your progress and make adjustments along the way.
These sessions include:
Progress assessment: Reviewing changes in your overall health, hair shedding, and hair growth.
Ongoing strategy: Discussing how to continue incorporating dietary and lifestyle recommendations into your daily routine.
Individualized adjustments: Modifying herbal prescriptions and recommendations according to your progress, changing needs, and even seasonal influences.
Your treatment plan is not set in stone.
We continue to evaluate and adjust it as your condition evolves.
How Long Will Treatment Take?
We generally recommend an initial treatment course of at least six months.
Hair growth takes time, and the changes may not be immediately visible. Depending on your condition and response to treatment, continued care for 12 months or longer may be appropriate.
We will regularly evaluate your progress and discuss the next steps together.
Ready to Get Started? Book an Appointment
We are excited that you are ready to book your first appointment!
Here is the link to your Online Initial Appointment for Hair Loss ($140/45min. $150 after January 1, 2027))
Not sure if this is the right approach for you?
Let's connect first!
Book a FREE Discovery Call to discuss your concerns and find out whether TCM Hair Regrowth Treatment may be suitable for you.
Please note: Missed Discovery Calls without at least 48 hours' notice are subject to a $40 fee. If you no longer require your appointment, please cancel at least 48 hours in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The length of time you have experienced hair loss is an important factor.
It is taught that hair follicles may become inactive and lose their ability to produce hair after 15 years or more of inactivity. Unfortunately, if you have experienced hair loss for longer than 15 years, there is little chance that treatment will produce meaningful changes.
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Our training recommends waiting three months after chemotherapy before starting acupuncture specifically for hair regrowth.
Having said that, acupuncture and Chinese Medicine may also help support the body through certain chemotherapy-related side effects and discomfort, such as nausea, neuropathy, and low immunity.
You may wish to consider receiving care for these symptoms during your recovery, so that by the time the three-month waiting period is over, your body may be in a more favourable state to support hair growth.
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We understand that life is busy, and you may feel you don't have room to make changes to your lifestyle or diet.
However, as explained above, hair regrowth is not simply a local follicle issue. It is essential that we also address the body as a whole and any underlying imbalances that may be contributing to hair loss.
Feel free to reach out when you are ready to make those changes.