20 year old going through a HT

[hairthere]

btw, what's your family history of hairloss?

 

also, if top docs turn you away (i.e., feller, h&w, shapiro, rahal) i would seriously listen to them. don't go to some hack doc just because he will perform the operation. if you think you're miserable now wait and see how you feel with a bad ht--especially if you do end up losing more hair.

[Agony]

Boxing? Me too! =p

 

Only people with any form of hair loss have been my grandmother(started at old age, was everywhere.. more or less thinning, not all out baldness), and my grandfather on the same side. His was on the top and didn't get bad until his 60's. He retained quite a bit of hair on the top overall, and retained thick hair on the sides/back. Really wasn't that bad considering his age. Other than that my mother/father had a thick head of hair.

[hairthere]

agony,

so you definitely have a family history of hairloss. it doesn't matter what age your grandad started losing it, yours could progress at a younger age. and if his loss was on top, as you describe it, it sounds like he could have been a high norwood level. that being the case you should be extremely cautious proceeding with an ht. you have a lot more to learn before you just jump into this. hopefully a good ht doc will help you to understand a little more clearly what you're in for. whatever you decide, best of luck.

[Agony]

Question for Thantopsis: How old were you when you had the HT with Dr. Feller? Were you still 20? If you were around the same age, what in your opinion made Dr. Fellar proceed where as Cohen wouldn't? Just his view?

[thanatopsis_awry]

I had just turned 22 when I had my op w/ Feller (which was a day under 6months ago....I posted some updated shots actually recently in the patient result section); anyways, my hairloss had been "stabalized" for roughly 1 year (vis a vis finasteride and my genetics).

 

Why did Dr. Feller work on me, despite my age and rather aggressive hairloss to boot? I never directly asked him this question, so to a degree this is speculative, but I'd say he felt: my pattern was obvious, my loss was relatively stable, I have very good and ample donor, I understood what the HT would really be entailing....not just the procedure itself, but the recovery, my expectations and likely results were in sync, and, perhaps most importantly, I understood that I would pretty much be back in the chair at some point in the future for more work.

 

You are a bit younger than me, and though your pattern might be less defined, that you have much less loss is certaintly not a bad sign. Importantly, you are seeking FUE, which is much less of a overall commitment, IMO, than strip.

 

Ultimately, I believe that Dr. Feller really analyzed *me* -- not just my age, which was *a* factor. I am sure he would do the same for you.

[Agony]

Yup, I understand. Thanks for the answers/help.

[Bill - Seemiller]

I too don't think age has ANYTHING to do with the equation. It shouldn't atleast.

 

Agony,

 

Based on the things you've written, I firmly believe that you should be doing more research on this site.

 

Age isn't the only factor, but is a strong influence on whether or not a surgeon will perform surgery on you. The earlier one suffers from hair loss, the greater the risk of advancing to higher norwood levels which minimizes the chance of achieving the illusion of hair density (never a full head of hair). This is why younger patients must work with a surgeon to discuss long term hair restoration goals, and not one densely packed surgery that will look great for a few years and then look unnatural as male pattern baldness progresses.

 

As I stated previously, cases can be made for younger hair loss sufferers, but not everyone is a candidate. Ethical surgeons will turn down patients who are not candidates, but some will glady take your money and work to pacify your immediate desires.

 

If you are considering Dr. Feller (as you stated) or another surgeon recommended from this site, I trust they will give you a solid recommendation with your best interest in mind. If you are rejected, consider it a blessing and do another consult in a few years after using non-surgical treatments for awhile. If you are a candidate, keep in mind that you are in it for the long term and will most likely need subsequent surgeries in the future.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill