Transplant hair & female androgenetic alopecia

My androgenetic alopecia was diagnosed at the age of 20. Ten years later, it started to become a real problem for me. My colleagues started to talk about it or to look at my scalp with insistence. I had to find a solution quickly. I then considered both the transplant hair and the topper.

But how can you make such a decision when you don't know anything about either of them? I really felt at the time that I had to choose between the plague and cholera. The transplant hair was officially the cholera for me. Because having to wear a wig at 30, or having surgery to simply have the right to look normal, was very painful for me to consider.

Here I tell you my journey and the different elements that helped me make my decision 🥳

What to choose to move forward: the transplant hair or the topper?

For ten years I've had a complex, I've focused on my alopecia. Ten years that I only see a thinning scalp in the mirror, in the elevators, in the windows of the Parisian subway in the morning. My daughter is two years old and I can't stand to see myself in pictures with her. I sometimes put off taking them when I know my hair is too dirty to make my alopecia presentable. I can't stay like this and make myself miserable. I have to move on. But how?

Two solutions are available to me. The hair transplant and the hair topper . But how to choose between the two?

I need to take stock of these two possibilities to make an informed choice.

The transplant hair: first information.

I'm starting to learn more about the transplant hair. Information on the results that can be obtained after a hair transplant for men is quite widespread. On the other hand, it is difficult to know concretely the effectiveness of the transplant hair in women. There are some before and after pictures on google image. Some of them are impressive. But very few real positive testimonials. Nothing on social networks like YouTube, Blogs or other. I am afraid that these photos are faked by the surgeons, or not representative of all their patients.

This does not really reassure me. Especially since I read several times that the hair transplant is not very effective in women. Contrary to men, in whom the donor area of follicles is little or not affected by alopecia, women have a more diffuse alopecia that affects the entire head. Androgenetic alopecia is an increased sensitivity of hair follicles to DHT (dihydrotestosterone). If the donor area itself is affected by alopecia, I understand that the grafts will also eventually fall out.

But I am not a dermatologist. It is therefore an understanding based on quick readings on the internet. So I decided to go see a clinic specialized in grafting hair. The website of one of the clinics proposes to send photos of the skull before making an appointment. I do it because doing it remotely at first reassures me because it is difficult for me to talk about this problem, even to specialists. The clinic specialized in hair transplants received my photos and answered me:

"Hello Madam, Thank you for your request for information and your photos. Unfortunately your alopecia is too diffuse to consider a transplant hair."

It is simple, laconic, terse. But it has the merit of being clear!

In the end, having this answer prevents me from having to make a choice between topper and transplant hair. Because I was really hesitating between these two alternatives.

Indeed, the hair transplant is much more expensive (about 5000 euros from what I understand), but I could eventually get my own hair back, unlike a hair topper . It's complicated to consider wearing a dead toupee/postiche/fox on your head at 30. I really felt like I had to choose between the plague and cholera. I was ready to spend the 5000 euros. But how to do it when you're not sure of the final result? Or even what it will look like in the long run?

I had also read that it was better to avoid doing a transplant hair as long as the alopecia could evolve. I was only 30 years old, with one child. Of course my alopecia would still evolve. I have 3 children today, 5 years later (#respect #morelife). My alopecia has evolved greatly in 5 years. And what will it be like at menopause? I asked myself all these questions when I was considering the transplant. And I was thinking that I might actually have to wait until I'm 80 before hair transplantation is an option for me 😱

Finally, during a transplant hair, the surgeon moves follicle grafts from a donor area to a recipient area. But unfortunately, this does not increase the final density of the hair. A rat tail ponytail will unfortunately remain a rat tail ponytail after a transplant 🐭! And me, I don't like it rat tails! I prefer foxes 🦊

What if I really did get my dream hair back?

At the same time, I went to a wig store and toppers . The process was far from obvious for me either. But when your out of hair... you do it! 😁 And in the end, the first fitting went pretty well. Sure, at first I thought it showed, and that it was "too much hair". But after 30 short minutes in front of the mirror watching myself with a wary look, I got used to this new image. And I even managed to find myself a bit pretty.

At that time, I had not yet received the wonderful email from the clinic. So I was still hesitating between these two options. But I was thinking that I would never get as much hair back as this hair topper could provide.

I was seriously considering this option instead. But it was still difficult to make my choice. Because a transplant could also eventually be something that works on me and would allow me to become a normal person again (my feelings at the time). In the end, this email was a relief because it was no longer my choice.

And finally, I was happy to say that I was going to have a real beautiful platinum blonde hair (I would have preferred my hair color, but well...) rather than a transplant hair.

This hair topper literally changed my life. I rediscovered myself. I became who I was, who I should have always been. I then developed a real addiction to these products. Some girls are fans of handbags or shoes. I like to buy toppers hair and wigs!

I love it so much that I started my own brand to introduce women to this wonderful solution. And above all, to offer them more and more beautiful models.

I am happy to be able to participate daily in the democratization of these products, especially on social networks such as my YouTube channel Comme un diadème:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFJ9SejriuuyUGDZ6GT9kA?app=desktop

Or on my Instagram where a real community is building around alopecia and hair supplements:

https://www.instagram.com/comme.un.diademe/?hl=fr

And if you too would like to adopt a beautiful fox 🦊 and avoid the transplant hair, it is here:

https://commeundiademe.com/store/

If you wish to consider a transplant hair, I can only advise you to meet with at least two dermatologist specialists to be sure that the procedure is well indicated in your case. Indeed, it is really important to be sure that you are seeing someone who will be able to give you honest advice and only perform the procedure if it is really effective on you in the short and long term.