Would HT be a good option for me?

[Avv21]

New member and learning a lot from reading (such as Norwood classification which I believe I am Type 2). Hoping for some additional general guidance because I don’t know if HT would be a good option for me.

As you can see on the images on the link below, I have a noticeable lack of hair at the anterolateral/frontoparietal/temples area of my head. Honestly, I feel like my hairline has always looked like this, and I don’t believe that it’s a recent occurrence. I’m in my mid to late twenties. 

Here is what my hair looks like and the third picture is what I would hope to accomplish with a transplant: https://imgur.com/a/3Es3dWu

Do you think a transplant would benefit me aesthetically? Would it be feasible in this area? Please let me know if there’s any additional info needed in order to advise me, additional angles needed, etc or I I should be positing in a different forum. Thanks. 

[BadHairDay]

Are you taking any meds to stop hairloss? It looks like you have some temporal recession bilaterally.

[Avv21]

16 minutes ago, BadHairDay said:

Are you taking any meds to stop hairloss? It looks like you have some temporal recession bilaterally.

No meds right now since I just started looking into what to do about this. Will say that I’m not exactly enthusiastic to meds, let alone for the rest of my life (as I assume would be the case)

[1978matt]

Unfortunately that's a female hairline you have drawn.  Would suggest something more like below:

 

[Avv21]

2 hours ago, 1978matt said:

Unfortunately that's a female hairline you have drawn.  Would suggest something more like below:

 

Huh interesting. What you’ve drawn seems like a pretty negligible addition, to be honest. Do you think I’d really get a great benefit? I’m not even so sure. 

I guess the good news is that it wouldn’t require as many follicles/be as expensive. 

[Avv21]

10 hours ago, transplantedphil said:

Agree with @1978matt, what you've drawn is basically a woman's hairline (or an incredibly strong male juvenile hairline) showing no signs of recession or balding at all. I fear such a design would ultimately leave you with an unnatural appearance, especially as you got older.

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You've said your hairline has always looked like this, but i would suggest there are signs of temple recession (unless you have photos going back to when you were a kid with a similar hairline?). Are you on any medications for hairloss and do you have a family history of balding? These are the best predictors of whether you really are losing hair and where you will ultimately end up later in life. As you donor supply is finite (and balding is progressive) it thus becomes a question of supply and demand and the areas you want to fill in would require a lot of grafts leaving you with little options if male pattern baldness develops. 

It's also best to start conservative as so many things can go wrong and getting a HT is a lifelong commitment (patients will often need 2-3 in their lifetime), so Matt's suggestion is on point. Whether his conservative design is a negligible addition is entirely up to you. 

I'd probably send off a few consultations to reputable clinics and get their input. Good luck

Thanks for the feedback and informative post. No medications right now because I just started thinking about this. Not very enthusiastic about using any (presumably would need it all my life). My father and paternal uncle have minimal balding, actually. 

Perhaps you are right about the recession based on this photo from ten years ago https://imgur.com/a/dfafAvK

Honestly, if Matt’s design is what I could reasonable expect from any type of intervention, I feel like HT wouldn’t even be worth the trouble and money. I know it’s all subjective but what are your own thoughts? I wonder if others with a similar degree of recession to me have gone for it. I just don’t know if it looks so “bad” now for it to be worth it. 

 

 

[1978matt]

If you weren't in your 20s I might have drawn the lines a cm further forward.  It looks like your hair has recessed quite a bit and what's to say it wont continue.

With a recessed but solid hairline you will still look better for sure, but it would be more of a subtle change than trying to turn back the clock too far.

[Gasthoerer]

It is clear that you are not ready yet for a HT. Neither from your status, nor from your knowledge. 

I second that you should monitor, educate yourself and maybe use minimal medication such as topical MINOX and KET Shampoo. 

Good luck...

By the way: Of course small interventions can bring a lot of benefit. See my case as a reference too.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Gasthoerer

[Melvin- Admin]

You've been given some great replies, male hairlines are not closed off, when you look at a female hairline you will see that the temple peaks are closed off, take a look at Brad Pitt, his temple points are angular. Now look at Angelina Jolie, she has the same temple points you drew for yourself

[Phillyman1996]

4 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You've been given some great replies, male hairlines are not closed off, when you look at a female hairline you will see that the temple peaks are closed off, take a look at Brad Pitt, his temple points are angular. Now look at Angelina Jolie, she has the same temple points you drew for yourself

Dont little kids usally have female looking rounded off hairlines?

[hockeyman]

OMFG ......that is a ridiculously glorious head of hair that Brad Pitt has.  I knew he had great hair but I didn't realize it was that good.  Now I'm even more depressed about my own mop 😪.

[Gasthoerer]

1 hour ago, hockeyman said:

OMFG ......that is a ridiculously glorious head of hair that Brad Pitt has...Now I'm even more depressed about my own mop 😪

Genetic lottery is brutal and unfair. Brad Pitts brother could be easily searching this site for help. 

[Sean]

I wouldn’t touch it at this point.  The hairline you drew is feminine.  Temporal angles should not go forward like that for males. esp past age 20.  They should be “ L “ or “ /_ “ shape.  Some folks have them in the “ ) “ Shape too.  


youd probably want to try meds that suit you first before you go this route.  You do not want to chase repairs as this is extremely risky surgery.

Best of luck

[Melvin- Admin]

11 hours ago, Phillyman1996 said:

Dont little kids usally have female looking rounded off hairlines?

No, little boys still have angular temple points, only girls have rounded off hairlines.

[Avv21]

On 12/24/2019 at 12:11 AM, Phillyman1996 said:

 

On 12/23/2019 at 8:03 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

You've been given some great replies, male hairlines are not closed off, when you look at a female hairline you will see that the temple peaks are closed off, take a look at Brad Pitt, his temple points are angular. Now look at Angelina Jolie, she has the same temple points you drew for yourself

Thanks those are good examples to demonstrate the point 

[Avv21]

On 12/23/2019 at 12:02 PM, transplantedphil said:

As you care enough to want to do something about your hairloss but don't think pursuing a conservative intervention now would be advantageous, I think you've basically answered your own question. I personally think your hair looks pretty good (most balding guys would be jealous), but as your still quite young and not interested in medications my only advice would be to monitor things and see how your hairloss progresses over time. It might be helpful to take photos every 4 months or so (same lighting, same hair length) that way you can judge it properly. 

In terms of expectations and similar cases to yours, here is one by the surgeon that both me and Matt went to who lowered this gentlemans hairline around 1cm. 

 

Thanks for your opinions advice and example. I will monitor. 

[Avv21]

On 12/23/2019 at 12:31 PM, Gasthoerer said:

It is clear that you are not ready yet for a HT. Neither from your status, nor from your knowledge. 

I second that you should monitor, educate yourself and maybe use minimal medication such as topical MINOX and KET Shampoo. 

Good luck...

By the way: Of course small interventions can bring a lot of benefit. See my case as a reference too.

Have you any positive experience with either the shampoo or minoxidil?

[Avv21]

On 12/24/2019 at 4:16 AM, Sean said:

I wouldn’t touch it at this point.  The hairline you drew is feminine.  Temporal angles should not go forward like that for males. esp past age 20.  They should be “ L “ or “ /_ “ shape.  Some folks have them in the “ ) “ Shape too.  


youd probably want to try meds that suit you first before you go this route.  You do not want to chase repairs as this is extremely risky surgery.

Best of luck

Thanks for your insight. Have you had any success with medications? Or any knowledge of the efficacy of them for men trying to reverse hairloss?

Also: what are some of the rapid fire complications of HT?

Of course, about to google this myself after I post this but not sure to expect a whole lot of answers since I know this is rare to do. 

[elduterino]

I would not worry about the shape of the hairline, everyone seems to have a different one and in the real world, 99% of people will not even notice you had a HT or even think that a hairline looks feminine, too low or whatever..that's because everyone is so obsessed with their own life and issues and do not care about others, apart from your family members and maybe partner/gf/wife. 

Life is short and you should get the hairline you like

Only people in these forums are going scrutinize and judge hairlines, so you are asking the wrong group to start with.

But a HT without meds is really risky, and there will be better options soon besides FIN. If I were you I would start FIN and MINOX ASAP, protect what you have now and see in one year if you were able to maintain, before even thinking about any HT.

The shape of the hairline will be linked to how well you can maintain hair on meds

You will not need to take FIN all your life as we have much better options coming in 2-3 years, in terms of side effects and effectiveness, but you will need to use meds all your life. Every  hair follicle counts so start saving them now

Edited January 4, 2020 by elduterino
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[Melvin- Admin]

For full disclosure and transparency, I have had to hide some responses made from a physician. Apparently, this physician was affiliated with another clinic, and some of the information he has been providing has been brought into question. I need to research this a bit further and speak with the physician and the clinic, until further notice some of his responses that give personal experience information will be hidden. 

Best wishes, 

 

Melvin