Female Hair Loss at 32 - Can I Have A Hair Transplant?

Written by Gregory Pistone, MD on January 22, 2008

As a woman with thinning hair I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity to ask experts questions about my situation. Here’s my story. I am 32 and for the past six years my hair has been getting thinner and thinner. I have not had children and have never taken oral contraceptives. I’ve had every possible blood test known to man and every thing appears to be normal. I have never been diagnosed with Female Pattern Baldness but I think that this is what I am going through. I would like to have a hair transplant but read on The American Hair Loss Association website that most women are not candidates. Is this true?

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Hello, I’m sorry to hear about your hairloss. I know this can be quite be distressing. First, I’m going to assume you have had all the appropriate blood tests and have been evaluated by a Board Certified Dermatologist. You say you have had numerous blood tests but not been diagnosed with Female Pattern Baldness. Have you been given a diagnosis or possible explanation for your hair loss? If you have not seen a Board Certified Dermatologist, preferably with an interest in hair loss, or Hair Restoration Physician that would be my first suggestion. A scalp biopsy would help provide a more definite diagnosis and this is necessary before discussing treatment of course. Assuming you are diagnosed with Female Pattern Baldness, then we would have several options to consider. You certainly would deserve a trial of Minoxidil 5%. Spironolactone, a diuretic with hair growth effects, could be added as well. If you are post-menopausal some doctors use finesteride, although this is only approved for use in men but has been reported to be sometimes effective in women. Finally, hair transplantion would be a consideration, and this could be used in conjunction with the above medical treatments for optimal results. In women, the main determinant of how good a candidate one is would be the donor area located in the back. If this remains thick, it can be transplanted to the thinning areas with great success. If however, as in many women(and some men), there is diffuse thinning, then you would not benefit from hair transplantation.

Gregory Pistone, MD
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons