Progression of Female Pattern Hair Loss
By Sara Wasserbauer | Published on August 16, 2010 | 0 Comments
When most people think of hair loss, their minds tend to conjure up images of men with noticeable bald patches at the tops of their heads. Little do many people realize that hair loss is something that affects plenty of women, as well. In fact, according to Sara Wasserbauer M.D., a hair restoration expert who runs her own clinic in Walnut Creek, California, a fair number of patients who visit her practice are female.
Hair loss is not a condition exclusive to men and it’s important to realize that female pattern hair loss works in a very different fashion than classic male pattern hair loss. For one thing, it is rare for a woman to go completely bald, even at the height of her hair loss progression. Furthermore, most women are able to retain a modicum of hair coverage at the tops of their heads even once they reach their 80s, 90s, or beyond.
Another thing that makes female hair loss different from that of men is that women have a tendency to maintain their natural hairlines. On the other hand, the progression of female pattern hair loss is all over the head, whereas men tend to lose their hair in more of a streamlined fashion.
Like male pattern baldness, female pattern hair loss is known to progress over time – which is why it’s important for women to realize that although hair transplant surgery can produce some rather remarkable results, it’s not likely to restore their hair to the thickness it once sported. Still, Dr. Wasserbauer insists that women who undergo this procedure can achieve significant focal improvement, particularly at the frontal area of the head, where hair loss is usually more apparent. Along these lines, any woman who decides to give hair surgery a try will often find that it produces a considerable improvement in the side part and tendrils in front of the ears – areas that tend to bear the brunt of female pattern hair loss.
While hair transplant surgery can be instrumental in helping women restore their hairlines, Dr. Wasserbauer does like to warn her female patients that they may have to contend with significant shock loss – shedding of the hair following surgery – before it begins to grow back in. This process can take anywhere from three to six months, but ultimately, those who undergo hair transplantation should expect to find themselves more satisfied with their hairlines as a result.
Although Dr. Wasserbauer agrees that hair loss can be difficult emotionally for anyone who suffers from it, she feels that for women, this condition can be exceptionally brutal. Whereas men can get away with hair loss from a social perspective, for women, it is far less easy – and Dr. Wasserbauer would know. After all, the reason she became a hair surgeon in the first place was due to the prevalence of genetic hair loss in her own family – a condition that affected the women in her life, as well as men.
Although female pattern hair loss can take a toll on a woman’s self-esteem, the good news, according to Dr. Wasserbauer, is that today’s transplants are more effective than ever at helping females achieve results that can help eliminate those feelings of shame and self-consciousness. In fact, Dr. Wasserbauer, in her line of work, comes across plenty of female “hair junkies” – women who are so pleased with their initial hair transplant results that they find themselves coming back for more down the line. So while hair surgery may not seem like the ideal solution in some women’s minds, Dr. Wasserbauer likes to encourage all of the skeptics out there to give it a try; because after all is said and done, no woman deserves to suffer the physical and emotional effects of hair loss.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.