Choosing a Surgeon/FUT or FUE

[MagikHair229]

To me these seem to be the biggest questions when it comes to HT. I'm new here and I don't even know where to start. I've looked through threads and all the information just made things even more confusing.

 

How do I choose a surgeon?

 

How do I know which procedure is best for me?

 

Also is 23 too young for a hair transplant?

[Melvin- Admin]

Research actual patient reviews on this forum, look for consistency, FUT and FUE both provide good results, FUE is more delicate so you have to make sure you choose the right surgeons there is less margin for error in FUE.

 

23 is very young, I guess it depends on your level of hairloss, if you're 23 with a substantial level of hairloss then you may be a candidate, if you're 23 with minor temple recession and your trying to lower your hairline and dense pack the temples it's a big mistake in my opinion. At age 23 I had a full head of hair at age 29 it was all gone, MPB is unpredictable especially in your 20's, the move you make now can seriously impact your appearance in the next 10 years, you don't want to be 30 years old with a weird thick brim hairline and a thin unnatural scalp behind it, just won't look good and you'll probably regret your decision.

[esrec]

23 is pretty young. Are you taking any meds? Most doctors will suggest to start there.

 

Where are you based? Would suggest a few consults to get a handle on your degree of loss and appropriate next steps.

[thisguy1]

How do I choose a surgeon?

 

Decide on budget - decide if you can afford it - decide if you wish to travel (you probably should to get the top top guys unless you live local to one).

 

Go read up on guys who are mentioned a lot. That doesnt mean you cannot get a great outcome from someone who is not mentioned a lot. But it reduces variability. Then go to patient reviews first and use the search function and read up on doctors you are interested in. Some are better at FUE, some better at FUT, a few (very few) good at both.

 

Then do online consults with 3-4 doctors. See how you feel about that. Then keep reading and keep researching. Then go and look at the doctor results as well (from their offices). See some active posters who had procedures with same doctors you are interested in and send them private messages etc.

 

It's not cheap and honestly not sure how a typical 23 year old is paying $10-$12K for a procedure but if you can afford it still take your time.

 

How do I know which procedure is best for me?

 

This is based on what you need in your lifetime IMO and that is completely unknowable at your age. If you will need 8000+ grafts in lifetime you will want to do FUT first IMO and then FUE down the road maybe in your 40s if you have excessive hair loss. If you have a smaller lifetime loss you can probably just go with FUE realizing botched FUE surgeries are probably more prevalent right now due to skill level of surgeon / techs and graft survival.

 

Also is 23 too young for a hair transplant?

 

Most likely yes. Post a photo - there was a guy here 25 years old who said he is devastated by his hair loss so we were expecting a NW3 or NW4 at his young age. Instead he had tiny recesses in his temple and we said dont even bother at this point to think about HT. Sometimes you think the loss is far worse than it is.

 

If indeed it is bad at this early age you are probably headed to a high norwood and in that case its probably going to be FUT IMO but even then you may want to wait a few years and get on medicines and see how you respond etc.

 

It's not risk free stuff - there was a 25 year old guy who posted in the past month who did a FUE with a very well known clinic and he hates his outcome and wishes he never did it. He was one of those guys who was barely a NW2 but wanted "perfection".

 

Also at age 23 what you think will be the outcome from a HT is probably diff then reality. If you are low norwood you should not even be thinking about it at this age, if you are high norwood you will have a high hairline planned out to account for the next 50 years of your life which may not make you "happy" at your age.

[MagikHair229]

23 is pretty young. Are you taking any meds? Most doctors will suggest to start there.

 

Where are you based? Would suggest a few consults to get a handle on your degree of loss and appropriate next steps.

 

Yes i take finesteride daily, use rogain twice a day, and Nizoral Shampoo. Still havent seen any improvement in my hair.

 

I'm in the Philadelphia area.

[MagikHair229]

I've added some photos. Could you guys look and tell me if I qualify for an HT at 23?

 

Losing your hair at this age has got to be one of the worst things for a guys confidence.

Would appreciate and recommendations and or information.

[Melvin- Admin]

I reviewed your photos and your hairloss is fairly extensive for your age, it does look like you have some thinning in the crown and through out your scalp, how long have you been on finasteride and minoxidil? You want to make sure your hairloss is stable enough to withstand surgical trauma, you don't want to deal with shock loss, if you've been on fin and minoxidil for at least 12 months, then it would be a good start to begin researching, you wear your hair long, so I don't see a nenes to choosing FUE in your case, I would keep your hairline though, do not lower it, you will more than likely be a Norwood 5-6 eventually, you want to make sure you have enough grafts to address your midscalp with appropriate density, being conservative is the way to go at 23, being too aggressive could result in a bad situation down the line. I know how you feel I went bald at 29 and yes being bald in your 20's is really bad especially beside it ages you a lot more than your actual age, but you have to be smart about how you approach an ever expanding balding area with an ever diminishing donor area.

[MagikHair229]

I reviewed your photos and your hairloss is fairly extensive for your age, it does look like you have some thinning in the crown and through out your scalp, how long have you been on finasteride and minoxidil? You want to make sure your hairloss is stable enough to withstand surgical trauma, you don't want to deal with shock loss, if you've been on fin and minoxidil for at least 12 months, then it would be a good start to begin researching, you wear your hair long, so I don't see a nenes to choosing FUE in your case, I would keep your hairline though, do not lower it, you will more than likely be a Norwood 5-6 eventually, you want to make sure you have enough grafts to address your midscalp with appropriate density, being conservative is the way to go at 23, being too aggressive could result in a bad situation down the line. I know how you feel I went bald at 29 and yes being bald in your 20's is really bad especially beside it ages you a lot more than your actual age, but you have to be smart about how you approach an ever expanding balding area with an ever diminishing donor area.

 

I been using rogaine foam almost everyday for 4 years. Still use it to try and keep and hair left. Using fin for 9 months now and haven't noticed any progress.

 

When you say don't lower the hairline, do you mean don't fill in the temple/receding hairline areas?

 

I just want it to look dense in the hairline overall not to bring it lower on my forehead.

[MagikHair229]

Also the main reason I would like FUE is because it would then allow me to wear my hair shorter. I only have it a this length in an attempt to cover up bald spots.

[1978matt]

General consensus among HT physicians is that the average person will get less overall hair via FUE, but there are exceptions.

 

I'd like to see what the back and sides of your head look like, also what is the hair loss situation in the family? Brothers, Dad, uncles etc. One or more is probably quite bald already.

 

Just beware that you could end up looking like this in a few years:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182759-my-story-two-futs-going-3-a.html

 

This guy is 46 and he seems 'ok' with his situation, but others may not be...and before you say it, you WILL care what your hair looks like at age 46.

 

I'm 37 and still care, in fact I don't feel any different to when I was early 20s.

 

Whatever you do don't go to Dr Cheapo just because he says he will operate. You're more likely to get honest opinions from the top docs who can afford to turn away unsuitable candidates. Try to weigh up the pros and cons. Maybe try buzzing your hair short and growing a beard. See if that look works for you.

[Melvin- Admin]

I been using rogaine foam almost everyday for 4 years. Still use it to try and keep and hair left. Using fin for 9 months now and haven't noticed any progress.

 

When you say don't lower the hairline, do you mean don't fill in the temple/receding hairline areas?

 

I just want it to look dense in the hairline overall not to bring it lower on my forehead.

 

In my opinion rogaine foam is junk, it does not absorb as well as the liquid, I switched to lipogaine and it made a huge difference, might want to consider giving the liquid a shot,

 

Yes filling in the recession and temple giving you a straight hairline is not a good use of your grafts, I'd say keep a Norwood II hairline, conservative is the way to go, less is more in your case, about the FUE you'll hear different opinions, I've had only FUE and plan to only have FUE, however the procedure itself has less margin for error you'll need to go to a qualified FUE surgeon who performs the procedure daily, do not go to a strip surgeon who does FUE in strip scars and occasionally does FUE, you'll get poor growth, the general consensus is strip out then FUE, however you still have a lot of hair so I think FUE would be appropriate just for a conservative hairline procedure, your best weapon at this point is maintaining all that hair, once you get bald like me, you'll have to get crafty with the hairstyle and the density will never be as good as before balding. Good luck dude feel free to ask any questions regarding the procedure.

[MagikHair229]

In my opinion rogaine foam is junk, it does not absorb as well as the liquid, I switched to lipogaine and it made a huge difference, might want to consider giving the liquid a shot,

 

Yes filling in the recession and temple giving you a straight hairline is not a good use of your grafts, I'd say keep a Norwood II hairline, conservative is the way to go, less is more in your case, about the FUE you'll hear different opinions, I've had only FUE and plan to only have FUE, however the procedure itself has less margin for error you'll need to go to a qualified FUE surgeon who performs the procedure daily, do not go to a strip surgeon who does FUE in strip scars and occasionally does FUE, you'll get poor growth, the general consensus is strip out then FUE, however you still have a lot of hair so I think FUE would be appropriate just for a conservative hairline procedure, your best weapon at this point is maintaining all that hair, once you get bald like me, you'll have to get crafty with the hairstyle and the density will never be as good as before balding. Good luck dude feel free to ask any questions regarding the procedure.

 

May i ask why you plan on only doing FUE?

Also which doctor did your FUE procedure?

[Melvin- Admin]

May i ask why you plan on only doing FUE?

Also which doctor did your FUE procedure?

 

I don't want a strip scar, if I ever become Norwood 7 I'll buzz my head and live with FUE scars that's my personal reason, a lot of guys have never buzzed their head and never plan too, I buzzed my head for a year before getting surgery, I don't look terrible but I look much better with hair, if I have to choose between having an unnatural balding pattern or a buzzed head I'll choose a buzzed head. I had my surgery with Dr. Diep.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Melvin-HTsoon