Hair loss treatment online · Australia-wide
Hair loss and thinning, for women and men
See an Australian doctor about hair thinning or hair loss by private video, wherever you live in Australia. You don’t need to wait until it looks like hair loss to understand why your hair is changing, and your own nurse supports your hair and scalp between appointments.
Quick answer
Can I see a doctor about hair loss online?
Yes. Women and men can see an Australian registered doctor about hair thinning or hair loss by private video, wherever they live in Australia, with no referral needed. Your doctor looks at the pattern and timing of the change alongside your health and history, and your nurse supports your hair and scalp between reviews.
- Private video consultation with an Australian registered doctor, 7 days a week
- No referral needed, wherever you live in Australia
- Your plan and all costs by email before you decide
- Your own nurse between appointments, with answers within 24 business hours
- Start here
Start with what’s changed
Hair thinning, increased shedding, reduced density, a receding hairline or changes in the condition of your hair can happen for very different reasons. Your care starts with understanding what you’re experiencing, your health history and what may be contributing to it.
- Your health
We look beyond your scalp
Hormonal changes, illness, stress, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies and some medications can all be relevant to hair loss. Your broader health matters.
- Your nurse
Care between appointments
Hair changes slowly. Your nurse stays involved between doctor appointments, helping you monitor changes, understand what to expect, and providing practical guidance on hair and scalp care, styling techniques and product choices.
- One team
Caring for you
Your doctors and nurses work together, each bringing their clinical expertise to your care. If something needs further investigation or an in-person assessment, your team will tell you.
Understanding it
What can cause changes in your hair?
Hair changes can show up in different ways: more shedding, reduced density, a widening part, finer strands, increased breakage, changes in texture or condition, or a receding hairline.
There are many possible reasons. Genetics, hormonal changes (including perimenopause and menopause), illness, stress, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, some medications, scalp conditions and the way hair is coloured, heated or styled can all be relevant.
The pattern and timing matter. Gradual thinning is different from sudden shedding. Breakage is different from hair being lost from the follicle. And changes in condition can happen even when there is no obvious hair loss.
By the time some forms of hair loss become visibly obvious, a substantial reduction in hair density may already have occurred. That is why it can be useful to seek help when you first notice a change, rather than waiting until it feels severe.
Your Qr8 doctor looks at what has changed in the context of your health, medications, hormones and hair history, and your nursing team helps with the practical side of hair and scalp health too.
The hair cycle
What happens when your hair starts to change?
A constant cycleHair is constantly cycling through phases of growth, transition and rest.
Changes to that cycle can affect how much hair you shed, how long it grows and how dense it appears.
ThinningIn some types of hair loss, individual follicles gradually produce finer, shorter hairs.
That means density can decrease long before completely bare areas develop.
SheddingIncreased shedding is different.
More hairs may enter the resting phase at the same time, often after a change in health, hormones, stress, nutrition or other triggers.
Breakage and conditionNot every visible change starts at the follicle.
Breakage, heat, chemical processing, styling practices and scalp health can all affect the strength, texture and condition of the hair you already have.
That is why Qr8 looks at both hair growth and hair health, not simply whether you are “losing hair”.
If your hair has changed and you don’t know why, that is reason enough to ask.
Management
How are changes in hair health managed?
There isn’t one approach to hair loss, thinning or changes in hair condition because there isn’t one cause.
Management starts with understanding what is changing and what may be contributing. That may include looking at your health, hormones, medications, nutrition, recent illness or weight loss, alongside your scalp, haircare and styling practices.
But you don’t necessarily need to wait for every answer before you start looking after your hair. While possible causes are being investigated, your Qr8 team can help you support your hair and scalp health and address factors that may be contributing to breakage, damage or poor hair condition.
For some people, medical care may also have a role. Others may need further investigation or an in-person assessment.
Your Qr8 nurse helps with the practical things that affect the hair you live with every day: scalp care, cleansing and conditioning, products, heat, colour, breakage and styling.
Understanding the cause matters. So does looking after the hair you have now.
How it works
Your hair loss care in three simple steps
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Step one
Detailed questionnaire & photos
Complete a detailed health questionnaire and send us photographs of your hair. This gives your clinical team important information before you meet.
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Step two
Meet your doctor
See an Australian registered doctor by private video consultation, 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm. They’ll review your history and photographs, assess your concerns and talk with you about what may be appropriate.
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Step three
Care between appointments
Your nurses help with your haircare routine, answer questions and keep up with how things are going. Email us. Call us. Book a video call.
Good to know
What we want you to know
When should I get a change in my hair checked?You don’t need to wait for obvious hair loss or bald areas.
A widening part, smaller ponytail, more visible scalp, increased shedding or progressively finer hair can all be early signs that hair density is changing.
Some forms of hair loss can progress for quite some time before the change becomes visually obvious. By the time you can clearly see thinning, a substantial reduction in density may already have occurred.
Sudden shedding, patchy hair loss, scalp symptoms or a significant change in your hair also deserve attention.
If your hair has changed and you don’t know why, that is reason enough to ask.
Hair growth and hair condition aren’t the same thingHair can look and feel thinner for different reasons.
Changes at the follicle can affect growth, shedding and density. But the hair you already have can also become finer-looking, weaker, more brittle or prone to breakage because of colouring, heat, styling practices, haircare or changes in its condition.
That distinction matters. Medical assessment looks at what may be happening with hair growth. Your Qr8 nursing team also helps you look after the hair you have, including scalp care, cleansing, conditioning, products, heat, colour, breakage and styling.
Why isn’t my shedding or hair condition improving?If you’ve tried supplements, shampoos, serums or changing your haircare without seeing the change you expected, the problem may not be finding another product.
Hair thinning, shedding and changes in hair condition can have very different causes. More than one factor can be involved.
The useful next step is understanding what has changed, what may be contributing to it, and what is actually worth doing about it.
Do I need to wait for tests before doing anything?Not necessarily.
Sometimes further investigation, blood tests or an in-person assessment may be appropriate. But that doesn’t mean your hair and scalp health need to be ignored while you investigate possible contributing factors.
Your Qr8 team can help you understand what can be addressed now, what may need further investigation, and how to care for your hair and scalp in the meantime.
You can start looking after your hair health while working out what may be contributing to the change.
FAQs
Your biggest questions, answered
Can pregnancy, perimenopause or menopause cause hair thinning?
Yes. Hair changes can become more common during pregnancy and around perimenopause and menopause, but hormones aren’t necessarily the only factor involved.
This is why Qr8 looks at your hair in the context of your broader health, medications, nutrition and what else has changed, rather than simply assuming it’s hormonal or recommending another hair product.
If further investigation is appropriate, your doctor will explain what should happen next.
Can rapid weight loss or weight loss medications cause hair loss?
Rapid or significant weight loss can be associated with increased hair shedding, which may not become noticeable until several months later. (Read more about weight loss and hair shedding.)
Rather than treating the shedding in isolation, your Qr8 doctor considers the timing of the change, your health, nutrition, medications and other potentially relevant factors. At the same time, your nurse can help you look after your hair and scalp while you work through what may be contributing.
Do collagen, biotin and hair supplements actually help?
It depends. Correcting a genuine nutritional deficiency can be important for hair health, but taking more of a nutrient doesn’t necessarily mean better hair growth.
Evidence for many supplements marketed specifically for hair growth is limited. There is also limited evidence that collagen supplementation itself treats hair loss when used alone.
Qr8 can help you separate what may be useful for your hair health from products and supplements you may simply not need.
Can my hair grow back, and how long will it take?
It depends on why your hair has changed. Some types of shedding can recover, while other forms of hair loss behave differently and may require longer-term management. It also depends on how much hair you have already lost.
Hair also changes slowly, so progress generally needs to be assessed over months rather than weeks.
That’s one reason Qr8 doesn’t treat hair health as a one-off consultation. Your team follows what happens over time and can adapt your care as your hair changes.
Can hair loss and thinning really be assessed online?
For many people, yes. Qr8 combines detailed health information and photographs with a real-time video consultation with an Australian-registered doctor. Your doctor can assess what is happening, discuss what may be contributing and determine what should happen next.
Importantly, good telehealth also means recognising its limits. If blood tests, closer examination of your scalp or another form of in-person assessment is appropriate, your doctor will tell you.
And unlike a single in-person appointment, your care doesn’t end when the consultation does. Your Qr8 nurse remains available between appointments as your hair changes.
How is Qr8 different from seeing my GP or a hair loss clinic?
Qr8 is designed specifically around ongoing medical and practical hair-health care.
Your doctor manages the medical side of your care. Your nursing team then works with you between appointments on the things that affect your hair every day, including scalp care, cleansing and conditioning, products, breakage, heat, colour and styling.
Qr8 also doesn’t perform hair procedures, so if you’re considering an external treatment or procedure, we can help you understand where it may fit without having a procedure to sell you.
It’s medical care and practical hair care in one team.
How much does Qr8 hair care cost?
Your initial video consultation with one of our registered doctors is $110 AUD.
Following your consultation, your doctor will email a personalised care plan where clinically appropriate, with all relevant costs clearly outlined before you choose to proceed. Fees vary according to your care and include clinical support throughout. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Afterpay and direct debit.
We are a private billing service and Medicare rebates are not available. Depending on your cover, you may be able to claim some costs through your private health insurer. Receipts are available on request.
References
- Huang CH, Fu Y, Chi CC. Health-Related Quality of Life, Depression, and Self-esteem in Patients With Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2021;157(8):963-970. PMID: 34232264.
- van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z, Schoones J. Interventions for female pattern hair loss. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD007628.
- Filbrandt R, Rufaut N, Jones L, Sinclair R. Primary cicatricial alopecia: diagnosis and treatment. CMAJ. 2013;185(18):1579-85. PMID: 23695609.
- Grant JE, Chamberlain SR. Trichotillomania. Am J Psychiatry. 2016;173(9):868-74. PMID: 27581696.
- Farkas E, Nehorayan I, Hanan R, Kalner S, Tepper K, Marmon S. Untangling estrogen therapy for menopausal hair loss: A systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2026;95(3):756-758. PMID: 42036029.
- Chung H, Dai T, Sharma SK, Huang YY, Carroll JD, Hamblin MR. The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012;40(2):516-33. PMID: 22045511.
- Stenn KS, Paus R. Controls of hair follicle cycling. Physiol Rev. 2001;81(1):449-494. PMID: 11152763.
- Suchonwanit P, Thammarucha S, Leerunyakul K. Minoxidil and its use in hair disorders: a review. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2019;13:2777-2786. PMID: 31496654.
- Cash TF. The psychosocial consequences of androgenetic alopecia: a review of the research literature. Br J Dermatol. 1999;141:398-405.
Ready to understand what’s happening with your hair?
Start with a conversation about what’s changed in your hair, what may be contributing, and what may be appropriate for you. Online appointments with Australian-registered doctors, with nursing support for your hair and scalp between appointments.