What changed in 2023 for trichologists: accreditation of the Institute of Trichologists' register, a world conference in London, and research on frontal fibrosing alopecia, traction alopecia and shedding after infection.
From the editors
This edition looks back at 2023 from the trichology clinic. It belongs to Four years in review, a retrospective series we published in 2026, long after the events it describes. We did not report on 2023 as it happened, but we can look at it now with the benefit of what followed.
For trichologists, 2023 ended with a significant decision. On 14 December the Professional Standards Authority accredited the register held by the Institute of Trichologists. Trichology is not statutorily regulated in the UK or Ireland, and accreditation did not change that, but it gave clients and referrers an independent quality mark to look for.
It was also a useful year for evidence. A meta-analysis examined frontal fibrosing alopecia and personal care products. A study from New York described how traction alopecia presents and how it responds over time. Reviews considered shedding after COVID-19. Each of these touches everyday consultations.
This edition sets out what happened, then turns it into practice: history-taking, trichoscopy habits, and the red flags that mean a GP or dermatologist should see the client.
The Trichollective editorial team
Standards
In December 2023 the Professional Standards Authority accredited the Institute of Trichologists' register. What that meant, and what it did not.
Photograph Kimson Doan / Unsplash
Words by the Trichollective editorial team
Anyone in the UK or Ireland can call themselves a trichologist. There is no statutory regulator for the profession, no protected title and no legal requirement to hold a particular qualification. That has always made it harder for clients, GPs and salon professionals to know whom to trust.
On 14 December 2023 the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care announced that it had accredited the register held by the Institute of Trichologists. An accreditation panel had met in November to consider the application, and decided to accredit the register with conditions.
The PSA's Accredited Registers programme assesses how a register is run. It looks at governance, standard-setting, education and training, complaints handling and the information the register provides to the public. Registers must have transparent complaints processes and be able to remove practitioners for serious wrongdoing.
“Accreditation assures how a register is run. It does not assess each practitioner on it.
For a GP deciding where to suggest a patient seeks help with shedding, or a stylist wondering whom to recommend, an accredited register offered a practical check: is this person registered, and is there a complaints route if something goes wrong? For trichologists, it offered a way to show that they had signed up to professional and ethical codes.
In August, the year had already brought trichologists together at scale: the Institute of Trichologists and the International Association of Trichologists held the World Trichology Conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London on 13 and 14 August, a two-day CPD event with speakers from several countries.
Test yourself
Which statement about trichology in the UK after December 2023 is accurate?
Sources
Every fact in this edition, and where it came from.
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Next · 2023 · Medical
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