Am I a good candidate for a hair transplant?

[delancey]

Greetings All! Over the last 5 years or so, I started experiencing hair loss all over my scalp. My father suffered from hair loss when he was a young man as well. I am currently 28, and I feel confident in saying that I will be entirely bald in my early 30s, should my hair loss continue at the current rate.

 

The reason why I am posting here today is because I need your advice. I feel that having a full head of hair is connected with my identity. Unfortunately my self-worth has been compromised by MPB.

 

I have been viewing hair transplant results and educating myself on hair transplants for quite a while now. I suppose I am afraid that I won't be a great candidate for a HT surgery. The last thing I want is to spend time and money on a hair transplant knowing that my results will only be mediocre (seeing as I have already lost so much hair).

 

I should mention that I have seen some wonderful results on the forum, and I am very happy for all of you who have had successful results. My concern is that I may be too bald to experience an attractive hairline, while also covering my entire head with hair. I would guess that I am currently a Norwood 4; I am also not taking any medicine to stop my MPB. This is a personal decision I have made, as I do not wish to suffer any long-term consequences from tampering with my health (once again, my opinion only).

 

However, I am here today because many of you are or were in the same situation as myself. So I would really appreciate it if you would be so kind to give some advice in regards to whether I am a good candidate for a hair transplant surgery.

 

What can I expect from a good surgeon?

 

Am I currently a Norwood 4?

 

How much can I realistically expect to spend on HT surgeries to receive a positive result?

(while I know this figure certainly varies, an estimate would be appreciated.) Perhaps someone in my situation can say how much he spent for satisfactory results with a top surgeon.

 

 

Am I a good candidate?

 

 

Thanks in advance. It really means a lot to me.

[1978matt]

The positives:

 

You appear to have a confined hairloss pattern (I would rank it close to a NW5 although the picture is not great).

You have blond hair which appears to be decent calibre (not too fine).

 

The negatives:

 

Still quite young.

Not willing to take meds.

 

I think you may be able to get a great result that covers the front half of your head for a relatively low number of grafts, perhaps 3000-3500. Seeing as you are not prepared to take meds I would forget about covering the crown (unless you have an amazing donor area) and just save a '2nd session' until you really need it.

 

For me it is all about getting a decent front as this is what people look at when you are talking to them and what you see in the mirror.

 

I think the cost would be roughly between US$10,000 - 14,000 based on FUT for a North American Surgeon.

[delancey]

Hi Matt, Thanks for your reply.

 

If I were to have a hair transplant surgery, could I expect a full head of hair again? In all honesty, some of the best hair transplants that I have seen on here were on men with a slight receding hairline. However, Since my baldness has already hit the Norwood 5 stage, would you say that I am a good candidate for a hair surgery? In other words, can I have a full head of hair again?

 

I definitely agree that the hairline is the first thing that someone notices. However, say that I had a hair surgery now, then would I have to live with hair in the front (and no hair on the crown)?

 

I guess the good news (if you can call it that) is that I am already a Norwood 5 (most of my hair has already fallen out so I can assess my situation to see if I would be a good candicate for a HT). I suppose this is something I would really have to do a lot of research on since I am already at such an advanced stage of balding.

 

What would you do? Wear a buzz cut and call it a day? Or am I a good candidate for a successful hair transplant (that would cover my entire head) with an excellent surgeon?

 

Also, assume that I were to aggressively start taking propecia and used Rogaine, is there any chance of restoring my hairline to a Norwood 2?

 

Thanks again. I really appreciate it!

[1978matt]

You will never get a full head of hair restored but you can get the illusion of having decent hair since restoring only 35-50% original density can be enough to achieve a good look.

 

If you have a very loose/elastic scalp and are prepared to have a reasonably conservative hairline then you never know, the hair on the top of your hair could be a good density all over.

 

I see you're in Sweden. You could always book a long weekend and visit the Belgium surgeons...

[delancey]

Thanks Matt! I was actually considering Dr. Bisanga in Belgium. From what I see, his results have been excellent.

 

Would FUE be an option at this stage as well?

 

Also, when you say a full head of hair cannot be restored but I can achieve an illusion of decent hair, can you give me an example. For instance a picture of a person who was a Norwood 5 who underwent a hair transplant (similar baldness as myself) who achieved decent results?

 

Also, what do you mean by my hair loss being confined?

 

Once again, thanks for all of your help. I know I am repetitive, but I have so many questions. I suppose I am having strong doubts and I am just trying to be as realistic and honest with myself as possible.

[1978matt]

>Would FUE be an option at this stage as well?

 

I'd leave that one for Dr Bisanga to answer!

 

>Also, what do you mean by my hair loss being confined

 

Youre losing it in a standard norwood pattern/boundary, i.e. not in random patches or 'diffused' as far as I can tell. It's a lot easier to predict the next areas that will thin and plan accordingly.

[delancey]

Thanks a lot Matt!

 

From what I understand, it appears as if though I have a chance of regrowing about 30-50% of what I have lost, which would actually be excellent. That can really make a difference in my appearance.

[Spanker]

Thanks Matt! I was actually considering Dr. Bisanga in Belgium. From what I see, his results have been excellent.

 

Would FUE be an option at this stage as well?

 

Also, when you say a full head of hair cannot be restored but I can achieve an illusion of decent hair, can you give me an example. For instance a picture of a person who was a Norwood 5 who underwent a hair transplant (similar baldness as myself) who achieved decent results?

 

Also, what do you mean by my hair loss being confined?

 

Once again, thanks for all of your help. I know I am repetitive, but I have so many questions. I suppose I am having strong doubts and I am just trying to be as realistic and honest with myself as possible.

 

Look up a guy named Bobman. There are youtube videos on him and he is not here too I think. He is a Hasson and Wong pt. I do not know if your charateristics are as good as his, but your heads/hair color kind of look the same. It would be a high mark to shoot for, but it may give an idea of what you could get if you have similar characteristics like density, caliber, etc.

[1978matt]

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/139176-6-months-post-op-dr-paul-shapiro-3118-grafts-6655-hairs.html#537103574

[delancey]

Hi Spanker and Matt,

 

Are these realistic results for me? I mean, can I expect those results from a surgery or was this just a rare successful Norwood 5 hair transplant? I would imagine that everyone is different and thus hair results vary. However, in worst case scenario, what can I expect from a top surgeon? I am fine with a conservative hairline.

 

And in your opinion, would you say that those who suffer from hair loss are more successful than not with their hair transplants (with a Norwood 5 level of hair loss)?

 

I should add that I am asking all of these these questions because I was under the illusion that when hair loss becomes extensive, a hair surgery is not always an option.

[delancey]

With my hair loss already being a Norwood 5, is there a possibility of a surgeon saying that I am not a good candidate? My hair is very, very thick on the sides.

 

 

Also, at this point, let's assume, hypothetically, that I were to start taking Propecia and used Rogaine, would I benefit from taking it? That is, could I get back a decent hairline again?

[Patriot34]

Based on the facts you provided with age and family history my answer is a solid NO. Only will say yes IF you are okay with having a completely bald crown in the future or you want to take care of the frontal area and hope there is a breakthrough in the future such as hair cloning or something. You can't cover all that area factoring in the hypothesis that you will continue to lose hair based on being a human being. Meds would help slow the process of loss, but in my opinion you have already lost too much and would find yourself playing a lot of catch up and going through many hair transplant surgeries.

 

I'm sure plenty of doctors would be glad to give you a hair transplant knowing that you will likely be returning over and over due to your pattern of loss. I wouldn't advise it.

 

Do what you want, but I'd bet anything on it that if you did you would regret it in the future. Feel free to quote me in the future:)

[delancey]

Thank you so much for your feedback, Patriot! This is exactly what i needed to hear. I wouldn't necessarily need a full head of hair, however, I would still want everything restored to 50%, which would surely look better than being a Norwood 4-5, in my case that is. I still would like my entire head to be covered, with no visible baldness appearing at the crown or anywhere else. If this is something that currently is not possible (or I am simply not a good candidate), then I will just sport the shaved look.

 

This is exactly what I was looking for - honest feedback about what I can expect from a hair surgery.

 

So finally, if I did, say 3000 - 3500 grafts in the frontal area to restore my hairline, and used rogaine on the vertex to boost hair growth, and then lets say, another 2000-3000 grafts in the vertex area a few years later (along with taking Propecia), my results would not be satisfactory? In other words, I would need more to have a full head of hair again (that is, hair that does not look as if though it is thinning)?

 

 

 

Cheers!

[Rothki]

Hey mate, I would go for the ht now. Check mine out, I was quite similar to yours and pretty close in age too. I am soo glad that I did mine, there has been a massive transformation

 

If you have any questions just ask

[1978matt]

Go see the doctors and ask what they can achieve. If this is insufficient for you then maybe you're not a great candidate. However, you could always think about it over a few years. Maybe once you are in your 30s something less than full coverage might be more acceptable to you.

 

I quite like Dr Farjo's words in this video, which you may find useful:

 

 

[delancey]

Matt,

 

thanks! I have seen some excellent results on patients with similar balding patterns as myself. I am consulting with a few doctors online to see what I can expect. And then, of course, I will go from there and see what type of results I can expect. When you say less than full coverage, do you mean that I would have a to accept a balding crown if I had a hair surgery?

 

@ Rothki, thanks for your reply. Do you have before pictures as well? I saw some of your pics in your album. It is looking good, bro. How many grafts did you have?

[1978matt]

Matt,

 

When you say less than full coverage, do you mean that I would have a to accept a balding crown if I had a hair surgery?

 

Yes it's possible but it all depends on the donor area and whether the doc thinks it's a good idea to fill in the crown at such a young age an possible progression to NW6/7.

[delancey]

Matt, I have just contacted Dr. Bisanga online for an email consultation. I have sent several pictures, so we will see what I hear back.

 

I am thinking that I can have hair transplanted on the frontal third, and then still have hair on my crown for the next 5-6 year (and take propecia if need be). Then I can have a second hair transplant to fill in the back later on to fill in the crown, should it be needed.

 

I am really gonna do a lot of research on this matter before doing anything; I have to be sure that I am making the right decision here.

 

Cheers!

[delancey]

If I were to start propecia now, would I be able to gain back some of the hair that I have lost to minimize my balding look?

 

In other words, can my balding go from a Norwood 5 to a Norwood 2-3? I am considering this as an option, just to see what kind of results I get.

 

What do you think?

[1978matt]

If I were to start propecia now, would I be able to gain back some of the hair that I have lost to minimize my balding look?

 

In other words, can my balding go from a Norwood 5 to a Norwood 2-3? I am considering this as an option, just to see what kind of results I get.

 

What do you think?

 

It usually stops loss rather than bring back hair. It may stop you from going from NW5 to NW6/7 for over 20 years. Who knows.

 

I met someone recently who has been on it since it was FDA approved. He would have been a NW6 or 7 by now (aged late 40s). However, he's probably no worse than a NW3/4.

 

In areas you are slick bald I would not expect any regrowth but in thinning areas where hairs are starting to shrink it is usually more effective.

[delancey]

Matt, how good is a top dr. at making the strip scar as small as possible for around 4,000 grafts? In other words, how far down will I be able to buzz my hair down to without the scar being visible? Is it possible to cover the scar with fue hairs should the hair transplant not be successful?

 

What kind of density will I get with a strip surgery with 4000 grafts? What results am I looking at? I am just trying to get an idea of realistic results. Also, why is FUT recommended over FUE in patients with significant hair loss?

 

Also, what happens if my I start losing my hair on the sides? In other words, once my hair is gone on top, I start to lose hair on the sides (the sides decrease vertically)? Is this something that a dr. can predict fairly well before encouraging a patient to have surgery?

 

 

Since my hair loss is confined yet diffused, I am assuming that the strip surgery of 4,000 grafts would be for a conservative hairline and moving to the middle of the scalp, and then planning for a final surgery to cover the crown. Any input on this? I really prefer FUE as a result of the minimal scaring, however, if I have great density results on top from the strip surgery with 4,000, I can accept having a "small" scar.

 

However, FUE scarring makes it impossible to buzz your hair down to a zero or one as well, right?

 

 

Edit: I was told that I am a NW 5a

Cheers! Thanks again.

Edited October 12, 2013 by delancey

[delancey]

Also, will a doctor be able to look at my hairloss pattern and see if I will lose hair on my sides as well? In other words, how will my sides recede vertically over time. I think this is something that is very important to factor in before having a HT. It may look great today, and I am sure it would with a top surgeon, however, how will it look in 15 years from now?

 

So are Drs able to predict the pattern and predict future loss?