It is estimated that over 21 million women in America are currently suffering from the effects of hair loss… are there hair transplant options available for the woman? Alopecia is a devastating condition in all its forms and its victims are usually ready to accept anything necessary to reverse the consequences. A popular option for men is a hair transplant with nearly 90% eligible for the procedure. Is a hair transplant for women a viable option as well?
Sadly, the answer is often no. Hair loss patterns in men and women differ greatly with men losing in patches usually on the top of the head or the front and women being affected by diffuse hair loss all over the head. In order for a hair transplant to work, there has to be a good donor site. For men, the sides and back of their head remain unaffected by alopecia and therefore are perfect donor sites. The perfect donor site is untouched by the effects of baldness and unfortunately most women do not have any such areas.
The hormone blamed for hair loss is called dihydrohestosterone (DHT) which is a male hormone that shrinks follicles on the head. In females, this hormone unfortunately dwells in all or most of the follicles. Therefore, potential donor areas in females are unstable. There is no special hair transplant for women specifically that can prevent the transfer of DHT from donor areas to those needing new growth.
There is a silver lining, however. About 2-5% of females are good candidates for a hair transplant for women. These women are usually affected by alopecia areata rather than androgenetic alopecia. In alopecia areata, the immune system is to blame for hair loss rather than hormones. Also, those who suffer from hair loss due to trauma such as a chemical burn, car accident or fire make perfect candidates for a hair transplant for women.
Since awareness about female balding is recently on the rise, soon there might just be a targeted hair transplant for women. It is a common misconception that hair transplants are state of the art procedures. They are really quite primitive and due for research and development.
There are many medications that can help with hair loss including Rogaine and antiandrogens for hormonal cases. Hair loss can also be temporary and a hair transplant may be unnecessary. A hair transplant for women is unfortunately not a viable option for most and those that are eligible should explore all their other options with a doctor first. Going under the knife should always be the last resort.
The best news is that there is hope on the horizon. Recent developments have enabled women with scars on their head to receive special hair transplants that are very different from the sort normally received by men. This means that the medical world is shifting and adapting to accept female hair loss as a condition with many victims who are crying out for a solution. Hopefully, within the next decade, the techniques used by doctors will become more able to help women struggling with a problem society pegs as male territory.
Hair loss in women can be a difficult thing to deal with. If you’re experiencing hair loss or have questions, the best thing to do is to keep yourself informed and learn as much as possible at RestorationOfHair.com, where you’ll find lots of free resources on dealing with hair loss problem.
Seth Carmichael
