What Is Retrograde Alopecia?

Loss of hair can occur at the sides and back of the head. This is known as retrograde alopecia. For you, this means challenges for hair restoration as these are the areas usually used as donor sites. Therefore, if you are experiencing this condition, extra planning will be required to ensure that your hair restoration surgery gives you the best possible result.

When hair loss occurs in donor areas, hair restoration becomes more complicated because follicles in the donor area are too compromised to safely collect for a hair transplant. Understanding hair loss conditions, including the distinction between donor area retrograde alopecia and androgenetic alopecia, can help a patient make more informed decisions in their journey for hair restoration.

What Is Retrograde Alopecia?

Retrograde alopecia is a type of hair loss that affects the lower part of the scalp and can cause loss of hair behind and above the ears and the nape of the neck. Hair loss in this area can look similar to the hair loss that occurs in the male pattern baldness of the hair line, temples and crown. The difference is that male pattern baldness tends to affect the top of the scalp and retrograde alopecia affects the lower part of the scalp.

Retrograde alopecia causes the hair follicles to decrease in size and produce thinner hair. This leads to a reduction in the density of hair in the lower sides and the back of the scalp.

This condition is important to know in the field of hair restoration because it can affect the quantity of healthy follicles available to harvest for a transplant.

How Does Retrograde Alopecia Impact Hair Transplantation?

For a successful hair transplant, there must be adequate donor area hair. Usually, surgeons harvest hair from the back and side areas of the scalp. These areas usually contain hair that is less prone to hair loss. The harvested hair is then transplanted to areas with hair loss.

However, with retrograde alopecia, there is a deterioration of the donor area hair. This creates a lot of challenges during a hair transplant.

1. It Decreases The Safe Donor Area

Usually, the surgeon relies on the hair from the lower side and back areas of the scalp to provide donor hair.

Therefore, the surgeon must identify safe areas that are stable and would provide a good hair graft.

2. It Impacts The Resultant Outcome

For a good and long-lasting outcome, it is essential that stable donor hair is used. Some hair follicles that are affected by thinning may also result in the transplanted hair thinning over time.

This is the reason why assessing donor hair stability is essential.

3. It Decreases The Number Of Grafts Available

If the goal of the patient is to have a larger coverage, there may not be enough stable donor hair to achieve that. A responsible surgeon will maintain the safety of the donor area hair, instead of over extracting hair in a single session.

4. It Demands Thorough Evaluation Of The Donor Area

A thorough assessment of the patient is necessary to determine the patient’s candidacy for a hair transplant.

Can You Get a Hair Transplant If You Have Retrograde Alopecia?

Yes, people with retrograde alopecia may be candidates for a hair transplant, provided that the donor area is stable.

If sufficient stable follicles are available, the surgeon can come up with a plan to use donor regions of interest. An individualized and detailed assessment by a well-trained and experienced hair transplant surgeon in Delhi may help the patient understand their donor potential better, and the available treatment options.

How FUE Hair Transplant Planning Differs in Retrograde Alopecia?

For FUE, the surgeon has to extract follicular units from a donor site.

It is important for the surgeon to:

• Identify stable areas containing healthy follicular units.
• Not extracted from weak or miniaturized units.
• Maintain enough donor hair density.
• Evenly distribute graft extraction.
• Avoid over harvesting donor areas.

Patients who wish to undergo an FUE hair transplant in Delhi should be aware of the principle that determines the number of follicular units that can be harvested, which is available donor capacity. It may be prudent to not harvest a large number of unstable, weak, and miniaturized follicular units and rather focus on harvesting a smaller number of stable units.

What Determines The Cost Of Hair Transplantation In Delhi?

There are several factors that affect the hair transplant cost in Delhi. Retrograde alopecia affects treatment planning because it restricts the availability of donor hair.

Other factors that affect cost are:

• The number of grafts needed for coverage
• The condition of the donor area and its density
• The type of procedure
• Surgeon’s experience
• Complexity of the procedure
• The number of sessions required

Conclusion

Retrograde alopecia can make treatment planning difficult because it can affect the sides and lower back of the scalp, which are usually the donor areas. However, just because retrograde alopecia is present, this doesn’t mean that hair transplantation is not an option. A complete evaluation of the scalp, with a density assessment of donor areas and graft selection, can help indicate treatment options. The best person to assess the donor areas and help plan treatment is an experienced hair restoration surgeon.