Cranial Prostheses & Medical Wigs in Arlington, VA
A cranial prosthesis is the clinical name for what most people call a medical wig — but the two terms describe different starting points. Here is what the term actually means, how it differs from something you'd buy off a shelf, and who it's built for.
What a Cranial Prosthesis Is
A cranial prosthesis is a custom-fitted hair replacement built specifically for a scalp that is healing, compromised, or has stopped producing hair altogether — the result of cancer treatment, alopecia, scarring, or traction damage. Rather than a fashion accessory, it's treated as a piece of medical equipment: the cap construction, the ventilation, and the fit are all engineered around scalp sensitivity and long-term wear, not just appearance. I am a Certified Cranial Prosthesis Engineer, which means the scalp underneath is the first design consideration, not an afterthought bolted onto a finished unit.
How It Differs From a Fashion Wig
A fashion wig is built for someone with a full head of hair underneath, so the cap can be stiffer, the base less breathable, and the fit more generic. A cranial prosthesis has to do the opposite: the base has to be gentle enough for a scalp with no hair to grip, or one that is still tender from treatment or scarring. Every unit I build starts with raw virgin hair, so it moves and holds texture the way natural hair does — curly, coily, kinky — rather than the synthetic sheen most off-the-shelf medical wigs default to.
Who It's For
This work is for Black folx across the full gender and sexuality spectrum navigating: cancer treatment and chemotherapy-related hair loss, alopecia areata, totalis, or universalis, scarring alopecia and traction alopecia, and other clinical thinning that a dermatologist has identified. Caregivers are welcome at every step.
Related: Medical Wigs for Curly, Coily & Kinky Hair · TRICARE, Insurance & Financing
The Jean, Layer by Layer
The flagship of the Legacy Collection is engineered from the scalp out — every layer chosen for a scalp that is healing, not assumed to be at full strength. Here is the actual cap construction, unretouched.
The Jean — cap construction, from the studio floor.