PLEASE HELP & ADVISE

[RickyNoHair]

Hi guys, I'm currently on proscar 1.25/day, been reading and researching a lot on these forums and building up a good base of knowledge about HT's. U guys all seem so supportive and it's great. Was wondering if some of you experienced guys (Bill, Hairbank, Beefy, Robert, Gorpy, etc, etc), and EVERYONE that has an opinion, could try to assess what they think of my situation (attached photo)! Obviously I know none of you are doctors but I do value your feedback greatly. Although if there was a Doc with a opinion that would be just as good, hehe

 

Want to get a HT soon, choosing from, Feller, Armani, Hasson & Wong, True, Bernstein or Dorin? Big list I know but anyone hav any strong opinions about these?

 

Not sure how to post more than one picture? So could anyone tell me how to, its welcomed?

 

But anyway thanks so much for your help (i hope)

 

Rick

[Jotronic]

Ricky,

 

Welcome to the forums. We need to know your age. Is there much of a history of hair loss in your family? Also, do you have a profile shot? This is important for getting an accurate view of your situation.

[tisab]

first of all

 

to upload more pictures you can either

 

reply to your own post and upload a pic in each post.

 

or sign up for a profile with the site and u can upload future pics and show how your ht process has gone. its good so we can see before and after pics

 

about the doctors, it may be a big list, but its a good list and any doctor that you choose from should be wonderful

just get an online consultation with 3 doctors and youll get a feel of who you want to be your doctor.

 

as jotronic mentioned, we need to have your age

you look very young.

 

from my prospective i had a bad ht at the age of 20 but have gained experience and insight from it.

 

while many people think young people should not get ht's, it does not mean you should not go along with it

 

if you are young and want to get a HT, you MUST, MUST, MUST , MUST be informative of what the whole process is, and what its about.

 

you MUST PLAN, and be CONSERVATIVE at first because your donor is so limited.

 

well the general rule is that you usually do your norwood scale and multiple it by 1000, and thats the number of grafts you need.

 

from the one pic that you gave i would estimate 2250-2750 grafts

 

what is good news is that your hair characteristics is curly which should give more coverage

 

peacee

[RickyNoHair]

Side Left

[RickyNoHair]

Front Right

[RickyNoHair]

Top

[RickyNoHair]

Side Right

[RickyNoHair]

Top Back

[hairbank]

Ricky-

 

It appears you have loss in the temple/widows peaks, maybe hairline rescission and some diffused thinning on top. The crown doesn't look too bad...............how long have you been taking Finasteride?

 

You really need to consult to get graft estimates.............just by seeing your pics, I'd say you'll need between 3000-3500 in frontal 1/3 will a little mixed in the mid-scalp area.........purely my best guess.

 

As Jotronic mentioned, how old are you? If you're in your early 20's, I'd hold off on the HT and see how you respond to the meds before jumping in the chair.

[RickyNoHair]

Thanx 4 ur replies. As u can see i've posted some more photos, hope their ok?

 

Tisab how do i sign up for a profile?

 

Yes ur right I am young, 20, however I want to explain why this is the right choice for me IMO. Ive been loosing since I was 17 and the amount lost has got really bad now. I wear a hat all day at Uni and only take it off to go out at nights (when its dark). When i do take the hat off I brush all the hair down forward to try to cover the receeding line although if its windy it gets blown back and i look like such an idiot and just go home! For the same 'windy' reason I cannot do any sports and i certainly cant go swimming, so as a very keen sportsman and swimmer this is devastating 4 me.

 

I am probably a Norward 2 to 3. My Dad is a norwood 6 and has been since i can remember, i.e. before he was 40. He said he was quite heavily receeding by 26 but obviously it started earlier. Both my Grandads were also 5's or 6's. My brother is two years older than me but hasnt lost much at all, altho he keeps his hair long so its difficult to tell. Wish my hair would grow! But i do notice slight receeding in him as well, maybe just below a Norwood 2.

 

I have been told I hav a good donor site and i would be looking to go for Strip rather than FUE, largely to do with the cost. I am not really worried about the scar at the back of my head as i think i could quite easily cover it (i know thats a major worry for a lot of people on here). However, my main worry would be the shock loss to the recipient area. I'd like to continue wearing a hat and be able to still pull my hair forward over any signs of a HT but would be worried that the receeding would go deeper from shock loss so i would not have enough to pull forward. Did anyone else have similar characteristics?

 

Thanks

[Bayer]

Ricky,

 

I will address the shock loss issue only, as I agree with the others concerning your age and the use of meds.

 

If you look at my pics in the photo section, you will see that I had extensive recipient area shock loss. I believe that all pre-existing hair will come back, except for any native hair that would have been lost over the next year. Also,just because it happened in my case does not make it a certainty for you or others, but it is a possibility.

 

This is likely not welcome news, but I do want to give the straight goods.

 

Bayer

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

20 is very young for a HT and I would be against it for now.. I didn't get mine until I was 36 or so..A couple questions

 

How long have you been taking the meds?

Has your hairloss stabilized or not?

 

The reason for these points are if your hairloss isn't stabilized then you cannot plan an accurate gameplan as you will be losing more hair..

 

Let us know so we can see what your deal is

[hairbank]

Ricky-

 

The question of what age is "old enough" to get a HT is one that I'm convinced will never be answered. You'll only get opinions for and against and you have to make the choice that's best for you.

 

IMO........20 years old is too young for a HT. I appreciate what youngsuccess is saying about the possibility of someone older maybe being a little envious that this quality of HT work wasn't available for them at that age. Even though I'm 40 years old and waited until age 38 for my first HT, if it benefitted a person to get a HT at 20 years old with little risks I'd say go for it !

 

However, (again, IMO) a person who gets a HT at that age better realize that they may be setting themselves up for multiple HT's and excessive costs, all to find out that in as little as 5-10 years their going to hit NW 7'sville and have a wierd looking block of head on top with receded sides and back but no donor hair left to correct!

 

Looking at Rickys pics, I'd advise him to get a little shorter hairstyle which would take notice away from temple and/or hairline rescission. Even though he's lost some, there are many, many here who would be happy to have that head of hair............it's all relative.

 

Hair loss at age 20 is devistating, but it doesn't get any better if you lose hair at age 25, 30, 35, 40. I believe it's better to see how the meds do then develop a plan as he ages and can more easily determine what loss pattern he develops.

 

Ricky- how long have you been on Finasteride?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Ricky,

 

You have read many posts from many experienced and some newer posters...

 

I'll add my two cents into this conversation.

 

It is obvious from your pictures that you are losing some hair in your temples, and your hairline is receeding. Your crown is in pretty good shape but I do see the beginning of what looks like miniaturization.

 

BUT, given that you have a good amount of hair left, your young age, AND your family history of hairloss, I encourage you to get/stay on finasteride for at LEAST 1 year (preferably 2 or 3 at your young age) to see if it helps, at the very least to maintain your existing native hair.

 

Re-evaluate your situation in a year to see where you are and in the meantime, educate yourself about hair transplantation and all the risks.

 

I encourage you to read my post on "Am I too young to have a transplant" here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=152790

 

Some thoughts on shockloss:

 

------

 

Shockloss can occur both in the donor and recipient area a few weeks to a few months after having hair transplantation surgery. There are two forms of shockloss, temporary and permanent. Permanent shockloss can occur in one of two ways:

 

1. The physician transects existing hair follicles (this is not a worry in the hands of a skilled physician; however, it is risky if you are in the hands of a clinic using older technology like plugs, mini-grafts, or micro-grafts).

 

2. It can occur to hairs that have entered the miniaturization process...but these hairs would have fallen out eventually anyway. This is why getting on medication namely Finasteride is very important, to hopefully strengthen existing hairs and turn miniaturized hairs back into healthy hairs.

 

Temporary shockloss is more common and seemingly unpredictable - varying from person to person. In other words, there is no pattern or understood reason why some patients experience it drastically and others do not. Temporary shockloss occurs due to trauma to the scalp from surgery. But within several months, the hair grows back.

 

There are ways, however that temporary OR permanent shockloss can be minimized.

 

1. Using ultra refined follicular unit transplantation, the incisions are much smaller and refined, using custom cut blades as small as .6 mm which causes less trauma to the scalp. This in itself can mimimize shockloss to the recipient area.

 

2. Conservative placement around existing hairs without super dense packing can also minimize shockloss to an existing area.

 

3. Finasteride, also, is known to help minimize the risk of shockloss.

 

I might add that if any of the three listed items above are missing, the risk for shockloss increases.

 

----

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

youngsuccess,

 

"Excellent results can also be achieved for young people, under the age of 21".

 

I realize this is Dr. Epstein's quote...BUT...this statement is VERY dangerous. In certain scenerios, young patients MAY be good candidates (see my link above regarding "Am I too young for a hair transplant"), but either way, there is a lot of risk.

 

Remember...

 

Excellent results CAN be achieved no matter what age somebody is...BUT...what happens if there is future hair loss? One MUST remember that we are working with limitations and unknown factors.

 

The limitation is donor hair

 

The unknown is unpredictable hairloss.

 

Though excellent results CAN be achieved, I think tisab above said it best when he said:

 

"you MUST PLAN, and be CONSERVATIVE at first because your donor is so limited. "

 

(By the way...tisab...great advice...you have learned a lot since you came here )

 

I am not opposed to younger people having transplants IF certain conditions have been met...but I think based on the unknown factors, younger people who have hair transplants should be prepared to make a commitment for future surgery.

 

I do NOT believe Ricky at his age with his limited hair loss is a good HT candidate at this point (especially given his family history of hair loss - father a NW6, etc).

 

Bill

[RickyNoHair]

Bayer, Thanks a lot for your post, sorry to hear about ur shock loss and glad it looks like its improving now. Do u know of anyone else with pictures or with a similar reaction of shockloss on this or any other forum?

 

Been on proscar for a few months so probably not enough time to tell wats happening! The problem for me is as i hav explained im at University. Therefore it makes this summer break (4 months) a perfect time to get something done that I can cover up whilst at its worst healing! This is my main fear u see.

 

Youngsuccess, thanx so much for all the information u gave and i very much enjoyed hearing the other side of the argument here, just to help me weigh up my own situation. Good news that some doctors are starting to think its ok to go younger. Plus, loved the comment about growing tits, Hope not,

 

Would actually be quite useful to hear some other opinions of more young patients as well as all the others as well cus I am here to learn, learn and learn more!

 

The thing is I believe i could deal with hair loss better when i'm older. I would be hoping that I have already settled down with someone that i'm attracted to by then, like 30 latest hopefully, whereas this issue of hairloss is really affecting me at this young age, so i want to treat it now. As well as lowering my confidence a lot, it also restricts me from playin sport. It is ruining my life NOW (big words i know but i really feel this strongly).

 

Hmm sum interesting stuff on the shockloss there Bill. I will read that link u left...

 

Thanks guys!

[Bill - Seemiller]

Ricky,

 

Would actually be quite useful to hear some other opinions of more young patients as well as all the others as well cus I am here to learn, learn and learn more!

 

Be careful with this...don't just look for advice you WANT to hear...that will lead you into trouble. It's important you listen to the wisdom of the wise as well as the young people of this community.

 

Been on proscar for a few months so probably not enough time to tell wats happening!

 

 

You are right...way too soon. Read my posts above...but you should really be on this for at LEAST 1 year...given your age, 2 or 3 before making a decision about hair transplantation.

 

The problem for me is as i hav explained im at University. Therefore it makes this summer break (4 months) a perfect time to get something done that I can cover up whilst at its worst healing!

 

 

PLEASE do not use this as your reasoning to get a hair transplant this summer. Why not wait until the next summer...or two summers, or three summers? There is no REAL rush to get surgery done except for the fact that you WANT it. Do NOT make emotional decisions...make logical and educated ones. I say this trying to help, not to tell you what to do.

 

The thing is I believe i could deal with hair loss better when i'm older.

 

 

You know how many times I've heard this from young people? Let me tell you...it DOESN'T change when you get older. You know why I know this? Because I've never heard one older person say "It doesn't matter to me now that I'm older and I don't have any hair". Many young people assume older people don't care...but it's wrong. Want empirical data? Look for older people on this forum and ask. I am 30...still want a full thick high school head of hair. There are many older people than I on this forum...they want it too.

 

It is ruining my life NOW (big words i know but i really feel this strongly).

 

 

I know how you feel...it feels terrible. It feels like your youth is ending sooner than you want it to. You probably feel that girls won't find you attractive...and even worse, you FEEL unattractive and less confident.

 

But making emotional decisions will lead you to trouble. Plan smart, or you'll end up with thick patches of hair in the bald areas now, but later in life with bald patches where you have hair that will look very unnatural and scary.

 

I suppose there IS a part of me that is trying to scare you...I must be honest...but that's only because I've seen many young people jump the gun AND THEN regret it later.

 

Bill

[Bayer]

Ricky,

 

Read your last post and was going to reply. Then I saw that Bill said it all... I just have one thing to add...I am 44 and still want a full thick high school head of hair.

 

Hair greed is a lifetime thing. Don't make decisions based on the timing of breaks.

 

Bayer

[alsocooleyfied]

Here is my advice: really consider the shaved head look, I have lots of friends with it and they do very well socially, much better than when they were shy about their receeded hair.

 

the father with the NW 6 by age 40 is the biggest reason. It is hard to have enough donor to cover up a 6 with much density at all.

 

Meanwhile take the finasteride and between shaves get a feel for whether you have stabilized. Four months of summer would be a great time to shave your head and see if you can pull it off. Once you go ht, you have probably lost your option of shaving due to scarring.

[hairbank]

Ricky,

 

I sense you are open to input about a HT but at the same time also pretty set that this is what you NEED to do. You really need to consider my statement (and others) earlier about chasing loss with multiple HT's due to having one at 20 yrs of age. This is something that WILL happen in your case and you need to plan on it.

 

As Bill and other's mentioned.............don't kid yourself that you will care less about your loss as you grow older. Consider this............my loss started at age 23 and by age 38 at my first HT I was NW 5.........so, I lived with loss for 15 years and hated every minute, never got used to it. I care as much or more now as I did then. So, if you get a HT so young, you'd better plan conservatively.

[youngsuccess]

Both Hairbank and Alsocooleyfied have suggested either cutting your hair much shorter or shaving it off for now. This is probably in reality the best advice you can get right now, for a couple of reasons: It is the summer, so you could do it and feasibly grow it back for school next year if you hate it; It allows you to face what your hair and head really look like; It might turn out that you look ok with a buzzed head; Especially if you're concerned about playing sports, nothing is more appropriate for sports than a buzzed head. A better look in my opinion when guys who are receeding buzz their hair off is to grow little sideburns also, which creates a sharp look as the hair sides burns fades out.

Once you graduate from college, and you are no longer in an environment in which mostly everyone around you is your age, and you see hundreds of people in in this age group, who are more judgmental about looks, everyday, the preasure will not be as intense to fix your hair immediately. Obviously, if your hair is receeding and you buzz it, people probably can still tell that you were receeding, but are more likely to just think you are comfortable with it and would rather have a cleaner look. I would still say request an online consultation with some doctors in the Coaltion, and provide all of your information and family history along with pictures (most allow pictures to be attached), but staying of finasteride and buzzing your hair if the receeded look is debilitating to you right now IS the safest thing you can do. If you like the way you look with a buzzed head, then you have got it made.

[MrJobi]

Very good advice from the team

 

I 2nd Bill comments.. Sure could you get a HT at 20 and get great results.. Yes, BUT Hair transplantation is a long term strategy and not a quick fix when done correctly.. Most people do need more than one procedure.. It does not hurt to wait but it can hurt to not..

 

Again, give the propecia 1 year to stabilize hairloss and if you choose you can start minoxidil.. I would say it would be ok to start doing reaerch and getting opinions..

 

Give the drugs sometime to work, it may stop everything and give you time to see where you hairloss goes ( or does not)

[RickyNoHair]

Originally posted by hairbank:

 

 

Looking at Rickys pics, I'd advise him to get a little shorter hairstyle which would take notice away from temple and/or hairline rescission. Even though he's lost some, there are many, many here who would be happy to have that head of hair............it's all relative.

 

Hair loss at age 20 is devistating, but it doesn't get any better if you lose hair at age 25, 30, 35, 40. QUOTE]

 

Thanks 4 ur response hairbank.

 

I dont cut my hair shorter because when i do take off my hat to go out at night it is flatened down and pushed forward which looks way way better than a buzz cut. These pics are with wet hair just out of the shower, and i have curly hair so it curls back unless i dry it and push it forward which is why it looks stupid as hell here I had a grade 2 buzz as recently as last July and just felt so stupid with my huge receeding hairline at 18/19. so at least now i can half cover it when dark.

 

Secondly i'm sure many guys here would love to have my amount of hair, but theres no way anyone would say they would be happy wiv my hair at 20 years old.

 

And i just cant agree with the fact its just as tough as ur older. A 20 year old going bald is unusual and everyone sees it like that, however a 30 year old or older is accepted for hairloss more because so much of the population see some of those signs themselves by this age. I was very ready to accept i may be well on my way by 30 to being bald due to my fathers history but thought i would at least hold on till 25 earliest, get thru uni, settle down with a job and a girl and start loosing badly at 30, this would have been ok for me, but starting at 17, that is much more difficult! I have been lucky in all other areas of my life, im good at sport, clever, very sociable, hav great m8s (the 'cool' group if u like) and the ladies found me good looking, but this is all changing very badly!

[RickyNoHair]

Originally posted by Bill:

Ricky,

 

Would actually be quite useful to hear some other opinions of more young patients as well as all the others as well cus I am here to learn, learn and learn more!

 

Be careful with this...don't just look for advice you WANT to hear...that will lead you into trouble. It's important you listen to the wisdom of the wise as well as the young people of this community.

 

 

Bill, thanks 4 ur comments. Im definately not just trying to find info i want to hear. Sure i would love to hear encouraging info, im sure everybody does about their own situation. However wat i meant by hearing from other young people, was just as much aimed at those with bad experiences as those with good ones. I want to hear ALL sides of the disussion. As said in my very 1st post I value the experienced view very much including urself (urs was the 1st name on the list ) but young people that hav grown up in my era of new technology and drugs would ALSO be useful. I'm very much taking in all the words that u and everyone here are saying to me and using them all to help me make a reasoned and correct decision. So please continue!

[RickyNoHair]

Youngsuccess, no objection from me about the lifting comments as i am also very much in to the gym and weights so its all good here!

 

And i would really like to see a coalition Doc face to face however being in the UK makes this difficult. If anyone ever hears of a Doc coming 2 the UK for consultations, please please let me know so I can arrange something just to get yet another opinion!