There has been a lot of publicity lately on the internet, and in advertisements about various types of hair transplantation procedures that can restore hair, for a more natural look in men and women going bald. However, while hair transplantation is an excellent option for some people, it is important to learn when such a procedure is indicated for men and women going bald, and when other treatments should be used instead.
Hair transplantation is a good option for men going bald, who have been losing their hair due to male pattern baldness for more than five years or who have progressed to Class Va or above on the Norwood Hamilton Scale. Most men going bald retain hair on the sides and back of the head and these areas are ideal donor sites in men. These sites on the sides and back of the scalp are stable which means that the hair and follicles in those areas are not affected by shrinkage of follicles as they are elsewhere on the head in those going bald. However, for women going bald, this is usually not the case since they have a diffuse type of hair loss that does not make them good candidates for hair transplantation since they usually have overall thinning in all areas of the scalp, including the sides and back. Therefore, these areas cannot be used as donor sites since they are unstable. If hair follicles were transplanted from these donor sites in women to other areas on their scalp, hair would just continue to fall out and the surgery would be unsuccessful. According to some experts in the field, perhaps only 2%-5% of women are good candidates for hair transplant surgery.
So, if you think that having small surgeries are the answer when you are progressively going bald, you are mistaken. It is always best to resort to hair transplant surgery when you have been going bald for many years and when your pattern has stabilized. Men need to have realistic expectations about transplant surgeries, and know that even after surgery they can still find yourself going bald. Also, cost is a major factor in deciding if hair transplantation is the right answer, as this surgery can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000 or more…
Fortunately, while there are a number of options that can stop hair loss before it progresses to the point where you need a hair transplant, and regrow lost hair. But the ‘rule of thumb’ is that the earlier you start treating hair loss when you begin to go bald, the better are your chances of a successful outcome.
There are in fact 2 drugs on the market that are approved by the FDA for treating men going bald, but only 1 is approved for women. However, there is an ideal non-drug treatment option, the HairMax LaserComb medical device for home use, which has been proven to successfully treat men and women going bald, and has also been proven to actually stimulate the regrowth of hair. Of equal importance is that unlike drugs for people going bald, there have never been any reports of serious side effects occurring from the use of the HairMax in the over 12 years it has been on the market, making it a truly safe treatment option for people going bald.
So now you no longer have to think that going bald is inevitable and that there is nothing that can be done for it besides resorting to hair transplantation. By starting treatment at the first signs when you are going bald, you can help arrest the progression and win the war against going bald, and avoid having to resort to surgery to gain back your youthful appearance.
