Hair Restoration now specializes in Hair Restoration with the NeoGraft system. Typically it is used for men with male pattern baldness and women with thinning hair. Now, with NeoGraft we see hair restoration in Afro-American women. The NeoGraft system is the most modern approach to these hair loss problems. The result leaves no linear scar at the donor site in the back of the scalp, there is virtually no down time post operatively, it is minimally invasive surgery, and there is less discomfort. There are other techniques that also leave a natural appearance, but none that have the advantage of leaving no scar, which can be a problem, especially when one wants to wear his or her hair short.
We were someone unprepared for the number of Afro-American women that consult us for hair restoration because we didn’t understand the etiology (the cause). The hair loss has been uniformly right on the top of their head, and the remaining scalp has thick hair. I found that unusual and perplexing initially. Then I realized the cause is apparently from braiding the hair and weaving the hear which often pulls the hair very tight. Over a period of time this can pull the hair out and actually injures the hair follicle leaving it unable to produce more hair. Other factors include the various harsh chemicals used to straighten the hair, along with the hot iron, that continues to burn the new hair and causes additional stress to the the new growth as well as follicles when pulling while straightening. If the hair loss is not too extreme, the hair can be restored via NeoGraft Hair Transplant by utilizing the healthy donor area in the back of the head or sometimes the sides and adding grafts to the areas of loss.
What is the solution for extreme balding at the top of the head for African American Females?
Because of the central location of the hair loss right on the top of the head, I have first resorted to a scalp reduction. (This is if NeoGraft Hair Restoration is not enough to cover the bald area). This is simply cutting out as much of the bald area as possible. When this has healed, the NeoGraft System is used to thicken the hair to that of normal hair. This is usually a two stage procedure, both performed under local anesthesia. The downtime is minimal, if any.
With the NeoGraft, as in any hair transplant, the hair in the grafts fall out after a few weeks and then start growing at about three months for a full head of hair at one year or less.