Hair Restoration and Replacement

For most of the last century a wig was the only method employed when there was hair loss suffered by women. Hair restoration was not an option of any kind. Society seemed to dictate that women just plop a mass of hair on their head and sit around hoping it wouldn’t fall off. The women of today will not stand for a system like that. Today women are climbing mountains, sailing the oceans, and driving race cars. None of these activities are very conducive to wearing a wig and now there are some hair restoration for women treatments that have become available.

Women’s Hair Loss

Like men, the majority of long term hair loss experienced by women is due to a genetic condition known as androgenic alopecia also known as pattern hair loss or pattern baldness. There are other causes such as hormonal imbalance, traction alopecia such as tight ponytails and braids, and accidents. But the majority of long term hair loss that requires female hair restoration is caused by pattern hair loss.

This condition is caused by a hormone in the body called DHT. This is actually a metabolite of the male hormone testosterone that both men and women have in their makeup. Certain hair follicles on the scalp are susceptible to the DHT bonding on receptors at the hair roots. This bonding then shortens the growth phase of the hair with each cycle and eventually the hair shaft can not be sustained and it falls out. At his point the follicle is completely inactive and becomes encased in fibrotic material. When this happens the hair follicle will no longer have any hope of producing hair.

Women’s Hair Restoration

The best method for treating hair loss is to attack it early. The US FDA has approved two drugs for the treatment of hair loss in men. Unfortunately, the most powerful drug, which is known as Finasteride, is not available for women due to the possibility of birth defects in male infants. In particular, it seems to affect male sexual organ development during pregnancy.

The second drug, known as Minoxidil, is applied topically to the scalp at the areas of hair loss. This is usually sold under the brand name Rogaine but several genetic varieties are now available. Minoxidil is a vasodilator originally developed to treat high blood pressure. In causes an increase in the size of the tiny blood vessels and it is thought this allows more blood flow to the hair follicles which allow them to continue to produce hair shaft material. Women usually apply a 2% solution of Minoxidil twice a day whereas men use a 5% solution. The lower dosage seems to actually be more effective on a woman’s scalp for some reason that is under investigation. This is the best method for female hair restoration in the sense that it helps to keep the existing hair growing longer.

Hair Restoration In Women

Once the follicle has gone completely dormant the only option for getting growing hair in that particular spot is to have hair transplants. Women and men differ in how pattern baldness affects their hair loss and this causes problems when using hair transplants for women. The term pattern baldness comes from the fact that men tend to lose hair at the front of the scalp, receding hair line, along with the vertex and the crown. This leaves a good area of hair growth at the back of the head for follicular donation. That is, there is a lot of hair for transplant into the balding areas.

Women, on the other hand, tend to lose their hair over the entire head. Thus when planning a hair restoration in women procedure the surgeon must determine a good area to use for donation. The fact that the hair was thinning over the entire head made it difficult to find hair follicles on the scalp. Recently a new procedure known as Follicular Unit Extraction has been utilized. With this method individual hair follicles or groups of one to three follicles can be transplanted. This has allowed for better transplants on the scalp but also allows for the use of hair from other areas of the body. This body hair is not as fine as scalp hair but it does work as a filler to fill in the thin areas.

Women hair restoration procedures are a little different than men’s but they are still worth exploring if you are suffering hair loss and thinning hair. Especially if you are active, you need a full head of hair that is your own and growing not some wig that can fall off at an inopportune time.