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Is my hair loss too premature for HT?


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Hello - long-time lurker here. I've been following this website with great interest ever since I started more earnestly planning a hair transplant.

Current concern: I wonder if my hair loss is still too premature for an enduring result from hair transplant. I use 2x/day rogaine, 1x/week dermaroller, and 4x/week LLLT (custom 272 diode laser helmet). No finasteride, as my side-effects were intolerable (sexual and cognitive).

Clinical history with hair loss: I first noticed recession when I was 19; I used finasteride for about 8 months when I was 20, then started rogaine 2x/day when I turned 23. Have added dermaroller and LLLT - I am currently 31, with NW 2-3 (see my photos in my post). I have continued to lose hair very gradually. I prefer to keep my hair short and neat, and last year, for the first time, my hairline recession and crown/vertex thinning became more apparent in most lighting. Previously, it was relatively well-disguised.

Current plan of action: I have a 3 month break between jobs, and I'm currently planning to head to Turkey while I'm traveling in the region for an FUE of ~2500 grafts to improve density across the scalp and dense grafts to repair my hairline. *Because my native hair has decent coverage, I am hoping and assuming my shock-loss will be minimally apparent, and I will be able to look OK in an office setting within 8-12 weeks*.

Questions! 

1) Is my hair loss too premature to get long-term benefit from a hair transplant? I think my hair loss is very slowly progressing, and I wouldn't "plateau" for several more years, but I am already frustrated by the appearance of my hairline, and my shrinking hairstyle options. I don't want to bother with the procedure, however, if the risks outweigh the benefits (especially since my hair already looks "OK" - if the potential benefit is low, I don't want to risk this!). Does anyone have insight into this?

2) I have a lot of native hair, even if it is slightly miniaturized. Will the FUE and subsequent shock-loss knock out a lot of this hair, as well? Or can I expect it to grow out without an effluvium, prolonged anagen phase, etc.?

3) Am I simply being crazy and should I cancel the whole thing...

Thank you all so much for your input - we all know how much anxiety this causes, and simply posting on this forum is slightly relieving. Looking forward to contributing to the community.

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Wet - Top of Head.jpg

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Edited by buzzcutaspiration
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Im not sure if FUE is the best option given there seems to be some signs of thinning in your donor area.

Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I've had that weird sparse area for like 5-10 years, and it's even weirder that the hair directly above it is extremely thick, so it's not like an expansion of crown thinning. I like to shave my back and sides very short, and any time it's shorter than a #3, that gets exposed. But I don't think it's progressively thinning - for example, it's exactly a #3 right now, and it's much less noticeable. At a #4, it is invisible. Still, I will definitely make a note of it to any surgeon not to harvest from that area.

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Given your thinning in the crown I suspect you might be headed to a norwood VI later in life actually

Yeah, this certainly seems correct, although I thought this was true for all AGA?

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I have that weird crown thinning that dips below as well, something to do with me having a double crown. I wouldn't risk the shock loss. You might be worse off after surgery. Try concealer, you will need just a bit. Or, get SMP to lessen the contrast between your scalp and hair.

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