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Chris,

Going bald can be tough at any age. But it is no doubt even tougher at age 19.

My first suggestion is that you look at getting a prescription right away for Propecia. It works best in those that are just starting to thin and or who are young. You may be an excellent candidate. You'll need to take it for a good year before you know how well it will work for you.

But for many man - reportedly 80% - it will at least slow if not stop your hair loss. Some even grow back hair in the back/crown area in particular.

In the mean time maybe you should just shave your head and get back into the game - football, basket ball, social activities . . .

Then if a year from now you feel that your hair loss has stabalized or reversed you have the option of letting your hair grow out.

I think you are probally too young to do hair transplants. Get on Propecia and give it another year to see were you end up at.

Also keep educating yourself over the next year on this and other sites. This site has links to other sites that offer good non surgical options.

And don't let hair loss take over your life. Better treatments are on the horizon. And in time you can always do hair transplants if you need to.

Best wishes and keep us all posted - Pat

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Chris,
I agree with Pat. Resist the temptation to get a hair transplant at your age. A hair transplant at your age may solve the "acute" problem, but long term may be a huge detriment to appearance.
As hair transplant surgeons we only have a fixed amount of good genetic hair that we can transfer to the balding area. I consider myself a glorified farmer-- I have only "4 acres of seed", but I have potentially "10 acres of balding land" to cover-- as you can see it doesn't add up. Therefore I need
1) all the help I can get from the medical treatments for hair loss
2)to use your hair bank wisely (were I place the grafts today may not be the wisest area in the future for you and may not stand the test of time)
3)ensure the highest percent of grafts survive and grow.

I think you need to maximize the medical treatments (Propecia and Rogaine) for hair loss for now and steer clear of the "snake-oil treatments". The medical treatments for hair loss are more effective the earlier you start treatment in the hair loss process (When is it best to use "tooth paste"? Before you have a lot of tooth decay. Similarly, the best time to medically treat hair loss is before you have an immense amount of "hair decay". Most patients do not go to a dentist and tell him "I am not going to brush my teeth, I just want you to fill in my cavities as I get 'tooth decay'". Similarly, you should be trying to prevent "hair decay" with medications before you consider hair transplants-- and you may need less hair transplants in the future.
Sincerely,
Paul J. McAndrews, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Dermatology