“Hair Transplantation in women is considered only after proper medical management and treatment of underlying cause.”
It has been generally felt in the past that hair transplantation in females is less rewarding than in males.However, with advancement in technology this scenario is changing and there is growing demand, an awareness of the need and positive experiences that it is possible to give satisfactory results.
It is important that a female with hair loss undergoes evaluation of full history and detailed clinical examination.Before planning for hair transplant in a female some important
points like expectations of the patient, the preferred hair style, possibility of medical management and possibility of future progression should be carefully evaluated.
Good Candidates for Hair Transplant:
• Women who have significant thinning
• Women who have not had improvement in appearance after medical treatment
• Women who are well motivated
• Women who agree to take medical treatment to retain existing hair and treat underlying cause
• Women with good long–term potential donor–to–recipient area ratio
• Women with realistic expectations
• Scarring alopecia
• Women with high hairline and wide forehead.
Poor Candidates for Hair Transplant:
• Women with diffuse thinning including occipital area
• Women not willing for medical treatment
• Women with unrealistic expectations
• Women who are not psychologically stable
Most women often need a smaller number of grafts to cover a specific area. Since women grow long hair, camouflage with existing hair is easier and it is possible to give satisfactory results with small number of grafts.
A small window of trimmed area is made in the donor area from which follicular units will be extracted. Since women have long hair, this trimmed area can easily be covered up by the remaining hairs and will rarely be a problem.
Implantation is a little bit challenging as it need to be performed between existing hairs (as women never allow shaving of head) and the surgeons should have the patience and skill to implant in between the existing hairs. So it takes longer time than that in men.