Thinning hair is a problem for millions upon millions of individuals throughout the world. It’s such a common, yet heartbreaking problem for so many that there is a month devoted to individuals who experience thinning hair. No matter how much hair an individual is born with, aging can make the hair become thinner and cause areas where the scalp can show through. Some individuals even experience complete baldness at a young age, and this can be due to heredity and other factors such as medications and lifestyles.
Thinning Hair and Women
Although male pattern baldness is more common, women can experience thinning hair too, and much of this occurs because of hormones, and possibly medications. Testosterone is a key factor in thinning hair and women start to experience an increase in testosterone and a decrease in estrogen after a certain age, leading to hair thinning problems just like males. These hormonal imbalances in women as well as undetected medical problems can give rise to thinning hair.
Males many times choose to simply adjust to thinning hair and approach being bald as a fashion statement, shaving off what is left of their hair and going completely towards a bald look. Women on the other hand can find that self-esteem suffers more with hair loss and can become socially avoidant and even suffer anxiety and depression when they notice their hair becoming thinner. Lotions and shampoos containing antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals promote the fact that these products can regrow hair, but these products seldom deliver on these promises for most individuals.
Supplements also can be touted as the solution for thinning hair but again, very few see real results with these over the counter products. Women are more often tied emotionally to their beauty through their hair, and many women take to wearing wigs or using fibrous fillers to cover up their hair loss. Although women wear wigs for a variety of reasons, everything from versatility, to the need to prevent constant hair maintenance, the number one reason for wig wearing among females is hair loss or thinning hair. This can be especially true for African American women whose hair tends to be more fragile than other ethnicities, and prone to more breakage, damage and hair loss.
What are the Main Problems?
Whatever the reason, women routinely seek out permanent solutions now to thinning hair, such as hair transplantation. Since hair loss in both genders, usually starts in the front, or on the sides or upper back of the head, transplantation involves removing entire strands of hair from thicker back hair and inserting them into the scalp in the sparser hair locations. The site of transplantation is known as the “recipient” site. It may take many visits to a qualified surgeon to achieve the type of results wanted, and both men and women do now seek out transplantation services.
The overall removal of hair from one site to another is called “harvesting.” Hair transplantation is not limited to scalp hair but can be used to replace eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic hair and even beard hair. The possibilities with transplantation can be limitless and varied, just as hair loss and thinning hair are as well.
There are different methods of harvesting and choosing recipient sites as well as different methods of hair transplantation. This is considered cosmetic surgery, but it is surgery and a skilled surgeon is needed as the recipient site and harvesting sights are slightly injured during this procedure. Follicle inclusion must be done during this state-of-the-art procedure for the hair that is harvested to take root and grow alongside natural hair. This does take skill from a cosmetic surgeon.
Follicles and the hair shaft can be placed into a recipient site either singly or in groups and costs of the procedure vary depending upon the size of the area to be covered during hair transplantation. More than one visit to the qualified surgeon of choice may be needed. Before deciding upon this procedure, several cosmetic surgeons should be consulted, and if possible, other patients spoken to, to ensure that the surgeon has had good results with previous clients.
Conclusion
Hair loss is not something that is life threatening unless there is an underlying medical condition causing it. But it can have long-standing ramifications in loss of self-esteem, social withdrawal, and sometimes even cause depression, especially in women. If bothered tremendously by thinning hair, seeking out a permanent solution may be the best possible option for both men and women. Quality of life does matter in the long run, not just quantity. Having good looking lush hair can make or break someone’s self-esteem. Choose a surgeon wisely if choosing hair transplantation and put an end to the look of thinning hair.
