The stereotypical image of hair loss is that of a man with a receding hairline or bald spot on the crown of his head, but the reality is that hair loss in women is often overlooked. Yet the truth is that millions of women experience hair loss and it can be an emotional or even painful ordeal that affects appearance, self-image and confidence. But it does not have to be permanent, as Cooley Hair Center in Charlotte, North Carolina offers a variety of hair restoration treatments for women using the latest advancements in hair restoration and helping every patient find a solution that fits their individual needs.
Female Pattern Baldness
Many women experience varying degrees of hair loss during their lifetime. These are typically results of aging, illness or hormonal changes after menopause. For women, hair loss is more likely to be defused all over the scalp compared to men who tend to lose hair in defined patches. Additionally, women also tend to retain frontal hairline whereas men often deal with receding or thinning hairlines. Female pattern balding usually begins as a widening of a part of the scalp that can progress to overall thinning.
Medical Hair Restoration for Women
Medication can treat hair loss in women. Clinical-strength hair care products offered by Cooley Hair Center in North Carolina can help nourish the scalp, prevent shedding and strengthen hair. These treatments include:
Minoxidil, commonly prescribed in the form of Rogaine and FDA-approved to treat female pattern hair loss. Rogaine can slow down further hair loss and help patients keep more of their existing hair though it does not regrow hair or fill in bald spots.
Platelet-rich plasma or PRP therapy, a newer option that can activate dormant follicles for noticeable improvement of hair density by using healing factors drawn and purified from the patient’s own blood.
Exosome therapy, which is stem cell-derived and brings a wide array of growth factors that stimulate the body’s natural regenerative capabilities including that of hair follicles. The growth factors in exosome therapy are far more concentrated than in PRP with matching effects.
These products and treatments can minimize ongoing hair loss, but they cannot regrow hair or significantly change the appearance of thinning areas. Cooley Hair Center in Charlotte, North Carolina also offers hair transplant surgery, the most transformative hair restoration option for women.
Female Hair Transplant Surgery
Hair transplant surgery is the most transformative hair restoration option for women. Dr. Jerry Cooley utilizes the latest techniques for follicular unit transplantation and follicular unit extraction to achieve beautiful, natural-looking results for female patients.
During hair transplant surgery, healthy follicles are harvested from active areas of the scalp and relocated to thinning areas. The procedure redistributes the hair to provide a more uniform density throughout, filling in bald spots and rebuilding a high or thinning hairline.
Follicular Unit Transplantation or FUT involves extracting a thin section of scalp containing healthy follicles that are then isolated from the graft and transplanted into the thinning areas. The donor site is sutured close, leaving a thin linear scar that is easily concealable by surrounding hair after the procedure.
Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE entails extracting healthy hair follicles one by one with a small punch device and transferring them one at a time to the thinning areas. It leaves no linear scar and leaves surrounding hair intact, which can then conceal the donor area once they grow long.
Takeaway
At Cooley Hair Center, we recognize that women experiencing hair loss can require a different approach to men. To learn more about our practice and book an appointment. We can walk you through the options available to you and help you decide on your next step. We treat patients in and around Charlotte, N.C. including Huntersville, Concord, Gastonia and the surrounding areas.
