Scalp micropigmentation for women - yay or nay?

December 3, 2016 1:44 PM

My wife has been dealing with thinning hair for a number of years. She has been thoroughly investigated from a medical standpoint and there doesn't seem to be any reversible cause; it also runs in her family. She's already had one round of hair transplantation three years ago, which went well, but it's expensive and several more treatments would be needed to really increase her hair density. She's tried minoxidil and Nizoral without much luck. So, we've been researching scalp micropigmentation and are looking for some advice. (I'm posting at her request -- this isn't something I'm planning to surprise her with.)

Any MeFi ladies who have undergone this process for female-pattern hair loss? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it? Any buyer's remorse? We'd be very interested to find out. It seems like most of the information online is from people and clinics offering the service, and it's hard to find personal testimonials.

Thanks so much!

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

I tried almost everything (including Toppik, Minoxidil, prescriptions, etc..) , and I finally accepted wigs.

I wish that I'd gone to wigs 5 years earlier. My self-confidence is so much higher, and you can find some various nice wigs that are youthful but not wacky. I'd be glad to share sites, if she's so inclined.
posted by heathrowga at 4:08 PM on December 3, 2016 [4 favorites]

Seconding heathrowga. My hair started thinning in my 20s and I was obsessively self-conscious about it. I took high dosages of Biotin, used jojoba oil, applied Minoxidil but nothing worked. After I went through a round of radiation & chemo treatments I finally gave in and bought a wig. I walked out of the wig shop feeling like a million bucks - it was amazing. I've owned up to the wig with close friends who didn't know me prior to my wig wearing days and they've all insisted that they couldn't tell it was a wig (I believe them). It's just a matter of finding a color that and style that appears natural. A good wig isn't cheap, but it's far less expensive than scalp micropigmentation.
posted by kbar1 at 4:48 PM on December 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm sorry I don't know anything about micropigmentation. I'm posting because I read this essay about hair loss and how the writer found a weave that helped her. I've had it bookmarked for some time because I worry my hair (thinning after pregnancy and from pcos) may make it necessary to pursue these options at some point. Hair loss is a really stressful situation. I think it's hard to over state how stressful it can be for women. So I want to say thank you for helping your wife and I hope she finds some solutions that help her feel better.
posted by areaperson at 5:42 PM on December 3, 2016 [5 favorites]

Has she had her thyroid and iron levels checked recently?

To cite myself from another thread: Dry hair and hair loss can be symptomatic of thyroid problems. Hair loss, in particular, can also be symptomatic of a low "normal" ferritin (iron) rate. The ferritin test which is a blood test that checks stores of iron has a (probably too wide) range, from something like 15 to 125. The magic number, give or take, is about 80 on the ferritin test. Anything below can cause hair loss. Unfortunately, many doctors are unaware of this, and will tell you you are "normal," when in fact, your stores of iron may not be sufficient to hang onto all your hair.

When I was suffering from hair loss it took three doctors to figure out that this was the cause. The third, a specialist in a women's health clinic, suggested that it was iron almost immediately. As a result, I supplemented for several months, and it very quickly stopped falling out. Had it not worked, or had I had a more recalcitrant case, the women's health specialist recommended cortisone shots, directly in the scalp.
posted by Puppetry for Privacy at 7:08 PM on December 4, 2016