Options in Hair Restoration for Women

Dealing with hair loss is a stressful and emotional process for a woman that can take a great toll on her personal and social life.  This is why hair restoration for women is becoming just as popular as hair restoration for men.  Baldness or thinned hair in men is common and while hair loss in women is not uncommon, it is much less accepted in society’s view of females.  Hair restoration for women can include anything from hair transplants to the simple removal of the cause for hair loss.

Before any drastic measures can be taken, all treatable causes have to be excluded from the diagnosis.  Female hair loss or alopecia can often be caused by recent childbirth, stress, nutrient deficiency or be related to another existing illness.  The first step is to make sure that there is no easy road where an outside factor can be removed leading to the hair restoring itself by natural processes.  This elimination process often requires a referral to an endocrinologist to evaluate any hormonal imbalances in the body and to assess whether a simple change like switching birth control pills or even taking antiandrogens could solve the problem.

The most popular next step is Rogaine.  Rogaine is the most common and accepted method of hair restoration for women.  Rogaine is only the brand name for the medical drug minoxidil, which can actually have many other names.  Minoxidil is made especially with 2% for females and remains at a high 5% for males.  Rogaine and other variations of minoxidil 2% are the only FDA approved medications that are available specifically for women.  Other medications are usually geared towards men and, if they do work on women, are not as effective.

Hair transplants are another method of hair restoration for women.  This treatment largely depends on the doctor’s abilities and whether they can minimize damage to existing hair and efficiently use donor hair.  It also usually works better on actual hair loss rather than hair thinning because the hair can be directly transplanted without the old hairs needing work.  There is also the factor of how good the donor hairs are and how well they transplant onto the rest of the scalp during this hair restoration for women technique.

With hair transplants especially, it is important to keep a realistic outlook.  This means reading between the lines of infomercials and the famous before and after pictures.  For some women it may be impossible to completely reverse the effects of alopecia while for others the hair restoration treatments may work like a charm.  It is also essential to note that not all products and services that claim to be effective agents in hair restoration for women are medically approved or successful.

The best way to find out the right options for you is to speak to a licensed physician.  Although appearances are important, health and safety are much more central to your well-being.  A medically trained professional will be able to advise you of all your options and guide you to make an informed choice.