Im a 35 year old female and Ive been losing hair from my crown since the age of 18. More than 15 years on and I have been heavily reliant on either extensions or wigs- it is very fine on the crown. However with extensions (I had a weave since about 25 years old) I cannot get 'my' hair wet (because the plaits are so thick they would not dry)- this has caused numerous problems not to mention that I no longer would takea holiday to a beach location as its annoyed friends if you dont join in water-based activities all the time and dont say why because youre too embarrassed to say why. I really feel its time to do something that will permanently fix this problem. However researching this is really confusing. There seem to be 2 different types of procedure- DHI and the strip method. Which one is more successful? And are there issues particular to female baldness that I need to be aware of? Before I decide on a doctor/ consultation I want to have as much relevant information so I can really ask the right questions at the right time and make the most of what will no doubt be an expensive procedure. Are there any females out there who have had surgery and does anyone know of a good surgeon in London? Ive read some real horror stories here and elsewhere and dont want to end up with a doctor whose purely interested in his fee.

Thanks, Zara. London

Hi there -

The 2 methods used are FUE and Strip.

Types of surgery


STRIP

The first, and most popular, is called Follicular Unit Transplantation or the "Strip Method". During this procedure, a strip of skin is painlessly removed from the back of the scalp. The area from which it was removed is then closed using sutures. The hair roots are then very carefully removed from the strip and placed into the thin and balding area. The sutures are then removed about 10 days later. In the overwhelming number of cases a very thin linear scar remains which is easily covered by surrounding hair.

The average size of a Strip case is about 2,500-3,000 grafts in one sitting.



FUE

A scar free technique for hair transplantation. The newest and most advanced method is called Follicular Unit Extraction or "FUE". To date there are only 2 surgeons in the United States routinely performing this procedure.
FUE differs from strip in that there is no need to remove a strip of skin or use sutures. This procedure is performed by painlessly removing the hair roots directly from the back of the head and subsequently placing them into the thin and bald areas at the front and top of the head. To remove these hair roots, Dr. Feller invented and patented the Feller Punch, which is the only tool specifically designed for FUE in existence. This tool makes tiny incisions of 1mm or less to free the hair roots. After removal, the tiny holes that are left heal within a few hours and then virtually disappear. There is no visible scarring and suturing is unnecessary.

The average size of an FUE case is about 500 - 700 grafts in one sitting.


Lunchtime FUE Procedures

For some patients a large megasession is out of the question, usually due to time, money, or personal concerns. To give such patients an alternative, Dr. Feller created the Postage Stamp FUE session. By performing multiple small FUE surgeries, Dr. Feller can restore a patient's hair loss 5 square centimeters per visit. The procedure gets its name from the U.S. first class postage stamp whose dimensions are exactly 5 square centimeters. Each session includes 200 grafts dense packed into the area the size of a postage stamp, which translates to 200 grafts per visit. Read More about Postage Stamp FUE Procedures



As a rule, women are not good candidates for large hair transplant procedures. However, for every rule there is an exception, and this woman is it. Here are some pics of a female patient performed on by Dr Feller.

Female Patient

Even though she still had her hairline in the before photos, we decided to reinforce it in case she thinned there in the future. The distribution of grafts took advantage of the fact that she combed her hair back to give the allusion of a rather full look.



If i can be of any further help please feel free to contact me - do you have any photos that i could have the Dr take a look at to give you an idea of what can be achieved with your situation.

Its advisable to research and not chose a DR based on geography.
Regards
Spex

U.K Showcase / Consultant

My pics

quote:

Originally posted by zara:
Before I decide on a doctor/ consultation I want to have as much relevant information and make the most of an expensive procedure. Are there any females out there who have had surgery and does anyone know of a good surgeon in London?

Zara . . . With regard to information, I can only restate what this forum used to be good at - and that is to get you to read, read and read again. Spend a few months digesting all the information that's available here - and try to work that in to your ideology of budget, expectations, eventual choice of surgeon (e.g. would you prefer male vs female?) etc. . . . keep asking questions that will enable YOU to make a measured decision - but only when you have ALL the facts.

I think there was a young lady from the UK who went by the name of 'Bee' . . . maybe she occasionally logs on. You might do a search for her last mail.

Regards

Thankyou Sorleyboy- I will look her up- I am definitely interested in the FUE process and am going to see a consultant in 10 minutes time at a place called DHI in london. I will report back!

Regards

quote:

Originally posted by zara:
with extensions (I had a weave since about 25 years old) I cannot get 'my' hair wet (because the plaits are so thick they would not dry)-

Have you tried some smaller or lighter weaves?
They give you an amount of freedom.
I doubt you will get the sort of density with ahir transplants that you are used to with your wig/weave.

Have you tried some smaller or lighter weaves?


Ive tried all kinds of extensions- glue on-bonded-weave- I guess I will not have that sort of density but at least I will havea normal hair parting. Im just so conscious every time Im on a train sitting down taht everyone could see its a wig type attachment that even if I still have to wear extensions they will be enhancements rather than cosmetic crutches and alot of girls do wear extensions but Ive no really seen anyone with this full piece. I actually wear something called the Kinsey system now- its light and involves a mesh being placed on the crown. Your natural hair is pulled through and then micro-light synthetic hairs are attached. Its time consuming and expensive and if I carry on having it for 4 years that would pay for a full HT!

Zara, you must be VERY careful. Many of these places both in the UK and the US, are just butchers with good salesmen up front. They will lie, cheat and steal while at the same time disfiguring you. I have not heard of any Doctors in the UK that are worthwhile. Don't risk your scalp. You only have one. This DHI you refer to sounds fishy to me. Can you give us some details of how the hair is extracted and how it is implanted? If you don't know the details, then you aren't ready for a transplant.

By the way, one of the issues with female baldness is that females typically don't follow the standard pattern of hair loss that males follow. It therefore becomes more difficult to find "genetically bald resistant" hairs to use for the transplant.