Is 22 too young for a HT?

[Fritzerik]

Hey Guys,

I'm 21 years old and I've been balding since the age of 16-17 years old.

Last year, I decided to get on propecia and rogaine because I couldn't stand my hair loss anymore, I was a NW3.5V at the time. I've been on this treatment for about 14 months and my hair loss seems to be stabilized (I even had a nice regrowth on the crown area). I go every 3 months to see my doctor and compare before and after pictures, and my hair keeps getting better.

I won't go through all my story, but my hair issues had a huge impact on my life.

I'm planning to stay on propecia for at least 7, 8 years and have a hair transplant to solve this big problem.

 

Do you guys think it would be a bad idea to go for a transplant in such a young age?

 

Any young patients out there who want to share their stories?

 

I apologise my bad english, but I haven't spoken English in a very long time.

 

Cheers.

[Sethticles]

most doctors and guys here will so 22 is too young, however depends on what method of transplant you are looking at and depends on what your expectations are for the future. If you're just wanted to get the most out of youthful years with hair and don't really care what happens at around the age of 30 i say go for FUE,

[esrec]

Do you have any pics?

 

Have you familiarized yourself with some of the best masking agents?

 

Can speak from personal experience---products like toppik, couvre/dermatch saved me for 3 yrs+ and will soon again post op. They really can help buy you some time and minimize frustration. With practice you can see some nice aesthetic gains in the meantime.

[TakingThePlunge]

Fritzerik,

 

Welcome!

 

Generally speaking, performing hair transplants on guys in their early 20's is not a good idea. However, the issue is far from black and white. Under certain conditions, a very young man such as you may be suitable for surgical hair restoration but, without sharing photos and details of your family history of balding, you won't get very valuable advice online.

 

You've done the right thing by medically stabilizing your hair loss. Is the doctor you mentioned a hair transplant surgeon? If not, I suggest consulting with some reputable hair restoration clinics. There is certainly no harm in doing so.

 

You can locate recommended physicians worldwide with our interactive map. You can also schedule free online consultations if you like.

 

The best advice I can give you is to be very cautious. Do your research, consult with a number of skilled and ethical doctors and weigh out their advice carefully. Don't rush into anything.

 

By the way, your English is excellent!

[Fritzerik]

Do you have any pics?

 

Have you familiarized yourself with some of the best masking agents?

 

Can speak from personal experience---products like toppik, couvre/dermatch saved me for 3 yrs+ and will soon again post op. They really can help buy you some time and minimize frustration. With practice you can see some nice aesthetic gains in the meantime.

 

Yes, I am.

I use toppik everyday and I've just ordered a dermmatch to see how it works.

Many thanks for the advices.

 

I can send you some pics by pvt msg.

[Fritzerik]

Fritzerik,

 

Welcome!

 

Generally speaking, performing hair transplants on guys in their early 20's is not a good idea. However, the issue is far from black and white. Under certain conditions, a very young man such as you may be suitable for surgical hair restoration but, without sharing photos and details of your family history of balding, you won't get very valuable advice online.

 

You've done the right thing by medically stabilizing your hair loss. Is the doctor you mentioned a hair transplant surgeon? If not, I suggest consulting with some reputable hair restoration clinics. There is certainly no harm in doing so.

 

You can locate recommended physicians worldwide with our interactive map. You can also schedule free online consultations if you like.

 

The best advice I can give you is to be very cautious. Do your research, consult with a number of skilled and ethical doctors and weigh out their advice carefully. Don't rush into anything.

 

By the way, your English is excellent!

 

 

Hey David,

No one is really bald on my family expect my grandfather (from my mother's part of the family), who is a NW6. I think I'm thinning in the NW5 area with receding hair line.

 

The doctor I mentioned isn't a surgeon but works with a great surgeon in my city. I've seen his work before and I know I'm in good hands. The doctor I mentioned is responsable for my pharmacological treatment.

 

And yes, I don't want to really rush, but at the same time, I don't want to waste my time thinking about my hair anymore, and not living the life how I'd to live. I'd like to speak with someone who had gone through the same situation as me and had a hair transplant. How they feel now, how they felt when they first saw the results.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Fritzerik

[MAGNUMpi]

In my opinion it is too young. You might be fine with yourself in a few years. Have you ever tried shaving your head to see how it looks?

[Wwiizzkkiidd24]

I think it depends on the degree of loss you are experiencing.obviously if your a nw2 at early 20,s ur better of going on mens but if you are nw4-5 I'd say you would be a candidate. doesn't matter if your in your early 20,s or 75 all depends on the degree of hair loss. imo anyway.

[Fritzerik]

In my opinion it is too young. You might be fine with yourself in a few years. Have you ever tried shaving your head to see how it looks?

 

Yes, I've tried. It looks really weird because I have a very youth face. I I definitely look better with my hair.

 

I thought that maybe if I stay on propecia for the next 7 years it would be ok to have a FUE and shave my head at my 30's. I think even with my head shaved it would look better if I had a transplant done because I'd have a drawn hairline.

[Fritzerik]

I think it depends on the degree of loss you are experiencing.obviously if your a nw2 at early 20,s ur better of going on mens but if you are nw4-5 I'd say you would be a candidate. doesn't matter if your in your early 20,s or 75 all depends on the degree of hair loss. imo anyway.

 

 

Yeah, I'd be happy with a NW2 or even a solid NW3. And I'm far from being a NW4-5, that's why I really don't know what to do.

[MAGNUMpi]

Yes, I've tried. It looks really weird because I have a very youth face. I I definitely look better with my hair.

ok. Then I would suggest you stay on propecia and wait a good year. Read up on this site about all the different options and what a HT can and can't do. In a year or so you'll be ready if your still interested. You'll know where to go and exactly what you want.

I always do that with tattoos. I want something then wait a year.

[Fritzerik]

Hey guys, I'm back.

I'd love to know if any of you guys had any experience with a low dose of oral minoxidil (Loniten). I don't think I'll get much more regrowth from propecia and I'm def not a great responder to rogaine, so I was thinking that maybe a low dose (nothing above 5mg) could give me some regrowth so I would be ok to wait a little bit more to have a hair transplant. I'd also take it for less than a year and of course I'd speak with my doctor before doing that.

 

Do you guys think I can get good results with a daily dose of 5mg?

Are the side effects really strong?

 

Cheers

[counselor8]

A very young age to face hair loss problem. As you have tried many medications related to hair fall. I think you should first consult a good hair doctor and take a opinion regarding your problem.

[gbhscot]

As long as you plan a long-term strategy for your hairloss, then I don't think there is a "too young". Just make sure you do your research, get an estimate of how many grafts you might lose in the future, and plan how best to use them with a good surgeon. Take it from me, I'm 26 and should have gone for HT at least 3 years ago and wouldn't be in the situation I am now. This hits you hardest when you are a young guy, and I feel I've wasted the last few years worrying about something which could have been fixed. As long as you are smart about it, and 100% sure you want to do it, then don't hesitate (nor rush into it) ...the sooner you reach a decision and claim your life back, the better you will feel!

[Rawkerboi]

^ perfect advice

[Fritzerik]

As long as you plan a long-term strategy for your hairloss, then I don't think there is a "too young". Just make sure you do your research, get an estimate of how many grafts you might lose in the future, and plan how best to use them with a good surgeon. Take it from me, I'm 26 and should have gone for HT at least 3 years ago and wouldn't be in the situation I am now. This hits you hardest when you are a young guy, and I feel I've wasted the last few years worrying about something which could have been fixed. As long as you are smart about it, and 100% sure you want to do it, then don't hesitate (nor rush into it) ...the sooner you reach a decision and claim your life back, the better you will feel!

 

Hey mate,

Many thanks for the advice.

Yes, I'm wasting my time being worried with that problem, I wish I could fix it as soon as possible and live my life without thinking about it.

 

Would you guys reccomend the HT only to fix the hairline? Or do you think it would be fine to save some grafts for the crown as well?

[TR3B]

I was in your situation 5 years ago, using regaine which helped the crown area but receding continued. I stopped using regaine at about 24 as I couldn't be bothered with it anymore and shaved my hair which actually looked okay,

 

I decided that I'd wait it out until my hair loss had stabilized and see what my options are. I'm 26 now and around norwood 5 with dense donor areas, I'm used to having my hair shaved now but I have always hankered to have my hair back.

 

Going for my first HT in January with possibly another in a couple of years.

[Fritzerik]

Hey TR3B,

Thanks for sharing your story. As I said, I'm on propecia and my hair loss is stabilized. I'm just a bit worried because I don't pretend to be on this drug for the rest of my life, because it's causing me minor side effects.

[Melvin- Admin]

Id say go for it so long as you plan your transplant for future loss, be smart with your grafts and plan as if you're a Norwood 6 just to be on the safe side. Definitely being bald at 22 is way worse than being bald at 50, it still effects 50 year old guys self esteem I don't doubt that, but the social stigma adds insult to injury, your 20's are vital, whats the point in being bald in your 20's to wait and get work done when your 40 when the most important years of your life were spent bald.

[TR3B]

If you don't want to be on propecia for the rest of your days I suggest stopping it asap. I never touched that stuff due to possible sides. I would be bald as a coot before putting my sexual health at jeopardy but if you're going to use it you need to stick with it or else it's pointless.

[win200]

A 22 -year-old that plans on dropping finasteride sometime in the reasonable future should probably not be getting a hair transplant. If your loss is far along enough at 22 that you're considering a transplant, the possibility of significant future loss is very high. I agree that there are circumstances where a transplant on such a young candidate is reasonable, but I'm generally against it if there aren't meds involved.

[lakes9925]

I got my first HT at the young age of 20 most places told me i should wait till im atleast 21... thnkfully i had a good doc and i actually found him on this site way back then.... my advice to you is just make sure you go with a big time doc thats recomended by the IHRS even if you have to travel like i did....also just know there is not enough hair in your donor area to cover all your head but you will be able to get a nice hair line and a light but decent mid scalp and your crown will stay bald (most docs wont tell you this)... if you dicide to do it keep these things in mind

Edited October 29, 2015 by det9925

[gbhscot]

Happy to offer you my 2 cents mate. Building on what I wrote earlier... I don't take propecia. I won't ever. My Dr has told me a horror story of a patient my age he is currently treating, which I've listed in a previous post - look it up and think carefully about putting that into your body.

 

Look, this is 100% purely my own opinion, I by no means suggest you think like this without doing your own research. But for me, I'm also young enough to have been told by several Drs and forum members that I am too young to consider HT, that I should wait until mid 30s to see if it becomes stable etc. For me, personally, I find it a waste of my 20s, this is when I need hair the most, this is when I am happiest, single and most active. I plan on going ahead with it as soon as I find a surgeon who can demonstrate good results on blonde patients, within my budget and with a decent sense of ethics (not a fking hard salesman). When I do it, I will probably go very large on graft numbers. As in >of 4K, probably FUT, though I have my concerns and am still considering FUE.

 

Like I said, no Propecia. The risk there (according to many members on here): I will be left with Islands of transplanted hair, as my native hair all falls out. And my donor will be so depleted that I will have no grafts left for further work and no choice but to shave it, exposing an FUT scar. Why I don't really believe that it is such a risk - 1) I don't think my hair loss will progress massively, based on the fact it has been fairly stable for 2 years now, and my family have no history of MPB. 2) I will always insure that I have at least 1000 grafts left from scalp, plus I have enough body hair to get me from NW7 to NW1 it would seem. And finally, and this is purely my opinion...but 3) I am confident that we are the last generation who will be affected by MPB. I am so sure there will be a very effective treatment, or even a "cure" within the next 3-5 years. I won't go into details here, because if you like this logic, you need to inform yourself. But you want to look into the following - JAK inhibitors, Follicept, Setipiprant, to name but a few. In my book - I will buy 5.10 more years of of hair with a HT, and by then won't require further surgery as there will be treatments available.

 

My 2 cents, inform yourself though. And my god am I looking forward to the outburst by some of the guys on here based on what I've said. Propecia myopia and pessimism are the two greatest profit generators for Merck

[TommyLucchese]

I had a transplant at 23 and it's worked out great so far.....but if in 10 years it all falls out and I'm bald with a big scar then it won't have been a good idea. Unfortunately there's no way of knowing the future....if my hair stays like it is now then 23 wasn't too young for me

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Ok, so here goes.

 

I have no problem considering HT in young guys so long as they, and hopefully they bring their parents and all, plan for the future. MEANING...they have to be willing to let me do a hairline that will look ok when they are 40 or 50....not what all their 20 year old buddies have...and that they understand they'll need multiple cases over the years, AND that they understand that once you start, whether FUE, Strip, or MFUE...there is no going back... Once the first scar is made, shaving is out. FOREVER.

 

 

Most guys on this forum know I'm pretty blunt and I have at it bluntly with all patients, particularly young ones.

 

Statistically young guys like the video that I'm attaching...roughly 1/3 will ultimately have surgery with me. 1/3 I never see again, and 1/3 show up a few years later with a goofy low hairline, hair scattered over the frontal third and often a wide scar. That becomes difficult to address once the hairline is low and a bunch of good donor hair is wasted.

 

The day after I put this up originally a junior at my old school showed up EXACTLY the same, with his well educated dad. No matter how much I talked and showed them videos, which it looked like his dad understood, I believe that fellow will more than likely, or already has, go with an FUE that fits his budget and gives him a nice low hairline.... In fact the more his dad seemed to "ok" an HT with a mature hairline, the more this fellow resisted. Hopefully sleeping on it will prevent him from a slick sales call sucking him into a mistake.

 

In this video, the kid's dad was our projected hair untreated result....and we'd all (mom dad patient me) had 2 visits about goals, limitations, risks, costs, and NO GOING BACK.

 

He doesn't live near, so hopefully we'll get some followup before a year. However, I think that this young guy will likely benefit from having hair, albeit a mature hairline and fine hairs, at a younger age when he's trying to get going in life both socially and professionally.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA