Hair Loss Evaluation and Treatment
Thinning hair can be gradual, like a widening part or a receding hairline, or sudden, with handfuls of hair in the shower after an illness, surgery, or major weight loss. Eyebrows and eyelashes can thin too, and that change can alter the whole look of the eyes. Because hair loss has many causes and some of them are medical, patients from Beverly Hills, Westwood, Century City, and across Los Angeles come to Parsa M.D. for an evaluation that looks for the reason behind the shedding before any treatment is discussed.
Hair shedding is often a signal from the body before it is a cosmetic problem, and nutrition is one of the first things worth checking. Dr. Kami Parsa’s current research interests include perioperative nutrition and skin repair, and he coauthored a narrative review on how nutritional deficiencies linked to GLP-1 weight loss medications can affect skin health, accepted for publication in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum in 2026. He is also the author of HEAL: Your Recovery Blueprint, a guide to the role of nutrition in healing after surgery and injury. As an oculoplastic surgeon with more than 20 years of clinical experience, he also evaluates thinning of the eyebrows and eyelashes, which can point to eyelid or thyroid conditions.
“When a patient tells me their hair is thinning, my first question is what changed in the months before it started. Illness, surgery, rapid weight loss, and diet all show up in the hair later. Finding the trigger matters more than any single treatment.” — Dr. Kami Parsa
What Causes Hair Loss?
Hair grows in cycles, and anything that disrupts that cycle can cause thinning. The most common patterns include:
- Hereditary thinning: Androgenetic alopecia, the most common cause, shows up as a receding hairline and crown thinning in men and a widening part in women.
- Stress related shedding: Telogen effluvium causes diffuse shedding about two to four months after a trigger such as surgery, illness, childbirth, a high fever, or rapid weight loss, and it often improves once the trigger resolves.
- Nutritional and medical causes: Low iron, low protein intake, thyroid disorders, hormonal changes, and some medications can all contribute.
- Patchy loss: Alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition, causes round bald patches on the scalp, brows, or beard.
- Tension and damage: Tight hairstyles, extensions, and heat or chemical styling can cause traction alopecia, which may become permanent if it continues.
Thinning of the eyebrows and eyelashes has its own set of causes, including chronic eyelid inflammation (blepharitis), thyroid disease, habitual rubbing or pulling, prior cosmetic tattooing, and eyelid surgery or injury.
How Hair Loss Is Evaluated
The consultation reviews when the thinning started, its pattern, family history, recent illnesses or procedures, weight changes, diet, and medications, including GLP-1 medications. Dr. Parsa or a licensed member of his clinical team will examine the scalp, brows, and lashes. Blood work, such as iron studies and thyroid tests, may be recommended through your physician. Scalp redness, scaling, pain, or patches of smooth, shiny skin can signal a scarring form of hair loss that needs prompt evaluation by a dermatologist, and Dr. Parsa will refer you when the findings call for it. Team members are described on our Our Providers page.
Hair Loss Treatment Options
Treatment depends entirely on the cause. Shedding from a temporary trigger often recovers on its own once nutrition, thyroid levels, or recovery from illness are addressed. For hereditary thinning, FDA-approved options include topical minoxidil for men and women and oral finasteride for men, and some low level laser devices are FDA-cleared for home use. Hereditary thinning is progressive, so these treatments work best when started early and continued long term.
For thin eyelashes, bimatoprost solution 0.03% (Latisse®) is FDA-approved to grow longer, thicker, and darker lashes. It requires a prescription, and possible side effects include eye irritation, darkening of the eyelid skin, and, rarely, permanent darkening of the colored part of the eye. Treatment for thinning brows depends on the cause, and eyelid inflammation is treated first when it is present.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are widely marketed for hair loss, but they are not FDA-approved for this use, and results in studies vary. Ask about the evidence behind any hair treatment before committing to a series.
When to Seek Care
See a physician promptly if hair loss is sudden or patchy, comes with scalp pain, burning, redness, or scaling, or is accompanied by fatigue, weight change, or other new symptoms. Contact the office right away if you notice eye pain, redness, or any change in vision while using a prescription eyelash treatment.
Why Choose Dr. Parsa for a Hair Loss Evaluation
- Medical Foundation: He completed an internal medicine internship at UCLA before his ophthalmology residency at USC’s Doheny Eye Institute.
- Brow and Lash Expertise: Fellowship training in oculoplastic and reconstructive surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute centers on the eyelids and brows, where lash and brow thinning are often first noticed.
- Cause Before Cure: The evaluation looks for triggers such as nutrition, thyroid changes, and recent surgery before recommending any treatment.
- Honest Referrals: When a scalp condition needs a dermatologist, you will be told and referred rather than started on a treatment that will not help.
- Teaching Appointment: He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Schedule a Hair Loss Consultation in Beverly Hills
Your visit takes place at our office at 465 N Roxbury Dr, Suite 1011, in Beverly Hills. Dr. Parsa and his team will review your history, examine the scalp, brows, and lashes, and explain the likely cause and your options. Contact our office to request an appointment.
Medically reviewed by Kambiz K. Parsa, M.D. on
