Seeking Surgical Treatment - Hair Replacement Surgery

  Alopecia or hair loss affects an estimate 35 million men and 21 million women in the United States alone. It is so common that most believe that it is a normal part of aging. Many men and women do not seek medical or surgical treatment despite the fact that these treatments exist. Hair replacement surgery has been pioneered, performed, and enhanced over the last four decades. Today several options for hair replacement exist, each vary in their cost and effectiveness. The effectiveness of hair replacement surgery is based largely on the degree of male pattern baldness. For example, hair replacement for men is most effective for baldness types IV and V on the Norwood-Hamilton classification scale of baldness. Patients with types VI and VII may have hair loss that is too extensive to be corrected by hair replacement surgery and those with types II and III may be too early in the process to justify the procedure or may require subsequent hair replacement later in life. Type I on this scale is reserved for patients with no sign of baldness.