I wanted to use this post to answer some question I have received about female hair transplant surgery and how it affects female thinning hair. This procedure has not been performed on women for as long as it has on men, about 60 years, but we are starting to get good information back from the practitioners.
1. What are the causes of female hair loss. There are actually several reasons a women can experience hair loss. Stress is a possibility along with poor diet (fasting) and hormonal changes. Another possibility is hair loss after birth. Many mothers are surprised by this but normal hair growth usually returns within one year.
These are all possibilities but the most likely cause is androgenic alopecia. This is a genetic condition that is passed down from your ancestors. For men the common term is male pattern baldness and for women it is female pattern hair loss.
2. Can female thinning hair be treated with hair transplants. Thinning hair is treated with follicular unit extraction which is a fancy term for removing hair follicles one at a time and then implanting them into the thin area. Women generally do not have a good donor area on their heads because of how the hair thins but this method allows for transplanting body hairs which work very well as filler.
3. How long does the hair transplants for women surgery take. Physicians have gotten very good at the procedures for hair transplants so it is not uncommon to only spend an afternoon in the clinic or doctor’s office. A skilled surgeon is very fast at removing and inserting hair follicles.
4. Is this a good female hair loss treatment. As long as there are enough body hairs to transplant it can work well. Female hair transplants offer a unique problem compared to men because of how their hair falls out. For men the loss is localized which means it is usually confined to a particular area such as the hair line or crown. Women on the other generally experience thinning hair over their entire scalp. This does not leave an area of thick hair growth for donation. Thus, the only area hair follicles can be removed from is the body.
I hope these question and answers have helped your understanding of female hair transplants. Female hair loss is a big deal and you need to use every tool in your kit to combat the embarrassment.