Female Hair Restoration
The number of women seeking hair transplants to reverse their thinning hair or restore hair loss has
grown tremendously over the years.
According to the Director of Medical Procedures and Surgical Operations…"Women want to have
more options than just wearing wigs or getting weaves…etc. Women are finally realizing that hair transplantation is not just a man’s
solution to hair loss anymore”.
The main differences in how our surgical center approaches hair transplants for women has to
do with the difference in how women lose their hair. The major difference between men and women are their hair loss patterns. Female
hair loss patterns are a general thinning of the hair on top. This is called a diffuse hair loss pattern.
(See Ludwig Female
Hair Loss Chart to the left)
This difference in hair loss patterns results in a slightly different approach to how the new
hair grafts are implanted compared to male hair transplants.
Usually, it takes 700 to 1500 hair grafts to fill in the thinning
hair pattern on the top of the head…depending on the size of the area needing treatment. We are typically able to fill-in and restore
the hair loss in this specific area with one session. However, even though the new transplanted hair is permanent, there is the possibility
that any pre-existing hair may still continue to fall out just as it would have normally done anyway. If so, then another procedure
may be necessary to fill-in that additional hair loss. But again, all transplanted hairs are permanent when done by a skilled and
experienced Board Certified surgeon and medical team.
Because of their unique hair loss patterns, men often require two hair
transplant sessions where the first one is characterized as a coverage session and the second hair transplant seeks to achieve density,
thickness and more fullness of hair, (Director of Medical Procedures and Surgical Operations) explained.
Another advantage female
hair transplant patients have over men is that they handle the discomfort of the procedure and healing time better than men. According
to the Director of Medical Procedures…"For most women it's no problem at all. They handle discomfort better than men do in general”.
There
are two types of women who seek hair transplants; those with normal genetic hair loss and women that are in the 30 to 60 years old
range. Younger women with permanent hair loss is normally due to “traction alopecia”. Tight weaved braids and tight pony tails are
the most common cause of this type of hair loss.
Those with traction alopecia often require 600 to 1000 hair grafts in the temporal
and frontal regions. Traction alopecia hair transplant patients should definitely change their hair style to a looser and less constricting
style that does not pull or damage the new hair grafts.
