What would you do?

[RG71]

Looking for some honest opinions.

 

My situation: I'm 41 yrs old. First noticed my hairline starting to recede around the age of 25. Hairloss was slow but i saw it happening and knowing that my father went NW5 by the time he was in early 30's i was concerned and started propecia/minox at age of 30. Took it for about 1.5 years and finally had to quit due to sides...bad gyno and i just didn't feel right when i was taking it. So, i quit fin but kept minox and added in Nizoral.

 

Hairloss continued but very slowly. Most of it occurring in the hairline corners. I'm now 41 and have noticed that in the past 2 years my hairloss has accelerated. The past year has been particularly bad. My hairline is receded and i'm experiencing thining in frontal core. Have lost density over entire top of head and can now see some obvious hairloss in the crown around my swirl.

 

So i'm now considering hair transplant. However, i'm not willing to take Fin. I wanted to get some opinions on my situation and see what others would do under similar circumstances.

 

I know my hairloss is not bad compared to others on here, but, realize i had a TON of hair to begin with, even a lot into mid/late 30's. So, the degradation is speeding up. I see where it may conclude...my guess based on pics is NW 4-5, (but who knows!) and want to know if getting a transplant is a bad idea or not. I've attached photos for you to look at. In the shot from the front, my i put some product in my hair to get it to stand up to show whats really going on, so it's a little damp. but i think it captures the overall state pretty well.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can chime in!

[RG71]

Had some problems with picture sizes - here is better shot of front

[RG71]

Larger image of top

[Shampoo]

for 41 you have lots of hair

i doubt most reputable surgeons would advise surgery at this point

they will say "get on meds and see me in 2-5 years"

i suppose you could get a small transplant in the crown

but i see nothing pressing at this time

you probably just have to come to grips with:

you used to have "tons of hair" but are 41 years old & wont have as much as you once did ever again...

but with that said you're still in awesome shape

[RG71]

for 41 you have lots of hair

i doubt most reputable surgeons would advise surgery at this point

they will say "get on meds and see me in 2-5 years"

i suppose you could get a small transplant in the crown

but i see nothing pressing at this time

you probably just have to come to grips with:

you used to have "tons of hair" but are 41 years old & wont have as much as you once did ever again...

but with that said you're still in awesome shape

 

Meds aren't an option for me, other than minox and nizoral - which i'm already on and have been for years. Fin gave me gyno...so i'm done with it.

 

And really I'm not concerned about the crown. The hairloss there is very small. What's bothering me is the front, which is receding and getting thin at a rapid rate. It's tough to capture it on camera,

 

I know in the grand scheme of things i'm not that bad, which is why i'm asking what others would do in this situation. I don't like the looks of my hairline anymore and i would love to transplant and stay on top of the loss, rather than waiting for it to get severe and then do something.

[agenteye]

Hey buddy! Glad you posted. 41 huh? You have a great hairline, and you're correct in saying that it is hard to capture your hair loss in the photos you have provided. As most would probably tell you, a doctor would ultimately have to give you a proper consultation to determine the best plan of attack for your desired outcome, but you would probably be an excellent candidate for FUE. With the coverage you currently have, I doubt you would require many grafts at all to give you some extra density to fill in the areas that are a concern to you. From my observation though, you look great.....and I wouldn't be in any great hurry to do anything at all if I were you!

 

Best,

 

Mike

[1978matt]

For me you haven't lost enough yet to get a HT.

 

I think you should just monitor it, continue with the Minox/Nizoral and save for a HT in the future (if you need to).

[RG71]

Thanks for all the input - it's much appreciated!

[Jotronic]

I understand your frustration. I just met with a patient in London two days ago that is your age but has hair that would make any of us envious. Yet to him this "loss" is devastating so even though your situation may be far less dramatic to the readers it is every bit as troubling to you as it would be for someone with a higher degree of loss. I won't tell you that surgery is not a good idea but I will tell you that you should consider your previous statement; "it's tough to capture it (the amount of loss) on camera". If it is that difficult then it definitely is very minor but to be clear you should visit and consult with a reputable HT surgeon.

[Raphael84]

For me, definitely not! I understand that every-bodies own degree of loss can affect them hugely, regardless of how this compares to somebody elses amount of hairloss. And I totally get your concern if you feel that things have accelerated rapidly over the last few years, its good that you monitor this and are aware of things. But for me, the bigger picture is that you have great hair. The HT process is certainly not an easy one, and should not be considered so. I wouldn't suggest that it be the right thing for you right now, but that's me. Good luck with your decision and moving forward with this!

[RG71]

Thanks for the additional inputs Jotronic and Raphael!

 

I'm not decided yet either way. But, i see lots of guys in their 20's on these forums who have minimal hairloss going for transplants that are not so conservative and i think to myself, if they're willing to get a HT at that age, why should i be fearful of doing it at the age of 41? I've got 1 to 2 decades on these guys!

 

But i always have that nagging fear that i'll transplant and then suffer aggressive MPB and 4 years down the road be hating it and missing the many thousands of dollars i spent.

[capa]

I'm 24 and you have more hair than I have.Eventhough your hairloss accelerated recently, I dont think your hairloss is very agressive.İf I were you, I would wait for a couple of years and see what's coming next.Stemcell treatments might save your hair 5 years later

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

I always tell my patients they do not need a hair transplant. You have a lot. It would take some convincing from you to explain what your goals are long term and how low you wanted the hairline. in general I would say you look great and are far better than many others. I would have to have a personal consultation to clearly evaluate your situation. Cases like yours have been done by many physicians, but everyone is a case by case example. First and foremost, when you look in the mirror are you not happy with the hair you have. If you are happy with the way it is despite your hairloss, then you do not need a hair transplant.