As with men, female hair transplants can be a great solution for women experiencing hair loss. There may have been a stigma surrounding this solution in the past, but that is no longer the case. The advances in female hair restoration techniques leave patients with more natural-looking results. Some female celebrities have even undergone hair transplants.
There are some similarities between men and women regarding losing their hair. There are also some big differences between the two. What these differences tell us is even though male pattern baldness accounts for over 95% of hair loss for men. This means for most men, hair transplantation is a viable option. The same is not the case for women as only about two- to five-percent of women are suitable candidates for a surgical hair restoration.
Is Female Hair Loss Different from Male Hair Loss?
Men and women can both experience genetic hair loss known as androgenetic alopecia. It is a term commonly used to refer to male or female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss can occur because of genetics, age, or hormones. With women, the addition of a few additional hormones and enzymes can make diagnosing the exact cause more difficult.
Often for men, hair transplant specialists can understand the cause of hair loss simply by looking and asking a few routine questions about family and medical history. Men typically lose hair on the front and top of the head. The sides and back remain the same.
When women start to lose their hair, it typically tends to be diffuse, meaning the hair thins all over not just on the front and top as it does for men.
For men, hair follicles that remain on the back and sides of the head are resistant to the dihydrotestosterone hormone (DHT). When DHT-resistant hair follicles are transplanted from the sides or back of the head to the top and front through hair transplantation those hairs do not fall out. Their resistance to DHT is what prevents them from falling out in the future.
Female hair transplants are different as diffuse hair loss means there isn’t enough donor hair left on the back and sides of the head to extract hair from without leaving those areas with much less density. Diffuse hair loss could be an indicator that the hair on the sides and back of the head is not resistant to DHT. If hair is transplanted it could fall out in the future.
Female Hair Restoration Transplants: Preparing for Surgery
Before a woman can undergo a hair transplant, they need to visit a hair loss specialist for an initial consultation and tests. The specialist will perform a variety of tests to confirm what is the likely cause of your hair loss.
Because female hair loss can happen for a variety of causes it can be difficult to assess. Some of the tests done may require microscopic hair evaluation, pluck or pull test, scalp biopsy, or blood test.
Hair Transplants for Women in St. Louis
In short, women can have hair transplants but because hair loss for women is often different, that limits who can undergo hair transplantation. If you have hair loss and wonder if you would be a candidate for a hair transplant, please contact us for a hair loss consultation today.
