Is it too early for me to get an hair transplant? Contacted several clinics

[drmn]

Hello dear friends! I find myself spending many hours of the day contemplating if I should get a transplant or not - It has come to a phase where I can't work or study properly.

Some background about me:

22 year old male - I had thin hair since I could remember myself and it always looked like I had sort of a receding hairline since I was probably 14. My body does not respond well to finasteride so it appears medication is out of the question. In the last year my hair has receded so much that it is noticeable and my crown has a small bald spot - I tidy my hair several times a day so my friends, and strangers - those with the full head of hair will not find the truth, my truth - that I am balding at such a young age. And thus I came to a conclusion - I have but two options

1)Shave my head completely and come to peace with my faith

2)Get an hair transplant and perhaps regret it in the future

I was hoping that you, my dear friends and hair loss experts could help me make that decision.

I guess it is important for me to my make goals clear so it easier to plan ahead:

My hair transplant goals:

(1)Hide the fact that I am losing hair at such a young age(which means I need to build my front hairline and fill the crown).

(2)Not ending up with "islands"(hair patches) on my balding head when I reach my inevitable norwood 6 and start shaving my head in a few years. It may sound like I am fooling myself but I only "want" 3 more years of great hair - to enjoy my youth, even if for a little. After that I would be happy to shave my head everyday as long as it doesn't look weird.

 

I worked hard and put money in savings every month and finally I can afford a transplant by a good surgeon/clinic.

So after contacting over 15 clinics and doctors - just to name a few: dr maras, bisanga, koray erdogan, HLC, Pekiner and I got different answers ranging from:

1. Your hair loss is aggressive and unstable, you are too young for a transplant - start taking medication. Currently you are not a candidate for our clinic
2. You are a candidate but can only transplant hair at the front to create a new hairline - crown transplant will shock current hairs(suggested 1200-2000 grafts by diff clinics)
3. You are a candidate and can make a complete transplant for the front hairline and the crown(Suggested 2000-4000 grafts by different clinics)

My donor supply is average - nothing to be amazed at which means I cannot afford to make mistakes.

Considering the pictures below, should I get an hair transplant(How many grafts do you think I need for the front hairline and crown?) or is it really too early and I should just shave my head?(Staying with my current hair is stressful for me and I would rather get it over with)

Seriously, all I want is 3 years of not looking like I am balding. I don't care if its a long hair style, a short hair style or going completely for the "shaved look"(Which makes me look like Sucre from prison break) or
whatever makes the best illusion.

Thank you for reading, any input is appreciated!

Edited January 29, 2020 by drmn

[paddyirishman]

Hello @drmn . I sympathise with your situation regarding hair loss.  

Ok so you cant take finasteride.  Your priority is to try and hold onto your native hair . Look at lasercombs or Lasercap, microneedling , Minoxidil , Rogaine , multivitamins for hair , basically anything that would help in that regard.

You still have a lot of hair, I was surprised when I saw your pictures.  At this moment in time I think you should sit tight and concentrate on trying to hold onto what you have, as you have a lot.

It's far to early to think about your crown. It's always best to start at the front in any case. You were advised your doner is limited so it's best not to have a HT at this point in time, you are only 22, as you will end up with islands of hair and patches of scalp around the transplanted hair later, with the strong possibly of running out of your doner supply. It's all about supply and demand, so plan for the long term, unfortunately thats means not doing anything now.

You spoke about shaving your head, good for you , maybe you could try getting your hair cut to a number 4 for a trial run, This way would give you a great idea on your potential future look, or your new present look,   you would be surprised how well this would blend in with the thinning areas. . It' would not take long for your hair to grow out again.  It could really suit you.

You were told you were heading for a norwood 6, how do you know that you wont be a 7 ?  Is it because of the assessments of the clinics you contacted, and you provided your family history ? 

........Paddy.....

 

 

[JJ1187]

I had my first hair transplant around the same age as you, so I might be able to help. Personally I would suggest that you shave your head and see if you like the look. I went with an FUT, which is why I was able to maximize my donor capacity. It seems like you are thinking of getting an FUE and if I am not wrong there probably won't be enough grafts to cover your scalp if you do reach NW 6. FUT+FUE might be the way to go but again, the scar is something you have to consider. As others have suggested medication and lasers might be a good option. Try out minoxidil and see how you respond to it. If you get a transplant at this age, shock loss is a possibility and since you are not on finasteride you might end up worse off after the transplant

[hairlossPA]

i wouldn’t get a hair transplant at this age. keep your sides short (1-2 clipper) and the top longer. this will give a good illusion and take away from the balding look. believe me.

saying you only want 3 more years of hair to enjoy your youth is a complete lie. ask anyone here. you will want hair in the future. 

if you can’t tolerate finasteride, do dermarolling and minoxidil. that might save you but chances are low.

when you get to the age of 25-27 or when you see a final pattern appearing, you can think about FUT + FUE

[Melvin- Admin]

I don't think getting a hair transplant at your age is a smart idea, you still have a lot of hair left to lose, I think you should maintain your hair with finasteride, minoxdil and the dermaroller. For now I suggest using hair fibers to mask the baldness. They are a god send, I can make my hair look amazing with them.