Hair Transplant in Women

Although hair transplantation techniques are largely associated with men, they have recently spread among women and are being performed for some who have heavy hair loss or certain scalp problems that affect their overall appearance. 

The development of hair transplantation techniques in recent decades has been one of the most important factors that have helped in the ability of applying hair transplantation for women. In the past, hair transplantation techniques need to fully shave the hair, which is difficult and undesirable for women; that it directly affect woman's appearance, but now it is different, since it is possible to transplant hair to women by moving hair follicles to bald patches in the scalp without the need for surgery or hair shaving, such as FUE technique, OSL and DHI Choi pens. Each has its own advantage by relying on a specific instrument that allows dermatologists and hair transplant specialists to solve women's hair problems with minimal surgical procedures and with very good and satisfactory results.

Hair transplantation for women takes approximately "3 days".

Hair transplantation techniques are not suitable for all women who wish to do so, therefore, it is preferred to transplant hair in the following cases:

• Undergoing surgery on the scalp, whether cosmetic or other, this results in hair loss in that area.
• Alopecia.
• Some cases of baldness similar to baldness of men.
• A scalp burn or direct injury that causes hair loss in a specific area.

The person who wants to undergo hair implantation is asked to conduct a group of tests before implanting hair using and technique, including: 

• Blood tests: CBC, HCV, PT, APTT, HIV ELISA, HBs AG, Bleeding time, coagulation time, Sugar level (glucose).
• Electrocardiography (ECG).

Transplanting hair for women may include the following complications:

• Bleeding.
• Infection.
• Appearance of scars in the planted area.
• The appearance of new (transplanted) hair does not look natural.
• Folliculitis.
• Loss of some of the original hair in the donor area.

Transplanting hair for women includes using several hair transplanting techniques depending on the case, the specialist and his surgical potentials, the techniques include:

• Hair Transplantation for women using FUE: Hair follicles are removed one by one from the back of the scalp after shaving the hair, then the extracted follicles are kept in a special solution and the best ones are selected for transplantation in the area which is bald. The area that will be transplanted is then sterilized and anesthetized and micro-punctures or holes are initiated to apply the hair follicles consecutively.
• Hair transplantation for women using OSL: Hair follicles are first harvested from the donor area at the back of the scalp with the so-called FUE technique, then transplanted into the new channels in the target hair-free area after being perforated by a tool that carries a very sharp fine blade at its the end -smaller than the needle-, which placing the follicle in the new site within the recipient area that fits perfectly in size, which fix it until it begins to grow.
• Hair transplantation for women by follicular unit strip surgery FUSS: The area of the scalp to be transplanted is anesthetized, the surgeon then removes a strip of skin from the posterior area of the scalp, known as the occipital area. The incision is then closed with stitches, then separates the graft from the scalp by cutting it into small sections of 500-2000 pieces, some of which may contain one follicle and others may contain several other follicles. These follicles are preserved by chilling them to preserve their structures and can play their role in germination of hair in the desired places.

Then precise holes are made in the bald area to prepare it for follicles extracted donor area, and the follicles are inserted into the holes made in the recipient area of the scalp. A scar that is emerged cut from the cut of the scalp does not affect the appearance because most women can cover the area with long hair so no one can notice it.

• Hair transplantation for women with Choi pens (DHI): The hair follicles extracted through the pens are fed directly into the scalp in the direction of hair growth in that area, where the pens are pressed to insert the extracted follicle into the follicle channel in the target area.

* All these techniques are performed under local anesthesia of the scalp and the target area, in some cases the patient is given a sedative for more comfort and calm.

The patient feels some pain during the first few days after hair transplant, the implanted scalp may appear scaly and reddish, which is normal and disappears in 12 to 14 days. To overcome pain and swelling, the patient can take certain medications based on the prescription of the specialist.

The speed of healing depends on the type of technique the woman has undergone, as well as the number of hair follicles extracted, it may take a day to three days of rest after which the patient can go back to work easily and normally.

Hair transplantation is generally considered a surgical technique that does not require long recovery periods, so as not to let a person who wants to transplant hair to take a break from work and normal life activities for long periods. It is advised during the first ten days not to engage in any strenuous activities that require considerable effort; in addition it is preferred to abstain from sexual intercourse during this period as well.

Hair loss starts from the transplanted follicles during the third or fourth week after hair transplantation, but this is normal and does not cause concern, as the hair follicles fixed under the skin are responsible for the start of new hair growth after about four months, to reach the required level within almost a year.