22, Contemplating HT in 2 Weeks

[bigdawgfoxx]

Hey guys, I'm a 22 year old college student with a pretty bad hairline. At this point I would say I am NW3 Vertex. My hairline has been about the same for 4-5 years too I would say. Maybe SLIGHTLY thinner up front. I have really really thick blonde hair all in the back though.

 

I am wondering how you live a normal life after a HT? I see pictures where people are all bandaged up and stuff. How do you go to work?

 

I am thinking of having a HT this summer, but it would be 9 days before I start my internship. Is that even an option? It seems like the only good time to do it because I will be with people I don't know who wont care if my head is shaved, where as in school people would be like what the hell happened.

 

Would my head look decent at all after 9 days? Or if I pushed it back another week and made it 15 days?

 

Note that I want to have FUE for SURE and not leave a scar.

 

Here are some pictures of my hair now. Hairline and thickness has been pretty consistent for years and all the hair on the sides and back is very thick.

 

 

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[Thehairupthere]

Are you using any preventative medication like propecia or rogaine? If you are not, you should really consider it, as it appears you will lose more hair as you age. Right now I would say you are a 4/4A on the norwood scale, so you have lost quite a bit of hair at such a young age so it is very important to start the medication before making your decision because if you dont' use it you will certainly need more than one treatment to reach your goals, and I think you may even need more than one treatment already to get the best density you can get. That being said, you do appear to be a good candidate, but you should take this step by step and not rush into anything, so I hope you met with a recommended surgeon from this site.

 

As for your questions about how it will look after 9 days; In your case it will be slightly noticeable, because you will most likely experience some shock loss in the frontal portion of your head, and still have some lingering pinkness to your skin. 2 weeks would be better but just so you are prepared for this, expect to look thinner directly after surgery and for a few months post surgery due to the shock loss and the hair not growing in until 3-4 months out.

[corvettester]

Bigdawgfoxx,

 

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I think you're at least a NW4A en route to becoming a NW5A, if not worse. Plus, the fact that you're only 22 means that your pattern is highly likely to progress further.

 

I'm not usually one to suggest medication, but in your case I think it's an absolute must. This should be done for at least a year before you even consider an HT.

 

As for how you will look 10-15 days post-op, check out my hair loss website (link below) to see how I looked, because you and I have similar fair skin and blonde hair. After 10 days, my scalp was still pink, but nothing outrageous. I felt fine in public, but then again, I had more hair to cover it up. I think after two weeks you'll be fine in public. It will look like a minor rash at worst.

 

As for FUE, I hope you have done your homework on the pros and cons. It looks like you're going to need at least 4,000 grafts (probably closer to 5,000 in my opinion) to get any semblance of coverage. That comes out to be about a $30,000 procedure for FUE, or $15,000 for FUT.

 

Remember that you'll need to do a lot of research in the coming months so as to have realistic expectations in regard to your result. Then you'll have to select a quality physician, which is a task in itself. There is a lot to learn and then it takes a lot of time to weigh your options. Good luck on your decision.

 

 

Corvettester

Edited May 6, 2011 by corvettester

[bigdawgfoxx]

Yes, I have been on generic finesteride since I was about 18. It has helped stop my loss bigtime, but I dont think it has completely.

 

I posted these pictures on another forum saying I was an NW4 but they all thought I was an NW3 for sure and that my surgery wouldn't be extremely major, however you all seem more knowledgable.

 

Time is a big deal for me because I am in school and was hoping I could have it done right before summer giving me 3 months of recovery time before returning back to school. I dont want to have it done during school and walk in with a bright red shaved head all of a sudden.

 

I planed to have my head buzzed pretty short in order to have the HT, and then I was thinking that after 3 months the new hairs would probably just be growing in, so I would have to buzz my head again, does that sound right?

 

Corvettester, I feel like you were the perfect candidate for a HT. You didn't have a bad hairline at all and still had a ton of hair to cover you over until it all grew in. With me, I feel I would have to buzz my head for my transplant until it was all ready to grow out at the same rate and look natural.

 

What I would give for a full head of hair. At this point I might just need to buzz it, it just doesn't go with my look at all.

Edited May 6, 2011 by bigdawgfoxx

[TC17]

I just don't see you as a hair transplant candidate. To me, you're just too young with too aggressive of hair loss to be a suitable candidate.

[aaron1234]

I agree with TC17. Wait until you are at least 25-27 to see if you are a candidate. Also FUE wouldn't be appropriate for someone who will need well over 4k grafts. You will most definitely need at least two strip procedures to get where you want to be. If you scheduled a HT, cancel now and research your butt off for a few years. This site should be your best friend for awhile.

[kaounis]

I have to agree with TC17 and 1234, way to young for HT. Try shaving to 1 or 2 guard , see how it looks....

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[Dutch]

I agree with the boys. Way too young, your hairloss is very advanced if I'm honest & FUE will not help because it just won't be enough to combat the damage. The loss looks like it will progress.

Who wants a scar? But FUE has it's limitations.

I feel your pain. I started losing hair at around the age of 17-18. But having surgery now is a little early.

You must do your research and when you think you've finished researching, do some more. This is a great website to start. Look at the patients' results on here & look on videos on YouTube to get an idea of what the hair looks like.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Dutch

[scar5]

Well, now that I realize you were on fin, and if it is still solid, you could cut your hair short and see how you like it, whilst researching FUE clinics. Going for an extremely short FUE Flat style might be an option. Research other FUE clinics. Try Intercapilar. (not a rep, but their results look good, yield and scar wise) Be prepared to travel.

 

Good luck.

Edited May 7, 2011 by scar5
Didn't realize you were on fin

[TakingThePlunge]

bigdawgfoxx

 

I'm very sorry to know that you are experiencing such aggressive hair loss at such a young age. However, I too have to agree that you are not a candidate for surgery at this time. The fact that you've been on finasteride already for 4 years is very telling. By your own account, it may have slowed your balding but you have not regrown any hair and your hair loss has probably advanced during that time.

 

Sadly, you are probably in for a lot more hair loss in the next few years. A hair transplant now is probably going to start you down a path of repeat procedures and the potential for squandering grafts. You need to wait until the writing is on the wall, so to speak. Once your final pattern is discernible a hair transplant surgeon will be better equipped to help you form a long-term plan.

 

Having said all that, I don't want to discourage your from seeking consultations with qualified and experienced surgeons. It's best to hear it from the men and women who are performing surgical hair restoration.

 

I recommend that you consult our interactive map and locate the prescreened quality hair restoration physicians nearest you. You can even schedule one or more free online consultations.

 

I'm confident the doctors recommended by the Hair Transplant Network will steer you in the right direction.

 

Best of luck whatever your decision.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Thanks for all of the help. I'm not too disappointed, my hairloss doesn't cause a huge problem in my life. I'm still president of my departments honor society, doing a great internship this summer, pick up chicks at the bars, etc.

 

I feel my loss pattern is established pretty well, and receding very slowly if at all. But I guess at this point the hairloss is just too much. I took a few more pics:

 

Right Side (worse side)

 

Right Side again

 

Left Side

 

In the next picture you can kind of see how thick the rest of my hair is behind where I have gone bald. I believe it is the Finasteride that has done a good job of stopping my loss and thickening up my frontal hairs. This makes it hard to give up all of my hair, as the whole back and sides are THICK.

 

 

I just think I look better with hair rather than having it buzzed or shaved off. Shaving is not really an option for me, as I feel it doesn't go with my look at all. I wear sperrys, khakis, and button down polos everyday.

 

I might try to get my barber to give me a really short haircut or something, see what she can come up with. And if I don't like it, then just buzz it. The only problem I have with buzzing it, is that you will clearly be able to see how bad my hairline is (although my blonde hair and fair scalp almost match, so it might not be too bad).

 

At this point I am very confident in myself, and am sick of trying to spray my hair to make it look alright and always worried about wind, sun, etc. If a HT was feasible, I would get one. If its not, its not the end of the world. Thats how I look at it.

 

One good thing is that I will be on an internship with people I don't know for 3 months up in Salt Lake, so I can buzz my head before I go so that I can adjust to it, and noone up there will know the difference!

Edited May 7, 2011 by bigdawgfoxx

[corvettester]

Hells yeah!

 

Way to be man... way to be!

 

 

Corvettester

[bigdawgfoxx]

Thanks corvettester, what kind of vette do you drive, if you drive one?

 

Any other input on just saying screw it and buzzing it? I would assume most would say this is the right thing to do at my point.

 

If I do buzz it, should I continue to take finesteride? Would it be reasonable to do a rogaine regimen while its buzzed to see what kind of new growth I can get? I have 3 bottles of rogaine foam (bought it at SAMS) but never used it cuz it was such a hassle and couldn't fix my hair with it on, and was also worried about the initial shed. Without hair, none of this would be a problem ha

[aaron1234]

I wouldn't say "screw it and buzz it". Maybe more like "let's give buzz a chance". You might like it's look on you, you never know. You don't have to shave down slick bald. And if you do, still stay on the finasteride just in case... Just don't get a HT now. You'll be happy that you waited it out.