Hair transplant at 23 years old

[Matt J]

Hi everyone, 

I have started to lose my hair at the age of 20 yo. 

I am almost 23 years old and I was thinking about getting a transplant when ill be 23 years old.

I was wondering if it is possible to get a transplant at a young age like that, my father went noorwood VI but my gradfathers in both sides have hair and ny father brothers are norwood IV

My goal is to have a natural looking hairline  and I dont mind if in the baxk the density will be a little bit lower as long as it looks like a natural mild MPB.

I was thinking about getting a conservative hair line to start with so when the hairloss progresses to the back I would have enough donor area incase I do another surgery.

I wanted to know if I should start with FUT or FUE and if I do so which well known doctor would you recommand to start with?

I prefer to do it in europe but I might might consider the US as well.

I had thoughts about Bisanga in brussels or Dr maras in HDC but I havent contact them yet so I am not sure if they will take patients that young and I would like to hear about more clinics who might fit into the treatment I want to have.

I would like to hear your opinions, if my goals are realistic because it is important to me to have my hair in my 20's and not to wait until my 30's

Thanks and have a good day😁

[Matt J]

I forgot to mention that I have been using minoxidil that slows the hairloss but I it wouldnt fix my hairline. And I wouldn't use fin due to the side effects it has

[Shera]

Hi Matt,

23 is still a young age for a transplant, your hairloss is yet to stabalise and any surgery at this stage will need to be carefully thought out to ensure that your long term goals are addressed.

You have some history of hairloss in your family which as normal sometimes skips a generation or even a sibling, it is genetic potluck in some cases. But judging by your early balding I think you should assume that unfortunately you will follow the path of your father rather than grandfather. This can be disheartening but if you address the loss now at this early stage you can make a difference.

You seem to have a good understanding already of what you need to do and what your expectations should be.

The only thing I would say is that perhaps you should reconsider using Finasteride, even if at a lower dosage. In my opinion it is the most effective way for you to sustain your hair and slow down the balding process.

So to conclude it is possible for you to have a conservative procedure to address your current loss but at the same time you should reconsider doing everything to help delay the need for your next procedure.

You might also want to have a look at the patient below, he was a similar age to you, had a smallish procedure and nearly 3 years on hasn't looked back. He has been on a dose of Finasteride since his procedure.

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Shera

[Matt J]

51 minutes ago, Shera said:

Hi Matt,

23 is still a young age for a transplant, your hairloss is yet to stabalise and any surgery at this stage will need to be carefully thought out to ensure that your long term goals are addressed.

You have some history of hairloss in your family which as normal sometimes skips a generation or even a sibling, it is genetic potluck in some cases. But judging by your early balding I think you should assume that unfortunately you will follow the path of your father rather than grandfather. This can be disheartening but if you address the loss now at this early stage you can make a difference.

You seem to have a good understanding already of what you need to do and what your expectations should be.

The only thing I would say is that perhaps you should reconsider using Finasteride, even if at a lower dosage. In my opinion it is the most effective way for you to sustain your hair and slow down the balding process.

So to conclude it is possible for you to have a conservative procedure to address your current loss but at the same time you should reconsider doing everything to help delay the need for your next procedure.

You might also want to have a look at the patient below, he was a similar age to you, had a smallish procedure and nearly 3 years on hasn't looked back. He has been on a dose of Finasteride since his procedure.

 

Thanks for the response.

I might reconsider fin on very low dosage I am just very scarred of the sides.

I have been using saw palmetto instead with nizoral and minoxidil for a few month.

I guess I might have a try at that for a few more months since I do have "babu hairs: in my temples if it will somehow fix them I might be able to delay the need for procedure but if not I think I might want to undergo a HT while taking into considaration future balding.

I wanted to hear more about the HT path just to know what to expect and if an fut or an fue is recommanded. I heared fut is better for first time but I think that if i wouldnt have enough donor i would wear my hair short and be happy with the front covered nicely.

Also what dosage do you think will be effective while not taking the regulae amounts of fin

[Shera]

Whether FUT or FUE is right for you is debatable, the best thing you can do is reach out to informed doctors and weigh up their responses. Doctors are experts in their fields and will have performed strong opinions over the years. This is probably why medical negligence cases are often decided on fine margins with experts on either sides making sound cases for their respective arguments. You will find HT doctors are of that same ilk.

You could start by posting some pics of your scalp as this can be defining on which path to take.

As for the Finasteride, the recommended dosage of Finasteride is 1mg per day.

You could start on 1mg every other day and see how you feel and whether you have any adverse reactions to it. Give it a few weeks for your body to get used to it. If it doesn't feel right then you could halve the dosage and again repeat as above. If for any reason it still doesn't feel right then it's probably not for you.

On the other hand if you feel OK as the vast majority of patients do, you could up the frequency to 1mg every day for 6 months and then switch to 1mg every other day.

You should take photos of your scalp each month to monitor for any changes. Also you might notice less hairs falling out whilst washing.

It usually takes approximately 3 months to kick in. Over time you could experiment with lower dosages or even stop altogether after weening yourself off for the odd month or 2 over a year, again monitoring for any changes.

If at anytime you stop altogether then your hair loss will proceed at its natural pace.

I hope that helps to clarify things for you.

[gillenator]

MattJ,

Let me first commend you on your diligence in educating your self regarding MPB both in the short and long term.  You appear very mature for your age.  Many young men want to just jump into surgery because they panic and want an overnight fix.  I do not sense that irrational approach in you.

Having said that, may I offer a few insights?  Obviously you already know that much more hair loss is undoubtedly in your cards as you age.  I agree with Shera for you to consider low dose finasteride under a doctor's supervision.  As he stated the dosage and frequency of ingestion can be adjusted especially in the initial consumption...and finasteride has a long shelf life which is something that can be graduated over time.  Not everyone gets the side effects so you will never know until you start it.

In addition, minoxidil simply buys us more time but does not inhibit DHT which is the culprit that destroys hair follicles...this is why low dose finasteride is a much better option IMHO.

Are you too young for a procedure?  IMHO, it all depends in the amount of education that one has regarding their own case, whether their restoration goals are realistic, and how they approach their restoration including effective medications.

You stated that you would keep a higher more conservation hairline which is wise, remaining patient to see how your hair loss progresses over time.  You still need to have your donor reserves evaluated and a long term plan documented.

Should you have FUT or FUE?  Many guys who know they will need at least 5,000 grafts and more in their life times go with FUT... yet if you go with FUT for the majority of your work, you will need to wear your hair at longer lengths to hide your donor scar.

Just remember that surgery is always there and should be a well informed option, not an emotional immediate fix.

Wish you the best in your journey my friend.