Rick_

Note: I've been shedding like crazy in the past 4-5 months(since October). The intensity is much greater than before starting fin

Fingers crossed lol.

@JohnAC71No updates from what I mentioned earlier. I'm going to get a prescription from a General physician for Finasteride and try it out.

I've requested for a consult with the doctors mentioned in the https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN-MOB in the US and Europe. Some of them have got back stating that I'm not eligible for an HT given my progression and suggested me to start on finasteride and check back after a year on finasteride. I've decided to give it a try, but, you need a prescription for it in the US. I've been trying to meet Dr Dorin to get the prescription for it and also get an analysis done on my donor area. Could you guys suggest on how to reach Dr Dorin and also some reputable sources for finasteride(I've heard quality issues about finasteride from different suppliers)?

@JDEE0 @Newyear newhair First off, I greatly appreciate the responses. I think my response sounded too glib. I'll try to express my feelings and my thought process to my best. I'm not good at expressing, so please bear with me. I was obsessed with my hair loss when I found out and tried my best to find a solution. That's when I found out about minoxidil and 2 years later about finasteride(which till this day I haven't taken it). I found out about finasteride 2 years later, 'cause my doctor assured me that my hair loss is controllable with minoxidil and that I shouldn't worry. I agree with both of you but, what I noticed is that over the past few years I've been caring less about my hair loss(still cared enough to hide it). The main reason I continued using minoxidil was 'cause of my diffusing hair loss, it wasn't that evident like how it is with the other type of hair loss. And, like a fool, I thought having this diffusing hair loss is better 'cause you can't really see the hair loss(not very visible receding hairline) and the loss of thickness which I hid decently with hair cuts. But in the past 2 years I've lost so much that the hair that's left looks kind of bad(to me, others might disagree which is fine), that is compared to how my hair was 4-5 years back when I was still losing, but it looked good enough to me to continue minoxidil and be hopeful for an HT in the future. In mid 2020 I shaved my head to see whether I could pull off the shaved/bald look and to be honest it wasn't that bad, it doesn't matter but I feel like I need to mention that I got compliments/compliment, maybe they were just trying to be nice(no one knows about my hair loss except for my family and I didn't get any complements from my family). I shaved again in January 2021, and I felt better than the last shave, or maybe it was the same, but I remember that I felt good 'cause I didn't have to care so much about my hair anymore. It was a relief to be honest, 'cause I would constantly think of whether people could see my hair loss and things like that, which made me extremely paranoid. Maybe I was okay with the shaved/bald look 'cause I experimented with it during the pandemic. I did go out, but to be fair, it wasn't like pre-covid times, so there's a possibility that I would not feel the same after the covid, but the relief was authentic. The point I was trying to make was that if I can't find a temporary solution, let's say taking finasteride comes with side effects, then in the next few years my hair loss is going to get progressively bad, and I think within 5 years I'll be a NW 6. By next year, I think I'll just shave my head and go with that look since my hair will look even more depressing that it is right now. But, if finasteride brings my hair back to how it was pre-covid then yeah, I will care about my hair in the future since I will gain that hope back and get an HT at the right time(suggested by the doctors, you guys and obviously my opinion). If my hair gets bad I'll get sad, but I'll not be depressed and yeah, once in a while I'll wish to look young that includes having more muscle, fewer wrinkles and more energy and such. I'll deal with it as "that's how life is, you're getting old, it is natural" and try to be happy with my life. Or I could get depressed when I'm older, but I think the chances of that happening is low(if it does, then I screwed up I guess). This is my personal opinion, and I'm not trying to bash/ridicule anyone, everyone deals with this differently and I sincerely hope that they are happy with their decision. If you guys still think I'm not thinking in the right way then I'll take a few days and think about it. For now, I've requested consultation with doctors in NY and I'll share their responses here to get guidance. Apologies for the long post!

I'm not sure if it's evident, but I also have a weird receding hairline. Weird 'cause the left side is receding while the right is fine. There's an overall diffusing with hair at the crown almost gone.

@JDEE0 Cool, thanks for info about finasteride. I'll do some research about finasteride. So, I should be able to get back some thickness if I start taking finasteride, that is if I don't see any side effects? @SD1984 Yeah, I was a little skeptical about HT since my hair loss is a diffusing type. The hair fibers I found online look awful, I rather shave or get a hairpiece. To be honest, I want to get my confidence back. I was always conscious about my hair whenever I stepped outside the house, which I'm sure most of you know this very well. I don't want to be conscious about my hair anymore and here's my thought: No offense but, I don't see much point in getting an HT in my late 30s or early 40s(again no offense intended), I would just shave, grow a beard and live with it. But, I want to look young(who doesn't lol) while I'm young and for once look my age lol.

@JDEE0 Thanks for your reply. I've attached pics with short hair. Those were taken recently, but the most recent ones are the long hair ones. I was suggested Finasteride, but when the doctor told me about the side effects I was reluctant to use it. As far as for the budget, I'm willing to give it my all. If(the chances are high) the results don't turn out great/good, I can at least console myself that I gave it my all haha. Similar to my budget, I'm willing to travel anywhere.

Hi Everyone! I'd like to get your suggestions about getting a hair transplant. I've been researching passively over the past few years and I recently found this forum(1-2 years back), I'm okay with splurging, but obviously within reasonable limits. Could you please recommend me surgeons? I live in New York City, NY, and I'm open to travelling. Summary I'm 28 years old, and I've been using minoxidil since I turned 20(that's when I noticed early signs of hair loss). When I was 24 I stopped minoxidil for like 3 months and I lost a decent chunk of my hair. Then I got back on minoxidil and have been using it up to now. My dad is a norwood 7 and was between norwood 6 - norwood 7 when he was 28. My paternal grandfather is also a norwood 7, and I think his progression was similar to my dads. My maternal grandfather is the polar opposite, even at 60(age when he passed away) he had thick black hair with few white hairs. His hair was very similar to Ronald Reagan's hair. Obviously, I inherited from the wrong grandfather lol. Also, I recently found out(1-2 years back) that I have seborrheic dermatitis. But, I can keep it in control if I keep my hair short and shampoo frequently or if I have long hair then I need to shampoo daily. Sorry if I'm sharing too much, I just wanted you guys to have a holistic point of view. I've attached pics of my hair, both wet and dry. Questions: Should/Can I get a transplant. Basically, after the hair transplant will it look like I have no hair loss? How many grafts do I need(approx)? How many grafts does my donor area have(approx)?