Hair transplants on the scalp for women are not a common option.
Of all the hair transplants that are carried out yearly, 85-90% are carried out on men and only 10% on women. There are several reasons why women are not good candidates for hair transplantation.
Firstly, there is miniaturisation of hair follicles in the donor area which tends to be at the occipital region (back of the head) of the scalp which results in poor donor grafts. In males, the hair follicles in the donor area are more resistant to the miniaturising effects of Dihydroestosterone (DHT) making them good candidates for a successful hair transplantation.
Secondly, in females, there is diffuse thinning of hair all over the scalp whereby replacement grafts into the front of the scalp do not result in a dramatic change of hair density.
Thirdly, if female patients have not developed significant amount of hair loss, the hair transplantation doesn’t lead to dramatic visual change in hair density compared to before.
Fourthly, there are occasions where performing hair transplantation in an area with a high of a density of hair can lead to higher risk of hair shedding and further acceleration of their genetic hair loss.
In addition, in majority of female pattern hair loss cases, the frontal hair line is maintained and the hair loss occurs at the vertex (top of the head). This is contrary in male pattern baldness where the hair line has receded. That is why hair transplantation in women is more challenging than men.
There are certain types of hair loss in females where they can be good candidates to have hair transplants. Examples include hair loss due to mechanical forces like traction alopecia or trauma, chemical burns, post cosmetic surgery where women may be concerned about hair loss around incision scars, or in rare cases where women may have hair loss that resembles male pattern.