Advice for 22 yr old, FUE 3000 grafts.

[Sadsurfer]

I am 22 and have been thinning since 18 slowly, have been taking finasteride + minoxidil combination oral capsule for 4 years. Which seems to have stabilised or slowed down my hair loss considerably.

I am planning a procedure at the end of the year with dr Kapil dua to use 3000 fue grafts from donor scalp to achieve greater density.

Totally aware I am very young to undergo procedure, also accept that I will more than likely not achieve a life lasting solution. In saying that I believe I have enough donor grafts to achieve a greater density and buy myself at least 5-10 years in my 20s to not have hairloss as a second nature thought everyday of my life.. $10,000 and a procedure is well worth 5-10 years of confidence in this stage of my life. I'm not fussed on a receeded hairline as I wear my hair long... just want greater density through my crown.

i have attached some photos of my current hair appearance. Any advice or opinions are appreciated.

[JayLDD]

How does the hairline look? Also how is the crown if you dont brush it forward and let it sit naturally?

Understandable why you're looking to do this but 3000 grafts seems very excessive, especially when you seem to have a lot of native hair in the area. If you did I would look to someone who is very much a crown expert and top surgeon like Dr Lorenzo or Dr Wong, you're risking too much otherwise.

 

To be honest your case looks seems more applicable for 1500-2000 grafts, considering how much you have left in the area. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Please take pictures with your hair parted down the middle. This will give us a better view of your hair loss. Combing your hair forward disguised hair loss. In addition, do you have pictures of what you looked like before medication? So we can see if the treatment is working for you. 

Warm regards- Melvin

[Sadsurfer]

@JeanLDD thanks for your response.. 

ive attached some photos of my hair line and naturally sitting crown. 

I was going for 3000 grafts because I am travelling abroad and also I want to get the most done as possible while I'm away for my initial surgery so I can move on and enjoy my hair without the degree of stress I have ATM trying to conceal it, being a surfer my hair is constantly getting wet and adds to my In security keeping me out of the water. I love having long hair and if there is something I can do to improve my situation i want to do everything I can to achieve that. (I'm fully aware I'll never luscious thick locks again) 

[Sadsurfer]

@Melvin-Moderator

unfortunately I never kept many photos throughout my journey in hairloss... in saying that I have taken breaks on finasteride and notice a fast progression in shedding within 1-2 weeks. 

When I continue medication it slows down the amount of loss by 3/4 in my opinion. 

I'm shocking with photos but I've tried to add more with direct vision of loss. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Thanks for providing the additional photos. This may be hard to hear, but you’re headed towards Norwood 6 and your headed there fast. You have a significant amount of thinning through out your entire scalp. 

To be honest, I’m not totally convinced that your hair loss has stabilized. For your age, I would be shocked if you had this degree of hair loss at age 18. The reason I bring up these issues are because although you have a high degree of miniaturization you still have a great deal of native hair. My main concern is shock loss. 

If I were you I would stick with finasteride and minoxidil for at least a year. No breaks imbetween, take photos monthly to track your hair loss. This will ensure that your hair is strong enough to withstand surgical trauma. The last thing I would want is for you to have a procedure and lose a great deal of hair to shock loss and end up looking the same. 

Warm regards-Melvin 

[bismarck]

On 8/30/2018 at 4:28 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

This may be hard to hear, but you’re headed towards Norwood 6 and your headed there fast. You have a significant amount of thinning through out your entire scalp. 

Agree. Might even think of switching to dutasteride. Give surgery a little time.

[Speegs]

You need to observe your hair longer, if you can hold off to 24 or 25 to assess for surgery that will be best, that will give you a real indication about how stable your hair loss has become on finasteride and provide a very clear pattern of where your hair loss may be headed.

Take pics every four months or so.

[BHRClinic]

On 8/31/2018 at 1:28 AM, Melvin-Moderator said:

To be honest, I’m not totally convinced that your hair loss has stabilized (...) The reason I bring up these issues are because although you have a high degree of miniaturization you still have a great deal of native hair. My main concern is shock loss. 

If I were you I would stick with finasteride and minoxidil for at least a year. No breaks imbetween (...) The last thing I would want is for you to have a procedure and lose a great deal of hair to shock loss and end up looking the same. 

That's a very good advice. It is totally understandable to think of a surgery when you see some pictures, but the 1st step is to stabilize the situation. You have a big % of native-miniaturized hair on top. Using finasteride without any breaks for 9-12 months at least can help a lot, and if you can wait at least 2-3 years more with the same conditions, perfect.

A short-term surgery could kill native hair which can improve with medication. And being that young you must look into the future since you will probably lose more hair in years. That means donor area has to be very well managed, because you will care about hair when you are 30, 40, etc.

Best wishes,