Hair transplant in women
Most people probably think that hair transplant is only for men because only men get bald. Sometimes, baldness in men even symbolises maturity and wisdom. Women are unlikely to get all bald compared to men but, unfortunately, there are a lot of women suffering from excessive hair loss and thinning hair. In contrast to men, this problem has hugely affected women’s life because it is neither sexually appealing nor fits the cultural norm.
Most women have diffused hair loss, unlike male pattern hair loss. There is usually no specific area that the hair will get thinner, but the hair will get thin all over the area of the women’s scalp. This includes the unstable donor hair (the back of the head), where the surgeon extracts the hair follicles for a hair transplant surgery. If that is the case, the donor will not be enough for the whole thinning area and the patient will have to choose the specific area to get a hair transplant instead. If this hair loss is not caused by genetics, the patient should get this active hair fall treated before getting a transplant done. Otherwise, the hair will still fall actively even after the transplant.
There are only a few women that have the type of hair loss that is a good candidate for a hair transplant. First would be women who are losing hair in a pattern that is similar to male pattern hair loss, such as receding hairline or thinning on the crown or top of the scalp. As long as the donor area is not thinning, the transplant is possible. Other cases like inactive alopecia areata, scars from the surgery or accidents, traction alopecia, etc. are also possible to proceed with the hair transplant.
The hair transplant technique and other approaches to treat thinning and balding hair in women are no different to men. The donor will be extracted from the same area, the devices and the procedure will all be the same. What women might concern more is about shaving and scars. The easiest way for the surgeon to get a transplant done is to shave the donor area (FUE hair transplant) or cut a strip of your scalp out (FUT hair transplant) which will either leave you with a shaved head or a long linear scar. However, there are long-hair FUE for us women to choose from as well. It is an FUE technique but instead of having to shave the donor area, the surgeon can extract the donor while the hair is still long. So, enjoy having a head full of hair gals!
Pukpinya Jangjetriew, MD
HAIRTRAN CLINIC
