Q: I am female and thinning can I be a candidate for a Follicular Unit Hair Transplant?

A: If it turns out that you have female pattern hair loss, you may be a candidate a hair transplant, but would need to be evaluated by a doctor who specializes in surgical hair restoration.

In the evaluation, you should have your degree of hair loss assessed and donor supply measured, using an instrument called a densitometer, to be certain that you have enough permanent donor hair to meet your desired goals. For more information about hair loss in women, please see the Diagnosis of Hair Loss in Women page of the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website.

Q: Why is the consult fee more for diffuse thinning than for a regular visit? A: Diffuse hair loss, more common in women, can be the result of a number of underlying medical conditions and therefore it usually requires an extended medical evaluation. If you are a male or female with obvious diffuse thinning from [...]

Q: I’ve been dealing with daily mental stress for the past few months. I’ve notice that during that time, I’ve experience a lot of frontal hair loss and thinning. I thought stress was a myth for causing hair loss. A: Stress may cause temporary shedding, but it generally does not affect the long-term course of [...]

Q: I heard that a smaller per cent of women are candidates for hair transplants compared to men. Is this true?

A: Yes, that is true. Women more commonly have diffuse hair loss where the thinning is all over the scalp. This means that the donor area (the back and sides of the scalp) are thinning as well.

If the donor area is not stable, then there is no point in doing a hair transplant, since the transplanted hair will continue to fall out. Remember, the transplanted hair is no better than the area where is comes from.

On the other hand, women with stable donor areas can be great candidates for surgical hair restoration. The stability of the donor area can be assessed using a procedure called densitometry and should be part of the hair loss evaluation when you see your physician.

Q: I heard that you can buy a laser for hair loss and use it at home. What are the advantages or disadvantages of doing this? A: The advantages of home use are convenience and that it is generally less expensive than going to a doctor’s office for treatment. The main disadvantage of using laser [...]