Whether a hair transplant is a good idea for someone who has suffered from trichotillomania is a complex question with no simple answer. Trichotillomania is a compulsion disorder in which the sufferer pulls their own hair from the scalp as well as other areas of their face and body. Trichotillomania often results in severe hair loss in form of bald patches. This behavior is very difficult to stop and usually requires professional help.
Men and women with trichotillomania live normal lives but usually try to hide the fact that they are suffering from this disorder. And they typically have bald spots on the scalp that they try to cover in different ways. This can be an exhausting way of living, and explains why sufferers start to consider ways of restoring the hair, including getting a hair transplant.
For some, trichotillomania is mild and can be controlled, while other sufferers need habit reversal training along with medications. In either case, early treatment of trichotillomania must not focus on stimulating hair re-growth. Trying to restore the patient’s hair while he or she continues to pull it is not a constructive solution.
Patients with trichotillomania might be tempted to get a hair transplant. But even if the patient were to re-grow hair, there is a strong possibility that he or she will continue to pull their hair out. Patients with trichotillomania therefore, must be treated at the cause of the disorder.
Patients who have suffered from trichotillomania for years might have damaged the hair roots to the point where non-surgical hair re-growth is impossible. This is a devastating fact that sufferers of trichotillomania learn too late. Systematic hair pulling can lead to permanently bald patches on the scalp where there will never grow any new hair again. This is why many sufferers of trichotillomania consider various forms of hair restoration including hair transplants. Surgical hair transplants may be an option for trichotillomania patients whose hair roots are too damaged to produce new hair on their own, but it is not the first solution to look at.
Hair transplants can certainly restore the hair, but the main concern is that a person with trichotillomania who has not been treated will most likely just pull the hair out again. The solution is to address the trichotillomania and solve the underlying problem. Once the trichotillomania has been successfully treated, a hair transplant may be considered.
A hair replacement specialist can provide a solution that covers just the bald patch or a full head wig. However, some patients will pull on their hair replacements, too.
Most experts would agree that a hair transplant should only be considered for patients who are no longer suffering from trichotillomania. And a wise doctor will not recommend a hair transplant until the patient shows no sign of trichotillomania for an extensive period of time, usually several years.
Photo via Dr_Alan_Bauman
