Hair transplants have been taking place for decades, and you would perhaps be forgiven for thinking that this type of procedure was something that was traditionally the domain of men. This isn’t necessarily the case. Although men are indeed the primary recipients of hair transplants, there has been an increasing number of women opting to undertake this type of treatment.
Hair loss can be an unnerving experience, one that can affect confidence of the individuals, regardless of whether they are male or female. It is recommended that if women are at all anxious about hair loss that they make an appointment as soon as they can get seek a professional opinion. Hair loss can be caused by many different factors, including diet, styling and environmental conditions, and indeed more serious medical conditions, hormone imbalances and or underlying genetic conditions.
We can personally be responsible for certain types of hair loss
Some women are at risk of developing a condition known as traction alopecia, which is caused by putting excessive tension on hair follicles for a prolonged period of time. This can result in patches of baldness where hair has been shaped in overly severe styles, such as tight ballerina buns, braids and corn weaves. If caught early, this can be reversed, but if you leave it too long then the effects might be permanent.
Whereas some types of hair loss can’t be addressed cosmetically or by lifestyle changes
Women’s hair loss can be a bit more complicated than men’s, as can be driven by the ever changing hormonal make-up of the body. Female hair transplants are often only considered for women whose hormonal make-up means they are suffering from a condition known as ‘male pattern baldness’. This typically affects men, as the name suggests, but in rare cases this can affect women too. Male pattern baldness is the genetic condition that makes men’s hairlines creep backwards, and results in thinning or balding to the top, crown and temples.
If women are showing signs of this type of hair loss then transplantation may be suggested to try and combat the visible signs of hair loss that could have a detrimental effect on confidence and self-esteem. Taking the surgical route is the only way that hair will actually re-grow in affected areas, many other products or lifestyle changes will just be able to try and prevent further loss.
No quick fix
The same advice is offered to women as if given to men: approach any hair transplant therapy with realistic expectations. Hair transplants can indeed re-seed hair into areas where it is no longer growing naturally, however, if the underlying condition that has caused hair to fall in the first place is undiagnosed, untreated – or in the worst case, unfixable – it is important to consider that hair loss will continue around the transplant site, and that you may need future operations to address future iterations of the problem.