Women Hair Transplant – FUE Technique and DHI Technique

Female baldness affects many people worldwide. Due to the magnitude of the impact of hair on one’s appearance, especially in women, an increasing number of women have begun to seek options for hair restoration.

The main considerations and sources of hesitation for hair transplantation for women are the expected side effects of hair transplant surgery scars, prolonged downtime and or hair transplantation for women side effects.  However, the traditional punch method, which does not leave linear scars, often leaves patients with an unsatisfactory “baby hair” appearance. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE Technique) is a surgical procedure that uses a punch device to harvest follicular units to be transplanted into lost areas for later transplantation to restore hair growth. The FUE Technique captures the advantages of multiple restoration techniques available and avoids the disadvantages of traditional strip surgery. Many variations of the procedure are currently practiced.

DHI Technique hair transplantation method, called direct hair implantation, is considered one of the most advantageous methods in terms of short recovery time and the option to perform a large number of hair transplants in a single session. Thanks to this method, which aims to cover the balding areas by densifying them without damaging the hair and healthy follicles in the skin, a hair transplantation process with a much more dense and natural appearance can be performed.

Why Women Should Not Get Hair Transplant?

Why Women Should Not Get Hair Transplant?- The incidence of female pattern hair loss increases with advancing age. Women affected by hair loss may experience psychological and social problems. Because hair plays a major role in an individual’s self-image and self-confidence. For this reason, treatment methods such as hair transplant surgery for women have recently been seen as an important solution method for people. However, as with any surgery, there are also female hair transplant surgery side effects after hair transplant. Some of these; scars from hair transplant surgery, bleeding, infection, pain, etc.

Some women who attach great importance to their appearance and image may ignore these side effects and still consider hair transplant surgery. However, the situation for women is not as simple as it seems. Hair transplant surgery for female is an operation that is still discussed by many experts.

Is hair transplant recommended for women?

There are many causes of hair loss in women. Some of these reasons are as follows:

• Genetic
• Hormones
• Skin diseases
• Misused cosmetic products
• Stress
• Medicines

Hair loss, for whatever reason, is a common dermatologic problem for women. While hair transplantation is often recommended for men against hair loss, hair transplant surgery for female is not recommended for some reasons.

Why hair transplant is not recommended?

The number of women with the type of hair loss that would make them suitable candidates for female hair transplant surgery is quite small. In female pattern hair loss, there is a general thinning and hair loss in all areas of the head, including the sides and back, which function as donor areas in men. However, just like in men, in hair transplant surgery for women, hair is removed from the sides and back of the head for hair transplantation to other parts of the head. In men, androgenetic alopecia or commonly referred to as male pattern baldness, the donor areas are stable.  In contrast, in female pattern baldness, these donor areas are often unstable. Therefore, hair transplant surgery for women is not recommended.

What are the disadvantages of hair transplant?

The fact that female pattern hair loss is seen throughout the hair means that the hair to be taken from the donor areas to be used for hair transplantation and the accompanying follicles will fall out after the transplantation process is performed. This makes hair transplant surgery for women disadvantageous.

Another disadvantage is that women’s skin is more sensitive than men’s skin. This can cause scars from hair transplant surgery for women with sensitive skin.

Age factor and personal and family history of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Due to the heredity of AGA, individuals with a family history of hair loss will also tend to develop more severe AGA. The patient’s personal history, including the duration and speed of hair loss, serves to gauge the extent of expected hair loss.

The following 5 factors serve to determine whether a patient is a good or bad candidate.

I-Age and personal and family history of AGA;

II-Response to medical treatment;

III-Donor characteristics;

IV-Degree of baldness;

V-Patient’s expectations.

Who is not a good candidate for hair transplant?

There are 3 different causes of female hair loss in the literature.

1- Diffuse central thinning in the mid-frontal part of the scalp with preservation of the frontal hairline (Ludwig model).

2- Androgenic hair loss resembling male pattern hair loss.

3- Diffuse patternless alopecia with generalized hair loss.

Individuals with diffuse hair loss, low follicle density and thin donor hair are poor candidates.  Likewise, individuals with diffuse patternless alopecia are not good candidates for transplantation because the diffuse nature of hair loss, especially with diffuse patternless alopecia, limits the amount of donor hair available. In addition, the diffuse thinning of the entire scalp makes your cosmetic recovery much more difficult. The formation of scars from hair transplant surgery may also tend to increase.

Artificial hair implantation (synthetic fiber, etc.) can be seen as an alternative treatment when the donor area is depleted or not suitable for hair transplantation. However, its use remains controversial and is banned by the FDA.

Which Women Are Good Candidates for Hair Transplant?

In contrast, women with androgenic hair loss or the Ludwig pattern are in principle good candidates for hair transplantation, although careful evaluation of the donor site is required. In these candidates, hair transplant surgery without scars can be performed , which is one of the female hair transplantation side effects.

Female pattern hair loss according to the Ludwig scale. Grade I starts with a slight thinning of the hair. In grade II, the scalp becomes increasingly visible. In grade III, most of the hair in the center of the scalp falls out.

Successful treatment is about minimizing the female hair transplantation side effects.  Stopping the progression of hair loss also better guarantees long-term transplant results. In addition, hair transplant surgery without scars can also speed up the healing process as it will positively affect the psychology of the individual. The limiting step in the speed of hair transplantation is the amount of donor hair available. The important thing is to collect enough follicles to solve the problem of balding without depleting the donor area. If enough follicles are collected from the donor area, the success rate will increase. Therefore, whether an individual is a suitable candidate for hair transplantation can be decided by looking at the follicle density, hair density and hair thickness in the donor area.