Up to 40% of women suffer from excessive hair loss. In fact, most women suffer from exactly the same type of hair loss as men – androgenic alopecia. Despite that, when we think of surgical hair restoration, we usually think of men.
It’s time to think again.
Women with androgenic hair loss can definitely benefit from hair transplant procedures. Androgenic alopecia in women results from a combination of hormonal issues and genetic predisposition. Androgenic alopecia is a condition that leads to an increasing shortening of the growth cycle of the hair. The end result is that the hair stops growing completely.
Unlike men, women typically do not end up completely bald. Instead, a woman’s hair becomes extremely thin, usually on the top of the head, making styling and camouflaging of the problem almost impossible. It’s at this point that many women look for help.
What makes a good candidate? A thorough evaluation from a qualified surgeon is the place to start! You should be looking for an established clinic with a thriving practice, such as SureHair International. But there are some points to keep in mind even before you go for an evaluation.
To begin with, you need to be realistic about your final outcome, it’s not a procedure that can make your hair thicker than it already is. In effect, the procedure will move hair follicles from one part of the scalp to another – but it does not create new hairs. This means that the best outcome is one that creates a better cosmetic result.
Your surgeon will be looking for a good ratio of potential donor hair to the recipient area. For instance, if you have very thin hair on top of your head, but the hair along the sides and back is also limited, you may not have a reasonable amount of donor hair available. If you have very generalized thinning, it’s possible that you have limited donor hair.
Keep in mind the type of hair that you have. Wavy or curly hair will look thicker than fine or straight hair. Wavy hair will also cover more of your scalp. You may also get better coverage with coarse hair. Coarse hair again covers more scalp. Fine hair may not cover as much scalp as other hair types, but it tends to result in a very natural-looking result. So these factors will have to be balanced out with your objectives for the procedure.
If you are in good overall health, you tend to get a better result with transplantation. If you are a heavy smoker. have poorly controlled diabetes, or have other conditions that affect circulation and vascular health, you may find that the transplanted follicles do not grow as well as expected. Your surgeon will discuss these kinds of issues with you as part of the evaluation for your hair transplant procedure.
