What Is Hairline Repair?

A receding hairline occurs when, for a variety of reasons, the hair follicles towards the front of an individual's scalp stop growing hair. While this is a more common problem for men, it can also happen to women. Hairline repair refers to a variety of treatments that can stop an individual with a receding hairline from losing more hair, make the remaining hair an individual has appear thicker, or make the lost hair grow back through medical or surgical means.

Men and women usually lose hair in different ways. Female pattern hair loss generally involves a loss of hair follicles all around the scalp, resulting in a general thinning of hair but not necessarily a noticeable recession in any given area. Male pattern hair loss generally involves a loss of hair follicles around the crown of the head and the front of the scalp, leaving hair around the side of the scalp intact. While women can suffer from the concentrated loss of hair follicles in the front of the scalp that causes a receding hairline, it is more common in men.

One method of hairline repair involves making the thinning hair thicker, giving the appearance of a more robust hairline. This can be done with a variety of shampoos and conditioners or with a prescription medication, such as Propecia®. This approach to hairline repair only continues to work as long as the individual consistently uses the hair care product or medication.

For instances when the receding hairline is the result of a hormonal imbalance or build-up of chemicals that are preventing the hair follicles at the front of the scalp from growing hair, hairline repair can take the form of either injections or topical applications of steroids or other specialized medications to correct the situation. While these treatments cannot revive hair follicles that have died, they can prevent the individual's hairline from receding any further than it already has. They can also allow hair follicles that were suffering but not yet dead to begin producing hair again.

Individuals who have a receding hairline, but still have substantial amounts of hair on the rest of their scalp, can undergo a surgical method of hairline repair. In this procedure, a doctor will graft hair, and the follicles they grow from, from the parts of the scalp with normal amounts of hair to an area in which hair follicles have stopped working. In successful procedures, these hair follicles replace the non-functioning ones and continue to grow hair as normal in their new locations.