Young woman with hair loss

[cimbom]

Hello,

 

I am a 26 year old woman from Australia and I have been experiencing diffuse thinning since around the age of 18. I have lost hair all over but most notably on the area around my ears (if that makes sense). I guess I'm "lucky" in that I haven't lost much around my hair part but it's gotten to the stage where I have lost a considerable amount of density and I think I have to make a choice very soon - either have a hair transplant or shave it off and wear a wig. I am desperately hoping I don't need to do the latter.

 

I have tried Rogaine but I wasn't happy with it and didn't see much results so I stopped. I am currently taking Androcur which is an androgen-blocking medication and although I am not certain, I believe it has helped slow the hair loss to some degree. I am also using Nioxin shampoo, although I doubt that does anything!

 

I have an appointment with Dr Knudsen in Canberra this week although I have read mixed reviews so not sure if I should even bother. I would also like to see Dr Martinick in Sydney but the same applies to her too. In my research, it seems that you can get more value for money overseas. I have heard great things about Hasson and Wang and would consider them as an option too. The only downside to this is that I wouldn't want to go all that way alone and would want my husband to come with me. This would add a lot to the cost. I doubt they'd provide a travel reimbursement for both of us?

 

Another aspect is financing. If I have it done in Australia, I will most likely take out one of those medical loans for most of the cost. I have the cash to pay it but we also have other priorities such as buying our own house so I am happy to pay for it this way. I am quite good with saving so I'm sure I could pay it off in less than a year.

 

If I go overseas, I am going to either have to put it on credit card (maybe split on two cards) or apply for an unsecured generic personal loan and use that to pay for it. I'm not sure if this will be successful as I'm on a 60k income and know that hair transplant surgeries can cost up to and over 15k. Would I be approved for such a high limit/amount?

 

My last concern is that I'm female and I haven't really been able to find much about transplant surgeries for women. Is it less successful than for men? I really hope not because I just want to fix this problem and not worry about it anymore. I went for a hair cut today (after putting it off for months) and it was such an ordeal with the bright fluorescent lights on top of my head. I'm feeling really paranoid about it and think it's just going to get worse.

 

Any thoughts/advice appreciated

[cimbom]

Bump...anyone?

[Mickey85]

Hey there. Don't bother with Knudsen or Martinick. Their work is not to the standards of the likes of Dr. Rahal, Hasson and Wong, etc.

 

While you may be correct in that traveling overseas will cost more, you will actually end up about even. The surgeons in Australia charge much more per graft than that of overseas. This probably offsets the travel expenses. Difference is that you will get a much better result as the aforementioned Doctors are the best in the entire world. Check out their results here and on their respective webpages.

 

Being a female patient would be no different than being a male patient. There may be some discrepancies that the common individual such as myself may not know of, but it's not a male-only procedure. Just beware that most good doctors have to shave the area that is going to be implanted so they can avoid transecting the existing native hairs. You may very well be able to cover that up with long hair and different styling. The 'success rate' should be about the same for females as it is for males, providing all factors are equal.

 

What is the degree of hairloss? That will be a defining factor in terms of the cost. However, regardless of easier financing and the luxury of close location, you are MUCH pretty off in the long run by going to a reputable doctor..

[1978matt]

You could try Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich in Thailand. That's not a million miles from Australia and the strength of the AUS$ means you could get a cost effective result.

[Rockstar]

You can consider Dr.Radha Rani in Inida..

For FUT, She charges only 1 US Dollar per graft.

[cimbom]

Thanks for your replies. I am feeling a bit disheartened as I just got an email back from Christina from Hasson and Wong. She says that only about 5% of their clients are female and most women are not good candidates for surgery. To be a good candidate, I need to have the same hair loss pattern as a man.

 

I don't have that in the sense of having a balding patch or "spot", it's more just all over thinning. If you saw me with my hair the way it is normally, I don't think you'd necessarily think I was losing hair (unless you knew what my hair looked like years ago), you'd just think it was thin or that it didn't have much body/fullness. It only becomes obvious when I lift up the front and side bits of hair that you'd be able to tell. I'm guessing this means I'm not suitable? I really hope not as this procedure is the only thing that's allowing me to have any hope at all.

 

In the email, they advised me to fill in the consultation form and send in photos, but as I said, I'm not sure the photos they ask for are actually very useful in my case. I think I'll send a reply and see what they say.

 

In terms of Dr Knudsen, I'm thinking I should just go to find out whether I'm a candidate and if so, how many grafts I'd require. Would they be similar to Hassson and Wong in that regard or do they generally have widely differing opinions?

[cimbom]

Also, how is Dr Rahal regarded compared to Hasson and Wong? From the posts on here, it seems like they are similarly skilled. Do they charge around the same?

[Mickey85]

Any good clinic would need proper photos from different angles so they can assess if you are a good candidate.

 

Dr. Rahal is in my opinion the best hair transplant surgeon in the world. In general, he is listed among the top 5 best hair transplant surgeons in the world. From memory he charges about the same as H&W but I could be wrong. He also offers FUE which may be more suited for you as they can extract hair from zones that are not/will not thin. FUE does cost more per graft however.

[cimbom]

Thanks for that. I understand that photos are required and I will provide them. I was just wondering if anyone had an idea about what is considered an "acceptable" type of hair loss for women to be eligible for hair transplant surgery.

[Mickey85]

Thanks for that. I understand that photos are required and I will provide them. I was just wondering if anyone had an idea about what is considered an "acceptable" type of hair loss for women to be eligible for hair transplant surgery.

 

Unfortunately I do not know specifically. I could guess that if your hairloss is from the sides of the head that it may progress throughout the sides and rear. So if there is a risk of loss in that area, it leaves them no 'safe' hair to extract and implant, as those hairs may miniaturize and die eventually. With men, the hair is extracted from the back and sides(the horseshoe on bald men) due to that area being more resistant to baldness. With women it's probably harder to tell what the safe areas are.

[cimbom]

That's what I am worried about. I really hope there is some way to make it work

[cimbom]

Are there any women on these forums that have had a successful HT?

[RCWest]

Have you had blood work done and been checked for thyroid, DHT, and testosterone levels? That would be the first thing I do. Also get checked for PCOS or any other female problems which can cause hair loss. I've known many ladies who started losing hair because of PCOS.

 

You sound like a good candidate for medical management. Dr. Limmer recommends Minoxidil, Spironolactone, Biotin, and Head and Shoulders or Nizoral shampoo 2 or 3 times a week.

[cimbom]

Thanks for your reply. I am currently taking Androcur (cyproterone acetate) which works the same was as spirolactone but is a bit stronger I think. I have been using it for 6+ years and I think it has brought me a bit of time but it has gotten to the stage where something more drastic is needed.

 

I have used Minoxidil and wasn't happy with it. I didn't really see any result and stopped using it a while back. Also, Nizoral is not suitable for me as I have curly hair and find that it really dried out my hair and made it almost impossible to manage. I am using Nioxin at present.

 

I have seen several dermatologists who have all said to me there's nothing more than I can do (medically) and that if I wasn't already on it, they would prescribe me the Androcur. I think hair transplant surgery may be my only hope.