When the words “hair transplant” are mentioned, a man getting this procedure done often comes to mind. Though men struggle more often with hair loss than women, it is more common than one may think for a woman to have these same struggles. More than 5,000 women in 2008 alone opted for hair transplants. But how do you know if a hair transplant is right for you?
Women are not as good of candidates as men tend to be. If you have anemia or other problems that may affect the health of your scalp, a hair transplant cannot be performed until the problem is fixed. Also, women tend to have finer hair. A thicker hair follicle makes a woman a better candidate. Areas of the head need to be good donators of healthy hair, so if a woman’s whole head of hair is fine, there might be problems.
One way that hair transplants can benefit women is the cost. Surgeries are priced per follicular unit, which contains anywhere from one to five hairs, or per graft. Since women tend to have smaller bald spots (or simply thinning spots), this will decrease the overall cost of the procedure; less grafts of healthy hair are required. On average, surgeries for women will cost anywhere from $3500-$7000, depending on exact price per follicular unit and size of the problem area.
If you do not think you will make a good candidate for a hair transplant, or if you simply can’t afford it, what else can women do?
Women are lucky because they have many different styling options. Talk to your hair stylist about a new style or color that may help to conceal thinning spots of hair. In more extreme cases, wigs or hair pieces can be purchased. Over the counter creams may work for you as well.
If you decide that a hair transplant is worth the money, make sure to find the perfect doctor for you. Look for doctors who specialize in hair transplants. Ask to see photos of past hair transplants the doctor has performed, and ask any and all questions you would like answered. If he doctor is credible, they will not mind any of this. Hair transplant procedures have become fairly common, but you don’t want to mess around with your scalp!
