26 years old and contemplating a hair transplant

[fitnessjunkie]

Hi all,

I'm a long-time lurker and this is my first post!

I'm 26 years old, and have been contemplating a hair transplant for some time. I started slowly losing my hair around 19/20yrs old. In the last 3 years I have irregularly used propecia and minoxidil. However, the longest I've ever used minoxidil is only about 3 months straight (obviously not enough time for any sort of results). I shave my head weekly and use dermmatch daily as a concealer on the temples and crown. However - I'm sick of this!

Over the next 12 months, I will be taking 1.25mg propecia and applying 5% Minoxidil daily. At the end of this period, I'd like to re-assess where my hair growth/loss is at and contemplate possibly going ahead with a FUT or FUE transplant. I'm willing to travel (US/Canada) and the cost is not a huge issue. I'm an aspiring fitness model and simply have no chance of going anywhere with my current crop of hair! It's not just that though - my hair loss has been affecting my confidence for a long time now.

I've attached various pictures that were taken today after a 1 clipper shave (my scalp may look oily as I applied Minoxidil before the photos were taken). I've clearly got a receeding hairline, some thinning in the mid-scalp and a nice bald patch on the crown. I'm hoping the propecia/minoxidil will at least stabilise hair loss and possibly (hopefully) thicken my hair a little in the vertex and crown.

Interested in people's thoughts! I'll add some more photos in a week when my hair grows out a little.

Cheers

[richie48]

Hi bud

You're young and have lost alot of hair , certainly from the crown , you seem to understand how this all works and have done some research .

I agree with you that for now 12 months on finasteride /propecia will definatly be the way to go , minoxadil didn't seem to help me much and irritated my scalp so I gave up on the topical cream .

I had a great result from just using finasteride to stablize and increase growth in the mid section and crown , I too started using 1.25mgs , now I cut 5mg finasteride into 6ths and only use 0.8mgs daily and have not seen any decrease in stablization of my hairloss .

Hts are a very long term fix and should not be rushed into without a long term plan , unfortinatly you do seem destined to be a nowood 4 vertex leading to a norwood 5 if the front temples reach the crown , I had a very similar loss pattern but it was more than ten years later than you .

I also feel results from fue are not as good as fut results , both have good points and both have limitations , you will need more that 4000 grafts even to help you now , thats a big ask from fue , i know it has been done but the results and yeald are not as good and consisitant as fut yet .

However fut leaves a smiley scar there is no way you'll conceal it shaving as low as you are now , it's gamble and its a big choice to make , and be under no illusion hts are no quick fix .

If I were you and this is my opinion formed from 8 years of research , having two HTs and taking finasteride daily , plus your age and level of loss , is to get on finasteride 1.25-0.8 daily , forget about the minoxidil , stay on fin religiously for at east 12 months . Then providing you have no side effects and are responding well , stay on it for the next 5-6 years , watch for advancements in HTs and the tecnology surrounding the HT and hair restoration world and see where you are at when you enter your 30s .

I know this is proberbly not what you want to hear but I think this is the best way of avoiding any life changing mistakes .

Good luck bud and I hope this helps .
Richie

[mattj]

Photos with a shaved head are very difficult for doctors to accurately assess. It's hard to tell exactly how strong the hair is in areas such as your mid-scalp, where hair does remain but is beginning to thin.

It's clear that you've lost quite a lot of hair at the crown, along with the frontal recession. It's wise to give the treatments a chance. I would suggest that FUT is probably the best choice for providing enough grafts to cover both the front and the crown.

[fitnessjunkie]

Thanks for the reply gents. I will continue with both finastride and minoxidil for the 12 month period and hopefully take monthly progress photos, although this time I'll take them with a week or so growth, rather than freshly shaved.

And mattj, from my research, Dr Rahal is currently among the top of my pick of surgeons once it's deemed what is best for my case.

I will continue to update this thread in due course.

Cheers!

[BadBeat]

Well, for what it's worth, you look pretty good with the shaved head. It also doesn't hurt that you are ripped!

I think you're approaching this the right way. If you are interested in keeping your hair really short or shaved you could plan out some FUE sessions that will give you the outline of a hairline and fill in the crown so it would look like you had a full head of hair but just chose to keep really short. The density probably wouldn't be there to grow it out though. You could also supplement with SMP to make it appear even denser. I think it would be a good look to go along with your athletic build.

There are a few of those types of cases documented in this forum that you could search for. Good luck!

[fitnessjunkie]

Originally Posted by BadBeat

Well, for what it's worth, you look pretty good with the shaved head. It also doesn't hurt that you are ripped!

I think you're approaching this the right way. If you are interested in keeping your hair really short or shaved you could plan out some FUE sessions that will give you the outline of a hairline and fill in the crown so it would look like you had a full head of hair but just chose to keep really short. The density probably wouldn't be there to grow it out though. You could also supplement with SMP to make it appear even denser. I think it would be a good look to go along with your athletic build.

There are a few of those types of cases documented in this forum that you could search for. Good luck!

Hi BadBeat,

Thanks for the comment.

I have been thinking about taking the FUE route - to give me the sharper hairline and to fill in the crown. I understand this won't give me fantastic density, especially growing the hair out longer, but this the option you suggested could certainly be a possible solution and it's something I've been thinking about. I've gone through some 40+ pages and looked at hundreds of cases of FUT and FUE hair transplants and did come across a few FUE cases where guys have got the above scenario done. That is is certainly a possibility for me, but obviously keen to see how the medication goes over the next 12 months before a decision/consultations are made.

In regards to SMP, I have not yet looked into this. I use Dermmatch daily.. so in a way, I guess it's just more of a 'permanent' Dermmatch. I'll search for some cases of SMP to extend my research.

My hair is probably the only thing in my life that I stress/worry about. I am quite a confident dude... but I just want to be able to leave my house without wearing concealer and without worrying about my hair!

Cheers

[fitnessjunkie]

I've attached some photos taken today as I haven't shaved in about 6 days.

My hair looks shocking. Any thoughts on the donor region, it appears I'm thinning out at the back below the crown... is this compromising my donor region and the number of potential grafts I may be able to get?

[1978matt]

Originally Posted by fitnessjunkie

I've attached some photos taken today as I haven't shaved in about 6 days.

My hair looks shocking. Any thoughts on the donor region, it appears I'm thinning out at the back below the crown... is this compromising my donor region and the number of potential grafts I may be able to get?

Hi

There's a lot of loss there which is close to the donor area. I'm no expert but I don't think you should get strip surgery.

I'm not sure you will be able to get enough FUE either and there is always a bit of a risk with dot scars.

You might be better off sticking with the shaved look until a scientist comes up with a better option!

[Spanker]

Originally Posted by fitnessjunkie

I've attached some photos taken today as I haven't shaved in about 6 days.

My hair looks shocking. Any thoughts on the donor region, it appears I'm thinning out at the back below the crown... is this compromising my donor region and the number of potential grafts I may be able to get?

You would not be able to where your have as short as it is in the 1st pics with FUE done either, but you could get away (assuming everything went well) with this six day growth look.


I kind of feel like you are too you for anything considering your level of loss.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

[s2thoudriver]

4000 FUE and SMP and you will have great results.

You still have hair in the mid section on the top of your scalp, so it's just hairline definition, fill the crown and some dense packing to compensate for any future loss (which you should maintain if you are taking meds).