Do I need a hair transplant?

[celebrity]

Hello everyone,

 

I am new here and I am a 31 year old half black half arab male that's considering a hair transplant. I don't know what kind yet as I am just beginning to explore this area.

 

All I can say is that my hair has been gradually thinning over the years, it's not obvious to others or that visible, yet slowly but surely I can notice a difference personally.

 

As you can see by my avatar, that is a picture of my forehead (I am standing slanted). Essentially what I'm looking to do is fill in the corners of my temples so that my hairline is straight across rather than curved upwards at the corners (hope that makes sense, but just refer to the picture and it should make much more sense). I feel like the corners have been receding but very slowly, again not a noticeable difference to others but it's something I've caught onto.

 

I am in the Toronto area and have heard great things about Dr. Simmons (who no longer does hair transplants I found out), as well as a doctor in Ottawa which the name escapes me at the moment. Since Dr. Simmons can't be booked anymore I've been recommended to consult with Dr. Ferreira at Seager.

 

I'm curious if hair texture like mine makes a difference in the success of hair transplants and if any of you who have similar hair could weigh in on your experiences. Also, I would prefer to stay away from using any oral medications, is that an option at all?

 

Anyway, looking forward to hearing from you all!

[esteworldplasticsurgery]

Hello,

can I see the back side of your hair? than I will tell you that ıf it works or not.

[thatoldchestnut]

The doctor in Ottawa you're referring to is probably Dr. Rahal. He's recommended on here and you could certainly do a lot worse if you're intent on staying local

 

No-one can really tell you if you need a hair transplant since frankly, noone needs one. It's elective, cosmetic surgery. It's difficult to tell from your photo exactly what your hair type is but I believe African-American type hair is more difficult to work with, though certainly not impossible and there are numerous patient results posted on here with that hair type that are very good. I'll leave it to someone more qualified to give you a full sense of what someone of your hair type should expect!

 

My advice would be (as is common advice around here) research thoroughly, don't hastily book a surgery for reasons of convenience or you may end up dissatisfied with the results. Take your time, look at patient-posted results as well as clinic-posted (since these will naturally be invariably biased towards good results) and don't let cost/travel/convenience be the deciding factor in your decision if possible. Best of luck!

[mattj]

The Ottawa surgeon you speak of can only be Dr Rahal . It's hard to tell from your avatar whether you've lost enough hair to warrant a hair transplant. You would need to schedule a consultation where you can either be seen in person or offer higher resolution photos.

 

On the basis of your avatar, I would say that your hairline position is still good and it might not be a good time to work on your temples. But like I say, a consultation is the way forward.

[gillenator]

celebrity,

 

You appear to have a diffused pattern of loss more so than a recessionary form of MPB. That puts you at a higher risk of shock loss and you want to be sure that you go to an extremely competent surgeon "if" you feel that you want a HT procedure. Only after adequate research and being fully informed can one decide if they "want" a HT procedure versus "needing" one.

 

If it were me, I would wait it out and possibly consider using some cosmetic topical options to hide the thinning. You may also have lower density throughout your scalp and this will potentially show more of the scalp as you diffuse further.

[goozer]

Gillenator,

 

celebrity,

 

You appear to have a diffused pattern of loss more so than a recessionary form of MPB. That puts you at a higher risk of shock loss...

 

May you reference where this info came from (diffuse pattern loss being more prone to shock loss than recessionary)?

[Bill - Seemiller]

celebrity,

 

Welcome to our discussion forum community. As others have already pointed out, nobody can tell you that you "need" a hair transplant as it's an elective surgery and ultimately, there are so many subjective factors that must be considered before undergoing surgery. That said, your hair still appears pretty thick and while you may have some diffuse thinning, you may want to consider non-surgical treatments like Propecia and Rogaine to see if they will help. That said, you should be aware that Propecia is becoming more and more controversial and they were recently forced by the FDA to change their label saying that ongoing sexual side effects may persist after ceasing use of the medication. There are other label warnings and changes too that I will soon be discussing in other areas of our site.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Goozer,

 

Diffuse thinners are more prone to shock loss because there are more miniaturizing hairs all over the scalp. Miniaturizing hairs are hairs on their way out, never to return again and as a result are weaker and more susceptible to being "shocked" due to trauma from surgery. These miniaturizing hairs are also typically permanently shocked which means they will most likely not grow back. To clarify however, surgery isn't responsible for this hair loss because these miniaturizing hairs were already in the process of dying. However, surgery can expedite the process and kill these hairs faster. The good news is, these weak vellus hairs are replaced by stronger, permanent transplanted hair.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill