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Hello, 

I have no other place and no other people to ask for opinions. I want to tell you my story, and I want opinions on what I should do based on my case; 

I am 20 years old. I've had a very receded and high hairline since birth, I've always somewhat of a bald head. I have very receded temples, and a very high frontal hairline. It has killed my confidence since I was a child, till today. Of course, now, I have some products to help me hide it and some style I do. But, it takes me literally around 1-2 hours EVERYDAY to fix it to somehow hide my baldness. It frustrates me, drains me every single day, makes me hate myself. I researched about hair transplants, and I was looking at clinics in Turkey. I found Dr. Serkan Aygin and some others, I got consultation from them and found out how many grafts I need..etc. But theres something I'm worried about - since I'm still only 20, and since I've had a receded hairline since birth, what if that makes me highly likely to get even more bald later on? I really, really wanna get a hair transplant but I'm also scared it'll go to waste and my hair will still fall out and get bald again.

 

At the same time, the reason I want a hair transplant is to feel young, and feel confident when I'm young, because I never got to experience how normal hair feels like. Ever. I won't care as much about my hairline when I'm older as much as I do when I'm younger, because I want to date, I want to live my life and enjoy my time in my youth, I want hair now, not later when I should be more mature and responsible. What should I do? If I do get the hair transplant, how do I make sure not to ever get bald again? I really need some advice here, my hairline is attached in the pics provided, it's been somewhat similar to that since birth, but of course with puberty and age it got a little more receded than it initially was, but my forehead has ALWAYS been this high. 

 

Please, give me advice, I was planning on getting a hair transplant next year right after I graduate from university. I just want to feel young and my age for once in my life. I want to wake up without having to fix my hair for 2 hours trying to hide anything. 

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Hello friend

I know how this feels because like you I experienced hair loss at a very young age (15). I know it seems like magic bullet to jump into a hair transplant while your younger to enjoy your youth (I’ve thought about it many times myself at that age but didn’t have anywhere near the $ required to do one). There’s a few things to consider:

 

1. If you care about your hair now you will more than likely care about it later (I still greatly care about my hair at almost 34)

2. Hair loss is progressive. Once it starts it’s unlikely to stop. The earlier you start balding the more aggressive your hair loss likely is. This is why it’s important to start on medications. Are you on any meds like finasteride?

3. Most ethical doctors do not perform surgery on patients less than mid 20s, and most recommend to wait until 30 or so. This is because your final hair loss pattern is not visible yet. You need to look at your family members both immediate and extended and see the types of hair loss they have. Chances are you will be following one of their patterns.

 

my advice is to try medications to try and stop/slow your loss until appropriate age. I know this is difficult to hear. Hopefully when you are older and your hair loss has stabilized and you can tolerate medications long term you can undergo a transplant. As you get older you can also save to have a procedure with a doctor that has your best interest and long term goals in mind. For now meds, a healthy scalp, and positive outlook are what you need. What you don’t want is to undergo a transplant, have great looking hair for a few years, then your hair continues to recede and you are left with an island of hair in the front. Not only will that look unnatural but then you have no option but to chase it with more surgery. Please let me know if you have any questions.

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6 minutes ago, jj51702 said:

Hello friend

I know how this feels because like you I experienced hair loss at a very young age (15). I know it seems like magic bullet to jump into a hair transplant while your younger to enjoy your youth (I’ve thought about it many times myself at that age but didn’t have anywhere near the $ required to do one). There’s a few things to consider:

 

1. If you care about your hair now you will more than likely care about it later (I still greatly care about my hair at almost 34)

2. Hair loss is progressive. Once it starts it’s unlikely to stop. The earlier you start balding the more aggressive your hair loss likely is. This is why it’s important to start on medications. Are you on any meds like finasteride?

3. Most ethical doctors do not perform surgery on patients less than mid 20s, and most recommend to wait until 30 or so. This is because your final hair loss pattern is not visible yet. You need to look at your family members both immediate and extended and see the types of hair loss they have. Chances are you will be following one of their patterns.

 

my advice is to try medications to try and stop/slow your loss until appropriate age. I know this is difficult to hear. Hopefully when you are older and your hair loss has stabilized and you can tolerate medications long term you can undergo a transplant. As you get older you can also save to have a procedure with a doctor that has your best interest and long term goals in mind. For now meds, a healthy scalp, and positive outlook are what you need. What you don’t want is to undergo a transplant, have great looking hair for a few years, then your hair continues to recede and you are left with an island of hair in the front. Not only will that look unnatural but then you have no option but to chase it with more surgery. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Look, the way I was thinking of it was - the unnatural feeling I have of it is being young with no hair, whereas if I was older, it would be more of a normal/expected thing to be bald. 

1- No, I don't take any medications as finasteride/propecia etc have side effects on sexual ability etc. and I'm definitely trying to avoid that. 

2- I thought of it in a way whereby if I can have hair for a few years (say at least 3 years), by the time these years pass, I'd have a stable income and be able to undergo second surgery for future hairloss (I don't mind doing a second operation later). I just want to have hair for a few years while I can get a job so I can stop wasting money, time and energy which drains my soul and confidence on temporary solutions that require a lot of maintenance on a daily basis.

3- I don't mind taking medications after a hair transplant provided by my doctor as long as they don't have side effects like propecia/finasteride

 

This is my point of view from it at the moment, i really don't mind doing a second surgery in the future in case I lose hair in the back, i just want hair for now so I can kick my career off with confidence, and then I can afford better surgeries in the future..

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I agree with jj51702, and I sympathize with your situation. I know that it’s tough to hear, but you need to pump the breaks on these drastic decisions. I think that your line of thinking is backwards. Medication should be your first line of defense, and surgery is your last resort. And you are already prepared to have two!

Losing your hair is depressing and can send you into panic mode. Bad decisions get made in panic mode. I think that many of us, especially in the beginning, come up with these fantasy situations where we can end up with a dream head of hair without completely following that logic through or thinking of the worst-case scenarios. So let’s think it through…

Are you going to have a hair transplant every 3 years to be satisfied? Donor hair is a precious, finite resource, and all the money that you might make in the future will not change that. By the time your 30, not only could you be bald, but you might not even look normal…That’s a scary reality, and many people have made that mistake.

The main question that you need to answer is how you are going to stop your hair loss from progressing? 

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1 hour ago, jj51702 said:

1. If you care about your hair now you will more than likely care about it later (I still greatly care about my hair at almost 34)

Although I agree with most of your points directed for Lebaneseguy but I slightly disagree with this specific point based on his life story ( after reading with some emotions, I totally feel what he is going through )

He cares about his hair now at 20s, its less likely when ppl age they do tend to care about about their appearance in 40s. this includes hair.

a 40 year old can afford a bald patch in the crown  but a 20 year old simply cannot with all that golden age factor living life to the fullest, university days.... 

there is no point thinking about tomorrow when today is messed up. 

"Life is truly short, and you never know when its over"  is not only a saying but a HARD FACT OF LIFE THAT NONE OF US ARE IMMORTAL . Yes i am not saying there is no point planning for the near/far future and everyone should always plan something for long term in life.

BUT WHEN YOUR PRESENT IS NOT HAPPY and YOU KEEP ON LIVING LIKE THAT for YEARS thinking one day you will make yourself happy in future. this is not a good way to deal with stress in life

If this is stressing this guy, being in his 20s and if full thick frontal hairline gives him back his lost confidence for next 5/10/ 20 years even ( if he maintains a healthy lifestyle, medications ) 

trust me, i think he should go for it. 

My advice to lebanese guy :

  • wait until 21 - ( many reputed clinics would agree to help you out but min. age they request is 21 )
  • start some  or all of these meds after you evaluate these ( do some deep research ) - Finastride, Minoxidil and Biotin
  • Make sure to quit smoking if you smoke cigg, avoid weed to the max if possible and work out is a must to keep blood flowing to all body parts
  • eat less sugar/salt , and have high protein rich diet
  • Find the best doctor, in your budget, discuss all options based on your case and go for it
  • After few months, i am sure you will get great results as younger patients always have solid hair caliber and thick donor plus the right age/blood circulation that is required to achieve solid results.good luck 

at the end of the day, you are the architect of your own life. you have to compare priorities, future planning, pros and cons.

EVALUATE it all and if a solid thick head of hair is of utmost important at this stage of life as per your soul searching, trust me there is nothing wrong in it. go for it.

there is  always enough for tomorrow if 2nd HT is required 10/20 years down the line.

Take care 

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  • Senior Member

To add: 

Majority of folks say HT , donor, future balding pattern, save for future, don't do it. you are too young etc etc. 

My perspective is different ( for cases like yours where frontal hair line is really required for youthful 20s man unlike some other folks who just complaint about little thinning in 20s but actually are not potential HT patients )

I think we should care about present and near future ONLY ( next 1-5 years at the most )

why " today " is also called " present" because its a "gift" from god 

Enjoy today, worry about tomorrow but worry less....... 

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Guys, I want you to keep in mind;

I haven't lost hair recently. It's not something new, I've always had this case since birth. It's a very rare case to be born with a receded hairline. 

- I don't take life for granted, and I always have death/chronic illness ahead of me as a possibility and I don't think I'm immune to such incidents. Shit happens. 

 

- Technology and med is advancing rapidly, and I believe by the time I'm in my 30s-40s baldness will most likely be cured and had a solution to completely stop it

 

- I've lived my entire life waiting for the future thinking I'll be happier but I end up just regretting not being happy earlier because I've already spent 20 years without enjoying my childhood like any of my friendsr/relatives did. And the life clock is ticking. Time is going away. Fast. 

 

- I don't mind being bald in my 30s-40s, I'm okay with having a bald head when I'm older. Just not when I'm young, I want to feel young when I am, and old when I am. I simply want to feel my age is all. 

 

I honestly care about my mental health and stability more than anything else.. I've had many mental health issues, insecurities, anxiety and depression because of this. I feel my mental health would get the best of me before my waiting is over for the "right time" for a hair transplant 

 

 

It's the unfortunate truth of my case, but that is my reality. I will never accept myself the way I am at my age, but I'm definitely fine with being bald when I'm older.. 

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2 minutes ago, Mycroft said:

Why are you afraid of Finasteride? Have you already tried it?

I've done my research about it, and I'm young. I care for my sexual ability and other health issues to be stable. I'm trying to eliminate a problem, not suppress it and create others.. 

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1 minute ago, lebaneseguy said:

It's the unfortunate truth of my case, but that is my reality. I will never accept myself the way I am at my age, but I'm definitely fine with being bald when I'm older.. 

I understand this completely ( not many others would understand and will scare you more than boosting your moral to go for it ) those horrible stories of young ones needing another HT soon, worrying about your hair loss pattern and finite donor etc etc are just A few bad cases.

I said what i said above after in depth understanding of age, depression, science, results, future, pros/cons and most importantly present 

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I know  24 year old personally ( pretty young almost close to your age) and his life, mental stability, confidence, depression ... more importantly personality and looks.... totally changed for GOOD.

One thing veterans dont mention, the quality of result in a young patient is top notch ( majority of cases) , so that guys result is beyond some 40 year olds dreams. 

He says its a life saving decision he made, went for it

Remember : 100 brains, 100 different thoughts - you will have to decide. 

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2 minutes ago, lebaneseguy said:

I've done my research about it, and I'm young. I care for my sexual ability and other health issues to be stable. I'm trying to eliminate a problem, not suppress it and create others.. 

If you've done your research you also know that only a small percentage of people are experiencing any side effects. The only way to know if you're one of them is to try it. If you experience side effects, you stop taking the drug. You CANNOT undo a surgery. Ruling medication out without even trying because of some stuff you read on the internet is silly.

You have a great deal of hair that could potentially recover and thicken up with medical treatment, but as far as I can tell you haven't tried any of that yet. Most credible physicians are going to ask you about that right off the bat, especially at your age. On top of that, if you're not taking any medication a transplant won't help you in the long run because you might end up losing the hair behind it.

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You guys are still missing the major point. I have no hair to recover or grow back. I was literally born with this hairline. Completely bald areas cannot be regrow if they were never grown in the first place.. That's one of the reasons I never bothered with medication, as it only thickens up existing hair or hair that used to exist, not hair that never existed 

 

Anyway, I have career plans and things I want to do to make secure my future and success. I can never reach those plans or do any of it if I can't have the confidence for it. I can't chase my dreams if I'm still not comfortable with myself. I can't go to early jobs if I need to fix my hair for two hours everyday to look somewhat normal. 

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That entire area in the front that is thinning/miniaturized could potentially be salvaged with medication, and that region alone would take quite a few grafts to fill in. If that area strengthened up you would have a normal, albeit high, hairline with zero grafts used.

As a final point, don't confuse your hairline being naturally high with male pattern baldness. You mentioned being born with a recessed hairline, but to recede it would have had to be further down your forehead. If it's always been high, that's not recession.

You've only included top down photos but from what I can see your hairline is not in a weird place at all. Some people just have high hairlines. I'm not trying to rip on you here, but I think your insecurity about your natural appearance is getting mixed up in your concern about male pattern baldness. Do you have front facing pictures?

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10 minutes ago, lebaneseguy said:

You guys are still missing the major point. I have no hair to recover or grow back. I was literally born with this hairline. Completely bald areas cannot be regrow if they were never grown in the first place.. That's one of the reasons I never bothered with medication, as it only thickens up existing hair or hair that used to exist, not hair that never existed 

 

Anyway, I have career plans and things I want to do to make secure my future and success. I can never reach those plans or do any of it if I can't have the confidence for it. I can't chase my dreams if I'm still not comfortable with myself. I can't go to early jobs if I need to fix my hair for two hours everyday to look somewhat normal. 

i think I am the only one who understands the major point. lol

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49 minutes ago, lebaneseguy said:

You guys are still missing the major point. I have no hair to recover or grow back. I was literally born with this hairline. Completely bald areas cannot be regrow if they were never grown in the first place.. That's one of the reasons I never bothered with medication, as it only thickens up existing hair or hair that used to exist, not hair that never existed 

 

Anyway, I have career plans and things I want to do to make secure my future and success. I can never reach those plans or do any of it if I can't have the confidence for it. I can't chase my dreams if I'm still not comfortable with myself. I can't go to early jobs if I need to fix my hair for two hours everyday to look somewhat normal. 

Lebaneseguy 

both @Ian. and myself gave you input even though it might seem harsh to you right now. I agree with @Ian. on all points he made. You cannot make rash decisions as things like this can potentially affect your whole life. Emotions can greatly affect logical thinking. It really seems to me like you are fishing for the specific answers you want, in this case for people to tell you to go for it. 

 

Think this through. Why would almost all ethical surgeons refuse to do surgery on someone your age? I’m not a doctor but to me the answers and potential pitfalls are obvious my friend. 

 

Like i said, hair loss is progressive and usually the earlier it starts the worse it will become. You have miniaturization on your hairline and what looks like some thinning in your crown based on the overhead pic. You don’t want to go on meds and want to have a procedure. Present these facts to any reputable surgeon (not one that just wants your money) and see what they say.

 

my advice is to look into trying meds (finasteride minoxidil and nizoral shampoo). Your hair loss is early enough and not too advanced that you can stop/slow and possibly regrow hair as you can see how your hair loss progresses. If meds work well for you over the years it can put you in a better position for surgery as you can retain more hair.

 

i hope the best for you whatever you choose. I know how hard this is and the emotional toll hair loss at a young age can have.

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2 hours ago, lebaneseguy said:

You guys are still missing the major point. I have no hair to recover or grow back. I was literally born with this hairline. Completely bald areas cannot be regrow if they were never grown in the first place.. That's one of the reasons I never bothered with medication, as it only thickens up existing hair or hair that used to exist, not hair that never existed 

 

Anyway, I have career plans and things I want to do to make secure my future and success. I can never reach those plans or do any of it if I can't have the confidence for it. I can't chase my dreams if I'm still not comfortable with myself. I can't go to early jobs if I need to fix my hair for two hours everyday to look somewhat normal. 

 

2 hours ago, HLPToronto said:

i think I am the only one who understands the major point. lol

I too understand. I've had more luck with my hairline than you, but I've always had a high forehead and recession. I too have not experienced balding, but more of a constant recession. I think I come from a similar perspective.

I agree that anyone who says a 2X year old shouldn't get a HT is missing the point. 

There's a great article by SPEX on here somewhere about reaching a maturity level before an HT. I've also seen several well thought responses from 23 and under crowd as to why an HT will benefit them. My point is: a young man can be mature enough for the HT, but none of us here can say with confidence that you are or are not mature enough.

1. You should know that the hairline you choose will follow you for the rest of your life.

2. You should know that you will lose more hair behind the transplanted area.

3. You should know that there is no "catalog" like a video game where you pick your hair density and characteristics. Even with a good surgeon, you may not get the results you thought you would.

4. This ties with 3, but, the results you get from a HT are bound with risk. Just like the risk you fear with finasteride. You seem to be okay with a risk of failure with a HT, but not a risk of failure with finasteride. You do realize the risk of failure with HTs is well documented, this forum and elsewhere. The risk of fin sexual side effects is documented but spotty. Also.... Maybe you don't realize it, but there are remedies (for both "event" use as well as daily treatments which ensure you perform) that exist already and are inexpensive in your currency.

5. With you mentioning not even trying fin for sexual reasons, and mentioning your youth and wanting to enjoy your 20s, I sense a pattern. I hope you don't think hair will "get" you laid. This is pure speculation of course and may not apply to you. I understand you will experience more confidence and will look younger which will of course be helpful, I only caution against expecting a "turnaround".

 

From my perspective, I support an HT if you understand the risks. 

I, like everyone else, think you should go on fin. I, like you and everyone else, understand that fin won't grow your hair in your bald temples. It won't happen. The fin is to stabilize your hair loss. Look at your mother's father. Does he have hair? If he has your current hair (with more recession, but overall "not bald") then screw fin and don't worry about it. If he is bald/balding, you'll buy yourself time with your current hair if you start finasteride. I have 2 friends in their mid to late 30s. I spoke with them after my HT, and learned they were on fin. It stopped both their hair loss for 7 and 10 years and counting. Had no idea and couldn't have guessed the used it.

A HT will recover/build your hairline (if successful) and the fin will keep your hair. Those are two separate items. 

I saw you mentioned your perspective doc, but I'm on mobile now so it's a little difficult to research. Is your doc a recommended one from this site? Did he agree to work on you? Turkey is famous for their coffee and their enthusiasm for pushing 8+ patients through one docs HT office a day to a mixed bag of results. How much do you know about your doc, and do you trust his quality?

I know a hairline will help you, but are you mentally prepared for the risks and the journey? I and @HLPToronto understand your struggle and won't recommended waiting if you're ready now.

Feel free to ask anything. I'm happy to help.

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A couple of things I’d like to add:

I wouldn’t bet on a baldness cure anytime soon. Having a hair transplant based on a baldness cure that hasn’t been invented is unwise and you cannot add that to the list of reasons to through with a transplant. I don’t know anything about the doctor you’ve consulted with, and maybe he’ll be a rock star in the hair transplant world. Something makes me think otherwise. Right there your making a high-risk wager on two unknowns.

Your concern for your mental health is paramount. Perhaps that’s another reason that your concerned to take medication that could interfere with that. If so, that’s understandable. I don’t want to get to personal (but hell this is an anonymous forum) but how much of that ties into your concern about your hair? Spending 2 hours getting ready to leave the house from what your hair looks like in your pictures seems excessive. Maybe on a day when you don’t have to leave the house, set a timer for 30 minutes. Tell yourself that’s all the time your giving yourself and see if the end result makes that much of a difference.

While we’re on the topic of mental health. How would you psychologically deal with a surgery that depleted you donor hair and worsened your recipient area?

I believe that you’re probably a smart guy. You’re about to graduate from college, and it sounds like your setting high goals for yourself professionally. That’s awesome! But here’s something to think about: Could you accomplish your career goals while wearing a hat? My guess is no. Because if you have a bad transplant result, that might be what your stuck under before you have the chance to save up for a high-quality surgeon that charges you for a difficult repair job.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. These are just things to consider. I know you are in a tough spot and your being honest about being unhappy about your appearance. Make no mistake, it sucks! But you have to be honest with yourself about the potential outcome.

I don’t know everything about you, but from what I’ve gathered, personally, I don’t think that you are prepared for surgery. That being said, I am just a guy online. If you do end up going the route of surgery, like jj51702 I hope that you get a surgeon that has your best interest in mind.

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You've made a couple of points that no one seems to have paid attention to.  You were born this way. Seems by the photos that we are dealing with a contrast issue - more than anything else.  That you were born with a high forehead? I'll give you that but, based on what you've said, it seems hair loss may be a minimal issue. So, I have a couple of questions.  1st, family history. Be specific.

2nd. Have you had a consultation with any doctors.  You mentioned Turkey.  Did you actually meet with them? Did they give you a recommendation? How many grafts?

It is important that you visit with a couple of doctors. This will give you encouragement.  Why? you might ask......because they are confirming your candidacy.  They are examining you. They want to make sure that the donor area is not affected by any condition.  Farther, they are ruling out conditions other than a hereditary one.  Third, they are looking at the whole pattern and determining if their is a pattern forming.  If so, the first thing they'll recommend is medical therapy.  Lastly, they will give you a recommendation as to the number of grafts they will need to do what you are trying to accomplish.  They are confirming your candidacy.  

You seem to have decent density throughout.  To achieve that type of density in the front, might take multiple procedures.  Ask the doctor to be specific as to his recommendation.

Why are you considering Turkey?  Is it because it's near to you?  Are you open to travel anywhere for the best and most natural result.  Start looking at photos of post op results.  It is always about the results.

Lastly...put a lot of value on your donor area and be judicious with your grafts.  Once they are gone, you'll never get them back...which brings up the next point.  Have the doctor check your elasticity and ask how many grafts lifetime does he think you have.

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Hello again, 

Firstly, I want to thank you all for showing concern in my issue, where I didn't think anyone would bother help. 

 

I want to try to answer all of your questions so excuse me if I forget to reply to any aspect of what you guys mentioned;

 

Before I decided to talk here, I have had consultation with several hair transplant doctors. 

 

1- Why I chose Turkey? First of all, it's one of the very rare countries I can go to without visa. Secondly, it's the only HT I can afford at the moment 

 

2- The clinics I contacted include Cosmedica, Dr Serkan Aygin Clinic, and MCAN Health etc. 

Around most clinics told me I need around 2500-3000 grafts 

Dr. Serkan told me I will probably need to use medication that he will provide me after the HT (which I don't mind). He's done surgeries for celebrities and is very reputable in Turkey, and Lebanon. His HT includes PRP treatment as well. 

 

3- I don't mind using medication, but that's not what will reverse my baldness since I was born with my hairline and it was not a result of recent balding

 

4- I would never choose to do a HT (a life-changing one to emphasize) without making sure my clinic is a good, credible and ethical one. Dr. Serkan's clinic usually offers free second procedures in case something does not go to plan (which rarely ever happens) 

 

 

Here are some more pictures as per your request 

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Okay, so it definitely looks like you have a naturally high hairline. As I mentioned, this is a thing some people just have naturally. I myself have a relatively high hairline and always have.

A couple of things:

1. I'm going to reiterate that you should start on medication NOW in advance any procedure because it will reduce the chance of shock loss, particularly for those weaker hairs in the front. If you get a transplant and lose those you'll end up having a weird thin spot in that area that you're probably not going to like. As others have mentioned, you  also appear to have some thinning in the crown but medication might be able to reverse that entirely.

2. A couple of people have asked this, but what kind of density are you hoping for/expecting?

3. Where exactly are you wanting to lower your hairline to? Are you able to show us in an image? 3,000 grafts may or may not be enough depending on your expectation (see above). 

4. What kind of estimate have you gotten, if any, about the strength of your donor zone? Have any of these doctors provided an estimated number of available grafts? This is important for you to know if you need more than one procedure, especially if the first one fails. On top of that, you say you won't care in your 30's and 40's, but if you care now and this has been bothering you a while I think you're going to end up being surprised once you hit 30. If your appearance matters to you now, it will probably continue to matter, and you'll be surprised how young you feel at 30. What's more, you've talked about dating a couple of times. What makes you think you won't still be dating in your 30's, or even later? It's entirely possible. 

 

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I don't know what medication you're talking about, but I've been researching a lot about Finasteride today and I'm extremely discouraged to use it. The side effects seem to be extremely bad and highly likely to happen from what I've read. I'm not looking forward to erectile dysfunction and impotence.. 

I don't want to lower my hairline A LOT, I just want it to look like a normal height hairline at least. I am not knowledgeable about the number of grafts much but most clinics told me I'd need around 2500-3000 max. I don't know. I will ask about the number of grafts available in a bit. I don't expect much density nor do I want crazy density. I'm fine with average density as long as my hairline begins to look normal 

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39 minutes ago, Mycroft said:

Okay, so it definitely looks like you have a naturally high hairline. As I mentioned, this is a thing some people just have naturally. I myself have a relatively high hairline and always have.

A couple of things:

1. I'm going to reiterate that you should start on medication NOW in advance any procedure because it will reduce the chance of shock loss, particularly for those weaker hairs in the front. If you get a transplant and lose those you'll end up having a weird thin spot in that area that you're probably not going to like. As others have mentioned, you  also appear to have some thinning in the crown but medication might be able to reverse that entirely.

2. A couple of people have asked this, but what kind of density are you hoping for/expecting?

3. Where exactly are you wanting to lower your hairline to? Are you able to show us in an image? 3,000 grafts may or may not be enough depending on your expectation (see above). 

4. What kind of estimate have you gotten, if any, about the strength of your donor zone? Have any of these doctors provided an estimated number of available grafts? This is important for you to know if you need more than one procedure, especially if the first one fails. On top of that, you say you won't care in your 30's and 40's, but if you care now and this has been bothering you a while I think you're going to end up being surprised once you hit 30. If your appearance matters to you now, it will probably continue to matter, and you'll be surprised how young you feel at 30. What's more, you've talked about dating a couple of times. What makes you think you won't still be dating in your 30's, or even later? It's entirely possible. 

 

Very good points.

I am also curious about 2&3. 

@lebaneseguy you can edit your photos in paint or whatever and add an approximate hairline you're desiring. By the way, the lowest you could theoretically go would be the point a couple millimeters above your brow when you furrow it (looking up or surprised). 

From my earlier post, I also realized after the fact that your crown is thinning. Your hair loss pattern is emerging. Fin can reverse hair loss in crown. There's a great post by @hairlossPA I've been linking: https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/53087-finasteride-results-6-months/

...I just had the pleasure of reading your post about "researching" finasteride while I type this. "Highly likely extremely bad" results are the results you've seen? You choosing to put so many adjectives in to drive a point tells me you're trying to convince us about something many of us use without issues (and you yourself will not even try). We're not buying what you're selling.

It's not age anymore, I don't think you're a candidate for expectations.

1. You "know" things that are false. You're willing to discard member knowledge from here in favor of some non-moving preconceived theory. You're not willing to learn. You have a doc (instead of taking recommendations). You have your preventative regiment picked out (doing nothing) instead of taking a medication that's #75 or so most prescribed medication in the USA which would have people violently protesting if there were these side effects. I've met people who are not willing to learn, but push an agenda under the guise of advice. Those people reap what they sow, for better or worse. 

2. I wasn't going to mention this earlier, but how does a man spend 2 hours on hair that's less than 2 inches (5 cm) in length? I was like WTF? Now I hindsight it is apparent you're again convincing us. You are using exaggerating language to drive a point. 

3. Do I think this trend will continue to the docs office? Yes. Any doc that sees your age and hears this adjective laced talk of woe will see you're expecting something particular. A good doc will see it and tell you to return after a year on fin (I expect, maybe I'm wrong). If you find a doc willing to work on you, as-is, I don't think they'll care about your future. Maybe using all your grafts for this one op. Maybe letting techs turn you into a Mr Potato Head with 70% failed grafts. Maybe you find a gem of a doc who fixes your issue. 

I don't think you're a good candidate, and it is not related to your age (maybe casually related, but only if you shift your behavior).

I'm done with this. You already have your mind made.

 

Edited by Lennney
Grammar. Now I'm out.
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If you're thinking of traveling abroad, consider this read: 
Airfare guide

 

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@Lennney I have been suffering from this for 20 whole years, excuse me if I sound very skeptical or stubborn with the way i talk about it. It has frustrated me - I had Finasteride completely out of my available options but I am actually asking about it now and consulting several doctors about it. If they give me the green light I may go for it

However, I don't really care about lowering my hairline to the point of a little above my brows, I still don't mind having a forehead, I just want it a little lower than it is to look reasonable to me. 

I did, literally, spend that much time on my hair before resorting to Toppik now (which I don't wanna keep resorting to for a long time). It's become an obsession, I'm trying to get rid of it

 

I appreciate your concern and assistance - show me where I'm wrong and I'll gladly learn more about it. You're not forced to help if you don't want to, it's up to you definitely 

Edited by lebaneseguy
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Look, I think that you starting this conversation shows that you have a certain level of restraint instead of diving head-first into surgery which is good. That said, you need to get the idea of having surgery within the next year out of your head. I believe that Lennney is right, it’s not just about your age at this point. You simply haven’t done enough quality research, and emotionally your ripe for the taking of any doctor that is willing to tell you what you want to hear just to put you through a living hell in exchange for money.

I personally don’t feel comfortable telling people to get on medication because I do not feel qualified. That said, the people who are telling you that the side effects are inevitable and irreversible are probably mainly people like you. As in they have never even tried it, just repeat what they hear and discourage others from giving it a shot.  

No offense, but if you have been doing as much research into finasteride as you have into doctors, you need to start back from square 1. Because someone you might call “credible” or “ethical” probably wouldn’t line up with how others would define those words. Just because Turkey is the one of the rare countries that you can visit, doesn’t mean that you couldn't have a Skype consultation with doctors from other countries just to pick their brain about your options.

I find it off-putting that your doctor tells you that they have a system in place where if things don’t go according to plan, they offer a complimentary surgery. It’s already putting you in a mind frame of expecting and accepting a bad result like it’s no big deal. If someone botches the first procedure, potentially wasting or underutilizing 3K grafts, why would you ever let them touch you again and do the same with another 2K or so? Because it’s free?

If you have trouble receiving any further guidance here, I would recommend that you youtube Joe Tillman and the Bald Truth. You’ll find hours and hours of hair transplant, medication discussion, etc. I think it’s a great place for you to start for easily accessible, quality information. Best of luck!

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