Palm Beach Post — Female Hair Transplant

Dr. Bauman’s Patient, Joan Denton, featured in The Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Carolyn Susman

April, 2007Joan Denton, 60, Boynton BeachPhysician: Dr. Alan Bauman, Boca RatonHAIR TRANSPLANTWhy she did it: Joan had watched her hair slowly recede during her 40s and 50s.”It was distressing,” she said. “I had to stop swimming and working” because she could not conceal her hair loss in those activities. After a year of contemplation, she underwent a hair transplant in May 2005. The surgery took seven hours. Within a year, she had a full head of hair.The retired Army employee who spends summers in New Jersey said she could not be more pleased with the results. “It’s given me my life back,” Joan said. “I would tell anybody that’s thinking about it to go for it.”Hair loss is usually caused by heredity, hormones, and age. It can affect both men and women.

There are several ways to try to restore hair, including the over-the-counter product, Rogaine, (minoxidil); a pill given only to men, Propecia; or surgical hair transplants.
A transplant is a restoration procedure that removes existing hair follicles from one region of the scalp — usually the back of the head — to the part of the head where the hair is thinning.
The procedure is done in the doctor’s office with local anesthesia and generally takes six to seven hours. Because hair grows very slowly, it usually takes about a year after the procedure to restore a full head of hair*.

After the transplant, the hairs appear like stubble on the scalp. Scabs and a crust will form but usually disappear within 10 days. Sometimes, more than one procedure is required to maintain hair density. Surgery fees may vary, but a minimum cost is usually around $3,000.

More than 11,000 men had hair transplants in 2006, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, making it the sixth most popular cosmetic surgery among men.
Recently, a hair transplant procedure has become available to increase the density of eyelashes. First developed to restore hair for burn victims, this treatment is also done in the doctor’s office and takes two to three hours.

Because this procedure uses single-follicle implants — one hair at a time — hair can be transplanted from the back of the scalp into the eyelids using microsurgery. The cost starts at around $2,000 and not all hair restoration specialists do it.

*Each individual's treatment and/or results may vary