nightowll

16 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

I don't know about the US but Australians can't even leave the country. Let alone return!

Jeez I didn’t know it was that bad over there. Hang in there friend.

So, I've been researching a bunch of clinics and most of them are overseas. The countries I'm interested in are Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Jordan, Switzerland, Cyprus and Canada. But I'm not sure which of these countries are actually allowing travelers from the US (or anywhere, really). Canada seems to be a little easier than the European countries it seems.

10 hours ago, Curious25 said:

If oral finasteride gave you sides, don’t even think about oral dutasteride. Topicals may be worth trialling. 
 

You’re a clear NW5 by the way, not a 6/7. 
 

You have some good docs on your shortlist, and from the pics, you appear to be a good candidate - the disadvantages being your age and lack of medication. 
 

How’s your beard ? Clinics such as Eugenix can extract up to 2000 grafts via BHT from patients that present with good beard coverage. 
 

I would recommend a two, maybe even three stage approach. Sort your frontal Third out and gain back some confidence from facial framing, and the ability to work new hairstyles. 
 

Keep us all updated, good luck! 

Yeah, I was a little surprised to be told that I’m NW6 going into NW7! I didn’t think I was that bald yet 😅

My beard is pretty good, nice and dense at the neck area. How many grafts do you think I will need to sort out the frontal third? I can hold off on the crown for now and get it sorted later down the line. 

11 hours ago, Rolandas said:

Not sure where do you see "NW6, maybe going to NW7". This is clear NW5 with strong lateral humps and overall donor. Crown doesn't go deep. Worst case scenario in the future - NW6 if not on meds, but nothing close to NW7. Not everyone would go full blown NW7.

@nightowll I think if you don't do anything about stopping further hair loss, then be conservative, go for FUT and make the most out of each graft. I think one good strip can yield about 5000 grafts (if head is big enough) taken from ear to ear, so it would be possible to cover the whole area in one go. Of course don't expect it to be perfect, as no 1 transplant is perfect and most people will pursue 2nd and 3rd to finish the look, but it will give you a new hairline and good coverage.

I definitely plan on doing something about stopping further hair loss. I tried oral fin, didn’t work out, so I’ll be trying topical fin with minoxidil. 
 

I agree that going with FUT as the first step might be good idea to maximize donor retention. My only concern with FUT is the scar as I’d like to cut my hair short at the back. I’m also a little worried about recovery time and pain compared to FUE. 

That makes sense and I appreciate the insight @Kharmacoma. This is the kind of discussion I wanted to have before committing to a hair transplant.

11 minutes ago, Kharmacoma said:

All of them are top doctors. Although at least half of those doctors won’t operate you if you don’t start finasteride one year in advance.
Of course you can lie about it, but the fact that they insist on it says a lot do it how important it is for your case. 

I see. What I find interesting is that I have seen quite a few members in this forum start finasteride after having their surgery. In fact, our forum moderator @Melvin-Moderator does not even take Finasteride. In any case, I will be looking into dutasteride and topical finasteride. Oral finasteride is out of the question for me.

27 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Have you considered looking into topical finasteride or dutasteride. A small number of people who cannot tolerate finasteride have been able to use dutasteride. As for minoxidil I wouldn't be taking it three times a day but at least once a day (topically). Consult with a good dermatologist or trichologist. I really like (and admire) your reluctance to jump straight in. Do some more research and look at some of the doctors recommended on this forum. All the best!

I'm actually taking Minoxidil three times a week not three times a day (that would be too much 😀). Also, I've never tried dutasteride before, will definitely look more into it. However, knowing my luck, I'll probably get sides from it too. So, would you not recommend getting a HT yet? I've been doing as much research as I can and only considering doctors recommended by this forum. So far I've contacted the following clinics:

- Hasson and Wong

- Dr. Maras (HDC)

- Eugenix

- Dr. Barghouthi

- Dr. Vories

- Dr. Raphael de Freitas

- Dr. Lorenzo

- Dr. Bruno Ferreira

But I definitely don't want to rush it and would like to hear from everyone here whether I am a good candidate or not.

I am currently 27 and I've been losing hair since my mid-teens. I am probably at the higher Norwoods (I have some photos below so you can judge for yourself) and I've scheduled consultations with some of the recommended clinics from this forum. My concern is whether I am too young to be getting a hair transplant right now. I want to be cautious about having it done too early and regretting it. Do you think, given the current state of my hair loss, I am a good candidate?

As far as medication, I've tried finasteride but stopped due to side effects. Currently taking topical Minoxidil three times a week. Thank you!

Fair enough. I wonder how Hasson and Wong would do with Spanish hair 😀

2 hours ago, caricatura said:

This is true, and why he's at the top of my list. Hasson and Wong, for example, give you more grafts for the price, and are consistently solid, but their grafts often don't seem to go as far. This is the same for Couto and Freitas. For them, 3000 grafts looks like 5000 at other clinics, and when you're progressively balding and want your results to last a while before getting another surgery down the road, this matters.

Just to clarify, are you saying that Couto and Freitas can do more with fewer grafts than Hasson and Wong?

Any updates, OP? I am also considering FUT for my first HT but this result is giving me pause.

Yeah, I’m realizing that now. Will be taking it slower next time for sure.

I agree that topical fin, in smaller doses, might be what I should be using. I’ll definitely give that a shot.

9 hours ago, Gatsby said:

nightowll thanks for posting and sharing your experience with finasteride. Can I ask how long were you taking finasteride before the side effects you experienced started?

Hi Gatsby. I started noticing the side effects 1.5 months after I began taking fin and minoxidil. I continued for 4 months despite the side effects hoping that they would go away, but unfortunately I didn’t see any improvement. However, it did stop my hair loss during that time.

Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a great 2021. I started losing hair since I was 15 and I am currently 27. The current status of my hair loss on the Norwood scale would probably be between 4 and 5, so I've been thinking about getting HT for quite a while now. I started taking Finasteride 1mg and minoxidil every day about 4 months ago in order to stop my hair loss as much as I can before going ahead with any surgery. However, I am one of the unlucky few people who is experiencing sexual side effects after taking finasteride -- difficulty getting erection, reduced sex drive and reduced ejaculation. These effects went away a couple of weeks after I stopped taking fin and minoxidil.

This brings me to my main question: am I not a good candidate for hair transplant? From what I have read on this forum and elsewhere about the hair transplant process, taking fin is a necessity in order to keep the native hair from falling out. If I am not willing to risk any sexual side effects from taking fin, would getting a hair transplant be pointless for me?