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i think it is fantastic that more women are coming to the internet in an effort to get answers to their hair loss. Hair loss in women is probably a much more difficult situation to cope with since women are not suppossed to loose thier hair.
hair loss in women is a specialized category. one must first check for anemia, excessive male hormones, thryoid function, rheumatoid diseases, and other medical problems. i like to know if a woman has facial hair, do they have children, have they gained weight, lost weight, do they have a rash, joint problems?
we always consider a hyper-active thyroid, a hypo-acitive thyroid, anemia, and hormonal issues. usually we do not find them. if you have children, this suggest normal hormones, but we still look for a hyper androgen state such as over active adrenal glands. tests i do include a hemaglobin to check for anemia, a T4 and TSH to check the tyhroid, and then i look for male features such as facial hair. if there is some we check a Dihyroepiandrosterone.
often we do two biopsies. it is very important to have a dermatopathologist read the biopsies. you must do two 4mm biopies and they must have some hair in them. if there is no hair, only skin, then the biopies will not tell us anything. therefore, the person who takes the biopsy must know what they are doing and the person who reads the biopsy must know what they are doing.
i look at the pattern of loss. if it mimics a man's loss, we check male hormone levels. usually it resembles a female patern. this means you have a normal frontal hair line with loss behind it. loss in the crown or vertex is a much later problem in women typcially.
the donor area density is critical. we must look at the density over the ears and the back of the head. many times women loose hair all over including the normal donor area. when this occurs, we have less to work with and at times hair transplants are contra-indicated.
In the UK, you might consider the Farjo clinic in Manchester. they are very ethical physicians (husband and wife team). they are also friends. they do not do FIT, but many times strip harvests are acceptable for women. the draw back is a linear donor scar, but i generally find that women are not bothered by this linear scar. if you don't like their ideas, at least you can get an honest evaluation by two highly ethical individuals.
i look forward to the photos. don't be afraid to post them in our virtual consultation section. you can hide your face. |
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