Young guy wanting some advice from HT patients.

[edwardharvey]

Hey guys so a bit of a background 26 year old aussie guy who has been balding/receding since the ripe age of 17. First started noticing my hairline was receding in year 11 ' at just 17, i was devastated i remember doing exams and i was noticing so much hair landing from my head onto the papers it was really frustrating and embarrassing. At the age of 19 both my mum and girlfriend had commented on my crown area creating a bald spot, this was really depressing at the time lol. And i thought i would hopefully just be a receeder but got lucky and had crown loss aswell. From the age of 18 i went into one of the ashley and martin centers knowing very little about my condition and was prepared to fork over any amount to have my hair back. After about 6 months i gave up i didnt notice any change (growth) and felt i was doomed, over the course of the next few years up until i was about 22-23 i tried everything from every snake oil to all the different minixodils, to procerin and revivogen etc.. etc... but nothing worked, then i found hairlosstalk and started researching everything possible. Since about 22-23 ive been on fincar cut into quarters bought from inhousepharmacy and also ive been on minoxidil was originally on kirkland but recently (last 12 months) have been using lipogaine which i personally love, dries in 10 minutes and actually gives me the illusion of thicker hair once dried unlike typical minoxidil which had the opposite effect. Ive been using these religiously and well i must say im pretty pleased, without these drugs i would probably be a norwood IV and havent really noticed much hair loss in general for a few years now which is great. Now i havent been able to style my hair properly since i was 17 especially cause i didnt recede evenly and my hairline is quite shocking to say the least, and over the course of 9 years it might of moved only an inch or so, and the crown has pretty much slowly thinned but i think has come to a halt aswell. If i use a touch of toppik you wouldnt pick any crown loss, so im now contemplating a hair transplant, ive actually been wanting one for nearly 4 years but i knew i was to young and it was to early for such a drastic thing. I mainly just want to get the frontal zone/hairline done and then maybe in a few more years get the crown done, i know i wont have the hair i used to have when i was really young but it would be nice to be able to style my hair without feeling like an idiot, i feel losing my hair at a young age has definitely robbed me of my youth. I used to feel very depressed about my hair loss but have come to terms without in the recent years and it doesnt bother me like it used to at the end of the day it really is just hair, and it has never stopped me from getting girls or held me back at all, except for the times you have to apply minixidil in a rush lol. Now after reading so many of the great peoples post and seeing some amazing results i now feel i would like to do something for myself, im in 2 minds whether i go for a FUE or FUT and also where to get it done, ultimately i would love to get a cheap FUE in india off say someone like Dr Bhatti but i dont want to waste precious grafts seeing as so many people say FUE doesnt yield the same results being a blind harvest with the punch, i will be travelling to thailand in november for a month and i also looked into Dr Path (coalition recommended doctor) and his work looks really good but am also scared that the FUT scar might stretch or be noticeable and i can never have my hair short again , but i really like the idea of say taking 3000 grafts and not having thin hair in the donor as it is stapled up. Also Dr Pongs clinic in thailand is ridiculously affordable, and his website patient gallery looks great also. So my questions are how many grafts do people think i will need to fix up my front region, so far it just seems like hairline recession my vertex seems stable.? Do people think FUE or FUT is better from someone like me? Doctors, Doctors, Doctors anyone had recent surgery and had success?

 

Here are some pictures of me today with longish hair

 

in the crown photos i have spiked my hair to reveal the bald spot, if my hair is combed it is undetectable. And some photos of me about 2 years ago,

 

And this last picutre is me on my 20th birthday looking at it now makes me realize how good my hair is now compared to nearly 7 years ago. As i said my hairline started receding at 17!! Wasnt on any meds at the time.

 

Both my mothers father is bald nw7 but he is 90 so hard to tell anything from that, and my father is between a norwood 5 and 6, has a little bit of fluff on top (so its not slick shiny bald) with really high sides and good donor area he is 75 in 3 days. Ill be 27 in september.

 

Thanks for your help guys.

[FUE2014]

I think your hair looks really good. You cannot tell you have receded unless you hold pull your hair back. I would be tempted to hold off having a ht at the moment and just carry on with the meds which seem to be working well for you. I personally am not a fan of FUT as you just don't know further down the road how bad the scar is going to be. In the right hands, FUE offers yields as good as FUT but with much less visible scarring and a quicker recovery time as well. I wouldn't go with any of the doctors you have mentioned. If you are looking for an affordable HT (FUE) without compromising results, I would look no further than Erdogan if I was you.

[spitfire uk]

Hey mate , looks like you got on the meds just in time.

Your hair is decent mate , you have a small amount of loss ..nothing huge.

I'd suggest FUE , but keep in mind as you approach your 30's you don't want to look like an 18 year old!

Dr Rudi De Reys maybe worth a look in Belgium.

[edwardharvey]

thanks for the reply guys i am definitely not looking for a low hairline like an 18 year old lol. But just something that is somewhat symmetrical and maybe style able well that would be good anyway. Yeh im really starting to think FUE aswell, its just really annoying as what happens if my hair stays the same for another 10 years and i can never do anything because of how bad the hairline is, does anyone know what sort of graft count i would be looking at to maybe fix up the front

[FUE2014]

1500 - 1800 should be plenty

[nervous510]

I really don't think it's worth it, I've been for 2 hair transplants and I'm only 24... it's caused more pain than gain.. I suggest you read a lot of books/study and gym like crazy, keep busy and improve yourself in other areas. As everyone here says 'your hair looks great'! and they're right. I wish I followed the advice I gave you...

[hsrp10]

I really don't think it's worth it, I've been for 2 hair transplants and I'm only 24... it's caused more pain than gain.. I suggest you read a lot of books/study and gym like crazy, keep busy and improve yourself in other areas. As everyone here says 'your hair looks great'! and they're right. I wish I followed the advice I gave you...

 

Which surgeon did you go with?

 

 

For the OP, if you are able to conceal it with your hair style then you can buy some time until it gets worse.

In that time research the best HT surgeons for your case and consult with a few recommended surgeons for their opinions.

[edwardharvey]

Hey guys was checking out some docters you mentioned and Dr Erdogan from Turkey has some pretty amazing results. Im definately now only planning on getting FUE, i had no idea some surgeons were getting such a good yield from FUE. I would be more than willing to throw a few more thousand and go with him knowing that he is recommended (even know its fairly recent) by this forum, my plan would be for a mature hair line nothing ridiculous. And talk with the doc about getting another one in say 5 years if my hair has worsened or maybe not depending on my hair loss at that time. If it was to stay the same in 5 years i think id be happy with just one good procedure. That being said my hair has definitely been stabilized for some time, even with my hair now a bit longer i wouldnt get more than 2-3 hairs on my hands when washing my hair. Nor do i notice any shedding, hair fall. My brother exactly 2 years older than me, has been on meds (fin,minox and saw palmetto) since 20 and has managed to keep his entire hairline (would be a norwood 2 max with even recession) and only very light thinning on the crown (a normal person would not pick this up only us follicle challenged would spot it lol). He started loosing his about 19 and has pretty much kept it all, mind you he actually got some back from the meds his hair was worse off at 19.

[johndoe1]

You can look at my "story" below. I also was receding in the front...like a Norwood 2/3. I did 3 consultations with very good FUE docs (recommended on this forum) and consensus was 1500 grafts.

 

That said, def stick with Rogaine and Propecia. I did that starting at 24 and it held my hair in check until now...I am 40. I agree with others that you should hold off for now esp until you get a better feel for how the meds are working (or not working) ....

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/174273-1500-fue-grafts-dr-diep.html

[edwardharvey]

Hey guys, so its been a year i went to thailand, had a nice holiday, but still no transplant. Im going to be be holding off for a little while as much as i would love to get one done tomorrow. I feel it is not such a necessity at this point in time. So i havent cut my hair since i last posted photos nearly a year ago! Not to much has changed i dont think, my hair is really long now, i dont even know if people know im balding as they are always comparing me to people with full heads of hair. And im always getting compliments about my hair, so meh... ill roll with it. Have just ordered some dutusteride and im thinking of taking that either EOD or every third day, either with or without fin on the same day. See how it feels i guess, anyway heres some pictures of a years growth. Ive now been balding for a decade :eek: my grandfather was slick bald by my age now, who can say the meds dont work.

[KO]

Hair still looks great.

[Rawkerboi]

You looking good braz

Definitely it has improved!

[voxman]

Did you come on here just to make us all feel bad?

 

It worked.

[edwardharvey]

i wish i was a troll, im a solid nw3. if i wasnt on meds i wouldnt have the hair i have atm thats for sure

[MusoInOz]

Hey mate!

 

Your situation is almost identical to mine, if you get a chance to scope through old posts I have made regarding my story have a look. Your recession posted is maybe further than where I was but hair type etc if very similar. If you need another aussie whom started the HT venture in their late 20s shoot me a message, also happy to chat via mobile anytime regarding questions etc, although I rep a clinic on HTN I am certainly no salesman, I just love hair. Ha

 

In relation to the DUT with FIN combo, I take both ED. It has improved my situation I believe however who knows. Keeping the hair long with wavy texture is a bonus.

 

Mike