Female Hair Transplant

Female Hair Transplant

Contrary to common belief, it is not only men who experience hair loss. While age-related hair loss is a relatively expected condition for men, hair loss in women is usually unpredictable at any age. But the reality is that about one-third of women experience hair loss at some time in their lives. More than 10 per cent of women are at the pre-menopausal stage of their life and more than 50 per cent of women over 65 struggle with thinning hair.

Female hair loss is a debilitating problem for women which has not been acknowledged as a significant problem. Hair loss in women often has a greater impact than hair loss does on men considering the fact that the absence of hair is regarded as socially unacceptable in terms of women. Hair loss can severely affect a woman’s emotional well-being and self-image as well as the quality of her life, causing psychological distress and weakening of social functioning.

The main type of hair loss in women is the same as it is in men, namely androgenetic alopecia or better known as female pattern hair loss. It is characterized by gradual shortening on the duration of the growth phase and progressive follicular miniaturization. In men, hair loss usually begins above the temples, and the receding hairline eventually forms a typical “M” shape with simultaneous thinning at the top of the head, often progressing to baldness. Unlike men, women usually do not go bald, but thinning of hair over the top and front of the head is rather common, and the gradual thinning is followed by an increase in the rate of diffuse hair loss from the top of the head. Female hair loss can occur at any time in a woman’s life, from puberty until later in life. However, it occurs more frequently in postmenopausal women. The initial diagnosis is made by carefully analyzing the physical appearance of the patient and the family history, but causes other than genetic factors should be considered too, such as medical conditions i.e. telogen effluvium, medication, pregnancy, childbirth, severe anaemia, nutritional deficiencies, rapid weight loss, thyroid gland problems, underlying scalp conditions i.e. ringworm, fungal infections, folliculitis etc.

Are You a Good Candidate for Female Hair Transplant?

Women typically have a different type of hair loss than men. Male pattern baldness affects parts of the top of the head while healthy hairs with resistant follicles remain intact at the sides and back of the head. Whereas, female pattern baldness usually affects the scalp overall as women do not have large areas of hair follicles that are resistant to shedding. The sides and back of the hair tend to be diffuse just as the front and top of the head. Therefore, to be considered as a candidate for a hair transplant requires satisfying elaborative criteria. The only group of women who are regarded as potential candidates for hair transplant procedures are as following:

• You have been diagnosed with female-pattern hair loss with similar characteristics to that of male pattern loss, and have sufficient donor hair for hair restoration surgeries.
• You have a naturally high hairline which is a bothersome condition to you.
• Your hairline is receding due to ageing.
• You have had lost a part of your hair because of non-hormonal traction alopecia.
• You are suffering from hair loss as a result of trauma such as accidents or burns.
• You have alopecia marginalis, a type of hereditary hair loss pattern affecting the frontal hairline and temples.
• You are suffering from hair loss due to trichotillomania which is a condition that the patient has an urge to pull out hair from the scalp, eyebrows etc.

How is Female Hair Transplant applied?

Before preparing for a hair transplant, female patients should be thoroughly examined by a doctor specialized in hair restoration, and ensure that they do not have any kind of treatable medical conditions contributing to the hair loss. Considering the fact that female hair transplant options are the same as their male counterparts, the next step is the decision of whether Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or Direct Hair Implantation (DHI) is the best option to acquire the desired results.

Female hair transplantation can be rather complicated since hair loss patterns in females generally tend to be more diffuse than their male counterparts. However, if the conditions regarding hair density are sufficiently satisfied, an experienced and competent medical team can provide desired outcomes with a high rate of success.

Hair transplant techniques used for female hair restoration, FUE and DHI, are both advanced implantation procedures that are performed by utilizing the same extraction techniques, but differing in the kinds of implantation devices that are used. Both procedures begin with the administration of the anaesthetic agent. As soon as the anaesthesia takes effect, the extraction phase is initiated, and by means of a punch or forceps, the hair grafts are harvested from the donor area in accordance with the hairline plan prepared in advance. Next, tiny incisions are made with the help of microneedles at the recipient site, while DHI does not require this slitting phase. Immediately after the incisions are prepared, the implantation starts. For DHI, a special implant device, named Choi pen, which can contain 1 to 4 hair grafts at a time is used. Extracted follicles are strategically inserted into the tiny slits, and finally, the transplantation of hair follicles comes to an end.

The newly transplanted hairs will grow in the same way as a patient’s original hair in about 3 to 6 months following the operation. It will take about 12 to 18 months for the transplanted hair to reach the desired density with a voluminous outlook.

Advantages of Female Hair Transplantation

Considering the frustrating effects of female hair loss, you might be thinking that hair transplant operations are the most common parts of the solution-seeking process among women with hair loss. Sadly, even if the annual amount of hair restoration surgeries is gradually increasing, female patients still act with suspicion towards these types of interventions based on various reasons. Nonetheless, we believe that becoming aware of the advantages and benefits of female hair restoration will be a key factor in overcoming the hesitation over hair transplant operations.

• Minimal invasion: Hair transplant operations are regarded as surgical procedures, but the absence of sutures makes the transplantation techniques such as FUE and DHI minimally invasive so that if you do not have an opportunity to take a few days off, you can get back to work the next day after the operation even though several days of resting is advised.
• Natural-looking results: FUE and DHI transplant operations provide the most natural-looking results in comparison to less advanced techniques. Patients might be concerned that transplanted hair will be distinguishable to the eye, but a qualified surgeon and advanced surgical equipment guarantees the impossibility of visible derangement.
• Simple and painless procedure: Hair transplants are fundamentally easy operations. In less than a day, the process is completed, and the patients can go back to their daily lives within one or two days. Since local anaesthetic agents are indispensable components of the surgery, the patient does not feel any pain, and the after-effects are reversed with a minimum level of precautions.
• Manageable hair: In hair transplants, the patient’s own hair follicles are used or otherwise, the system would reject the foreign tissue. As a result, newly transplanted hair functions similar to natural hair and does not require special care to maintain the density, such as specific shampoos or chemicals.
• Permanent results: Following FUE and DHI hair transplants, as an expected phase of the operation, shedding of the newly transplanted hairs occur, only to regrow permanently within 3 to 6 months. One’s own hair follicles are placed into the thinning or balding parts of the scalp, and considering the hair loss resistance of these hair follicles, they are absolutely permanent.
• Mental impact: Hair is considered a critical part of bodily aesthetics, and the emphasis which has put on the hair makes women with hair loss to struggle with problems regarding their self-image and confidence. Thus, undergoing hair restoration surgery transforms into a powerful source of mental support, and improves one’s body image.

Recovery Period After a Hair Transplantation

As soon as the operation is completed, the patient swiftly enters into the healing process because neither FUE nor DHI causes any kind of tissue damage.

Following the operation, you will be able to leave the clinic immediately without any kind of problem. You may have visible scabs across your affected areas, and your forehead and back of your scalp may feel swollen and tight for a few days. However, you do not have to worry since these all soon disappear. With the purpose of speeding up the recovery phase, there are various precautions to take, and several dos and don’ts, including:

• Follow your doctor’s instructions on how often you should wash your hair, and only use advised cleansing products.
• Do not roughly brush your hair for about 3 to 4 weeks.
• You should avoid doing strenuous exercise or physical activities for a couple of weeks. Otherwise, your newly implanted hair grafts can be dislodged.
• You can apply an ice pack to reduce the swelling.
• Getting rest is an essential part of the recovery process.
• You will be prescribed medications like antibiotics and painkillers; in order to not disrupt the healing, it is extremely important to follow the instructions of your doctor.
• You should sleep with your head elevated for at least three days following surgery.

In about 4 to 6 weeks after the procedure, you may experience ‘shock loss’ which is the loss of the newly transplanted hairs. This shedding of hair is expected and temporary, providing a strong base for healthier hair growth. Within 6 months after this hair loss, you will start to notice your new hair growth. In about 1 year, you will obtain your long-awaited look with natural-looking, voluminous hair strands.

Possible Side Effects of Female Hair Transplant

Although hair transplantation is a relatively riskless procedure, there are always possible side effects resulting from surgical operations. The risk of experiencing these minor effects is quite low, and even if they appear, it will take only a few weeks to get rid of them.

Firstly, the most commonly seen complication of hair transplant surgeries is swelling and bruising on the scalp. Since this is completely normal and harmless, you should not feel anxious about it; in a few days, swelling will entirely subside. And decreased sensitivity on top of the head is also a possible side effect of the procedure, relieving in a few days.

Bleeding is another possible side effect of the procedure; it can occur during the operation or in the coming days. It is critically important to know that smoking, drinking or taking blood-thinning medications should be avoided at any cost for a while before and after the operation as they disrupt the blood circulation, increasing the risk of bleeding.

Infection and inflammation are also considered as a risk for these kinds of operations even if the intervention is minimally invasive. Regular medication intake will provide a decrease in those risks to a great extent.

The occurrence of scabs and crusts on the areas of the scalp where hair was removed or implanted is another possible complication of hair transplant surgery. These crusts will begin to fall off in a few days, but it is important to know that scratching those scabs will significantly decelerate the healing process of the affected areas. Keeping the scalp clean will also be an effective approach to itching.