Regular Member Thinning Female Posted January 26, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 Hi guys, I am in need of your advice, please.... I am a 30 year old female who has pretty much always had thin hair on the top of my head since my early teens. I had so much brown curly hair that it never was an issue for me before. Anyway, I am noticing that I can see more and more scalp and I'm freaking out. I went to the dr. and had blood done - all normal. All of the men on my mom's side of the family were bald, I'm thinking I got the dreaded gene. Now, I'm not bald just too thin for me - it's taking over my life. My husband says it looks fine - but to me it's a horror. Anyway, to make matters worse - I'm 4 mos postpartum and am shedding now, which is due to hormones. Once that corrects, I am seriously considering a transplant since I believe my loss to be genetic. I live in the NY area but will travel anywhere for the right dr. Can anyone of you offer advice? While in your own doctors offices, have you seen pics of women that had the surgery that looked good. Please, I need a place to begin. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Thinning Female Posted January 26, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 Hi guys, I am in need of your advice, please.... I am a 30 year old female who has pretty much always had thin hair on the top of my head since my early teens. I had so much brown curly hair that it never was an issue for me before. Anyway, I am noticing that I can see more and more scalp and I'm freaking out. I went to the dr. and had blood done - all normal. All of the men on my mom's side of the family were bald, I'm thinking I got the dreaded gene. Now, I'm not bald just too thin for me - it's taking over my life. My husband says it looks fine - but to me it's a horror. Anyway, to make matters worse - I'm 4 mos postpartum and am shedding now, which is due to hormones. Once that corrects, I am seriously considering a transplant since I believe my loss to be genetic. I live in the NY area but will travel anywhere for the right dr. Can anyone of you offer advice? While in your own doctors offices, have you seen pics of women that had the surgery that looked good. Please, I need a place to begin. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MDM Posted January 26, 2005 Senior Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 Hi TF, More women than one would suspect have problems with thinning. I know there are some good HT docs in NY but the only one with whom I've had personal experience is Dr Shapiro in Minneapolis. He has done a number of women with very good results. He is a top HT doc and truly an artist. He's on the conservative side, down to earth and cares about his patients. Matt Zupan is his consult guy, you would want to do a consult first with whomever you are considering. I flew from Alabama, traveling for a HT is a piece of cake. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted January 26, 2005 Senior Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 Hi TF, Welcome to this forum! I have heard of and seen your situation with the female version of MPB. Since women also produce testosterone and DHT hormones like men, they can be subject to this same type of genetic hairloss, and it sounds like you are doing your research which is very good. I have noticed this type of genetic hairloss in approximately one of three women and there is alomst always a genetic history of MPB on one or both sides of the family. Also glad to see you had the preliminary bloodwork done which is critical in ruling out the other potential causes of female hairloss which can be many. Now you mentioned loss "on top" of your scalp. Is it isolated to that region or do you have any retro-alopecia just above your ears and possibly thinning that is commencing up the neckline in the back of your head? If the loss is isolated on top, go back and view the "ludwig" pattern of loss and see if you fit into any of those classes. Either way, from your comments, it does not sound advanced at age 30 and yes the other changes you mentioned can cause or advance hairloss as well. You probably have heard of minoxidil which is the only FDA approved hairloss treatment for women. Have you tried that with any resolve? It comes in several strengths and as you may already know, can be purchased over-the-counter. There are other cosmetic products like Toppik which can work miracles visually speaking in hiding diffused thinning. Since you are in NYC, there are several reputable HT surgeons who can further evaluate your situation by exam and may even suggest a scalp biopsy which I doubt in your case, but that is a subject you can discuss further with the doctor. The two I often recommend are Dr. Alan Feller and Dr. Robert True, both MDs. Because you are open to travel, I would first compare some recommended doctors on this site as to their feedback addressing treating genetic hairloss in women. Ask them their clinical approach which includes transplantation, how many cases they have on females, how many female patient references you can contact, etc, etc. You may want to also consider someone like Dr. Sharon Keene in Arizona who is talented, ethical, and may have done more female cases. You can always e-mail you photos and background to any doctor out of your driving range and then begin to narrow your selection. Also read and ask about potential shockloss which can be prevalent in patients with diffused thinning like yours. The trauma to the scalp from the recipient incisions can shock out the natural diffused hair you have there where you are thinning. Shocloss is also unpredictable so do not let anyone talk you into doing a large session, rather approach it more methodically because you can always add to the density later. Make sure when you are examined that "your entire scalp" including the donor areas are examined for potential "miniturization". This will tell exactly where DHT is affecting your scalp. The HT surgeon can also examine the outer perimeter of the area that is thinning to evaluate future recession or loss in the future. That will provide you some additional insight for future planning when anyone considers their donor limitations. Lastly, if you find a doctor on the internet and are unsure of their reputation you can ask about them on this forum and hopefully receive more feedback. I wish you the best LF in your search for resolve and let us know how things go! Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Mike1651 Posted January 26, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 I understand your concern & your fortunate to have found this forum which has helped many, many people including myself deal with this issue...you've already been given great advice, but, I would like to add Dr. Michael Beehner's name to the aforementioned list--his practice is located in Saratoga Springs, N. Y....check out Dr. Beehner's website--he has had excellent success treating female MPB & presents numerous before/after photos on his site...you'll be in good hands...good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Thinning Female Posted January 26, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 26, 2005 Thanks for your replies, guys. I will research all the dr's that you mentioned. I am very appreciative to have found this forum and to chat with such knowlegable and compassionate people. Thanks again, TF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Smoothy Posted January 28, 2005 Senior Member Share Posted January 28, 2005 Check out Sharon Keene who trained with Shapiro and Rose-- she does a lot of female patients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now