I've been losing hair since I was 14...yep I said it, FOURTEEN. Don't mistake that with forty...your eyes arent deceiving you, 14. My hair loss is significantly severe at this point and to tell you its taken a toll on me over the past few years would be an understatement. My hair line has receded a lot and the top of my head is extremely thin. I'm not really up with the lingo, so I dont know any other way to describe my balding pattern (attached a photo).
The other day I had my first consultation ever with a hair transplant surgeon. Yeah, I know; to get such a serious proceeder done at such a young age, or even think about it, is pretty crazy, but I'm desperate. I've been pulling 50 hour weeks at work, saving up for the possibility of a head of hair. I woke up thinking, "This is the day I've been waiting for my whole life." Turns out the day I've been waiting for my whole life was nothing for a big fat let down. The doctor informed me that 1. I'm too young (no surprise there) and more importantly, 2. My donor hairs are way too thin to have a transplant. He recommended I start taking propecia, revert back to using Rogaine (stopped using it after 3 years around November 2014), and mentioned this cool new FDA home laser treatment machine, the Capilus272. It costs 3k and I havent read many great reviews about it- no thanks! He told me to use ATLEAST two of these products for the next 2/3 years religiously and then the possibility of having a transplant can even be discussed.
I don't mind being patient and doing what the doctor suggests, but I can't help but feel like in the long run it wont make much of a difference. Rogaine worked for me when I used it, but it only slowed the whole balding process down, I'm just gonna get balder and balder. Propecia? 100 dollars a month and it only helps with the back of the crown area according to the doctor. I'm convinced I'll never be able to have a transplant, or an acceptable head of hair (not expecting a full head of hair).
I made this account today in hopes of getting a wide range of opinions from other guys who deal with similar situations. Here's my endless list of questions that I hope can be answered
-I live in New England, but willing to travel somewhere down the line (in a few years, I realize I'm way too young at the moment). Any notable surgeons I should keep an eye out for? I'm currently looking into Epstein, Rahal, Shapiro, but would love to hear other names.
-I'm thinking of using a generic brand of finasteride once my Propecia prescription runs out. Should have the same expectations or are they actually different?
-I've read a bit about BHT, and since my donor hairs aren't ideal, I'm interested in it. What are your opinions on BHT in general and do know any surgeons that have a great history with BHT? I've read about Dr. Epstein and Dr. Feriduni performing it
-What are my other options? I'll take any suggestions in general.
Thanks for reading everyone!