23 year old diffuse thinner

[Nickpatay12]

Hello everyone, 

I am new here. I decided to post because I need some advice. I started losing my hair or started thinning around 19. I started rogaine around 20-21, my hair loss became stable wasn’t too noticeable. I still use it twice a day everyday. It has started to lose its effects.  Around 22-23,  My temples have receded and most of the hair on top of my head thinned out. It’s all there just really thin. I use hair fibers to cover up the best I can. I can post pictures later today, since I have fibers in right now. I tried propecia, was really hoping it would work for me but I had side effects immediately which scared me away from the drug. My crown area isn’t too bad don’t notice anything crazy yet. Donor area looks solid. I am wondering if my only option is to pull the trigger and get a hair transplant. I could hold off until 24-25. I understand the risks of getting a transplant at a young age. I’m not sure what doctor would consider operating on me and what doctors are the best for diffuse thinners. I understand I won’t get the same hair I had at 19. I need some honest opinions on what I should do? Have any of you had success getting a transplant at a young age ?

Edited December 11, 2020 by Nickpatay12

[gillenator]

A couple of things...minoxidil has its benefits however it does not inhibit DHT, the root cause of MPB.

Low dose finasteride does inhibit DHT in most men but as you stated, you had side effects.

My recommendation to start with is to meet in person with a reputable hair loss doctor and get some advice on the potential of adjusting the dosage and frequency of taking it because it is possible that the side effects can be reduced by easing into the medication.

Also, what is your family history for men with MPB on either side of your family?...do some of the men have advanced MPB as noted on the Norwood scale?

And yes, posting some pics would help to offer you some feedback.

[Nickpatay12]

Okay, thank you for the advice. My father is bald completely on the top. His dad as well. Moms side one uncle is bald the other still has his hair. Grandpa on that side stared balding in his late 50s. What kind of doctor can I see regarding the dosage ? I would still like to consider a transplant. I’ll post some pictures soon. 

[deitel130]

I would recommend you meet with a refered surgeon here and have a consultation. At this age you should probably stabilize your hair loss. Minoxidil and as mentioned by @gillenator try with low few days a week dosage of Finasteride and see if your body adjusts to it. There are topical Finasteride options that other members on this forum are using as there are fewer sides. If you post asking i'm sure others will provide details. Members here are very helpful. Do you have pics to share so that others can get a better idea. Most consults with referred surgeons here are free. There are options and hopefully you can find a solution that best works for you. All the best.

Edited December 12, 2020 by deitel130

[Nickpatay12]

Here are some pictures if anyone can give some advice. Thank you. 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Nickpatay12

[Nickpatay12]

@deitel130 I was taking 1 mg finasteride. I took it for one day and I really didn’t feel good. I had most the side effects. What type of dosage do you think I should try? I wonder if .25 mg 3 days a week would help. If this doesn’t work my only options are a transplant and continuously issuing minoxidil. 

[deitel130]

Are you thinning all over? It seems like you have isolated hair loss in the front. Have you spoke with your doctor to see if this is MBP and not something else causing it? 

I would not be in a position to recommend dosage but I think taking it for 1 day, experiencing sides and stopping is too early to to draw any conclusions. You may have just been over anxious due to what you may have read on the internet. Don't get me wrong, sides do happen with some people and they normally stop once the medication is stopped. Talk to your doctor and see if he/she can recommend dosage and schedule to ease into the medication. If you have sides try topical Finasteride. But first get your hairloss evaluated in case it's not MBP and something more easily addressed.

[Nickpatay12]

@deitel130 Thank you for the advice. I am mostly thinning in the front area. The crown isn’t bad at all for now. The temples have receded since when I was younger. What type of doctor would I have to see, my regular doctor doesn't have much knowledge on finasteride. Should I see a hair transplant doctor or a dermatologist?

[deitel130]

Try to see a dermatologist first. Most dermatologist also can recommend starting dosage for Finasteride if it's MBP. I believe some doctors recommended here are also dermatologist but that may be better suited for in person consults unless you live near one recommended here. If not then get your doctor to refer you to a dermatologist. My only advice is that first get evaluated, if MBP get the hair loss stabilized for a year then finally research before going to any clinic for a HT. Don't let cost drive your decision if you end up going that route.

[Nickpatay12]

Okay thanks, I will try to get a hold of a dermatologist in the coming weeks. I live in the Chicago area. Is there any list of HT doctors I can take a look at. I’m new to this website so I’m not sure where I can find the best and recommend doctors. Also does finasteride help make the hair thicker, or do results differ per person. 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Nickpatay12

[deitel130]

The only one I'm aware of is Dr. Konior in Chicago. He does have excellent results. Have a look through the recommended doctors there may also be others.

[giegnosiganoe]

Get on finasteride ASAP. Sides 1 day in? You're overthinking it.

[Nickpatay12]

@deitel130 okay thanks. I will look into him when I feel like finasteride is no longer an option. @giegnosiganoe I wish I was overthinking it. I can say that I didn’t feel good for a few days after taking it but I did recover completely afterwards. I’m going to talk to a specialist and see if I can ease into the drug (Lower dosage). I’m afraid to have sides again. 

[giegnosiganoe]

For many people, taking finasteride makes the difference of whether you're a candidate for hair transplantation or not. Keep that in mind.

[Nickpatay12]

Can you give more detail on that ? I’ve read of many people who have gotten transplants without finasteride and still had success. Does it depend on the person ? I mean if I have sides again I’m not going to risk taking the drug and I would still try and get a transplant. 

[plus]

if you're diffuse thinning and young and can't take finasteride then you have to set your expectations very low.

You can go get a great looking transplant right now with a lot of grafts but your hair loss will continue and your hair will look progressively worse. Some of the transplanted hair might also miniaturize. The transplanted hair that don't might create an "island" like appearance.

Can you predict these things?

- how much hair will you lose over time? which nw scale?
- how long will it take for that to happen?
- even the hair that will finally remain, how thick will they remain?

depending on this "final natural state" you reach, do you think there would be enough high quality donor hair to put all over your scalp? that's the question to answer.

some people have great beard and chest hair which they use a substitute for not having great donor area.

[Richie888]

As stated above and the fact there is dominant baldness in the family the likelihood is that you will bald at some stage. At a minimum you should try topical fin as you are young enough and have enough time on your side to see if it is effective or not. Have a look through the forum, there is a couple of members having good results from topical.

[Nickpatay12]

How do I get hands on topical fin

[giegnosiganoe]

19 hours ago, Nickpatay12 said:

Can you give more detail on that ? I’ve read of many people who have gotten transplants without finasteride and still had success. Does it depend on the person ? I mean if I have sides again I’m not going to risk taking the drug and I would still try and get a transplant. 

It's all about supply and demand. Without fin you have less supply (donor is also prone to miniaturization for many people) and greater demand (you'll obviously bald quicker and reach a worse end stage). You could have 1000 grafts of supply in excess while on finasteride, however if you were to get off of finasteride then you may be short 2000 grafts. That could make the difference between you being a good candidate or not.