Candidacy evaluation for women requires a far more nuanced approach than for men, because female pattern hair loss follows a fundamentally different pattern.
The Core Difference
While men typically lose hair in a predictable pattern (temples, crown), women's loss most often follows a diffuse pattern spread across the entire scalp. This makes finding a "safe" donor area much harder.
Hormonal Factors
Female-specific hormonal factors — pregnancy, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — can trigger or accelerate hair loss and must be addressed before surgery is considered.
The Best Female Candidates
Women with localized thinning (e.g., traction alopecia, a receded hairline) or those who are post-menopausal with stable hormones and a loss pattern that has plateaued tend to be the strongest candidates.
Key point: Evaluation for female patients must include the DPA vs. DUPA distinction (see related article) — a "yes" given without that distinction can be risky.