Women and Hair Transplants - Specifics on hair transplant for females

Special chapter for women on hair loss and hair transplants

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery has reported that hair loss affects 21 million women in the United States. One in four women will develop problems with hair loss, to some extent. Of this staggering number of women who are living with the loss of their hair, only a few elect to choose hair transplant surgery each year.

The reasons for this vary. Many are not aware that they can be helped by hair transplant surgery, because it has traditionally only been thought of in terms of providing benefit for male patients. Even the bulk of the marketing and advertising for hair transplant surgery is often geared solely towards male patients.

Other women may feel too ashamed and embarrassed to seek the help they need from a hair transplant surgeon. They may feel as though somehow the loss of their hair is their fault. A surprising number of women simply dont realize how widespread the problem of thinning hair is among their female counterparts.

The problem of female hair loss is not something that is openly discussed, it usually accompanies feelings of shame and embarrassment and so there may be not opportunity for a woman experiencing this problem to discover that it is quite common and she is not alone.

Androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause for hair loss and balding patterns in women. Unlike men, who typically begin losing hair with a receding hairline, women most commonly experience hair loss on the top of their scalps, with some loss towards the front. In many cases, rather than lose their hair altogether, women commonly experience significant hair thinning.

This means that while most women do not go completely bald all over or in certain spots on their scalp, the volume of their hair becomes reduced and they may begin to see some thin spots on the top of their scalp through the remaining hair.

Hair loss can be particularly stressful for women. The female gender often associates the source of their femininity with long, luxuriant hair. From the time a woman is in the cradle, special emphasis is placed on her hair. Even before she really has hair long enough to style, female babies are often adored with bows, headbands, barrettes and hairclips. Women have an entire host of beauty aids and myths that are passed down from one generation to another.

Brush your hair one hundred strokes per night to make it healthy and grow faster. Cut your hair when theres a full moon and your hair will grow faster. Sleep with mayonnaise on your hair for it to be healthy. The list goes on and on. Obviously, there is much emphasis placed on the beauty of female hair. When a woman first begins to notice hair coming out in handfuls or very visibly in her brush, this can often signal an intense emotional reaction.

Regardless of how old they are when the loss of hair is first noticed, the loss can be extremely grievous. Women are expected to maintain their hair even into their later years; they are not expected to go bald. For a woman to lose her hair seems to be the equivalent of losing her identity as a woman.

Even if a woman is not interested in attracting someone, hair can be a source of much pleasure. Styling it makes a woman feel better about herself, raises her self-esteem and makes her feel more confident. When a woman has a bad hair day, it can ruin everything else that happens to her that day.

At the first sign of grey, or even worse, bald spots, a woman perceives that she has begun to lose something of what made up her sexuality. She may feel she is no longer attractive. In addition, expectations from society and our culture, greatly contribute to how a woman feels about her hair and the loss of it.

Whereas bald men are often considered sexy, and some men even shave their heads to achieve that look, it simply is not considered appealing for a woman to have balding or thinning hair. When this is combined with other aspects of the aging process, such as the effects of menopause, the results can be stressful, emotional and traumatic.

While it is quite common for women to experience some hair loss at varying points in their lives due to stress, medical conditions, hormonal changes and childbirth these are usually only temporary forms of hair loss. Permanent hair loss in women is generally due one of two causes: androgenetic alopecia and traction alopecia.

Androgenetic alopecia is caused by two factors; genetics and hormones. This means, that most probably, women who experience hair loss have at least one ancestor who also had hair loss problems. Many women begin to first notice thinning of their hair around the time they begin to go through menopause.

This results because as a woman enters the menopausal phase of her life, estrogen levels within the body begin to decrease; signaling a cessation of menstruation. Unfortunately, the reduction in estrogen means that testosterone levels rise, resulting in excess production of DHT; known to be a leading factor in hair loss in men.

Traction alopecia results from the hair being pulled too tightly or styled too vigorously. Most commonly, women who wear their exclusively or very frequently in tightly pulled braids, pigtails, pony tails or other styling measures will begin to report some loss of hair in later years. It must be noted that the occasional pony tail or braid will not cause a result of hair loss. Additionally, even if the hair is styled frequently in a pony tail or braid, there will generally be no loss of hair, as long as the style is loose and not pulled tightly.

Some doctors have reported that they see a slightly higher number of African American women experience hair loss due to traction alopecia if they have worn their hair in tightly styled cornrows or similar styles over a number of years.

Hair loss in women can be related to factors other than genetic links, such as stress, pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these factors are related to changes in hormones, however since the hormone levels generally return back to normal after a period of time, the hair will almost always begin growing as well. Those women who do experience a loss of hair after the birth of a child can expect for their hair to return within about three to four months following childbirth. This period, of course, can be extremely traumatic and emotional.

This is a period of time when a woman is most likely to be exhausted, due to the physical demands placed on her body during the pregnancy and subsequent labor. In addition, she probably isnt getting enough rest because of the care required for the newborn. All of these factors, when combined with hormones that are already fluctuating, can create a potentially explosive emotional time bomb. Women who have experienced a loss of hair due to pregnancy and childbirth are not generally good candidates for hair transplantation surgery due to the temporary nature of the hair loss. This does not mean however; that she should have to live with balding, thinning hair until her hormones stabilize and hair once again begins to grow. A number of other options may be available to her including the use of a wig (if the situation is particularly severe) or several styling options.

Other factors that may lead to temporary hair loss in women include the use of some birth control pills. This is a side effect that should be considered when the decision is made to use this type of prescription medication. It does not cause hair loss in all women. Women who do experience hair loss due to the use of birth control pills should consult with their physician regarding this side effect to find out if there are any other brands or products that may produce better results. Again, as this is temporary hair loss, a woman who has thinning hair as a result of birth control pills would not be a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery.

Still yet, in some cases, temporary hair loss in women can be attributed to any number of illnesses and medical conditions. In fact, women are much more susceptible to temporary hair loss due to a medical condition than men. Because of this, hair transplant surgeons normally perform very comprehensive tests on female patients to rule out any medical conditions that could be contributing to the hair loss before they will proceed with hair transplant surgery. These tests normally involve a series of blood tests in order to determine whether there are any hormonal imbalances which might be contributing to the hair loss and if so whether or not the situation can be reversed with proper medical treatment. If there is a medical condition contributing to the hair loss, it is quite likely that it can be treated or managed and the woman may be able to enjoy the return of her hair.

While consumers have traditionally though of hair transplant surgery in connection with male patients, in the last few years there has been an emerging trend for more and more women to consider this type of procedure as a solution for hair loss problems. In truth, until just the recent past, it was not possible for women to undergo hair transplant surgery because the procedures used were geared more towards the balding and hair loss patterns of men. Even during the late 1980s, the procedures in use were not appropriate for women. This is primarily due to the fact that grafts used were simply too large. This presented a problem because of the way women tend to lose their hair. In most cases, female balding patterns are not isolated to one location, but are spread across the entire top of the scalp. The large hair plugs that were first developed during the early days of hair transplant surgery would not have worked in female patients because it would have been far too difficult, if not impossible, to maneuver and would have had a horrific cosmetic appearance. It was not until very recently that smaller grafting procedures were developed, allowing surgeons to treat the different hair loss patterns in women patients.

Today, it is very possible for a woman who is experiencing hair loss to be treated using hair transplantation methods. The process may be a little more delicate, due to the differences in the way that men and woman lose their hair. As a result, more grafts are generally required, which can add to the cost of the hair transplant surgery. In addition, women can expect to experience a greater degree of shock loss during the initial weeks following their hair transplant surgery. The reason for this is not clearly understood. While this sudden loss of hair following a hair transplant surgery is unnerving, especially in women who are perhaps slightly more attached to their hair; patients should rest assured that it is only temporary and within a few weeks they can expect to see the growth of new hair in the transplant areas.

Summary

Hair loss, although traditionally and commonly believed to be isolated to the male gender, affects over 21 million women in the United States alone. Women are intensely susceptible to temporary hair loss throughout their lives due to changes in hormone levels; usually during pregnancy and childbirth. Certain medical conditions, which women may be predisposed to experiencing, can also result in temporary hair loss in women. Women experiencing temporary hair loss are not candidates for hair transplantation surgery due to the fact that in most cases, temporary hair loss can be reversed. Permanent hair loss in women is primarily due to wearing the hair styled too tightly and is referred to as traction alopecia and genetic conditions known as androgenetic alopecia.

Women who experience permanent hair loss, tend to lose their hair in different patterns than do males. Whereas males tend to lose their hair in isolated sections, such as the frontal and crown areas; female balding patterns tend to show a more uniform hair loss.

When hair transplant surgery was first developed in the United States during the 1950s, the procedures pioneered at that time were not suitable for use in female patients. It was not until the 1980s that women became candidates for hair transplant surgery as smaller grafts were researched and developed. Female patients face slightly different expectations than male patients following a hair transplant surgery as they are more prone to shock loss following the surgery and may have to endure a longer wait for the transplanted hair to begin growing.