baldface

32 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

If you can deal with a shaved head, that is fhe way to go. You will avoid the hassle of HTs and shit like Finansteride

yeah thats a sound plan

2 hours ago, hairthere said:

"Also, consider this. You can't take back/reverse SMP..."

This is actually not true. You can remove most SMP with a laser. If it's light and deposited correctly (upper dermis) it's not too difficult to remove. There is discomfort involved, though. 

I haven't had a chance to read this entire thread, but luckily you found this forum before doing any thing and can learn from the many knowledgeable, kind-hearted members. I'm 49 and have had nine transplants starting in my early 30s. I have three strip scars and FUE. My hair looks full and the scars aren't noticeable with my hair long. That being said, it was a lot of time, money and physical and emotional trauma. When I first started really noticing the Norwood pattern I simply shaved my head. This wasn't as fashionable or acceptable a choice 15 years ago. Now I wish I could go back in time and just do that.

Anyway, that would be my advice before doing anything else. Shave it off, keep the facial hair, get physically fit, and invest in a stylish wardrobe. Hasty decisions with cosmetic procedures, especially with hair, are often poor and costly. 

hello there, thanks for the input would u recommend just shaving the head for a couple of years and then possibly smp? or should i think of doing smp sooner. Thanks 

Just now, Berba11 said:

Can you explained what you mean about feeling singled out? Do you mean you’d feel singled out by being the one without hair?

yeah, maybe its an irrational fear, being the only one with no hair kind of makes me feel out of place but ill probably get over it 

25 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

I didn’t see this post before I wrote my reply but that’s great news!

Definitely wait it out. Give yourself time to adjust to the buzzed or shaved off look. Give yourself time to settle into the routine of buzzing down. 
 

As @Gatsbysays, you need the right character to pull off a hair system. If you’re happy for people to know you wear one and can have some fun at your own expense with it - awesome! If it’s something you’ll feel you have to hide from people, forget about it. You’ll just torture yourself. They aren’t cheap, either. 

yeah ofc family and friends will know if I do get one, its more just about if im with my uni friends at a nightclub or restaurant i dont wanna feel singled. the shaved off look with beard looks good however the buzzcut with the horseshoe is dangerous territory lol. and thanks for the comments

5 minutes ago, JDEE0 said:

I'm no expert in systems, but no, I see a lot of people online these days rocking fades etc with hair systems.

i see! i shaved my head three weeks ago, could i possibly be able to get a system in the next couple days or should i wait for a while? thanks

3 minutes ago, helpthisguypls said:

@baldface I'd check out some work by hair repair club or novo cabelo - these are two up and coming hair system groups I've noticed recently and their work is craaaaaaazy! you got loads of options dude, just take your time

wow yeah they look good! is it there also particular famous ones i need to watch out for due to the price and quality ratio not being good

9 minutes ago, JDEE0 said:

Hi mate,

You do indeed have very aggressive loss for a 22 year old, well, for any age really, but going so bald so young is a problem for the following reason. 

Donor hair is not DHT/androgen proof and is only resistant to their miniaturising effects - with the obviously strong genetic susceptibility to AGA that you have, it's really anyones guess as to where you will end up in even 10-20 years time. Your donor looks fairly strong at the back, but as you point out, retrograde is clearly present at the nape and potentially the sides too from what I can see. I'm sure you know all of this, but the issue is that your donor area might just completely thin out by the time you're 30, 35 or 40, and your transplant will be for nothing. All you'll have is patchy areas and probably a lot of scarring to show for it (you'll need as many grafts as humanly possible, so it will probably be visible).

Beyond that, even if you did get a HT now, would you really be happy? At 22 years old and your level of baldness, even if you have a good result by your NW level, there's only so much density that can be given and only so low your hairline etc can be. The crown will probably be showing somewhat, hair will be fairly low density which will be notiecable, hairline placement might be too high for your age, and so on. This type of restoration works more for people say 40+ in my opinion, but can often actually make very young people like yourself look worse in some ways, or at least older, as a scalp with decent coverage but that is still thinning in areas/shows signs of an advanced pattern of baldness at times isn't something that screams youthful. It looks good on a guy who's older and where thinning throughout, maybe a low density crown and mature hairline etc is expected. I guess what I'm saying is it might age you more than just shaving for example. 

My advice would be to just shave it off if you can, or go for SMP or a hair system if you're comfortable with those, whatever it is that allows you to move on for now, and then re-assess maybe in your 30's. If your donor is holding up well at this point, it'll be somewhat clear you're not going to thin out drastically and you can hop on meds and go for a HT at that point if the desire is still burning for it.

if there a minimum length you need for the sides and back for the hair system? 

4 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Then I shaved my hair and rocked the SMP look which hid some hideous scars from two butchered hair transplants from when I was 18!! Really think twice about surgery. 

yeah great results either way there, and thank you for the warning about the transplant, if i may ask what went wrong?

3 minutes ago, JC71 said:

If you do happen to slow down/stop the loss by remaining on Fin then you could always consider FUT, someone like H&W or Hattingen do mega sessions. 
Or another alternative would be a combo ht FUT/FUE and even BHT with Bisnaga.. it’s going to take very careful planning though. If you was to continue to lose ground whilst being on Fin then a hair transplant wouldn’t be advisable. 
Im guessing your now over loaded with information? 😆

hahaha always better to be overloaded with info then have none i suppose lol. should be also thinking of smp for the fut scar?

4 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

This was me when I wore a wig (hair system). I have (had 😢) naturally curly hair. I would buy a hair piece and have my hair dresser perm it and match the color then cut it into my own hair. 
 

wow you rocked that really well!!! is doing the purchasing yourself and then letting the a hairdresser do the rest much cheaper than getting it all done by them?

3 minutes ago, JDEE0 said:

Hi mate,

You do indeed have very aggressive loss for a 22 year old, well, for any age really, but going so bald so young is a problem for the following reason. 

Donor hair is not DHT/androgen proof and is only resistant to their miniaturising effects - with the obviously strong genetic susceptibility to AGA that you have, it's really anyones guess as to where you will end up in even 10-20 years time. Your donor looks fairly strong at the back, but as you point out, retrograde is clearly present at the nape and potentially the sides too from what I can see. I'm sure you know all of this, but the issue is that your donor area might just completely thin out by the time you're 30, 35 or 40, and your transplant will be for nothing. All you'll have is patchy areas and probably a lot of scarring to show for it (you'll need as many grafts as humanly possible, so it will probably be visible).

Beyond that, even if you did get a HT now, would you really be happy? At 22 years old and your level of baldness, even if you have a good result by your NW level, there's only so much density that can be given and only so low your hairline etc can be. The crown will probably be showing somewhat, hair will be fairly low density which will be notiecable, hairline placement might be too high for your age, and so on. This type of restoration works more for people say 40+ in my opinion, but can often actually make very young people like yourself look worse in some ways, or at least older, as a scalp with decent coverage but that is still thinning in areas/shows signs of an advanced pattern of baldness at times isn't something that screams youthful. It looks good on a guy who's older and where thinning throughout, maybe a low density crown and mature hairline etc is expected. I guess what I'm saying is it might age you more than just shaving for example. 

My advice would be to just shave it off if you can, or go for SMP or a hair system if you're comfortable with those, whatever it is that allows you to move on for now, and then re-assess maybe in your 30's. If your donor is holding up well at this point, it'll be somewhat clear you're not going to thin out drastically and you can hop on meds and go for a HT at that point if the desire is still burning for it.

thank you for taking the time and helping, i appreciate ur adice and i think its the correct one

right everyone thank you for helping it seems the best choice is to go for a hair system for now and then smp or transplant depending on donor etc later down the line.

Another thing im unsure about is if i should continue taking fin, my libido is not down nor my erection quality however i dont get morning wood anymore, should this be a sign to stop or its not that concerning?

thanks

39 minutes ago, Z-- said:

I'd check out Eugenix and H&W given the level of loss. I'd be a bit hesitant to do a hair transplant given your young age, but the level of loss you have is intense, though the donor looks okay. I'd honestly shave it off, give fin some time, and wait until 25 to see where your donor is at. If it hasn't thinned by then, I'd go through with it.

Best of luck with the journey -- you've come to the right place.

thank you so much for the advice man means alot. the level of community and help here is amazing. i should have done this much sooner.

3 minutes ago, digi23 said:

If you have no sides you should continue with Finasteride and see how it progresses, just shave down and wait a couple of years to see, you might like the easy maintenance and good beard with a shaved head look, who knows. Otherwise you can reasses your situation when you are 25+ and hopefully your loss have slowed down significantly.

yeah that makes sense, thanks! btw congrats on your HT looks great!!

2 minutes ago, JC71 said:

And luckily you can benefit from my experience’s, I didn’t do my research and chose poorly for my first ht (12 years ago) and it was here in the UK. 
Coming on to this forum is the best thing you could have done ! 

yeah Definitely, i was a bit nervous but you guys are absolutely amazing and so helpful, this has taken so much stress out. thank you so much, i know i keep saying but its coming from the bottom of my heart lol

12 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

While hair systems can be detected if they are poor quality, or can be detected by hair transplant obsessives, hair system experts, etc. - the average person is not thinking about hair on a daily basis like we on this forum are. With a good hair system, I really doubt you would be "discovered" wearing one. I think the majroity of guys with hair systems have this phobia, which is completely natural. But hair systems these days can be very high quality and really are undetectable to the average person. 

Also, consider this. You can't take back/reverse SMP, but you can always stop wearing a hair system. I'd hate for you to do SMP and have it look horrible, and then deeply regret not at least trying a hair system first 

*I have never worn a hair system myself, but after reading a fair amount them on here and elsewhere that's the opinion I've formed. 

you raise some excellent points! this really made options clearer thanks

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

Tell me about it ! Lol my Dad and Bro are/were both Norwood 0. I was showing loss in my 20s… 😝

😂😂😂 life throwing curveballs/surprises in the wierdest ways to us

3 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

You could reach out to Harry James at the Bald Cafe on YouTube if you consider shaving your head. I’ve had SMP for the past 5 years and I’ve only had a minor touch up earlier this year. I wouldn’t be concerned about cancer. I wore a hair system for 25 years but you really have to ‘own it.’ If you are worried that someone might find out then it’s not for you. I would get in touch with Eugenix for advice moving forward. Give Finasteride a solid one year and then review you situation. Dr Bicer is a great surgeon and a lovely lady. I was chatting with her last night on WhatsApp but your age really precludes you from surgery now. The biggest reason isn’t your hair loss but one’s mindset. You may and most likely feel different to what options you will choose 5 years from now. The worst thing you could do is make a permanent option like surgery and regret it in ten years time. Wishing you all the best! 

thank you so much!!! this means alot! ill take ur advice

in terms of the fin are u suggesting to carry on for another year since ive been on it for 18 months. and i agree Dr bicer sounds like a great person so am a bit unsure why my experience with her assistant/whatsapp messaging person has not been the best.

Thanks everyone for the help. 

I think the part that hurts the most is i spotted the hairloss so early and did everything i could to stop itor atleast slow it down, but my older siblings still have hair and i dont lmao.

10 minutes ago, JC71 said:

@GatsbyIs your go too guy if you want to talk about hair systems ! 

messaged him thanks for the help! much appreciated 

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

I’m going to say run in the other direction of those Uk clinics in particular, in reality we have poor choices here in general. 
For any chance of a decent result then it’s pretty much Eugenix and staying on Fin for a lifetime. It would take multiple sessions and i wouldn’t be a in a hurry. Definitely try shaving down first. 

yeah thank you my experience really matches ur thoughts, if i were to do a transplant in the future i will definitely try to arrange it with Euginex. 

13 minutes ago, mmokin said:

I think fin or dut long enough could help regain you some coverage so you dont have to use as many hairs for a HT, but at your stage the only way to get a full head of hair, that looks good for your age, is a hair system imo

if you had to guess how long would begin to see improvement in coverage?

5 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

@baldface you are in the right place. Your hairloss is quite severe. Even if you were in your 40s or 50s I would say your hairloss is severe, but especially at 22. I have to assume that even if you start FIN asap, you will still lose hair. This is VERY aggressive hairloss. 

You will need multiple 10/10 homerun surgeries (unlikely), and even then you may only be a NW 3. 

Hair systems have some cons, but if you're seriously up for at least experimenting with them I would give them an honest shot. IMO a hair system is your only realistic shot of "getting your hair back"

thanks for the input i really appreciate it. yeah i think ur right its between hairsystem and smp. However since ill be working in a hospital and so will be quite close to patients i dont know if they will be able to tell that its a hair system. Also ive been on fin for 18 months now 1mg

3 minutes ago, JC71 said:

As with a lot of us high Norwoods I’m guessing you have a pretty good beard ? This can be a good combo with a shaved/SMP head. As well as being a possible future source of grafts 👍🏽

haha yeah guess thats the little postive we have, my beard is pretty good, im ok with a shaved head but woud rather not deal with the dreaded horseshoe. in terms of smp which would be the better choice between brandwood and creative scalps? thanks again

4 minutes ago, JC71 said:

With such extensive loss at a young age you really would need to be on Fin (and stay on it) before even considering a ht. 

I worry these clinics are just wanting your £££s. Most ethical clinics will ask your at least 25 before they will perform a hair transplant. 
It’s nearly a certainty you will continue to lose ground. Fin may or may not slow or stop the loss, it’s just too early to say.

Did you get feedback from Eugenix ? Please do mention the clinics that have agreed to do a ht, I would be very surprised if they are the decent ones. 

Thank you for your comment its really appreciated, should i keep staying on fin,ive been on it for more than 18 months now, i absoultely agree that hairtransplant at a really young age is not a good idea generally. Euginex quoted me a price of around £12-13k and said hairloss is progressive and i should be on fin. in terms of the trnaplant clinics that wanted it done, basically most the clinics in the UK, eg vinci, wimpole etc.