Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 July 2026

Dorset Trichology respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This privacy policy explains what personal information is collected when you visit this website, contact Dorset Trichology or request a consultation. It also explains how that information is used, stored and protected, and the rights you have under UK data protection law.

1. Who is responsible for your personal information?

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Gina Laurens, trading as Dorset Trichology, is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

You can contact Dorset Trichology about this privacy policy or the use of your personal information using the following details:

Email: gina@dorsettrichology.co.uk
Postal address: Wessex Health Network 17 Stour Road Bournemouth, Christchurch BH23 1PL
Website: https://dorsettrichology.co.uk/

2. Personal information collected

Dorset Trichology may collect the following information:

Information you provide when making an enquiry

When you complete the website contact form, send an email, telephone or otherwise contact Dorset Trichology, you may provide:

• Your name
• Your telephone number
• Your email address
• Your preferred method of contact
• Information included in your enquiry
• Details about the service or consultation you are interested in
• Records of correspondence and follow-up communication

You should only provide the information necessary for Dorset Trichology to understand and respond to your enquiry.

Health information

Because Dorset Trichology provides hair and scalp consultations, information you provide may reveal details about your physical health, medication, medical history, symptoms or treatment.

Health information is treated as sensitive personal information and given additional protection.

The general website enquiry form is not intended for detailed medical information. Please provide only enough information for Gina to understand the nature of your enquiry and contact you.

Where more detailed health information is needed as part of a consultation, you will be told why it is required and how it will be used. Where required, you will be asked to provide your explicit consent before this information is collected or used.

Website and technical information

When you visit the website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by the website, hosting provider or security services. This may include:

• Your IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type
• Operating system
• Approximate location derived from your IP address
• Pages visited
• Date and time of your visit
• Referring website or search engine
• Website error and security logs
• Cookie preferences

This information is generally used to operate, secure and improve the website.

3. How your information is collected

Personal information may be collected:

• When you submit the website contact form
• When you contact Dorset Trichology by telephone or email
• When you request or arrange a consultation
• During correspondence about your enquiry
• Through essential website cookies and server logs
• Through optional analytics or similar technologies, where you have consented to their use
• From a parent, guardian or authorised representative contacting Dorset Trichology on your behalf

4. How your information is used

Dorset Trichology may use your personal information to:

• Receive, review and respond to your enquiry
• Contact you using the telephone number or email address you provide
• Discuss your hair or scalp concern
• Arrange, confirm or change an appointment
• Provide information about the consultation process
• Keep a record of enquiries and correspondence
• Prepare for a consultation you have requested
• Provide and administer trichology services
• Maintain the security and proper operation of the website
• Detect or prevent spam, fraud, misuse or security incidents
• Comply with legal, regulatory, insurance or professional obligations
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims
• Manage complaints or concerns
• Improve the website and services

Your enquiry details will not be used to send unrelated marketing messages unless you have separately and specifically agreed to receive them.

5. Lawful bases for using your information

UK data protection law requires Dorset Trichology to have a lawful basis for using your personal information.

The lawful bases that may apply are set out below.

Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract

Your information may be used when you ask about a consultation or service and processing the information is necessary to respond, provide relevant details or arrange an appointment.

Performance of a contract

If you book or receive a service, your information may be used where necessary to provide that service and manage the relationship with you.

Legitimate interests

Your information may be used where reasonably necessary for the legitimate interests of operating Dorset Trichology, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

These interests may include:

• Responding to enquiries
• Maintaining appropriate business records
• Providing customer service
• Following up on a consultation request
• Protecting the website and business from misuse
• Managing complaints
• Establishing or defending legal claims
• Improving the website and enquiry process

Legal obligations

Information may be processed where necessary to comply with an applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, safeguarding or insurance obligation.

Consent

Consent may be used where you have been given a genuine choice and have taken a clear affirmative action to agree to a particular use of your information.

This may include:

• Optional analytics or advertising cookies
• Receiving marketing communications
• Specific uses of health information where explicit consent is required

You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect processing that took place before it was withdrawn.

6. Health and other special-category information

Information concerning your physical or mental health is classified as special-category personal data.

Where Dorset Trichology processes health information, it will identify both:

• A lawful basis for using the personal information; and
• An additional legal condition permitting the use of special-category information.

Depending on the circumstances, Dorset Trichology may rely on your explicit consent or another condition permitted by UK data protection law.

Health information will only be collected where it is relevant and reasonably necessary for the requested consultation or service.

It will not be used for unrelated marketing, advertising or profiling.

7. Contacting you after an enquiry

When you submit the contact form or otherwise make an enquiry, Gina may contact you by telephone, email or another method you have requested.

This contact will be for purposes connected with your enquiry, such as:

• Responding to your question
• Understanding what has been happening
• Explaining the consultation process
• Confirming availability
• Arranging an appointment
• Following up where you have asked for further information

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically subscribe you to marketing communications.

8. Marketing communications

Dorset Trichology does not use enquiry information to send unrelated promotional emails, texts or telephone marketing without an appropriate lawful basis.

Where consent is requested for marketing:

• The request will be separate from the general enquiry process
• Consent will not be a condition of receiving a consultation
• You can withdraw consent at any time
• An unsubscribe or opt-out method will be provided where appropriate

9. Sharing your personal information

Dorset Trichology does not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

Information may be shared only where necessary with trusted organisations that help operate the website or provide the service. These may include:

• Website hosting providers
• Website maintenance and security providers
• Contact-form and spam-prevention providers
• Email and communication providers
• Appointment or practice-management system providers
• Secure cloud-storage or data-backup providers
• Accountants, legal advisers, insurers or other professional advisers
• Regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is legally required

These organisations should only receive the information necessary to perform their services and must handle it securely and lawfully.

Information about your health will not ordinarily be shared with your GP, another healthcare professional or another provider without your knowledge and appropriate permission, unless there is a legal obligation or another lawful reason to do so.

10. International data transfers

Some website, email, cloud-storage or technology providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, Dorset Trichology will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal safeguard is in place.

This may include:

• A UK adequacy regulation
• The UK International Data Transfer Agreement
• The UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses
• Another safeguard permitted under UK data protection law

Further information about relevant safeguards can be requested using the contact details above.

11. How long your information is retained

Personal information is kept only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected.

General enquiries that do not result in a consultation will normally be retained for up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact. This allows Dorset Trichology to respond to follow-up questions, manage enquiries and maintain appropriate business records.

Information may be retained for longer where:

• You become a client
• It forms part of a consultation or client record
• There is an ongoing complaint or dispute
• It is needed for insurance purposes
• A longer period is required by law
• It is required to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised or destroyed.

12. How your information is protected

Dorset Trichology takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from:

• Unauthorised access
• Accidental loss
• Improper disclosure
• Alteration
• Misuse
• Destruction

These measures may include password protection, access controls, security software, encrypted website connections, secure systems, software updates and limiting access to those who genuinely need the information.

No internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, reasonable steps are taken to reduce the risks.

13. Cookies

Cookies are small files stored on your computer, tablet or mobile device when you visit a website.

The website may use cookies or similar technologies for purposes such as:

• Allowing the website to function
• Maintaining website security
• Remembering your cookie choices
• Preventing spam
• Measuring website use
• Understanding how visitors find and use the website

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without consent where they are required for the website to operate.

Optional analytics, advertising or tracking cookies should not be placed unless you have given consent through the website’s cookie controls.

You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences through the cookie settings provided on the website. You can also control cookies through your browser, although blocking essential cookies may affect how the website functions.

14. Links to other websites

The website may contain links to third-party websites.

Dorset Trichology is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites. You should read the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.

15. Children’s information

Dorset Trichology may provide consultations relating to children’s hair or scalp concerns.

Enquiries concerning a child should normally be made by a parent, guardian or another adult with appropriate authority.

Only information reasonably necessary to understand the enquiry, arrange the consultation and provide the requested service should be collected.

Children’s information will be handled with particular care and will not be used for unrelated marketing.

16. Automated decision-making

Dorset Trichology does not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

17. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

Be informed

You have the right to be told how your personal information is collected and used.

Request access

You may ask for a copy of the personal information held about you.

Request correction

You may ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected.

Request deletion

You may ask for your personal information to be deleted in certain circumstances.

This right is not absolute. Information may need to be retained where there is a legal, contractual, insurance or professional reason to do so.

Request restriction

You may ask for the use of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances.

Object to processing

You may object to processing based on legitimate interests in certain circumstances.

You have an absolute right to object to the use of your information for direct marketing.

Request data portability

Where applicable, you may ask to receive personal information you provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or ask for it to be transferred to another organisation.

Withdraw consent

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Complain

You may raise a concern directly with Dorset Trichology using the contact details above.

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK regulator responsible for data protection.

18. Exercising your rights

To exercise a data-protection right, contact Dorset Trichology using the email or postal address at the beginning of this policy.

You may be asked for information needed to confirm your identity before personal information is disclosed or changed.

There is normally no charge for exercising your rights. However, a reasonable fee may be charged, or a request may be refused, where permitted by law and where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

19. Changes to this privacy policy

This privacy policy may be updated when the website, services, technology providers or legal requirements change.

The latest version will be published on this page and the date at the top will be amended.

You should review this policy periodically to remain informed about how your personal information is used.

20. Contact

For questions about this policy, to exercise your rights or to raise a privacy concern, contact:

Gina Laurens
Dorset Trichology
Email: gina@dorsettrichology.co.uk
Address: Wessex Health Network 17 Stour Road Bournemouth, Christchurch BH23 1PL
Website: https://dorsettrichology.co.uk/