Female hair loss can have a dismaying or even devastating influence on a woman’s quality of life, not least because hair loss is, often wrongly considered, a less significant psychological and emotional problem for women than it is for men. Too often, a woman’s hair loss is not taken seriously by family or friends or even by a woman’s personal physician.
While hair loss itself can present psychological and emotional problems for a woman, failure of others to recognize the seriousness of these problems, may contribute to psychological and emotional effects that can range from decreased self-esteem to anxiety and depression.
Female hair loss may also be overlooked as a “normal” phenomenon. Gradual hair loss is often associated with ageing. Temporary hair loss is often associated with pregnancy. Very often, women have pattern hair loss that “runs in the family”.
Hair loss in a woman should never be considered “normal”; however, the cause should be pursued until a diagnosis is established. Of the many causes of hair loss in women, only a few such as ageing, hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and hereditary pattern hair loss may be considered “normal”. Treatment is available for hair loss due to these conditions, and treatment should be considered when hair loss influences the woman’s quality of life.
Below is a list of common causes in female hair loss:
- Androgenetic Alopecia – hereditary pattern hair loss with a typical pattern of diffuse thinning over the central scalp. It is the most common type of hair loss. It occurs in about 20% of women.
- Alopecia Areata – a recurrent disease of unknown cause, that results in patchy loss of hair from the scalp and/or eyebrows.
- Telogen Effluvium – a condition that causes shedding of hair over the entire scalp, it may be chronic but may also be acute following a stressful event; such as high fever, severe dietary deficiency, and chronic blood loss from heavy menstruation.
- Loose Anagen Syndrome – a condition that causes hair to shed before its normal growth cycle is completed. Hair can be pulled out by normal combing or brushing.
- Traction Alopecia – tight braiding and corn-rowing can, over time, cause permanent damage to hair and scalp and result in hair loss.
- Chemicals – some chemicals used in hair styling can, over time, cause permanent damage to hair and scalp and result in hair loss.
- Trichotillomania (compulsive hair plucking) – a person feels compelled to pluck hair in regular or bizarre patterns, resulting over time in traction alopecia and permanent hair loss.
- Scarring Alopecia – hair loss due to scarring of the scalp area. Scarring alopecia typically involves the top of the scalp and occurs predominantly in women. The condition frequently occurs in Afro-Caribbean women and is believed to be associated with persistent tight braiding or “corn-rowing” of the hair. A form of scarring alopecia may also occur in postmenopausal women, associated with inflammation of hair follicles and subsequent scarring.
- Hypothyroidism – thyroid deficiency can be associated with thinning, patchy hair loss.
- Pregnancy – hormonal changes and stress of pregnancy may cause temporary hair loss.
Non Surgical – Minoxidil (Rogaine)
The only non surgical female hair loss treatment available is topical Minoxidil (Rogaine). Finasteride can have under-masculinising effects on a male foetus; therefore, Finasteride should not be taken by a woman who is pregnant or who may become pregnant during a course of treatment. The use of Minoxidil to abate hair loss, should be viewed as a lifetime commitment if the regrowth is to be maintained. It does not replace all of the missing hair and the response to the treatment is individual.
Other female hair loss treatments, though not permanent, can be very effective. These include changing hairstyles, perming and colouring. Also hair extensions, hair weaves and hairpieces can be very effective in covering thinning areas.
Surgical – Female Hair Transplantation by Micro Follicular Grafting
Hair transplantation is almost always the surgical treatment choice for a woman. The procedure has a high rate of success in women suffering with hair loss, and the great majority of women are very satisfied with the results.
However, not all women are good candidates for hair transplantation. Since we are usually dealing with women who have only thinned or who can conceal their loss, it is uncommon for anything to show after treatment. We shall of course advise you if we believe this not the case in your circumstance. Some women are more suited to surgical hair loss treatment than others (and some are not suitable candidates at all). We shall endeavor to give you as realistic a picture as possible, of the type of result you can expect from your treatment.
Modern techniques of surgical hair restoration, can restore lost hair and replace or re-shape your hairline with your own natural, growing hair. This needs no more care than the ordinary washing, styling and trimming you have always done. Transplantation can be done so well that often a hairdresser or stylist cannot even tell that grafts have been placed.
A female hair transplant involves:
- Removing permanent hair-bearing skin from the back and/or sides of the scalp (donor area).
- Using magnification, the tissue is dissected into follicular unit grafts (containing 1-4 hairs) and multi-follicular unit grafts (containing 3-6 hairs each).
- These small grafts are often meticulously planted into the bald or thinning area of the scalp (recipient area) as not to injure any follicles already existing in the area and at the same exact angle as the other hairs present.
- The creation of very small follicular unit grafts has enabled hair surgeon to create very natural, feathered hairlines, which do not have the abrupt “pluggy look” that was commonly seen in hair transplants of years past.
- Depending on the degree of balding in the frontal, mid-scalp and vertex (crown) areas, usually 2-3 procedures are performed.
- Hair transplant surgery today is remarkably well tolerated. Within 24 hours small crusts will form on each graft that are then shed in approximately 14-28 days.
- The grafted hairs will often start to grow by 16-20 weeks after the procedure and will continue to grow for most, if not all, of one’s life.
Advantages of Hair Transplant for Women
There are many advantages for women. The method enables us to perform an unshaven and traceless operation. Therefore, it is a perfect choice for female patients.
Our doctors take the hair follicles individually and plant them right after the collection without opening channels. Thanks to this technique, for the hair transplant process, the direction of the hair and front hairline stays close to nature as much as possible. Consequently, you can observe a natural appearance after the operation.
You can carry out the first wash at home as our doctors described. At the end of the first two weeks, the shock shedding takes place quickly. However, the number of patients who do not experience shock shedding is one in a thousand. Three months after the operation, the hair starts to grow thinly, gaining strength day by day. Finally, at the end of the 8th month, it visually gains volume.
Hair transplant prices are not the same for everyone. In this sense, the number of grafts and the method are two primary criteria that determine the price of hair transplantation.
Regarding this, women’s hair transplant cost may vary according to many factors. We offer a quality of service of hair transplant for women with reasonable price.
- The number of grafts
- The doctor’s expertise and quality
- Services offered and product quality
These are the other factors that affect the cost of the transplant. In addition, additional services may increase the total cost.