Candidate for HT?

[webapp1]

Hi Guys,

Would you mind looking at my attached photos and telling me whether you think I'm a candidate for a HT now?

 

Age 45

Current treatment:

Rogaine for past 2 yrs

Just started 1 mg propecia last week

Nizoral and Nioxin Shampoo

Topical Spiro

 

Many Thanks!!!

Edited September 17, 2010 by webapp1

[Sean]

I wouldn't say your crown is too bad but I think propecia might help it more. Since you just started it so you may see the effects like 3 months from now. If you want a hairtransplant you can get one, for the front, but it doesn't even look that bad, but it depends on how you want your hair to be. Usually, a lot of other forum members would say not to get a hair transplant at age 22 but at 45 if you would want one, it wont be too bad. Because probably by this time your hairloss has probably stabilized, so if you are to get a transplant, I don't think you would lose more native hair then what you have lost.

[mahhong]

I'd say there's every chance you may be a good candidate for an HT. You're of a good age with fairly minimal hairloss by some standards. I'm not a doctor though, so just stating my personal opinion!

 

However I would imagine before you could seriously consider an HT you'd be best waiting at least 6-8 months (ideally a year) for the recently started propecia to kick in. You may find your crown fills in well and even your hairline could see a solid improvement. I would imagine a good doctor would want to see how you fare on propecia before really considering if a hair transplant would be of benefit.

 

The other issue is how much an HT could make an improvement overall. Whilst you clearly have MPB style hairloss you've been relatively lucky, age considering, to not have receded and thinned drastically. A doctor may be happy to improve your hairline but I wonder if (especially without giving propecia time to kick in) the crown could be addressed. It would certainly be possible to add grafts into the crown but it may not be advisable or bring any extra visual density - the crown is a tricky one!

 

I'm sure a doctor or more experienced patient will be able to give you a more thorough answer but my instincts would be you could potentially be a candidate, but waiting to see what the propecia does for you is pretty important. You may have staggering results on propecia and find you don't even need an HT (rare but it does happen). More likely you'll see a minor improvement to the hair and no further shedding, but it's important for a doctor to ascertain how propecia has worked for you before thinking about how they could transplant hair to improve cosmetic appearance.

[Surfarosa]

What really bothers you ? I would say that you will likely respond well to the Propecia as your crown is not too far gone and Propecia works best when the hair is thinning vs. bald. Would you be happy with maintaining where you are ?

 

What I'm suggesting is getting your hair goals established before speaking to a doc. Then you can see if you can achieve those goals. IMO you are a candidate and your hair looks just like mine in terms of color, texture and loss pattern. Your hair type makes for very natural results but it does not get the super dense results you may observe with some patients.

 

At 45 & after a thorough scalp analysis your doctor should be pretty confident in where you are heading. If Propecia does not stabilize you, you may wish to try its bigger meaner brother........Avodart.

[wb280]

Actually, unless u are so mindful about it, i suggest to lay off HT for a while. It seems to me that your hairline is still in tact and your prob lies with the crown. Finasteride should work wonders for u, and if it fails, u can always use concealers to mask it. It will not be noticeable as compared to applying to hairlines.

 

As for HT, with your age, i reckon your hair loss has stabilised so on all grounds, i feel you are suitable. Moreover u sport quite a dense donor area. However, if i were u, i will probably just get on finasteride and use concealers on the crown

[webapp1]

Thank you all so much for your helpful thoughts!

[mattj]

Not being extremely young (see how I worded that?) works in your favour, but men in their 40s can still progress up the Norwood scale just as younger men do.

How long have you been losing hair?

 

I would definitely do as others have suggested and wait and see what the propecia can do for the crown. That could really save you some money. The hairline is unlikely to improve much if at all, and for that I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be a candidate for a transplant.

[Tom60]

Have you had a trip to the doctors yet to see what they say? It is important to find out what they have to say and to get a professional opinion. Find yourself a trustworthy doctor and make a educated and financial decision on what do do.

 

I would just try Propecia initially first though...save yourself some money