Inside the rise of female hair transplants: Doctor reveals three things causing women’s receding hairlines – as patients claim the £10,000 procedure should be treated ‘the same’ as breast enlargements

Hair transplants have too long been associated with male celebrities desperate to cling onto their youth.

But with a reported 30 per cent of women experiencing hair loss in their lifetimes, it’s hardly surprising an increasing number of female patients spending a small fortune on the traditionally ‘male’ procedure. 

In the past four years, Dr Edward Ball, Medical Director at The Maitland Clinic in Hampshire, has seen a 60 per cent increase in women booking in for hair transplants – a phenomenon he puts down to menopause, stress and scalp-straining hairstyles.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the expert – who oversaw comedian Jimmy Carr’s hair transplant in 2020 –  explained: ‘There’s always been an assumption that hair loss is something that is experienced by men.’

The surgeon, who opened his Portsmouth clinic in 2015, says his female clientele are often struggling with ‘the constant gnawing anxiety of hair loss’ that seeps into their everyday lives.

Dr Edward Ball opened The Maitland Clinic in 2015 and has seen an increase in the number of female patients asking for hair transplants

He said: ‘I see women who who hide their hair loss, even from their partners. If their hairline is very receded, they perceive it as a very masculine hairline.’

During the pandemic, Dr Ball recorded a 60 per cent increase in women asking for hair transplants – with many saying they could not stand to see themselves on video calls. 

The surgeon – whose clinic has a separate entrance for celebrity clients – continued: ‘It’s massively debilitating in terms of the way they live their life, because they can’t go out in the wind, they can’t go swimming.

‘That’s why it’s such a joy to help women suffering with hair loss because they’ll come back to me in a year’s time after surgery and tell me that they can literally now just walk out of the door and pull their hair back in a ponytail.’

One of Dr Ball’s clients Laura, 38, from Frome, Somerset, told MailOnline that she ‘didn’t like when the wind blew my hair’ and became increasingly worried about showing her forehead.

She said: ‘Of course, I believe social media plays a significant role in this, creating pressure to fit in and be “normal”.

‘I didn’t like when the wind blew my hair and would reveal these triangle ‘peaks’ as I’d call them. I’d always look at Cara Delevingne or Bella Hadid and wish my hairline was the same. 

Before taking the plunge, Laura said she spent months ‘researching and watching YouTube videos’ on female hair transplants.

Laura Harding, from Somerset, was self-conscious about her hairline before the transplant

Laura Harding, from Somerset, was self-conscious about her hairline before the transplant 

Laura says she feels confident now and that the procedure was 'worth every penny'

Laura says she feels confident now and that the procedure was ‘worth every penny’

Laura Harding opted for a Strip Follicular Unit Transplantation, can now confidently wear her hair up in a bun
She can now confidently wear her hair up in a bun

Laura, who opted for a Strip Follicular Unit Transplantation, can now confidently wear her hair up in a bun

Laura had 2,150 grafts inserted into her hairline at The Maitland Clinic.
Her mother called it a 'huge success story'

Laura had 2,150 grafts inserted into her hairline at The Maitland Clinic. Her mother called it a ‘huge success story’

Before the transplant, Laura would compare herself to celebrities and wish she had their hairlines
After her transplant, Katherine doesn't mind wearing her hair up or getting it wet

Before the transplant, Laura would compare herself to celebrities and wish she had their hairlines – now she confidently puts her hair up

She continued: ‘Just as some girls my age opted for breast enlargements or, more recently, lip and bum injections, I wanted to improve how I felt about my hairline – and that’s exactly what I did.’

Depending on the number of grafts you need, and the quality of the clinic, a hair transplant can cost between £3,000 and £10,000. Meanwhile, the procedure itself can take up to 12 hours.

Laura opted for a Strip Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), which is the ‘more traditional’ procedure, according to Dr Ball, and involves taking a linear strip of skin from the back of the head.

This piece of skin is then dissected under a microscope by a team of technicians to produce individual follicular unit grafts – or a naturally occurring group of hairs.

Dr Ball explained: ‘Tiny little incisions are made in the area that you are treating and the grafts are then inserted into these little individual holes.

Pictured: Former The Only Way is Essex star Maria Fowler pictured before Dr Ball corrected her hair transplant

Pictured: Former The Only Way is Essex star Maria Fowler pictured before Dr Ball corrected her hair transplant

Maria Fowler (pictured), who starred in The Only Way Is Essex in 2010, trusted Dr Ball with her hairline after a botched transplant at another clinic. Pictured: the results

Maria Fowler (pictured), who starred in The Only Way Is Essex in 2010, trusted Dr Ball with her hairline after a botched transplant at another clinic. Pictured: the results

‘When we put the hair back in the head, it is put in as it would have naturally occurred at the back.

‘Some are little single hairs, some are pairs of hairs, and some are three hairs.’

Alternatively, patients can opt for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), which takes individual follicular unit grafts of one, two or three hairs from the back of the scalp.

‘We use a punch device that basically cuts around each individual hair, leaving a tiny little circular dot,’ Dr Ball said. 

Laura added: ‘Saying I wish I had done it sooner is an understatement; I spent a lot of time researching and watching YouTube videos of female hairline before and after before bed, dreaming of making the decision to go ahead.

‘Now, I confidently wear my hair up, get haircuts without hesitation, and don’t mind getting my hair wet, whereas before I would constantly reposition it to cover my bald spots.’

Maria Fowler, who starred in The Only Way Is Essex in 2010, trusted Dr Ball with her FUT after a botched transplant at another clinic.

The former reality star, 38, who is from the Midlands, told MailOnline: ‘The actual procedure was surprisingly relaxing, I ate and watched Netflix and my head was numbed so I felt nothing.’ 

Maria Fowler was disappointed with a previous hair transplant that left her hairline straight as a line
Dr Bell helped her achieve a more natural look

Maria Fowler was disappointed with a previous hair transplant that left her hairline straight as a line but Dr Ball helped her achieve a more natural look

Dr Bell placed 1,870 grafts for the reality star
She spent the day of her surgery watching TV

As Dr Ball placed 1,870 grafts, the reality star spent the day of her surgery watching TV 

Katherine* used to feel embarrassed when the wind would blow her hair and reveal her hairline
Now Katherine* says she feels 'more confident' after the transplant and that having more hair has given her a 'boost'

Katherine* said she feels ‘more confident’ after the transplant and that having more hair has given her a ‘boost’

So, is it painful? ‘On the day the only unpleasant part is the anaesthetic,’ Dr Ball said. ‘We use a little technique where we use a vibration massager on the scalp.

‘Patients will feel touching, but nothing stingy and we least them a very low dose of some valium diazepam – so a tablet that just relaxes them and helps them to sit still.

‘From that point on, it’s a bit like being on a long first class flight.’

Amanda*, who had a hair transplant with Dr Ball at the age of 66, said she ‘didn’t feel a thing’ during her 12-hour surgery.

I slept through most of it because the doctor commented on my snoring.

‘I know it sounds a crazy thing, but it really wasn’t a scary experience at all.’

Fellow patient Katherine* agreed that the procedure was ‘comfortable’ and said that the scalp massage helped to reduce the pain of the anaesthetic.

She told MailOnline: ‘You can sleep or watch movies while you are sitting in a comfortable chair and the team is taking care of you with drinks and snacks and lunch and cake – more than you need!’

Although the procedure itself is far from painful, Dr Ball admitted that it can be ‘a little uncomfortable’ after the anaesthetic wears off.

Key questions to ask yourself when choosing a trusted clinic

What do previous patients say about the clinic/doctor?

  • Take time to do your research. Read patient reviews on forums such as Hairlossexperiences.com or Reddit. Ensure reviews appear genuine, with lots of detailed photographs showing the appearance before, immediately after surgery and the final results a year later.
  • You can ask a clinic to speak to previous patients to get genuine feedback on their experiences. Alternatively, contact patients who have shared their experiences through online forums.

Does the clinic specialise in female hair transplants?

  • Look for evidence that the clinic has performed many female hair transplants before (and that they look natural)
  • Don’t assume that someone who performs transplants on men will automatically be good at creating a beautiful female hair transplant result.

What happens during a consultation?

  • The doctor should carry out an unhurried and detailed consultation in order to establish the cause of your hair loss and to properly understand your goals and expectations.
  • You should expect to be examined with high magnification imagery in order to establish the health and quality of your scalp and hair.
  • You should feel confident that the doctor has demonstrated their ability to design a natural-looking hairline that suits you as an individual. You should be involved in this decision to ensure it will meet your goals.

Does the clinic show their results honestly and in detail?

  • Look for honesty and transparency in the way that a clinic displays their results. Before and after photos should be very clear, with identical angles and lighting to allow accurate comparisons.
  • Multiple photographs taken from various angles should be displayed to show the result properly.
  • Hairlines should be shown in clear detail, with the hair pulled back to show the results without anything being hidden by deceptive combovers or shadows.
  • Low quality clinics will often only show one or two photographs, with poor detail. This can suggest that a poor result is being made to look better than it really is.

Who will be performing your surgery?

  • It is crucial that the doctor carries out all surgical aspects of your procedure. This involves diagnosing the cause of your hair loss, designing your hairline, carrying out the numbing injections, extracting the donor hairs and making the recipient site incisions where the new hairs are to be inserted. It is acceptable for surgical assistants to place the hair grafts into the incisions that the doctor has made.
  • Higher quality clinics tend to employ their own team of surgical assistants, rather than hire freelance staff by the day. This ensures consistency of a well-trained team.

Is the price too good to be true?

  • Of course, the procedure has to be affordable, but if the price appears too good to be true, ask yourself why. Low cost clinics tend to cut corners by having non-medical or inexperienced personnel carrying out the surgery. Very often, budget clinics carry out multiple surgeries in a day, resulting in a rushed and unprofessional approach to you as an individual.
  • Don’t accept time-limited offers to book surgery for a reduced price. This is not permitted by reputable medical professional bodies and such offers would suggest a clinic is affiliated with regulatory organisation or professional associations.

What qualifications and accreditations does your hair doctor have?

  • Most reputable doctors are members of professional bodies such as the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery. This ensures that their practice complies with a nationally accepted code of conduct.
  • Many high level hair doctors are qualified surgeons and will therefore be members of The Royal College of Surgeons.
  • Look for doctors who show that they keep up to date by attending or lecturing at international conferences and workshops, such as the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons.
  • Higher level qualifications can be reassuring, such as having passed the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery exam.

What level of aftercare is provided by the clinic?

  • Make sure that the clinic provides you with high quality aftercare products to ensure good healing and recovery.
  • Some clinics provide state of the art aftercare sprays containing ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – an energy provider for the grafted hair to optimise healing and survival of your transplanted hair.
  • Ensure that there will be a member of the team available to answer all your questions and to support you during the recovery period.

He said: ‘The first few nights will be disturbed partly because it’s a little uncomfortable because you lie with the back of the head on the pillow. 

‘But patients certainly don’t lie on the treated grafted area, of course, because you don’t want to risk knocking the grafts out.

‘The patient won’t be able to touch the hair for the first five days because the grafts that have gone in are very fragile.

‘They can start washing their hair on the sixth day so they can start to get rid of any dry skin.

‘Most people are back in action between seven to 14 days afterwards so anybody that wants to keep the transplant a secret will usually take ten days off work.’

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