Question:
How is a hair transplant different for women than for men?

Answer:
The actual procedures that are performed, either follicular unit grafting (FUG) or Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) for hair restoration in both in men and women are performed in the same manner.

The work-up necessary to determine if the patient is a candidate for hair transplantation is significantly different in a man than in a woman.

In the female patient, it is much more common that medical abnormalities can be the root of the hair loss including medications and/or treatment for cancer. These potential non-genetic causes of hair loss in women need to be ruled out prior to considering hair transplantation.

In general, hair transplantation is only performed in men or women if it is considered genetic hair loss in nature.

The pattern of hair loss is also generally different in females than males; therefore, the hair transplant performed in the typical man versus a woman’s hair transplant procedure is different. The techniques, however, used for the surgery are generally quite similar.

Posted by: Dr. Charles