Hello Everyone,
Have been wanting to write about my hair transplant experience in the hope of shedding (oh no!) some light on the situation as it affects women.
For starters, I want to say that there is an entry on this site that was excellent and I wish I'd read it before I invested $6600 in my transplant...basically (i believe it is y's entry) the American Med Association has stated (why didn't they tell ME!!) that hair transplants are ill-advised for most women because the donor area of hair that is so reliable for men (that hair around the back and sides that even very bald men seem to maintain without a problem because, I believe, it is not genetically coded to be affected by DHT and thus doesn't fall out ever) is not reliable for most women because our loss is more diffuse. I agree completely'; that is consistent with my experience.
Specifically, I was concerned about the donor area issue (though not as aware of its not being reliable for women as the AMA indicates) and asked the doc before the transplant. He said, no no it's fine, there's no loss there. I think I knew better but after 40 years of loss with no hope in sight I was desperate to be proactive in some way. The doctor is well-known and respected locally and I believed him. Perhaps he believed it too. I don't blame him.
Anyway, I had approximately 3000 micrografts transplanted primarily to the hairline which is my main problem. The procedure itself wasn't awful even though I am squeamish by nature. The recovery is about 10 days and that was a bit of a bummer. You kind of have to sleep sitting up to avoid swelling..but none of it is truly difficult. The problem for me is that two years later, I t believe that a good deal of the transplanted hair (which did, by the way, grow in about six months after the procedure, as predicted and had me very happy for awhile) has fallen out and I am pretty much back where I was..
Thus, my personal experience suggests that hair transplant is not a viable option for those of us with female pattern genetic hair loss. I do not say that it isn't appropriate for some, of course, I don't know. I don't want to discourage anyone unnecessarily but I would caution anyone considering the procedure to read carefully the AMA position on hair transplants for women. For me, they were right on the money (the money I no longer have, alas).
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