Posted: January 22, 2013
We all envy women with beautiful hair. That’s why hair extensions are so popular, especially in Las Vegas and Hollywood. You’d be surprised at how many women whose hair we admire is not their real hair at all, but hair extensions. Some of us are lucky enough to have it naturally, like my beautiful patient care coordinator Nicole. Thick lustrous hair makes you feel sexy, youthful, attractive, and healthy.
As you age, regardless of the hair you have always had, the majority of women will experience some level of hair loss, as they get older. In most cases, the loss will be minor, but some women may find they are able to see their scalps easily through their hair, particularly at their part, their crown, or at the hairline. This is a subject that women feel ashamed about and so it is generally not talked about. Losing your hair is frightening, upsetting, and stressful, especially in light of the fact that there is very little you can do to hide it. It makes you feel weak and vulnerable, and is one of the most traumatic things a woman can go through when it comes to her appearance.
Most cases of hair thinning or loss have no etiology. It can be genetic or simply from aging, as the growth rate of the hair slows down so that when hairs are shed, they are much more slowly replaced. Medical conditions that cause hair loss are less common, but include hormone problems involving thyroid hormones or sex hormones, dermatologic conditions, menopause, pregnancy, stress, and certain drugs or nutritional deficiencies.
Women get really good at hiding their condition. Certain hairstyles, hair products, hair dye, hair powders, and sprinkle-on hair fibers such as Toppik work well to hide visible scalps and thicken your hair. Vitamins such as Biotin, Nioxin, DHT blockers, Rogaine and other advertised hair thickeners and products may help slightly, but results tend to be disappointing.
What most women do not realize is that there is a solution to this problem. No, you aren’t going go from thin wispy hair to thick and lustrous hair. But hair transplant surgery works beautifully to fill in thin patches or a receding hairline. It’s not as bad as it sounds. People have negative misconceptions when it comes to hair transplant surgery. First of all, women don’t realize that hair transplant surgery is not just for balding men. They think of the tacky Boseley ads, the Hair Club for Men, and the chance of people knowing. They think of stigmata of the procedure, scarring, unnatural hairlines, or a doll-like head of hair. Just let all these negative images go! Techniques for hair transplant have improved so results are natural and no one, not even your hairstylist, will perceive scars or telltale signs of surgery. Hair transplant surgery is better for women than men as we can hide the healing phase with our existing longer hair, rarely even having to resort to scarves or headbands. You can get back in public and in social situations within days of the procedure, and the best part is, no one will notice you have had anything done. Women generally have more hair than balding men, so results are realistic and attainable. Men with severe thinning or balding at a young age are sometimes better off just shaving their heads, as results for them can be disappointing.
The latest state of the art way for hair transplant with no linear scarring is called Neograft. Basically, individual hair follicles are extracted (sucked out, so no donor site scars-also called FUE, follicular unit extraction) from the lower back of your hair where the hair is generally thicker and not genetically predisposed to loss. Each individual hair follicle is then placed into areas of thinning without affecting surrounding hair follicles. If you have very short hair you may have some downtime, as the areas treated can be noticed for a few weeks. If you have slightly longer hair, you look fine the next day as your hair covers the areas treated. Potentially you are back to work in a few days and no one notices you had anything done. If your hair is shoulder length or longer, you can even wear your hair back in a ponytail without visibility of the donor area.
Just about everyone needs more hair on his or her heads. Ironically, as we grow older, we see hair form just about everywhere else but our heads. We wax and pluck unwanted hair and have no issues discussing it. It is important to shed light on hair transplant surgery as a great option for women. Spread the word and don’t be ashamed to talk about it! Hair transplant procedures are done in our office setting on a regular basis. Women are able to achieve thicker hair in areas of thinning, or even cover up bald spots or scars from previous surgery or trauma. Eyebrows can also be restored. Results can give you the confidence you need to enjoy life and interactions with others without the daily stress of hiding or being ashamed of your condition.
Hair Transplant Specialist – Hair Transplant Vegas
Dr Steve Brown