Who would have thought that sticking around the forums would cause some sense to seep pass my stubborness? I have been on these boards (watching rather than contributing)for awhile and have completely changed my perspective on hair transplants.

For the time being, I believe that in two more years I will start a long and laborious journey to find a doctor. I have been on finasteride for three years and have seen its full effectiveness. I am forecasting a 1000-1500 FUE procedure. I am constantly aware of many doctors out there, but sadly, none have caught my attention. I'm afraid I might have too high of expectations.

I don't have a camera to display my photos. I am a NW2 right now, and as you guessed, quite unsatisfied. However,I will not wait untill I'm bald to take action; rather, I will do what I (through information shared on these forums)feel is best now and in the future.

Eventhough I may seem impractical, I desperately need your counseling. Consider me as a younger brother. Give me detailed advice about what, where, and how much.

Finally, I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to those who have shared with me already, and those who will in the future.

Who would have thought that sticking around the forums would cause some sense to seep pass my stubborness? I have been on these boards (watching rather than contributing)for awhile and have completely changed my perspective on hair transplants.

For the time being, I believe that in two more years I will start a long and laborious journey to find a doctor. I have been on finasteride for three years and have seen its full effectiveness. I am forecasting a 1000-1500 FUE procedure. I am constantly aware of many doctors out there, but sadly, none have caught my attention. I'm afraid I might have too high of expectations.

I don't have a camera to display my photos. I am a NW2 right now, and as you guessed, quite unsatisfied. However,I will not wait untill I'm bald to take action; rather, I will do what I (through information shared on these forums)feel is best now and in the future.

Eventhough I may seem impractical, I desperately need your counseling. Consider me as a younger brother. Give me detailed advice about what, where, and how much.

Finally, I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to those who have shared with me already, and those who will in the future.

Olsjar,

Nice to see you back on the forums!

-Robert

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Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog

Olsjar
Don't get a transplant until the time you actually need one. If your purpose is to conceal all evidence of hair loss, then you probably have an unrealistic expectation about what your results can be. Some guys do get these kinds of impressive results, but they are not considered average. If you are still in the earlier stages of hairloss (Norwood 2 or 3) then you are probably jumping the gun.

Make sure you are a good candidate. You can still get a transplant if you are not an ideal candidate, but your results will probably not be as satisfying as if you were an ideal candidate.
What makes someone a good candidate:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Mature emotionally
<LI>Not getting a transplant out of desperation
<LI>Coarse hair covers better than wispy fine hair
<LI>Curly hair covers better than light hair
<LI>Hair that matches your skin tone is better than high contrast between skin and hair color.
<LI>You can afford multiple surgeries, can take time off, etc, over a period of years.
<LI>You don't expect to restore your hair to pre-hairloss appearance
<LI>You know what the best procedures are and who is doing the best, most consistent work
<LI>Probably in your 30s, or 40s. Probably not in your early 20s
<LI>Wouldn't die of embarassment if someone found out.
<LI>I'm sure I am forgetting something.[/list]
If you do decide to get a transplant, have modest expectations. Don't expect a lot of hair. Expect several surgeries over your lifetime, probably 3 at least, or (easily) more depending on what approach you take. It will not look as good as your original hair, but if you pick a top doctor it will be close enough.

Become your own expert on hair transplants. Read everything you can, every article, every website, but keep a sense of skepticism. At some point you will start forming your own 'expert' opinions. See patients in person. Meet patients in your area and study them closely (hopefully guys with similar hair and similar hair loss as you). Eventually, meet some of the better doctors, strictly for informational purposes. At this point you have already started to make a short list of the doctors you're interested in. If you decide to get siurgery, pick the doctor who you can honestly say that you think is the best in the world at hair transplants. Don't pick someone who's just okay.

Maintain as much remaining hair as you can, with medications like Propecia or Avodart. Transplants do not prevent future hair loss. You'll have the best overall appearance by maintaining as much original hair as possible, in addition to whatever transplants you get.

Finally, think twice about going the surgical route. A hair transplant doesn't automatically give you confidence, or get you dates, or make you stop worrying about your hair. Sometimes a hair transplant can actually add to your hair worries, especially if you didn't choose a good doctor or had unrealistic expectations, or wasn't really a good candidate. If you are obsessed with your appearance because of hair loss, there is a good chance you will then become obsessed with your hair transplant. Do not obsess about hair loss. Many guys, if they had the chance to do it over, would NOT get a hair transplant again, even with todays improved procedures. I've seen guys write that their transplant was a success, and yet they would not go through the time, trouble and expenses of a hair transplant again. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with hair loss, it is perfectly natural and it is a trait like having freckles or being short. Is it better to have hair? Sure. But not everyone thinks it is worth resorting to surgery to try to correct, especially when the results are often limited. Self-acceptance is a good way to go, for those who can go that route. Hair loss really bugged me as a young guy, but now that I'm older I see it really doesn't make a difference for a lot of guys. Women care less after you get into your 30s, and even less after that. If you can keep your hair using Propecia or Avodart, that is better than surgery. In my case, I am not a "cosmetic surgery kind of guy". It doesn't suit me to worry about how my hair looks. But since hair transplants are permanent, that will be a life-long preoccupation for me now.

(Many guys reading this will reject my 'think twice' advice. Please don't dismiss everything I said, just because you disagree with me about hair loss not being the end of the world. I won't mind if nobody wants to discuss 'not doing it' and instead wants to talk about how to get good results. I know that's what this website is for. However choosing to "do nothing" or not do anything surgical is a valid option and a good choice for many guys. Not everybody with hair loss should get a hair transplant!)

Olsjar,

Arfy - he give good advice.

I can only sympathise with how you feel as a young guy. My hair started to go in my thirties, and I let it run down all the way to a NW5 ( completely bald on top) without being tootroubled by it.

I minimised the "bad appearance" by cutting the hair quite short, but avoided the drastic measure of shaving the head. I personally don't like this style at all.

But when my face also started to age, I decided to act, and had a big procedure of 3500 grafts. Looks good.

The advantage of waiting ( if you can ) until this point is that you're unlikely to suffer much further hair loss, since the sides & back of the head never go bald, and the transplanted hair won't be subject to the hormonal body processes that cause hair loss on top ( do some research on why this is ...)

Arfy

I appreciate your thoughts. I had a particularly rough experience tonight with my younger brother coming back from college. He couldn't stop talking about how better his hair looked than mine. I guess he got tired of pestering our older brother (who is a NW3).

He doesn't realize how hard it is for people when they lose their hair. Its a pain some might equate with death. I know personally, because I started noticing mine when I was 18, not 20 something. Its more painful when your friends look at your id card and question if thats really you on there.

I know my motives for a hair transplant maybe skewed and misguided, but I believe they are genuine enough to be valid. I don't expect a full head of hair but would like to stay ahead of noticable hairloss.

Its not about money. I'll be graduating from college soon and the money will definitely be there. I am a bit obessive about my hair and worry that taking it to a new level could agitate it.

This really sucks. Oftentimes, hairloss is all that I think and care about. I have trouble concentrating on more important things. Also, I am social inept and cannot find comfort with talking to my friends about such things.

I'm doomed to feel hollow and incomplete for the rest of my prime years, which may eventually lead to a worse, more mundane lifestyle.

Is this all a bad dream...somebody quick pinch me

Arfy

Nice advise, for me F*** it, go have it done!!

Merry Christmas

If you are still a Norwood 2, I would try to stop the progression (and maybe even grow a little bit back) with medications like Propecia or Avodart.

I would not get surgery at that level of hair loss.

As far as your younger brother, he's part of your gene pool, isn't he? Won't he have the same issues to contend with eventually?

Arfy,

As for my brother, one could only hope so. I've tried rogaine, and couldn't handle it. I manage to take my regular dosage of Proscar. Rogaine was too messy and also very expensive in the long run. Also, I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to "growing back hair" with other medications. Not that it couldn't happen; I just don't have the funds and patience to test'em out. I've spoken with my dermatologist and he said that I'm doing the best with what I've got. Whatever that means.

I maybe a NW2, but I still can tell the difference and so can my friends. I know from where you and the rest of the veterans are sitting I seem greedy, but I have made a commitment to myself that I will never be bald.

My father is no more than a NW3-4, and I plan on taking finasteride until i decide not to hair anymore. I know that every doctor has an agenda and will tell me which hair transplant strategy will work best for me, but I can not convey enough to people that my current hairloss is unacceptable.

However, I do not want to rush into any surgery. I have a couple of years before I feel that the need outweighs the want.

My question to you (and all the veterans) is if today's technology can now support NW2's ambitious hair goals? Can today's technology, medication, and doctors' skills support NW's, like myself, goals? thanks for you input

Olsjar,
Be extremely careful about getting a low hair-line transplant in your early 20's!! A near-teenage low hairline will look unnatural in your 30's, 40's, and beyond! This is due to the normal "receding with age" that occurs to guys. You don't want to make a hasty decision now that you will regret for the rest of your life!!! Listen to the guys on here who have been around the block a few times -- like Arfy! If you still have thin to moderate hair density up front, I recommend trying Toppik camoflauge. I personally would wait until your hair appearance (with Toppik) is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE before undergoing a transplant! Taking this approach offers the following advantages:
1.) It allows your future hair loss pattern to become more defined. Knowing the final pattern is crucial to optimizing the recipient area distribution and the long-term treatment plan (given a limited donor supply). The result is a future transplant will look better over the long-haul.
2.) Stay with Finesteride to maintain/thicken your existing hair and probably grow some new hair. It is something you want to do anyway no matter what (unless you have serious side effects), and therefore isn't costing you any "extra" money. Finally, the thicker your existing hair the less susceptable it will be to shock-loss after a potential future transplant.
3.) Hair transplants are invasive. Some single-digit percentage of your existing hair will suffer shock-loss after a transplant (assuming you are not transplanting into areas that are completely bald). Although most of this hair should grow back after several months, you will have a thinner look than pre-op during the interim. The really thin vellius type hairs will probably never grow back. Furthermore, some small portion of the normal thickness "shocked" hair will be permanently damaged and will not grow back as well. If you wait longer to have your transplant, you will have less existing hair at risk to these mechanisms and you will see a greater "before/after" improvement to feel good about (assuming a sufficiently large number of FU grafts were transplanted).
4.) Your hairline will recede further and you will age more into the mature look appropriate for the higher hairline. This will allow the (recommended) option of transplanting to a higher hairline and still looking your age -- thereby saving some precious donor hair and minimizing the potential unnatural look from future thinning behind a transplanted hairline.
5.) Once you jump on the hair transplant train, you will most likely ride it for life (or until your donor supply runs out). Boarding the train early will just mean a longer and more unpredictable surgical journey.
6.) In your early 20's and from what you describe you are near the beginning of the hair-loss curve and on the ramp-up. The further you progress along on that curve before your first transplant, the more likely it is you will need less total surgeries to maintain a natural, asthetically pleasing appearance. This is likely to save you total $$$ and gives you time to increase your earnings and save up money to do it right -- hopefully without getting into debt! Less surgeries also means less overall disruption to your life during recovery -- especially while in your prime 20's!
7.) Hair transplant technology and technique will continue to advance as will the number of highly talented doctors. The longer you wait, the more you will benefit from these improvements in the field.
Keep it real -- as long as you can...
GratefulHead