Experiencing hair loss can be very distressing for women. Hair restoration surgery may be an option to fill in thinning areas or bald patches, but you must meet certain criteria for the procedure to be successful.
Age
Surgeons don’t generally perform hair restoration surgery on patients younger than 18 because hair growth patterns may not yet be fully established.
Transplants are most successful for women age 30 and over who have been suffering from thinning or pattern hair loss for five or more years.
Reason for Hair Loss
Women can experience hair loss or unfavorable hair growth patterns for many reasons, including:
- Genetic female pattern baldness
- Hormonal changes around pregnancy
- Thyroid disorders
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Skin conditions
- Trauma or burns
- Periods of intense stress
- Facial surgery near the hairline
- Tight hairstyles
The extent of hair loss differs between causes, and not all types of loss benefit from restoration surgery. For example, women whose hair has thinned across the whole scalp due to diffuse alopecia, generally aren’t good candidates.
Additionally, hair transplants may not be successful in cases when an underlying, untreated medical condition is causing the loss.
Health of Donor Hair
A successful procedure requires healthy hair around the back or sides of the head is available for transplantation. If you do not currently have a strong donor site, talk to Dr. Bared about your options. Some patients choose to have PRP before hair transplantation surgery to increase natural growth of hair to be used as donors.
Expected Results
The number of viable follicles in the donor site, the location of donor hairs and the extent of the loss all have an effect on the outcome. Transplanted hair takes several months to grow in completely, and the final appearance doesn’t always quite match the original hair.
It’s important to discuss the limitations of hair restoration surgery with Dr. Bared to gain an understanding of what results to expect.
If you’re a woman suffering from hair loss, start by talking with Dr. Bared to determine the possible causes. Hair loss resulting from medical conditions or hormone imbalances may be reversed by correcting the underlying problem.
Dr. Bared can provide more information about surgical options for other conditions and tell you whether you qualify as a good candidate.
