Female Hair Transplants - Some things to consider

A female hair transplant is medically possible. But is it a good idea?

Your hair is your #1 fashion accessory, and it's not supposed to thin or go bald. That's supposed to be a man's problem. At least this is the perception.

However, this is not true.

About 30 percent of women will experience hair loss sometime within their lifetime. It's more common than most people think. There are several reasons that hair loss is generally thought of as just a man's problem. And why few ever hear of women having hair translpants.

• Female hair loss does not follow the pattern of male pattern baldness. For women the loss is spread around the head more generally, and rarely results in any completely bald spot. It makes women's hair look patchy or thin, not completely gone.

• Women wear their hair longer, and have an easier time hiding hair loss than men have hiding theirs. You don't want to look like you're losing your hair, and you can get pretty smart at hiding it.

• Being able to hide it also means nobody talks about it. You will never say "Did you know I have hair loss?" This keeps it out of general discussion, and therefore general knowledge.

  Who in their right mind is going to ask you, even if your hair loss is obvious - "Hey, are you losing your hair?" You might talk to your hair stylist about your hair loss (and how to hide it), but few others.

However, being able to hide female hair loss better doesn't mean you feel any better about it. It still robs you of your self-confidence. You will always wonder if it is noticeable to others, and since nobody is going to point it out or ask you about it, you'll tend to become self-conscious or nervous.

What you need to know about female hair transplants

Hair transplantation is done by taking little bits of skin containing hair follicles, and moving them over to a thinning area where the hairs are needed. The place where these patches of skin are taken from is called the "donor area."

Since female hair loss tends to be more generalized, there is often not enough donor area to make a hair transplant possible for women. You will need to consult with a doctor to determine if the procedure would be worth it.

Men's hair loss is usually more central and not spread around the head, so it is easier for them to find a good donor area. With female hair transplants, this is not often the case. Women often don't have a good donor area that can provide enough hairs to cover up the hair loss elsewhere on the head.

Also, female hair transplants may not hold for long. This is true for men, too. The transplant is done, but the hair loss progresses. This means that more follicles stop producing hairs, and even the transplanted areas can fade as well. This can result in a very patchy head with odd patterns of obvious thinning areas.

Another transplant may be done, but this process can continue. Some people have had three hair transplants, but with the hair loss progressing it becomes a losing battle and results in a very odd looking head of hair.

If you decide to have a hair transplant

For those women who are a candidate for a hair transplant, and who choose to have it done, there is good news. You can increase your chance of success by using the laser after the transplant.

The laser will have the effect of thickening the hair in general, and makes the transplant take hold better. You end up with fuller, thicker hair, and the chances of the transplant locations succeeding are increased.

Lasers actually help for both male hair transplants and female hair transplants. You give the newly located hairs the best chance of thriving in their new home.

If you, like many women, are not a candidate for female hair transplantation, what do you do?

You don't have to live with female hair loss. Not being able to have a hair transplant is not the end of the world.

Because of the all-over nature of female hair loss, the Super Grow Laser is perfect to regrow your hair. This gives you the all-over coverage that you need. The Super Grow Laser drenches your entire scalp with 272 lasers.

Emotionally, you have everything to gain by restoring your self-confidence. For women great hair is a tremendous confidence booster. You will feel self-assured when you see thicker, fuller hair. When you see it for yourself you'll be able to relax, to enjoy life again and not worry about people looking at your hair.