Norwood class progression

[TEAG95]

I am 29 years old and had a transplant procedure done by NHI (Bill Rassman) when I was 22. I am very happy with the work he performed and am thinking about having another procedure done.

 

I am a 6 on the Norwood scale. I hope that I stay a 6 and do not turn into a 7. I've been losing my hair since I was 17. Is there a certain number of years that one can lose his hair before he has a good degree of certainty that it will not progress any further? Does losing one's hair for 12 years give any assurance that it will not progress a considerable amount further? My fear is that I'll have another done and then I'll lose more hair and not have enough donor hair to bridge the gap between the transplanted and natural hair. Is 29 a good age to go for the second procedure? Would you recommend that I wait?

 

I currently use Propecia, which appears to have slowed down the hairloss, and have tried Rogaine in the past with no success.

 

Any help would very much be appreciated.

 

Thanks..

[TEAG95]

I am 29 years old and had a transplant procedure done by NHI (Bill Rassman) when I was 22. I am very happy with the work he performed and am thinking about having another procedure done.

 

I am a 6 on the Norwood scale. I hope that I stay a 6 and do not turn into a 7. I've been losing my hair since I was 17. Is there a certain number of years that one can lose his hair before he has a good degree of certainty that it will not progress any further? Does losing one's hair for 12 years give any assurance that it will not progress a considerable amount further? My fear is that I'll have another done and then I'll lose more hair and not have enough donor hair to bridge the gap between the transplanted and natural hair. Is 29 a good age to go for the second procedure? Would you recommend that I wait?

 

I currently use Propecia, which appears to have slowed down the hairloss, and have tried Rogaine in the past with no success.

 

Any help would very much be appreciated.

 

Thanks..

[follicle]

TEAG95,

Your question is one we all struggle with. Hair loss is progressive and relatively unpredictable. There is no definitive way to know if you will progress from Norwood 6 to Norwood 7. I know exactly what you are thinking. In my case, I am 36, Norwood 5, had 2 HT's. Front looks good but some of frontal forelock is natural hair - if it falls out later, I will have a hole in the center of my forehead and am wondering if I too should wait.

 

There are a few generalities about the progression I have read:

1. The earlier in life the hair loss starts, the earlier it stops. Those whose hair loss starts very early and progresses rapidly to Norwood 6 often cease to lose their hair in their thirties, but no guarantees. If you are at Norwood 6 at age 29, your hair loss MAY be nearing the end.

2. If the hair loss starts much later in life, the less bald that person will ultimately become.

3. Hair loss can proceed rapidly for a few years, cease for a long time, and then resume later in life, but generally stablizes in your forties.

 

You may want to wait a little while and try to observe your pattern of loss and consult with a doctor you trust on how best to proceed. If you go ahead with further transplants, you should transplant into areas that are likely to fall out in the future so that once that native hair is gone, you will still have the transplanted hairs with good coverage.

 

I wish it were predictable, but unfortunately it is not and we all face the same problem.

[Guest]

Teag95...sorry I'm no help here but I was wondering if you could help me out. I am in a similar situation as you, I'm a class 6 at 25 years of age and was wondering what my options are. What type of hair do you have? Is there any way you can post pictures? Overall are you happy that you went the transplant route? Any info you could give me would be great. Thanks.

[TEAG95]

Probably not the answer you want to hear, but if I could do it all over again, I would not. I'd probably just shave it all off as that appears to be a very socially acceptable appearance. If somebody would have told me that seven years ago, however, I would have ignored them and continued researching hair transplants. With that said, if you do decide to have transplants, do your due diligence on what doctor you choose and meet as many patients of his as possible so that you are fully aware of what a successful procedure looks like. I am happy with my results and would definitely recommend my doctor if you do wish to proceed. I think that the internet can provide you with plenty of information to make an informed decision. My hair is sandy blond and fine. The lack of contrast between my skin and hair have helped my appearance a great deal. I do not have any pictures at this time. I hope that helps you o

[Guest]

I am 29 years old and had a transplant procedure done by NHI (Bill Rassman) when I was 22. I am very happy with the work he performed and am thinking about having another procedure done.

 

I am a 6 on the Norwood scale. I hope that I stay a 6 and do not turn into a 7. I've been losing my hair since I was 17. Is there a certain number of years that one can lose his hair before he has a good degree of certainty that it will not progress any further? Does losing one's hair for 12 years give any assurance that it will not progress a considerable amount further? My fear is that I'll have another done and then I'll lose more hair and not have enough donor hair to bridge the gap between the transplanted and natural hair. Is 29 a good age to go for the second procedure? Would you recommend that I wait?

 

I currently use Propecia, which appears to have slowed down the hairloss, and have tried Rogaine in the past with no success.

 

Any help would very much be appreciated.

 

Thanks..

 

[This message was edited by dr.leonard aronovitz on March 13, 2002 at 03:05 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by dr.leonard aronovitz on March 13, 2002 at 03:06 PM.]

[Guest]

The rule for all hair transplantation is simple...DON'T DO ANYTHING UNLESS YOUR SURE YOU CAN SUPPORT THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE WITH FUTURE HAIR TRANSPLANTS . If you do something today make sure you have the donor hair to keep it looking age appropriate and natural your whole life. There is no room for guessing when it comes to cosmetic procedures.That is why the best hair transplant specialists do not get aggressive with young patients......