The number of women seeking hair transplants to reverse their thinning hair or diffuse hair loss has grown in the last the five to seven years, reports Kris Johnson, Director of Medical Procedures and Surgical Operations for Marquee Quality Plastic Surgery Center.
"They want to have more options then wearing wigs," Mr. Johnson said. "and they know they can have this (hair transplantation) done the same as a man."
The main differences in how Marquee Quality Plastic Surgery Center approaches hair transplants for women has to do with the difference in how women lose their hair.
"The major difference between men and women is their hair loss patterns," Mr. Johnson. Female hair loss patterns are a general thinning of the hair on top. This is called a diffuse hair loss pattern.
(See Ludwig Female Hair Loss Chart At Left)
This difference in hair loss patterns results in a slightly different approach to how the new hair grafts are implanted compared to male hair transplants.
"Usually, it takes 500 to 1,000 hair grafts to fill in the thinning hair pattern on top," Mr. Johnson said. "What we are able to do is give them density in one session."
Because of their unique hair loss patterns, men often require two hair transplant sessions where the first one is characterized as a coverage session, and the second hair transplant seeks to achieve density, thickness and more fullness of hair, Mr. Johnson explained.
With women, usually only one hair transplant session is necessary to fill in the thinning area and provide density and fullness.
Another advantage female hair transplant patients have over men, Mr. Johnson pointed out, is that they handle the discomfort of the procedure and healing time better then men. "For most women, it's no problem at all," he said. "They handle pain and discomfort better then men do in general."
Mr. Johnson said there are two types of women who seek hair transplants. Those with normal genetic hair loss with most women in the 30 to 50 year range, and younger women with permanent hair loss due to traction alopecia.
Those with traction alopecia often require 500 to 700 hair grafts in the temple region and frontal regions, Mr. Johnson said. Traction alopecia hair transplant patients should definitely change their hair style to a more loose and free style that does not pull or damage the new hair grafts, he added.
