Hair Transplant

Baldness can also be treated with hair transplants, in which plugs of "donor" follicles from the patient's scalp are used to fill the hairline.

Although hair transplants work well in both men and women, the treatment tends to have a more dramatic effect on appearance in men with bald spots than it does on women with thinning hair.

"The less hair you have, the more drama in the change," says Robert Auerbach, M.D., associate professor of clinical dermatology at New York University School of Medicine. However, the American Hair Loss Council warns against attempting to replace lost hair with hair pieces sutured to the scalp. FDA has not approved any products specifically intended for this purpose, however, this does not preclude a physician from using sutures, which are approved devices, for this purpose. According to the council, although the procedure is legal, it can result in scars, infections and even brain abscesses.

Another treatment for male-pattern baldness, hair implants made of high-density artificial fibers surgically implanted in the scalp, was banned by the FDA in 1984 because it causes infection. This is the only device FDA has ever banned.

• Female Hair Loss
• Hormonal Cause Hair Loss
• Hair Loss Remedy
• Male Hair Loss