Hair Loss Hair Loss Treatment Treating Women's Hair Loss

Hair Transplantation for Women: A Visit to the Operating Room

Summary & Participants

If you're planning to undergo a hair transplant, or you're just curious about the procedure, here's a unique chance to view the surgery as we take you through the process step-by-step.

Medically Reviewed On: June 18, 2008

Webcast Transcript

SURGEON: Your hair loss from there back is much more severe.

ANNOUNCER: Hair loss can be an embarrassing and emotionally devastating condition for anyone, and women often have an especially difficult time coping with the social stigma that comes with it. Many options are available to women suffering from hair loss, but one of the most successful and fascinating is microsurgical hair restoration.

SURGEON: See how much thicker your hair is here?

PATIENT: Yes.

SURGEON: This can be thicker through here.

PATIENT: Great.

ANNOUNCER: This revolutionary procedure involves the transfer of hair follicles from one healthy area of the scalp to other sections in need of hair. Over the years, this technique has become a state-of-the-art method for correcting hair loss in both men and women.

Just how is it done? Let's join our specialist and his team as they perform this remarkable surgery on a woman whose hair has begun to thin noticeably.

SURGEON: If you'd rather have me leave this area alone now, later on I can fill it in more if you want me to, and today I'll just fill in from there on back, under my hand.

PATIENT: What would be the benefit to waiting? Is there any?

SURGEON: No.

PATIENT: Let's just do it.

SURGEON: She has a typical female hairline, and we're just going to reinforce it, build it up, because it has thinned. Then behind the hairline, back here, is where we'll put most of the hair, and I want to outline the area where we're going to put the hair. We need to see where it needs to be thickened.

ANNOUNCER: The doctor begins by marking the donor recipient sites. These are the sections of the balding scalp where the healthy hair follicles will be inserted. After these marks are made, the doctor marks the donor area as well. Next, the nurse prepares the patient for the removal of the donor area.

NURSE: This is called Versed. It's just to relax you a little bit.

PATIENT: Okay.

NURSE: It just takes the edge off a little bit. It's not going to completely make you fall asleep or anything like that, okay?

PATIENT: Mm-hm.

NURSE: And it is an injection, so it goes in your shoulder area. What I'm going to be doing next, since we are working in the hairline area, I'm going to do a supraorbital block. It's a tiny injection above each eyebrow, so if you get a little anesthesia above that area, it helps to partially anesthetize the hairline. I'm going to be starting now in the back, and I'll be starting right over here.

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