26 August 2026 Hair loss: beware of 'hair charlatanism' There is something I am seeing more and more frequently in my practice: patients who have been losing hair for six months, a year, or even longer. They have tried shampoos, ampoules, vitamins, serums, lotions, 'detox' treatments, 'strengthening' products… And when they finally come to a dermatological consultation, they tell me: 'Doctor, I already had my hair examined.' So I ask: 'By whom?' And very often the answer is: 'At the hairdresser's,' 'At a pharmacy,' 'Someone came with a camera and looked at my scalp.'
And here I want to be very clear: looking at a hair with a camera does not mean diagnosing alopecia. When a person without medical training uses a small camera, shows the patient a thin hair on a screen, and from there claims that 'your hair is weakened,' that 'your follicle is closed,' and that 'you need this treatment' — and, conveniently, the treatment you need happens to be precisely the product that same person is selling — to me, that very often crosses into the territory of charlatanism.
I am Dr. Florian Vallecillo, and today I want to explain why hair loss deserves much more than an enlarged photograph and an expensive shampoo.
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