Jason Alexander: A Study of Progressive Baldness

[TheEmperor]

Seinfeld ran from 1989-1998. Jason Alexander, was 30 years old when the show started and was roughly 40 when it ended.

 

I was watching an early episode and thinking "Jason Alexander has his temple points, and is a NW5, he would have been a good candidate for HT."

 

If you see him now, 20 years later, he is a NW6 going on 7.

 

Interesting to see how baldness progresses. Now I would say he is most certainly NOT a candidate for HT.

 

The scary thing is there are alot of 30yo NW5s getting operations.

 

If someone is a NW5 before the age of 40, should they get a HT?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Moved to "Open Hair Loss Topics"

[Petchski]

For me that just hammers home the importance of a hair loss regimen to contain or massively slow down hair loss.

[Mr. GQ]

it's all fixable. i've seen temple points being restored to perfection with some of the top surgeons. i guess it all depends on patient's donor density and hair quality and surgeons skills of course.

 

my 2 cents

[dakota3]

Im wondering if a doc can acuratley predict how far hair loss can go in a patient in thier early 30's? This is very important because they need to know how much density they can give an individual per cm2 and still have enough donar left for future loss. Any doctors input here would help!!!

[DaveM123]

well thats what I'm wondering myself. Is it worth getting a hair transplant now if baldness is progressive? I don't want more than one surgery.

[lost my swagger]

Originally posted by DaveM123:

well thats what I'm wondering myself. Is it worth getting a hair transplant now if baldness is progressive? I don't want more than one surgery.

 

well dave hairloss IS progressive, and if your not planning on multiple procedures in the future DONT GET A HT..... meds can stabilize or slow but they dont last forever... im 24, got 2 HTs at 21 and 22.... i can tell you that if i want to look good as my hairloss progresses more work WILL be needed. it is a worry ALL of us young guys have who are in too deep to back out.... and now ive lost the option to buzz down in the future due to my large stretched scar that runs from ear to ear.... honestly, long term, im F**CKED. to be blunt... and praying for future advancements in hairloss within the comming years(something that history shows is usless) or atleast advancements in scar healing.... HTs are VERY seldom 'one and dones' man. they just arent that magical yet.

[Ja-Man]

The scary thing is there are alot of 30yo NW5s getting operations.

 

Being in my early 30's, this really worries me about HT. Not only does a higher NW level at a younger age make you more likely to become a NW6 or 7, but donor hair can thin over time as well. Meds can slow things down, but sooner or later mother nature will continue to run her course. I just wish one could accurately predit future advances.

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by Ja-Man:

The scary thing is there are alot of 30yo NW5s getting operations.

 

Being in my early 30's, this really worries me about HT. Not only does a higher NW level at a younger age make you more likely to become a NW6 or 7, but donor hair can thin over time as well. Meds can slow things down, but sooner or later mother nature will continue to run her course. I just wish one could accurately predit future advances.

 

I just wanted to throw this out there for young (30yo) guys considering HT who are already a NW5 or more.

 

I made the move at age 40 as a NW5, and am questioning how to best proceed. If the sides recede downward over the next 20-30 years, I will need all the remaining grafts to keep everything looking ok.

 

I have been contemplating covering the remaining crown and thickening the front, but there is no telling what the future will hold.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Even if a HT for a given individuall is "ipso facto" a temporary fix, and progressive MPB requires future procedures, this still doesn't make it a poor choice for many -- particularly, I would say, the younger you are. (I'll preface this by saying that it is 100% imperative said people get a good if not elite HT.)

 

The factor I'm speaking about is precisely how it is effecting our lives. I'm not one to ever marginalize any anguish one has over MPB, but is both intuitively and empiracally accurate to asses that the younger you are the more vicious and widespread the tentacles of MPB go, impacting your ability to function and thrive.

 

Personally, even if I *knew* I would require multiple procedures with similiar tecniques/technology; and even if I *knew* that a decade or two down the road I might be in a place where my baldness could not achieve full-restoration (which I think is an overblown fear), the route of HTs launch by the inaugural session would still be a very, very simple decision for me.

 

There are costs and risks of getting a HT...there are costs and risks in *not* getting a HT....it's a risk-reward analysis that every prospective patient should do, and there are many shades of color that need to be taken into account -- particularly, if you are young.

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by thanatopsis_awry:

Even if a HT for a given individuall is "ipso facto" a temporary fix, and progressive MPB requires future procedures, this still doesn't make it a poor choice for many -- particularly, I would say, the younger you are. (I'll preface this by saying that it is 100% imperative said people get a good if not elite HT.)

 

The factor I'm speaking about is precisely how it is effecting our lives. I'm not one to ever marginalize any anguish one has over MPB, but is both intuitively and empiracally accurate to asses that the younger you are the more vicious and widespread the tentacles of MPB go, impacting your ability to function and thrive.

 

Personally, even if I *knew* I would require multiple procedures with similiar tecniques/technology; and even if I *knew* that a decade or two down the road I might be in a place where my baldness could not achieve full-restoration (which I think is an overblown fear), the route of HTs launch by the inaugural session would still be a very, very simple decision for me.

 

There are costs and risks of getting a HT...there are costs and risks in *not* getting a HT....it's a risk-reward analysis that every prospective patient should do, and there are many shades of color that need to be taken into account -- particularly, if you are young.

 

I hear what you are saying, about the psychological benefits of HT for the young, but what Im talking about is establishing a youthful hairline that soon after becomes disconnected from the rim hair and looks comical at the age of 35.

 

Even if ALL remaining follicles were used to reconnect and establish the sides, the patient coiuld look comically imbalanced, with a forward-placed (yet thin) wall of hair in front, strage thinness on the sides, and a completely bald crown.

 

A skilful NW2 hairline might be appropriate but if they embark on a NW0-1, then the paitent could be screwed before he is 40.

[youngsuccess]

Originally posted by TheEmperor:

what Im talking about is establishing a youthful hairline that soon after becomes disconnected from the rim hair and looks comical at the age of 35.

 

 

^This.

 

I constantly think about this scenario, seeing as how I'm basically at a NW 1 1/2 now. I'll be thirty in a couple of years and most likely will still be an actual NW2, so I'm hoping the likelihood of descending into upper Norwood territory (especially 7) won't be a huge concern, but still something I think about.

 

I have accepted the fact that if I do wind up losing a significant amount of hair, I might have to allocate most of my donor to establishing a believable balding pattern rather than any attempt at full coverage. Zidane is a good example; I've brought him up before:

 

 

 

In a worst-case scenario, someone like me would probably have to shoot for a buzzed head with this type of irregular balding pattern (lower and fuller hairline and front with thinning-bald back) with some donor scar detectability (unless scar revision with FUE can pull it off entirely). Definitely not something any young patient should plan for, but I think it's feasible to not look like a total freak in the long run even if you've made a hasty decision early on.

[mmhce]

now ive lost the option to buzz down in the future due to my large stretched scar that runs from ear to ear.... honestly, long term, im F**CKED. to be blunt...

 

 

lost my swagger,

 

I think that your stretched scar can be corrected to a very fine pencil line by good surgeons. Do you have any idea why the scar stretched the way it did?

[mmhce]

The factor I'm speaking about is precisely how it is effecting our lives. I'm not one to ever marginalize any anguish one has over MPB, but is both intuitively and empiracally accurate to asses that the younger you are the more vicious and widespread the tentacles of MPB go, impacting your ability to function and thrive.

 

 

Very nicely put thanatopsis_awry.

[DaveM123]

So am I correct in saying that if I had the surgery I then would need to use meds for the rest of my life (ie: Propecia, Fin, Min, etc.) to slow down the original MPB?

[mmhce]

Regardless of surgical intervention or not, emphatically YES!

 

But, first determine if your hairloss is MPB related, if so start medication at once.

[schalke04]

I have been using Propecia/Finisteride for 10 years and have not had any side effect. I was a NW 3 when I started and still am. You should use it, especially since Finesteride (same as Propecia) is so cheap. I would probably be a NW 5 or NW 6 if I had not done so.

Also, am 2 months pre op with Dr. Epstein - 1600 grafts FUE to thicke up the front. Will post photos once it starts growing in.

[Bp1]

I would say that starting early is not a terrible idea. I am 24 and a year ago received a smaller session (1319 grafts with Dr. Dorin) in my frontal regio to restore the hairline and to fill in the sides. The results have been amazing. I started to lose my hair and got jipped on the EXT Program from HairClub (WHAT A JIP). I immediately stopped that, got on Minoxidil and 1.25 Proscar, which stabilized my loss and received a transplant in January 2008 from Dr. Dorin. I'll tell, as many others can contest, it was a great idea and I am EXTREMELY happy with the results. The key is, as Thana states, to MAKE SURE YOU GET AN ELITE DOC TO DO THE WORK. This is such a critical aspect and I want to stress this as much as I can. Get an elite doc to work on your head, and to plan a regimen. I am finishing up law school and though my hair looks amazing now, hair loss is progressive and I am thoroughly content with realizing that I will seeing Dr. Dorin to do subsequent surgery.

[Benedict Arnold]

Originally posted by TheEmperor:

 

Even if ALL remaining follicles were used to reconnect and establish the sides, the patient coiuld look comically imbalanced, with a forward-placed (yet thin) wall of hair in front, strage thinness on the sides, and a completely bald crown.

 

A skilful NW2 hairline might be appropriate but if they embark on a NW0-1, then the paitent could be screwed before he is 40.

 

I see what your saying and have thought about this scenario myself, but I don't think any elite, top notch surgeon will ever put their patients in this type of jeopordizing situation to begin with. They will evaluate his total possible donor, plan for the worst case scenario of loss, and design the initial hair line and placement of grafts accordingly.

[Dewayne]

"These pretzels are making me thirsty...."

 

-One of my favorite Seinfelds.

[lost my swagger]

Originally posted by mmhce:

now ive lost the option to buzz down in the future due to my large stretched scar that runs from ear to ear.... honestly, long term, im F**CKED. to be blunt...

 

 

lost my swagger,

 

I think that your stretched scar can be corrected to a very fine pencil line by good surgeons. Do you have any idea why the scar stretched the way it did?

 

mmhce-- no clue what caused it, but it only stretched on one side.. scar revisions are unpredictable though... ive spoke with many why went to TOP docs for theirs and ended up exactly the same, and some ended up worse.... prayin for ACELL or something soon.

[lost my swagger]

Originally posted by DaveM123:

So am I correct in saying that if I had the surgery I then would need to use meds for the rest of my life (ie: Propecia, Fin, Min, etc.) to slow down the original MPB?

 

DAVE bottom line is if you elect to get a HT and you have some native hair still in tact you want to hold onto that native hair as long as humanly possible.. this is where the meds come in... you more than likely do not have the donor to achieve decent coverage from front to back, you def dont if you hairlos progresses to NW6-7 territory...... its not that big a deal, you wake up pop a pill and you done...... side effects are a problem for FEW! but IMO the are exaggerated by many OCD dudes on here.... if you happen to experience sides, cut dosage, or quit all together but meds are life savers for many, myself included.... ive had 2 HTs and i can HONESTLY say that meds play a far greater role in the overall look of my hair then the HTs....

[chaston]

Yeh, that was a great episode. I suppose jason is a prime example of the rogression. He also looked alot younge with the rug on. Don't you just miss the 90's sometimes?