Too young for a HT? The rational vs the emotional response.

[Miso]

I wanted to pose an observation to the forum for response.

 

I have seen several times young potential patients (<30) request on the forums for advice regarding HTs. On many occasions the response has been 'It would be best if you wait a little longer' or 'Continue on the meds for a while' or 'You should get it when you're older to have more enduring / natural results'.

 

The above reasons I can completely understand logically and medically. But emotionally, I cannot.

 

From personal experience I remember aggressively pursuing many avenues to try and reduce hairloss as young as 20. If a Dr had approached at that age, or I was aware of the process and was able to finance a HT then or soon after, I would have drastically changed my hair loss strategy.

 

My self confidence levels were very low, which as a young 20 year old was difficult to deal with. Maybe its the naivety of youth, but I could not of cared less what I was going to look like at 40-50 years old. As opposed to my twenties, at 40-50 I more than likely wasn't going to be;

 

- Living the same young lifestyle, socializing, drinking, chasing women.

- Enjoying the most liberating, carefree period of my life with the least responsibilities.

- Be living / working in an environment where my appearance has a large bearing on my professional / social success.

- Be as easily influenced or effected by the comments of others.

 

And more importantly, by 40-50 I was more than likely going to be;

 

- Less concerned about my self image.

- Stand out less as a bald man among the general population for my age group.

- Most of all... Have settled into a long term relationship. It was genuinely terrifying in my young 20s thinking that I would never find someone who would find me attractive, at the very least someone who I would find attractive back.

 

My decision making is definitely more influenced by the emotional side rather than the rational. I would be interested to see what the communities view on the issue is.

 

Miso

[ArochaHair]

The emotional side of the process dominates over any rationality every time, at least in the beginning. I don't think anyone comes into the idea of a hair transplant from a rational position because if they did they would most likely rule out the idea of a hair transplant due to the cost and potential downsides. It is up to the doctor and his/her staff to help bring rational thought back into the frame of mind for the patient because far too often the emotions of the patient dominate. We've seen patients that seem perfectly rational wind up being surprised by the reality of the options before them and it is then that rational thought begins to play a stronger role. This doesn't happen every time but it the case more often than not. When you introduce rational thought into the process after the emotions having driven you then a more even perspective can be achieved where one may think to themselves "ok, this makes a lot more sense" and then they can make the best decisions for themselves.

 

The idea that you won't care about your image in your 40's and 50's as much as you do in your 20's is untrue, btw. The motivation may be different where a 25 year old may be thinking about being able to get more girls and wanting to look their age where a 60 year old may be thinking about trying to look as young as possible or just healthier overall, which as one gets older, can be just as powerful of a motivator. We all want to look our best and that doesn't change with age. The reasons why are what change but it doesn't make the reasons any less powerful.

[Spanker]

I think its important to understand like stated above that you dont stop caring what you look like in your 40s and 50s. We all want a Brad Pitt hairline, however you should plan your transplant like you are 50 because the hairline won't move. How you transplant will depend on your donor area, kevel of loss, family history, and medical treatment.

 

I am not against many young patients gettibg a transplant if they are on fin and willing to transplant a harline.that assumes significant loss. And they understand that gollow up procedures will likely be required.

[TheGman]

Your twenties is the period when you need a youthfull hairline and a stylish haircut the most. Make the most out of your potential! Have faith in the meds. I just did my first HT at 30 wish I had done it 5 years earlier...

[Mick50]

The bottom line is if you're the kind of guy who is contemplating having a hair transplant as a young man [bearing in mind lots of young guys accept their loss and move on] you will care how your hair or lack of it looks when you're older.

[Louisjams]

I think there is something here that bears mentioning. In my experience, young males tend to have the highest (and often most unrealistic) expectations about HT. They are more likely to be disappointed by the actual results that are possible in many patients. Younger males often go for aggressive frontal hairline and temple work, which often comes back to bite them in a few years when their hair loss progresses and they are left trying to create a less unnatural look behind it.

 

Similarly, older males, in my experience, tend to fare better emotionally after HT as it is easier for most HT surgeons to create for them a mature hairline that will fit them for a much longer period of time going forward i.e. a high hairline, less temple filling, and often leaving the crown alone or some mild crown work. Also, for older men who have had hair loss for a long time, the permanent results of HT can be very rewarding even if the look they can achieve is not one that a 25 year old would accept.

 

Believe me, I understand the pain of losing hair young. I started to lose my hair at 19 and it was absolutely devastating. That having been said, I am one of those who often counsels young males to wait before undergoing HT.

[Spanker]

I think there is something here that bears mentioning. In my experience, young males tend to have the highest (and often most unrealistic) expectations about HT. They are more likely to be disappointed by the actual results that are possible in many patients. Younger males often go for aggressive frontal hairline and temple work, which often comes back to bite them in a few years when their hair loss progresses and they are left trying to create a less unnatural look behind it.

 

Similarly, older males, in my experience, tend to fare better emotionally after HT as it is easier for most HT surgeons to create for them a mature hairline that will fit them for a much longer period of time going forward i.e. a high hairline, less temple filling, and often leaving the crown alone or some mild crown work. Also, for older men who have had hair loss for a long time, the permanent results of HT can be very rewarding even if the look they can achieve is not one that a 25 year old would accept.

 

Believe me, I understand the pain of losing hair young. I started to lose my hair at 19 and it was absolutely devastating. That having been said, I am one of those who often counsels young males to wait before undergoing HT.

 

This is pretty accurate. Older patients tend to be happier patients. They tend to be more receptive to the reality of what they can do, and they tend to have less agressive active hair loss. There are a lot of advantages to being older. I tend to think most patients are better off to be 35 or older in the long run. Different people get different things from transplantation. Doing one too young and too aggressive can make your life worse. The perfect patient in my mind is that 55 norwood 3 who wants a nice bump and gets stable on fin. The younger and higher norwood away from that makes things more difficult and is compounded without meds IMO. I was a 33 year old nw 2.5 when I had mine and I knew I was rolling the dice some...less potential difficulty than a 25 year old but much more than that 55 year old I spoke of. I'll be 38 before too long and just in that amount of time I would feel ok with a little higher hairline due to maturity and age. So that kind of points to being older means needing less, which is good for your donor.

[Melvin- Admin]

This is a subject very close to me, but I agree with a lot of what has been said, the biggest reason I feel young guys make bad candidates is they underestimate their future hair loss and their expectations are too high, this combo leads to bitter disappointment, you will encounter these men who grow older and often curse hair transplants as mistakes that don't work. Many frequent boards like this to warn others.

 

Another issue is that young men tend to act on emotion without critically thinking about the decisions they make, it's important to remember that a transplant can change the way you perceive yourself and how others perceive you for the rest of your life. It's also vital to remember that hair transplants can never bring back your natural density or give you full coverage in many cases. I myself am a young man at the age of 31 I think I've matured a lot since I was 20, back then I would've transplanted 4,000 grafts to my hairline just to have my 18 year old density back, nothing good ever comes from acting on desperation and impulse.

 

First and foremost before you even think of embarking on a hair transplant journey you need to realize that it is a life long commitment. You will require SEVERAL surgeries throughout a lifetime. You also need to keep in mind that transplantation does not stop hair loss. Therefore, hair loss medications are necessary for conservation if you can tolerate finasteride take it, if u can't like myself, take everything else. Lastly, meet with a surgeon who can check your scalp and donor for miniaturization, sit and discuss a master plan, one that will ensure you have a natural result that looks good in your 30's, 40's, 50's and so forth.