Is Hair Transplant Surgery a Good Option for Women?
At our New Jersey, Boston, and New York hair loss clinics, we routinely treat men who suffer from varying degrees of male pattern baldness and achieve excellent results. Yet women can also experience hair thinning and hair loss for a variety of reasons, which is why we also assist many women with hair loss treatments.
Given these facts, we inevitably get asked the following question from people in the practice and online: is hair transplant surgery a good idea for women?
We want to take this opportunity to address that question right now, and you may be surprised at the answer.
Are women suffering from hair loss good candidates for hair transplant surgery?
By and large, the answer is no. Hair transplant surgery really isn't ideal for the vast majority of women dealing with hair loss and hair thinning.
There are still various options for treatment that our hair restoration surgeons in New York, New Jersey, and Boston can recommend, but in rare circumstances is hair transplant an ideal option for women.
Why are most women not good candidates for surgical hair restoration?
The answer has everything to do with biology and the nature of male balding and female hair thinning. When men lose hair, it's a result of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a male sex hormone that affects the follicles along the front, top, and crown area of the head. The donor areas for hair transplant surgery are in the back of the male's head, which is unaffected by DHT.
Women, on the other hand, experience diffuse hair loss, meaning that the loss of hair occurs all over their head rather than in a central location. Surgical transplant treatment will not be able to increase thickness and volume of hair.
In rare instances, what makes a woman a good candidate for hair restoration surgery?
There are a few instances in which New York follicular unit transplantation may be a good treatment option for women. Some experts estimate this number is between 2% to 5% of all women. These rare circumstances are as follows:
- Women who have lost hair due to injury, such as burn victims or those who have scarring along the scalp
- Women who experienced hair loss as a result of non-hormonal mechanical or traction alopecia
- Women who suffer from balding in a similar pattern to men (i.e., centralized in the crown area)
Other Treatment Options for Hair Loss to Consider
Since the vast majority of women are not ideal candidates for hair restoration surgery, other hair loss treatment options will need to be considered. These treatments usually involve the use of wigs or the use of minoxidil. Sometimes certain hormone treatments will help a patient dealing with thinning hair or female balding, though it will vary from patient to patient.
By communicating with us as well as your physician, we will be able to come up with an ideal treatment for your needs. Remember: even is surgery isn't an option, there are other options to consider.
Learn More About Advanced Hair Restoration Techniques
For more information about hair restoration surgery and your many different options for addressing different levels of balding, be sure to contact our hair transplant and restoration surgeons in New York, New Jersey, and Boston today. Our entire team looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve the best possible results through careful, expert care.
