While hair loss is more common in men than in women, that doesn’t mean that female alopecia is a rare occurrence. Studies show that 55% of the female population [1] experience hair thinning at some point in their lives. And a growing number of them opt for permanent hair restoration for women to solve this distressing problem once and for all.
Almost 13% of hair transplant patients are women [2], most of them getting this procedure as a permanent treatment for female pattern baldness. However, female hair transplants can also help lower or reshape your hairline, cover mild scalp scarring or treat other conditions.
While at this time, there is no cure for baldness, surgical hair restoration for women is as close as it gets to one. It can help undo the devastating psychological effects of female balding, restore your confidence and recover your youthful, feminine look. This article will tell you all you need to know about:
Permanent hair restoration for women is also known as a female hair transplant. It is a surgical procedure designed to increase hair density in balding areas of the scalp. This is accomplished by harvesting some healthy hair follicles from the back of the patient’s head and transplanting them into the thinning areas.
Unlike hair growth treatments and therapies, which have a temporary effect, this type of surgical procedure produces long-lasting results, meaning that you can still enjoy a successful hair transplant after 10 years or more.
Many women choose to have surgical hair restoration because the procedure is simple, highly effective and produces natural-looking results. The best hair transplant clinics in the UK have a success rate close to 100% and very high patient satisfaction rates. However, it takes some time before you see the final results (9-12 months post-surgery).
The procedure for performing a hair transplant is simple, virtually painless and performed in an outpatient setting. Here are its main stages:
Before your hair restoration surgery, you will have a consultation with your surgeon. They will ask you some questions regarding the state of your overall health, your medical history and your hair problems. Then, they will use specific diagnostic tests to determine if you are a good candidate for a hair transplant.
If the surgeon determines that you can benefit from this procedure, you will discuss the shape and size of your transplant area, as well as the number of hair grafts needed. They will set realistic expectations regarding the results you can expect and provide you with a set of instructions for the days and hours before your procedure (e.g. refraining from smoking, drinking alcohol, taking certain medication, etc.).
Before starting your surgery, you will receive local anaesthesia, which will ensure that you don’t feel any pain even though you will be awake throughout the procedure. If needed, you can also get a mild sedative to calm your nerves.
Then, the surgeon will start to harvest healthy hair follicles from the back of your scalp. If you opted for follicular unit transplantation (FUT) surgery, that will involve cutting out a strip of skin from the donor area, and then suturing the resulting wound *this normally results in a fine scar). The strip will then be sliced into individual hair grafts [3].
However, if you prefer follicular unit extraction (FUE), the surgeon will use a small tool called a punch to extract the follicular units individually from your donor area, leaving virtually no visible scarring [3]. While both these harvesting methods are popular, FUE has recently gained favour due to its shorter healing time and the absence of tell-tale scars which makes it easier to get a hair transplant without anyone knowing.
Once the hair grafts have been obtained, the surgeon uses a special needle or blade to make small, slanted slits in your transplant area. They then carefully insert the graft into these slits at precisely the right angle, depth and pattern to imitate your natural hair growth.
After your surgery is successfully completed, the surgeon will apply bandages to your donor area and provide you with thorough hair transplant aftercare instructions. Following them closely will increase your graft survival rates and reduce the risk of developing postoperative complications. While some pain, tenderness, itching and swelling are normal in the first few days after your procedure, be sure to contact your surgeon immediately if you notice any sign of infection or if your symptoms are getting worse instead of improving with time.
Normally, after the procedure, your surgeon will also schedule one or more follow-up visits, to make sure that the healing process is going well. You can also feel free to contact them as needed for additional questions, concerns or to request specific aftercare advice.
The most frequent type of alopecia treated with a hair transplant in women is female pattern baldness. This is a form of androgenetic alopecia, which means it occurs when your body produces excessive amounts of a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This androgen binds to specific receptors in your hair follicles, causing them to shrink and stop producing hair [4].
About half of all women experience this condition during their lifetime, most of them after menopause, when their level of female sex hormones drops dramatically. This offsets the balance of male to female hormones in their body towards the androgenic side, enhancing the effects of DHT, even though their body does not produce more of this androgen.
While male pattern baldness often starts with a receding hairline, the female variety of this condition does not normally affect your frontal area. Its main symptoms are diffuse hair loss across your scalp and a widening of your hair parting, often accompanied by a Christmas tree pattern.
However, female hair transplants can also be sometimes used to treat several other scalp conditions, such as [3]:
If you have one of the following hair loss conditions, surgical hair restoration is unnecessary or unlikely to produce good results so it will normally not be recommended:
Yes, a hair transplant can be performed on other parts of your body besides your scalp as well. Some women opt for an eyelash or eyebrow transplant [5], or even a pubic hair transplant [6]. These are normally performed using hair from your scalp.
However, there are differences in hair texture and growth patterns between the strands on your scalp and those on your face and body. A trichologist will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for one of these procedures.
Not every woman with hair loss is a good candidate for surgical hair restoration. Here are some of the characteristics which can make you eligible to get this procedure [7][8]:
The cost of a hair transplant depends on several factors. The most important of these are the number of hair grafts you need, the type of procedure you opt for, the surgeon’s level of experience and any additional services offered by the clinic you choose.
Normally, an average 1500-graft hair transplant costs approximately £4,820 in the UK. However, if you prefer the services of a high-end clinic, you can expect to pay more substantial rates. Regardless of your choice, as long as your procedure is performed in an authorised UK facility, you can be confident that there is oversight regarding quality standards, as well as health and safety provisions. This minimises your hair transplant risks and significantly increases its chances of success.
Other countries, such as Turkey, are known to provide hair restoration surgeries for lower prices. However, it is good to be wary of too-good-to-be-true offers, as the lower hair transplant costs in Turkey may not be worth the risks. Some of these low-cost deals may hide unauthorised clinics which do not abide by health and safety regulations, unskilled technicians performing the procedures and high rates of postsurgical complications [9][10].
Every surgical intervention involves some risk of complications or unwanted side effects and female hair transplants are no exception. If you decide to get this procedure, you are likely to experience some mild adverse effects, such as [11][12]:
These symptoms are normal, short-lived and should not negatively affect your healing process. Your aftercare instructions will likely contain advice on how to reduce them at home.
However, there are also very rare but potentially serious complications that can arise. Some of these are:
If you have any suspicion that you may be experiencing any of these complications, contact your surgeon (or primary healthcare provider) as soon as possible.
Hair restoration often works very well for eligible women, producing results that increase their self-confidence, make them appear younger and foster a better quality of life. Provided that your surgeon deemed you a good candidate for a hair transplant, you can indeed expect this procedure to work reasonably well in covering your balding areas. If your hair loss is not very advanced, you may see an almost complete restoration of fullness on your crown, temples or other problem areas.
However, if your hair loss is very extensive, you will see some improvement in hair density as a result of your hair transplant, but it is unlikely that you will achieve a full head of hair. That is because your donor area likely does not contain sufficient hair follicles to provide the number of grafts your transplant area requires for full coverage. If this is your case, you can enhance the results of your hair restoration surgery with therapies such as PRP hair treatment. Or you can make your balding areas less conspicuous with scalp micropigmentation for women.
The results of your hair restoration depend on multiple factors, such as the condition you are treating, the extent of your hair loss and your body’s natural healing capacity.
Oftentimes, female patients are satisfied with the outcomes of their procedures and before-and-after hair transplant photos show a significant difference in hair density. Here are some examples of surgical hair restoration for women performed at the Wimpole Clinic:
If for whatever reason you can’t or don’t want to get a hair transplant, you will be happy to know that there are also non surgical hair restoration treatments that work. If your hair loss is not too advanced, trying one or more of the following medications and therapies can help improve your hair density:
This is one of the most popular and effective hair growth medications for women. Used most often topically, in a 2% concentration, Minoxidil has been proven to help treat a number of conditions, such as female pattern baldness, alopecia areata, traction alopecia and chronic telogen effluvium [13].
Research shows that using Minoxidil and a derma roller together enhances both their effects, as the micropunctures made by the device allow topical treatments to be absorbed more easily [14].
If you are experiencing alopecia areata (or other autoimmune conditions that cause hair loss, such as scalp psoriasis), you may benefit from steroid creams or – in more advanced cases – intralesional steroid injections. They can help reduce scalp inflammation and diminish the resulting hair loss.
PRP hair treatments involve injecting the problematic areas on your scalp with platelet-rich plasma obtained from a small sample of your own blood. This therapy works because PRP contains an abundance of growth factors which help heal damaged hair follicles and promote new, healthy strand production.
It can be used to treat a variety of conditions, from female pattern baldness to alopecia areata and traction alopecia.
Red light therapy for hair growth is one of the most commonly used types of low-level laser therapy. This is because the beams are absorbed into the scalp, where they enhance the efficiency of the mitochondria, improving cell function. This leads to more energy and nutrients reaching your hair follicles, which helps them remain in the growth phase for longer.
You can get this therapy in the comfort of your own home, as using laser hair growth caps can regrow hair in female pattern baldness, according to science [15].
Hair tattoos, also known as scalp micropigmentation (SMP) will not actually treat your hair loss but can be a great way of masking your thinning spots. A specialised technician will use a tattoo machine to insert very small droplets of pigment into your scalp, in a pattern that imitates your natural hair growth.
This will effectively reduce the colour contrast between the bald areas of your scalp and your hair, making your locks seem fuller. It can also be used to cover scars from surgeries or trauma.
If you are experiencing hair loss and are wondering whether you can benefit from a permanent hair restoration, book a hair transplant consultation with us today. In 2024, The Wimpole Clinic received the Hair Transplant Clinic of the Year award for the 4th consecutive year, so your scalp and hair would be in the best hands possible.
Our world-class surgeons would be happy to assess your eligibility for surgical hair restoration and walk you through the procedure step by step. They will answer all of your questions and get you started on the path to regaining your full, beautiful locks.
If you would like to learn more about the intricacies of permanent hair restoration for women, feel free to peruse the answers to these frequently asked questions:
The best age for a hair transplant varies among women, depending on the cause and severity of their alopecia. It is generally recommended to wait until you’re at least in your mid-twenties to get this procedure (women rarely experience advanced hair thinning before this age).
Most female patients who opt for permanent hair restoration (74%) are between 30 and 60 years old [2]. That is because a significant amount of female alopecia starts in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal stages of life. However, there are also 18% of women who opt for a hair transplant before the age of 30.
Your surgeon can provide the best advice regarding the optimal time to get hair restoration surgery for your specific condition.
No, you are not likely to lose your newly implanted hair grafts to androgenetic alopecia. That is because the hair follicles on your donor area are not sensitive to DHT, the male hormone which makes your hair fall out in pattern baldness. And the transplanted grafts maintain this property when they are relocated to the balding areas of your scalp.
However, if your androgenetic alopecia is advanced, you may notice further thinning around the transplant area, which might require a second procedure.
The number of hair restoration procedures you may need depends on the extent of your hair loss and the success of your surgery.
However, most women (68.2%) only need a single hair transplant to achieve their desired results. 28.2% of the remaining ones are fully satisfied with their restored hair after 2 procedures. Requiring 3 or more hair restoration surgeries is quite rare, and only slightly over 3% of patients have faced this situation [2].
Having realistic expectations about your hair transplant results and openly discussing them with your surgeon can increase your chances of obtaining a satisfactory outcome on the first try.
There are few differences between male and female hair transplants. The main ones involve the areas of the scalp where most of the surgeries are done: men tend to have more hairline transplants, while women have more forehead reduction surgeries than men.
When it comes to technical aspects, women have a lower hair follicle density in their donor area than men and female pattern hair loss sometimes also affects the back and sides of the head, which can make it difficult to obtain enough healthy hair grafts. The scalp tissue is also thinner and more fragile in women, so it needs to be handled with particular care.
Simply fill in your details in the form below and we'll get in touch with you shortly.
Δ
