New Poster (need advice about which surgery)

[phillyfunk]

Hello,

 

I am a 26 year old male from Philadelphia. I'd like to share my story and get some decent advice about how I should treat my hair loss surgically since non surgical procedures have not done me any good. I seem to be in the beginning stages of a norwood 5a hair loss life. I have always had thick curly hair up until about 3-4 years ago. My hair loss accelerated so quickly and I had longer hair I didn't notice it too much or think it was a problem which was why I regretfully waited. I use generic minoxidil every day 2x a day for about 6 months now. My hair line has not receded too much but it is mainly the back top and back/sides of my scalp that have thinned severely. The reason I am here is to get your feedback since you guys have knowledge on the subject. I am beginning to look at hair transplant surgeons around me currently. I know they are not the best but I am going mainly for the free consultations to get some estimates and to see what each doctor says that may contrast what another doctor says. I am going to capri hair clinic, bosley, dr paul glatt, and looking into other doctors and have been reasearching for a while. Which hair transplant would I benefit better from? FUT or FUE? I'm not afraid of having a scar on the back of my head as long as my results on top of my head look good so I would not need to buzz my head lower than a 3. $5000 is about all that is in my budget for a transplant right now. What kind of results can I expect to have with that budge? I have attached current images of my noggin to this thread and I can post more if you need me to. Thank you in advance!

[JohnnyDrama]

Have you ever tried Finasteride?

 

I'm assuming you have not tried it as you did not mention it, but I really think you should give it a go. You may retain everything you have, you may even regain some density, or you may lose more but at least you will have seen how you react. Even if you started on a lower dose like, 0.25mg or 0.5mg per day.

 

This will be the first question that most top clinics will ask.

[1978matt]

I would run a mile if any of those clinics suggest you should have surgery. You haven't lost enough hair and it's not in a confined pattern.

 

As JohnnyD says, Propecia / Finasteride is the way to go. Find out what the side effects are, understand that it is only 2% who get them, and give it a go. Get a prescription from your GP or a recommended hair doctor.

 

The only guy I know who's credible in Philly is Dr Gregory Pistone. (although not recommended on this site)

[Thehairupthere]

I would also suggest using finasteride and rogaine foam as you have not lost a significant amount of hair, and I don't believe you are a candidate for surgery yet. These medications should halt further hair loss and could regrow what you lost. That being said hair loss can still occur in the hair line area but the top and crown usually work best with these medications.

[greatjob]

I also don't believe you are a candidate for a HT currently, and considering the amount of hair you have left you are definitely not a candidate with out being on finasteride. The good news is with your amount of loss and the location of your loss there is a chance you could be one of the lucky ones who see regrowth with finasteride, as it generally works better in the crown/ mid scalp and on people with minimal loss and only miniaturized hairs.

[phillyfunk]

Thanks for the advice guys. The pictures actually don't quite make it look as bad as it is. I can definitely see the horse shoe type pattern as my hair is much more dark on the sides than it is on the front and the top. I also visited a dermatologist and she did confirm that it was MPB. I am considering taking FIN. I am currently in the process of waiting for a blood test so I can start trying out FIN. You have given me a little hope about taking these meds but I wouldn't prefer to take an expensive prescription drug for the rest of my life. I thought buzzing my hair might have made it look less noticeable but it actually made it look much worse and kind of made me have a panic attack facing the reality of it. I am afraid to be around my friends and be introduced to new people and women without having a hat on which is a total confidence crusher. I have been obsessing over it maybe too much and noticing everyone elses hair around me and seeing how many people are losing their hair like me and it never seems like too many when I'm around. Or maybe they all are hiding it by wearing a hat like me. I will try FIN out. Should I bail on these HT free consultations or at least hear them out and see if they elect surgery in my future?

[greatjob]

I understand you buddy, I started losing my hair when I was in junior high school (pretty much as soon as puberty hit) hair loss blows. However I don't think your hair loss has progressed to a point where a HT would be a wise move for you. And i definitely don't think you are a candidate if you are not 100% committed to staying on finasteride long term, since you have a lot of native hair you will just end up chasing your loss and having procedure after procedure. If I was you I would cancel the consults you have, all the doctors/clinics you have listed are either unethical or unknown and I'm worried they will blow smoke up your ass and you will end up making a huge mistake. There are doctors not recommended on here who are good, but this site is the best compilation of top notch HT surgeons in the world and if I was you I would not consider most docs not recommended here. The HT industry is full of hacks that will take your money and ruin your life, so proceed with caution. All of the docs here do online consults, I would suggest consulting with a number of them. You have already gotten the opinion from a very well respected clinic (Thehairupthere from True & Dorin) I would suggest you get more. My advise would be to get on fin for at least a year and see how things progress.