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Where to get your hair loss treatment from

Where to get your hair loss treatment from

There are a lot of different hair-loss treatment options, but not all of them will be available everywhere, and some are only available on prescription. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the best hair loss treatment is prescription-only. Different treatments will work best for different people, and you might find that the best one for you is one that you can simply get over the counter.

Daniel Atkinson
Medically reviewed by
Daniel Atkinson, GP Clinical Lead
Table of contents
Medically reviewed by
Dr Daniel Atkinson
GP Clinical Lead
on August 02, 2022.
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Where can you get hair loss treatment?

You can get hair-loss treatments:

  • On prescription from a clinician
  • Over-the-counter at your local pharmacy
  • Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and other high street pharmacies
  • Supermarkets
  • Online pharmacies
  • Online (without a prescription)

Getting hair loss treatment in person

Seeing a clinician in-person might be useful. They can physically look at your hair, and might be able to tailor specific advice to you to help your condition. They might also be able to find out if your hair-loss is as a result of another condition.

Some nutrient deficiencies in your diet can lead to hair loss, such as: iron, zinc, vitamin B3, fatty acids, selenium, vitamin D, biotin, and amino acids and proteins. If one of these nutrient deficiencies is the cause of your hair loss, your clinician will need to work with you to make sure that you’re making the right changes to your diet, or that you’re taking the right supplements for your hair loss. If, however, the cause for your hair loss is male pattern baldness (which is the most common cause) you’ll be prescribed hair loss treatment.

Most medications are subsidised by the government through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme or PBS. This means that if you hold a medicare card, you’ll pay a fraction of the cost and the government will cover the rest. You can look at an A-Z list of PBS medications on their website.

But usually hair loss treatments aren’t available on Medicare, such as Finasteride and Minoxidil, as it’s classed as cosmetic. So, you might want to look at other options after you’ve received your prescription. For instance, you can get Finasteride online, on subscription, once you’ve talked to our experts about your health.

Getting hair loss treatment over the counter

If you don’t see the need in getting a prescription treatment for your hair loss, there are over-the-counter options you can try. But while some may work for some people, many of them might not, and there aren’t many clinical studies to prove how well most of these over-the-counter products work.

You can also find over-the-counter hair loss treatments online through major retailers like Amazon, as well as from your local pharmacy or most high street pharmacies.

Before you buy anything, you should make sure that the products that you get for your hair loss are regulated and safe to use. If you’re not sure, ask a clinician for advice. They should be able to let you know if the product you want can be effective.

Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and high street pharmacies

If you’ve got a prescription for a hair-loss treatment, you can take it to a high street pharmacy and most of them will be able to dispense it for you. Aside from that, they might also have some over-the-counter options for you to try, but make sure to speak to a clinician or pharmacist before taking anything, so they can make sure that the treatment is right for you.

Priceline, for instance, offers hair loss treatment for both men and women but they mostly only sell over-the-counter options, like: vitamins, shampoos, conditioners, and concealers. You can also get Regaine at Priceline – a foam that’s applied directly to your scalp. And some studies have shown that it can be effective for the treatment of male pattern baldness.

At Chemist Warehouse, you can get hair loss treatments by bringing along your paper prescription, or using their e-script service online. They have a consultation service to get a hair loss treatment on prescription but this is an added cost. They offer Finasteride and Propecia (on prescription) as well as Regaine.

Getting hair loss treatment from supermarkets

Getting hair-loss treatments and other prescription medicines from supermarkets is currently not an option in Australia. You may be able to find certain shampoos, vitamins and supplements that claim to promote hair growth.

However the evidence to suggest that shampoos ‘formulated’ for male pattern hair loss actually work is limited.

 

Getting hair loss treatment online

Getting hair loss treatment online is fairly simple. Most places won’t ask much of you, you’ll usually just have to send in your prescription or e-script, pay for the treatment you want, and then either collect your treatment in-person from somewhere, or enter your delivery details to have the medication brought to you.

Some online pharmacies allow you to speak to a clinician, who can prescribe the treatment that you need for you, or dispense your existing prescription. If you know your way around the internet, getting hair loss treatment online is easier than any other option. It can give you more discretion, and you’ll have a wider choice in the treatments you can choose from.

Safely buying hair loss treatment online

Make sure, when you’re getting hair-loss treatments online, that they’ve been prescribed and approved by registered clinicians. This will make sure that the treatment is safe and suitable for you to use.

To check the validity of the source you’re getting the medication from, watch out for these things:

  • Doctors must be registered with the Medical Board of Australia usually referred to as MBA, to be able to prescribe any medication.
  • Pharmacists must be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia, referred to as PBAPhC, to be able to dispense prescriptions.
  • Online pharmacies should also be registered with the PBA and will show a badge with a unique number somewhere on their website.
    Both of these boards are regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner
  • Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
    Regulation by the Quality Care Pharmacy Program, or QCCP, isn’t necessary to be able to prescribe medication and dispense it, but it adds some extra validity to the website.
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