New here! Norwood 5a; Wanted opinions and feedback

[samsilvers]

Hey I am new to the forum, so I figured the best way to get an opinion is to post a thread and get honest opinions about my condition while learning about the rest of my fellow bald battlers in the process. I developed a receding hairline when I turned 20 and since then over the year it has been thinning gradually ontop but it is no longer receding or at least yet again. My grandfather was bald on top but with thick hair in the back and side hair in a very norwood 5a shape, with no receding going past the crown or lowering sides with the exception of thin curly hair towards his sideburns and ears but his son had a hair transplant which turned out well. They also have slight retrograde alopecia as the sides thinned and developed those curls early on in the hair loss stages but oddly enough even into his old days he had long white locks that remained the same to the end of his life but my father also is bald but his crown is what really took the hit, he still retained his front and top though thin same with his father. I would stand by the idea they are both classic Norwood 5 patterns. From what my grandmother and a hair stylist who did my hair when I was born said to me, I am thinning on top but the crown and back remains the same as it always has. To be honest though I think the thinning will proceed into the crown but not around in it (if that makes sense sorry)

 

However, when I went to Hasson and Wong earlier this year, a man named Mike (sorry dont remember the last name, oops!) Said I was heading on the path of Norwood 7 and if I didnt get on Propecia now, I would be bald by the time I was 23. Hence by then they wouldn't touch my condition. I had brought in pictures of my hair loss beginning and it's current state but he implied he didnt even need to look at them to understand where my hair was going. I was shocked and this has caused me incredible doubt, as I have heard Hasson and Wong to be of the highest caliber and one of the most able and honest surgeons in the industry! I had given up hope mostly but due to the recommendation of friends and peers now I am taking further action by first consulting the good folks here on the network and seeing what your honest opinions is on my situation. I hope that a transplant could possible suffice for the front, even a permanent or long lasting Norwood 4 would be so much better then having thick wavy side locks, a Norwood 3 would be a blessing in itself yet I'm not counting on that. Most importantly is what you guys think is going on.

 

I appreciate any support, suggestion and honest feedback thanks! here are some pictures to analyze, the last two are just a normal parting or how it is usually worn.

[KO]

I don't know how H&W know you are heading to NW7, but it is possible they based it on the fact that you are facing aggressive loss at a young age which tends to evolve into higher patterns.

 

I think they made the correct decision, and my advice to you would be the same as theirs - get on propecia yesterday, wait for hair loss to stabilize, perhaps even consider dutasteride if fin is not successful, and once your pattern is stable, then you consider a surgical procedure.

 

If you do the above, in my uneducated opinion, you could be a great candidate for a transplant.

[TakingThePlunge]

I agree with starting meds at this point. Generic 5mg finasteride is cheap. Quartering the pill will give you a 4 month supply for as little as $9. Add generic minoxidil foam to your regimen and wait one year to assess your results.

[samsilvers]

First and foremost thanks KO and David for the great feedback and support!

 

Yeah I shouldn't doubt their judgement about my Norwood scale, after all they work with patients nearly every day of the week. It's just it had bothered me that the consultant I had didn't ask to see the pictures or look under a microscope for a closer inspection to establish where I am at now. Instead he just told me that I am heading for Norwood 7 and that unless I get on Finestride I wouldn't make for an adequate hair transplant patient.

 

So Propecia is an absolute? I will go ask the pharmacy tomorrow about it, admittedly I am one of those who has been hesitant to start Propecia in particular predominantly because of the "side effects" and how some sites speak how minimally the side effects have any serious toll yet others speak of how many suffer from them. From what I can tell my drive has always been active healthy and if it was lowered slightly but did it's job I would wholesomely accept, but if that is permanently shut down (impotence) I doubt even full regrowth would make my confidence feel better.

 

-David; I thought Minoxidil was only for crown receding? Are you suggesting it would make my crown thicker or is my crown already showing signs of thinning?

 

Also how is my donor supply looking? Were those pictures adequate enough to analyze that visually? I read up somewhere that people with red hair tend to make harder successful transplant patients due to scarring.

 

Again I have to stress this because this matter and decision is of a great importance to me, thank you both for your honest feedback. It's nice to know there are people out there like yourselves who actually take the time to address and help people such as I find our answers through these confidence breaking episodes.

[1978matt]

Unfortunately you do exhibit the signs of a pretty high level of future baldness which is not helped by the fact it is happening at such a young age.

 

In the future I think you will probably have enough donor hair to get you back to something close to what you have now, I.e. a high forelock/patch of hair that would mimic a natural balding pattern.

 

Trying propecia is worth the shot and might get you through your 20s keeping what you have now.

[Sethticles]

Hey Mate, Buy some 5mg tablets off ebay save yourself some cash that way. Try the pills and foam for 12 months maybe 2 years, see where things are at and decide when you aged 25 or older. I also think shaving your head will give you more confidence, you seem a bit a bit down which I hope you're not. I noticed that the bald jokes stopped when i shaved my head, shaving your head gives off signs to people that you are comfortable with yourself, growing your hair to show that you still have some left is a sign of denial and thats when the bald jokes start.

 

As for a HT, I think you should wait 2 years and see how things are then. You do seem to have quite alot of hair still, so its not the end of the world mate. take care all the best seth

[KO]

Yep, propecia is not a perfect medication, and it does have its drawbacks for some people. Some get sides that easily resolve after stopping, and a small number have gotten permanent sides. However, most people take it without incidence, and frankly it is the best thing we have.

 

For a young guy rapidly losing his hair, it is a must to consider it before a transplant.

[KO]

IF you are worried, you can ease yourself onto it - start taking it twice a week for a week, then every other day for a month, and then move on to everyday etc. Even taking it every other day is will make some difference.

[TakingThePlunge]

-David; I thought Minoxidil was only for crown receding? Are you suggesting it would make my crown thicker or is my crown already showing signs of thinning?

 

You're correct that minoxidil is generally considered effective only on crown. Although your crown is holding on at the moment, it's important to remember the hair loss drugs like Propecia and Rogaine are a lot more effective when used preventatively.

[Garageland]

Sam- Mike is very experienced and has been around for a long, long time if he thinks you are headed for a Norwood 7 then I would believe him. It is hard to tell from the photos but unless you dye your hair another colour on the top part of your scalp (which I highly doubt you do) you are going to loose a lot of hair. Notice the colour of the hair at the sides compared to the top?

 

When hair starts to miniaturize it looses its pigment and is bleached by the sun much easier resulting in a two tone hair style. I know this very well as it happened to me and I was asked whether I dyed my hair on top once to create a two tone hair style (style that was popular in the mid eighties btw).

 

Here is me aged 21 (on holiday) the same age as you are now and I went on to progress to a Norwood 6 several years later.

 

 

I would get on Propecia but talk to you GP about getting the branded medication rather than buying any old generic off the net. I think if you are serious about keeping your hair you will need to commit to this medication. Start off slow and take 1mg twice a week if you like and build up, if your loss is aggressive as mine was you will need to be taking 1mg a day to stand the best chance of keeping the mid scalp and crown.

 

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.