Four Considerations with Female Hair Transplants

Going through hair loss as a woman is especially difficult. While some thinning and balding of the hair is common in men, it is not as common for women. A woman may feel embarrassed, or even ashamed. They also might have fewer options or fewer physicians available that are aware of their hair loss needs. If you are a woman going through hair loss and you are currently exploring your hair transplant options, it is important to do your research. Go into your female hair loss specialist appointments prepared with questions. These are some of the most important things you will want to understand in the process.

The different hair transplant options available to you
Of course, you will want to know what your hair transplant options are. There are a couple of different hair loss treatments. Your female hair loss specialist should go over each of these options with you and you should discuss which one is best for your hair loss needs. The two most common procedures are the FUE hair transplant and the FUSS hair transplant. While the FUSS procedure is more invasive and requires longer recovery times, the FUE is the most used procedure. During the Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE hair transplant, individual follicular unit grafts (hair groupings of one to four hairs as they occur naturally in the scalp) are harvested one at a time using a tiny punch typically ranging from .7 to 1 millimeter in size.

Who will complete the transplant process
The hair loss specialist that you consult with is not necessarily the person that will complete the hair transplant. This is an important question, as you should know the qualifications and costs of your transplant specialist. If your female hair loss specialist is the actual person doing the hair transplant, you can request their education and experience qualifications. It can also be useful to request photographs of previous procedures they have completed. This will give you a better idea of what to expect.

The cost of a hair transplant
You should also discuss hair transplant cost with your female hair loss specialist. In most cases, the FUE procedures will be more affordable than the FUSS. This is usually because the FUSS procedure is more surgical and requires greater experience. Your cost will likely depend on many factors, including the type of hair transplant, the location of the hair transplant, and how many sessions you will require. Minimal hair loss might only require one or two hair transplants, while significant balding might require even more sessions.

What to expect following the hair transplant
You will also want to know what to expect following the hair transplant, especially in terms of recovery. If you are looking for a shorter and easier recovery time, the FUE process might be a better option. A typical FUE procedure takes around eight hours. The exact healing time after a FUE hair transplant is dependent on the skin type, but the grafts take in a matter of days and the redness settles in about four to five days. It is up to you if you want to make any special accommodations following the hair transplant, such as taking time off of work.

Females tend to have a harder time with premature hair loss. It is not as common and women are expected in society to have long, flowing hair. You will also find fewer physicians that are familiar with female hair loss. It is useful to work specifically with a female hair loss specialist. You will also want to go into your hair loss appointment prepared with questions, in order to fully understand the transplant process. Fortunately, there are options, and many of them are very successful.