23 and seriously considering a Hair Transplant!

[mikenguyen]

Hi everyone

I am a 23 years old Asian male that have been suffering from MPB. I've been seeing my hair falling out a lot in the showers for the past 4 years and I could see my hairline receding over time. I could see that my temples were receding since I was in my early years of college (~19 years old). My dad is not bald but both of my grandfather are very bald (Norwood 6-7). Currently, I think that I am at Norwood 3 stage and I am seriously considering a hair transplant in the next year. I have a big forehead so it looks very weird with the receding hairline. I think the fact that I have a big forehead cause my hair loss looking worse than it actually is. However, I have to say that generally, my hair is very thick and I live a healthy lifestyle. The fact that my hair is thick has given me the ability to cover up my receeding hairline. However, when I play sports or when my hair is wet, the receeding hairline is very noticeable.

 

The receding hairline has affected me throughout my college years and it has been stressing me out every day for the last years. I feel insecure playing my favorite sports because my hairline would show when there is wind. I would be scared to dip my head in swimming pools or to go to the beach with my family. It is affecting my life tremendously and I think that it is time I do something about it.

 

Right now, I am not using any products because I am afraid of the side effects. 2 years ago, I used the Lipogaine big 3 shampoo but the ketakonazole caused my hair to dry out so I stopped. Recently, my hair has been falling out quite a lot in the shower so I will be going back to using the Lipogaine shampoo since the ingredients are all natural now.

 

I've read a lot about MPH and hair transplant over the last 4 years and I was able to find Dr.John Diep with my excellent recommendations especially from this site. I am having a skype consultation with him tomorrow and I am very anxious since this is the first time that I have taken a step in the direction of having a hair transplant.

 

I took some photos in early 2015 because I was considering a hair transplant then. However, I was too young so I decided to wait. In this thread, I will attached my photos back in early 2015 and my current photos so you guys can see the difference. I made my hair wet and combed it back to make the hairline clearer.

 

With these information in mind, when do you guys think that I would be ready for a transplant? Do you think that I am a good candidate for hair transplant? Would you recommend me to go with FUE or FUT? I generally wear the hair at the back of my head relatively short so I heard that the FUE would be more suitable? How many grafts do you guys think that I will need? Can you guys give me and estimate of how much the total cost of the procedure would be?

 

I know that I am a new member but I truly believe that the members on this site can help guide me in the right direction.

 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read my thread and I hope to get some replies from you all. Please look below for the photos of my hair.

 

Early 2015

 

 

 

 

Current

 

 

 

 

 

[hsrp10]

Usually we try to steer younger patients away from a HT as it's long journey with many pitfalls, some examples of past advice can be read here.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/184957-2cm-lower-hairline-possible-dr-could-deliver-density-2.html

 

Also we've seen horror stories where we've tried to advise people and they still don't listen and end up with horrible results and in some cases bad scarring.

 

I'm not trying to scare you, and recommend that you have an in person consultation with a leading hair restoration physician to actually check your donor hair etc. in person.

Some doctors recommend that asian males go the FUT route first as the FUE can leave a weird thinning pattern from what they say, I believe there is a similar post here where Dr. Path made this recommendation to another young asian male. Also if you end up an advanced NW, then FUT first and later FUE would be best for managing your donor resources.

[ArochaHair]

I agree with hsrp10. You are young and you should find ways to halt your hair loss first before you try surgery. As a candidate however you appear to have a higher density in your donor area than the typical Asian patient so if you do ever decide to have surgery you might be in a good position with regards to your donor supply. Do not rush into surgery and do not consult with just one doctor. Consult with as many doctors as you can for the next year while you try to slow or halt your existing hair loss.

[Rawkerboi]

You should try Finasteride or Minoxidil for atleast one year or two and then opt for Hairtransplant.

Anyways do let us know how was your online consultation with Dr.Diep

[Dumpling]

Meds brah

[mikenguyen]

Thank you guys so much for your replies!

 

I just had a skype consultation with Dr.Diep and I had a very good conversation with him. He took time to answer all my questions and he was heavily leaning towards FUE. This is also what I want to do since I usually wear my hair short at the back. Taking into consideration forum member's and Dr.Diep's advices, I will start to use minoxidil soon. I am not going to use propecia since I am afraid of the side effects.

 

I will probably meet with Dr.Diep in person next month because I feel that it is necessary for me to talk to my doctor in person before surgery. I know that I am still young and will lose more hair in the future but I feel like I am willing to take on that risk and financial hit. I feel like my donor area is quite dense which will give me a number of grafts to work with in the future (this needs to be determined by Dr.Diep). I am looking to start on minoxidil and have my surgery next summer or next winter. (I will be 24 then and I feel that it would be a good age to have my first surgery).

 

I am willing to listen to comments, criticisms because I want to hear more from experienced members of this site. I know that my decision is not ideal but I think that it would be the best investment for me.

[hsrp10]

Due to your young age and current advanced hairloss, I would also look into FUT with elite surgeons as well and then later FUE, for maximum coverage and donor resources.

 

The quick fix would be to have FUE now of course, but if you're not going to be using Finasteride then you really need to consider how to tackle the long-term planning.

[Melvin- Admin]

What is your family history for hair loss? Do you have anyone in your family that is a Norwood 6? I know many don't put much value in family history but IMO there is always someone in the family that followed a similar balding pattern. For example my father and brother both have very minimal hair loss. However, I did not follow their pattern, I examined my family tree and realized I'm following my fathers uncles pattern, he was basically a Norwood 6 by mid 30s like me.

 

This is important because your results longevity depend on how fast you progress, I recommend trying a minoxidil with a DHT blocker like azelaic acid. Perfect hair on amazon works very good so does Lipogaine. As for going FUE or FUT it's really up to you, I've had over 5k grafts via FUE and I was essentially a Norwood 6, it's more expensive but well worth it for my situation. If you never plan on cutting your hair short then FUT is more cost effective. However if you've always worn your hair shorter than a #3 then I'd stick with FUE. With that being said, if you have anyone in your family with aggressive hair loss that lost their hair young I would hold off until you're late 20's, most men with aggressive hair loss develop their pattern by 30 you may or may not have aggressive hair loss only time will tell so proceed with caution.

[mikenguyen]

Due to your young age and current advanced hairloss, I would also look into FUT with elite surgeons as well and then later FUE, for maximum coverage and donor resources.

 

The quick fix would be to have FUE now of course, but if you're not going to be using Finasteride then you really need to consider how to tackle the long-term planning.

 

Thank you so much hsrp10, I will take your comment into consideration. I do understand that the right route to go is to do FUT first to maximize my donor area. However, I am leaning towards FUE due to the little amount of scarring. I will talk more to Dr.Diep and develop a plan going forward!

[mikenguyen]

What is your family history for hair loss? Do you have anyone in your family that is a Norwood 6? I know many don't put much value in family history but IMO there is always someone in the family that followed a similar balding pattern. For example my father and brother both have very minimal hair loss. However, I did not follow their pattern, I examined my family tree and realized I'm following my fathers uncles pattern, he was basically a Norwood 6 by mid 30s like me.

 

This is important because your results longevity depend on how fast you progress, I recommend trying a minoxidil with a DHT blocker like azelaic acid. Perfect hair on amazon works very good so does Lipogaine. As for going FUE or FUT it's really up to you, I've had over 5k grafts via FUE and I was essentially a Norwood 6, it's more expensive but well worth it for my situation. If you never plan on cutting your hair short then FUT is more cost effective. However if you've always worn your hair shorter than a #3 then I'd stick with FUE. With that being said, if you have anyone in your family with aggressive hair loss that lost their hair young I would hold off until you're late 20's, most men with aggressive hair loss develop their pattern by 30 you may or may not have aggressive hair loss only time will tell so proceed with caution.

 

Thank you for your reply HTsoon! I was very excited to see your reply because I know that you are a Dr.Diep's patient. I saw your posts and I am truly impressed your results considering that you were a Norwood 6. I know that going forward I will have a lot more questions to ask you and I am hoping that you would provide some assistance for me.

 

After seeing your question regarding family member's hair loss pattern, I went back to look at my family members to see the trends. All my uncles and my dad have great hair and there is no sign of hair loss in their cases, only mature hairlines. However, when I look at my grandpas (mom and dad's sides), they are both Norwood 6/7 right now. I managed to get this photo from my grandpa (from mother's side) when he was 40. I could see that he has a very similar hair loss pattern to me. Considering that he was 40 and still at a Norwood 4 (I think?), I feel that I might be in good shape to have my first surgery soon.

 

Here are the photos of my grandpa when he was 40 and now:

 

[JON86]

Diep does really impressive fue but his fut sucks in my opinion. If you research you will find evidence of poor scarring and shock loss. I would never go with him if it wasn't fue.

[Melvin- Admin]

Thank you for your reply HTsoon! I was very excited to see your reply because I know that you are a Dr.Diep's patient. I saw your posts and I am truly impressed your results considering that you were a Norwood 6. I know that going forward I will have a lot more questions to ask you and I am hoping that you would provide some assistance for me.

 

After seeing your question regarding family member's hair loss pattern, I went back to look at my family members to see the trends. All my uncles and my dad have great hair and there is no sign of hair loss in their cases, only mature hairlines. However, when I look at my grandpas (mom and dad's sides), they are both Norwood 6/7 right now. I managed to get this photo from my grandpa (from mother's side) when he was 40. I could see that he has a very similar hair loss pattern to me. Considering that he was 40 and still at a Norwood 4 (I think?), I feel that I might be in good shape to have my first surgery soon.

 

Here are the photos of my grandpa when he was 40 and now:

 

 

It does seem you're following his pattern however based on the photos you may get there sooner, you have to be conservative with your hairline, do not go for a juvenile hairline because you'll likely progress to your grandfather state. Although it's said asians have less overall density compared to caucasians, I find that generally they have better hair chatecteristics thicker and coarser, so a fine haired blonde guy may require 60-70 grafts per cm2 to achieve a dense look, whilst a thicker haired Asian guy may only require 45-50 grafts per cm2. I say this because most guys your age want extremely dense packed hairlines even when it may not be necessary to achieve a visually appealing result. Dr. Diep is pretty good at estimating the grafts you need so long as you don't want more than that which is common for guys your age. Any questions feel free to ask me.

[mikenguyen]

It does seem you're following his pattern however based on the photos you may get there sooner, you have to be conservative with your hairline, do not go for a juvenile hairline because you'll likely progress to your grandfather state. Although it's said asians have less overall density compared to caucasians, I find that generally they have better hair chatecteristics thicker and coarser, so a fine haired blonde guy may require 60-70 grafts per cm2 to achieve a dense look, whilst a thicker haired Asian guy may only require 45-50 grafts per cm2. I say this because most guys your age want extremely dense packed hairlines even when it may not be necessary to achieve a visually appealing result. Dr. Diep is pretty good at estimating the grafts you need so long as you don't want more than that which is common for guys your age. Any questions feel free to ask me.

 

I understand your point and I will keep this in mind when Dr.Diep draws the hairline for me. From my consultation, Dr.Diep told me that I can choose anywhere from 1500-2000 with 2000 being optimal for a great result. He trust his ability to create a natural looking hairline not just for now but for years down the road. From your case, I am absolutely impreased with the hairline that he transplanted on you. I think that it looks very natural and fits your face perfectly. I think that I will start to use the Lipogaine shampoo again soon and I will probably add biotin too. I am still undecided on minoxidil since it is a long term committment and that the results will disapear once I stop using the med.

 

Dr.Diep also told me that a patient usually have around 8000-12000 grafts to work with. Would my donor area look weird if I choose to do more procedures in the future? How would you rate your experience with Dr.Diep?

[hsrp10]

Dr.Diep also told me that a patient usually have around 8000-12000 grafts to work with.

 

That would certainly not be for FUE alone, I think the upper limit for FUE only is like 5,000-6,000 grafts, after that you will start to look extremely thin looking or moth-eaten in the donor area.

[Melvin- Admin]

I understand your point and I will keep this in mind when Dr.Diep draws the hairline for me. From my consultation, Dr.Diep told me that I can choose anywhere from 1500-2000 with 2000 being optimal for a great result. He trust his ability to create a natural looking hairline not just for now but for years down the road. From your case, I am absolutely impreased with the hairline that he transplanted on you. I think that it looks very natural and fits your face perfectly. I think that I will start to use the Lipogaine shampoo again soon and I will probably add biotin too. I am still undecided on minoxidil since it is a long term committment and that the results will disapear once I stop using the med.

 

Dr.Diep also told me that a patient usually have around 8000-12000 grafts to work with. Would my donor area look weird if I choose to do more procedures in the future? How would you rate your experience with Dr.Diep?

 

Thank you I'm very happy with the hairline Dr. Diep gave me, it is still a conservative hairline however by no means is it juvenile which im totally fine with. I think 8,000-12,000 grafts is typically for FUT+FUE, I would say the threshold for just FUE is anywhere from 5,000-9,000 depending on donor density. Your donor shouldn't look weird unless the surgeon depletes one small section, it will look thinner, but as long as its uniformly thin it won't appear unnatural. The plus side is the donor and the recipient become homogeneous and the contrast of a thin top and thick sides is diminished helping the illusion of density.

 

My last procedure with Dr. Diep was good, I have no complaints to be honest, I didn't feel rushed we discussed what the plan was, I feel confident in how everything went. Many things can be said about Dr. Diep's bedside manner and office management, but I will say this the man is a fantastic surgeon, one of the best if not the best at FUE in the U.S. What led me to go to Dr. Diep initially was his track record, what led me to go back was the work he did on me, what can I say it changed my life.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide don't rush in to anything, I strongly suggest you reconsider at least trying minoxidil, it would be wise to try and slow the rate of hair loss. I've had good results with perfect hair and Lipogaine.

[mikenguyen]

Thank you I'm very happy with the hairline Dr. Diep gave me, it is still a conservative hairline however by no means is it juvenile which im totally fine with. I think 8,000-12,000 grafts is typically for FUT+FUE, I would say the threshold for just FUE is anywhere from 5,000-9,000 depending on donor density. Your donor shouldn't look weird unless the surgeon depletes one small section, it will look thinner, but as long as its uniformly thin it won't appear unnatural. The plus side is the donor and the recipient become homogeneous and the contrast of a thin top and thick sides is diminished helping the illusion of density.

 

My last procedure with Dr. Diep was good, I have no complaints to be honest, I didn't feel rushed we discussed what the plan was, I feel confident in how everything went. Many things can be said about Dr. Diep's bedside manner and office management, but I will say this the man is a fantastic surgeon, one of the best if not the best at FUE in the U.S. What led me to go to Dr. Diep initially was his track record, what led me to go back was the work he did on me, what can I say it changed my life.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide don't rush in to anything, I strongly suggest you reconsider at least trying minoxidil, it would be wise to try and slow the rate of hair loss. I've had good results with perfect hair and Lipogaine.

 

Thank you for the insights HTsoon. I will definitely follow your progress and there's no doubt that your result will be amazing. I have scheduled an in-person consultation with Dr.Diep in 2 weeks. I am excited to finally meet the man and I look forward to speaking with him in person about my hair loss. I will keep you updated of how the meeting goes.

 

Regarding minoxidil, did you experience any side effects with this drug?

 

http://www.lipogaine.com/lipogaine-for-men-sensitive/ - Is this the minox that you are currently using? Also when you use minox, do you apply it only to the balding area or all over your hair?

Edited December 2, 2016 by mikenguyen

[Melvin- Admin]

Thank you for the insights HTsoon. I will definitely follow your progress and there's no doubt that your result will be amazing. I have scheduled an in-person consultation with Dr.Diep in 2 weeks. I am excited to finally meet the man and I look forward to speaking with him in person about my hair loss. I will keep you updated of how the meeting goes.

 

Regarding minoxidil, did you experience any side effects with this drug?

 

Lipogaine For Men For Sensitive Scalp - Is this the minox that you are currently using? Also when you use minox, do you apply it only to the balding area or all over your hair?

 

I haven't experienced any side effects the only minor thing is that Lipogaine can cause some itching due to the propylene glycol. I also use this minoxidil which has worked well with no itching and it dries faster. Both work very good but some people are annoyed by the itching.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Hair-Percent-Treatment-Regrowth/dp/B00N9U2876

[mikenguyen]

I haven't experienced any side effects the only minor thing is that Lipogaine can cause some itching due to the propylene glycol. I also use this minoxidil which has worked well with no itching and it dries faster. Both work very good but some people are annoyed by the itching.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Hair-Percent-Treatment-Regrowth/dp/B00N9U2876

 

Lipogaine For Men For Sensitive Scalp - It seems like I can't find propylene glycol in the ingredient list. Is this the same product that you use? I noticed that there is another version with the red label. This one apparently cause less itching since it is for sensitive scalp.

 

When you apply the minoxidil, do you only apply it to the balding area (in my case the front) or do you apply it all over the scalp?

 

Thank you so much

[Melvin- Admin]

Lipogaine For Men For Sensitive Scalp - It seems like I can't find propylene glycol in the ingredient list. Is this the same product that you use? I noticed that there is another version with the red label. This one apparently cause less itching since it is for sensitive scalp.

 

When you apply the minoxidil, do you only apply it to the balding area (in my case the front) or do you apply it all over the scalp?

 

Thank you so much

 

Yea I use the red label but the main ingredients are the same, I apply it all over the areas that are prove to balding, so basically the top scalp, it's smart to start now, because even though it may not be visible you may have some miniaturization that you could catch early. I wish I would've kept at it when I tried it when I was 22.

[richter101]

I'm not here to steer you away. ha

 

I got my transplant at 25 and was the best decision of my life. I highly recommend you look into FUE. Looks to me like you'd be a great candidate. Just have to find the Best Surgeon. *It's Key.