Opinions on my hairline and options

[longhairkindacare]

Hey all,

I decided to grow my hair out a few years ago, always wanted to.  In an unfortunate twist, I've also seen some serious receding over that time frame.  I've always had a serious widow's peak but I can't deny the hair loss anymore.

I'm 35 and have never looked into hair options before and have never used medication etc.  But I stumbled on this forum today and am wondering if a HT might be a good option for me to fill in the two receding areas above my temples.

I love doing research so will learn everything there is to know on here about the general process but wanted to get specific input on:

1. My actual hairline and if I'm a good HT candidate
2. Anything specific to long hair.  I'm guessing if I go HT I'd have to cut it all off for the procedure?  Does anyone do long hair transplants?  Could I grow it back out after?

Anyway, thanks for reading!

[caricatura]

First of all, your hair, especially for your age, looks relatively thick and lush. Your temples are slightly receded, but they don't look bad at all. The general recommendation for thinning hair is "the big three" (Minoxidil, Finasteride, Ketoconazole Shampoo). Most people just start with Finasteride and see if they can tolerate it, as Minoxidil makes the hairs "dependent" on it and Ketoconazole doesn't do all that much. Usually, Finasteride is enough. However, that will likely not restore the empty temples, but rather thicken and halt further loss. The reason for not taking Finasteride is that people are afraid of the drug's side effects.

If the temples bother you, you look like a great candidate. Provided those are your only problem areas and you have a strong donor area (hair at the back and sides of your head), you wouldn't need too many grafts and would likely thus go for an FUE procedure (perhaps 1500 - 2000 grafts?). I wouldn't recommend lowering the hairline or even filling in the temples completely, but maybe an inch or so. Some surgeons might be able to work without shaving, but I believe this is more common with the FUT procedure, which I don't really recommend considering your hair loss is minimal and you probably don't want to sign up for a big linear scar just to fill in those small areas. You would shave your head before the procedure and then grow it back out as long as you want, only with newly sprouting hair in the temples. It would take at least 7 months or so until those newly placed hairs look like the rest of your hair. Then, ideally, they'd be permanent. Hope that helps!

[TorontoMan]

Start with finasteride, as it addresses the underlying issue. I would go on finasteride for 1 to 1.5 years before doing any surgery, and take that time to research surgeons. Your hairline is Not likely to come back with meds, but there is some possibility. Hair loss is progressive, so you need to begin combatting it with fin. ^ as per the comment above, I believe minoxidil doesn’t make all hairs dependant on it, rather the ones you are saving with it become dependant on the use to keep them alive. Hopefully someone could correct me here if I’m wrong. 
 

there is a list of doctors on this forum that are generally good. To know if you’re a great candidate we need to see Photos of your donor. I would also seek consultations from dermatologists and good surgeons to inspect your hair, and see if you are experience thinning elsewhere. 

[Gatsby]

Welcome to the forum! I would commence Finasteride and has been stated I would stay on this drug for at least 6 months to a year. It's hard to see without photos but you appear to have only a widow's peak and at the age of 35 you have a head of hair that no hair transplant could replace. Do lots of (and I do mean LOTS of) research on this forum while you stay on Finasteride. You could could easily have your temples filled in by the right surgeon for this. My only parting suggestions are to avoid looking at the cheapest place for a hair transplant such as Turkey and to have a hair transplant at the closest place as possible to where you live. The more research you do the more you will understand this. Wishing you all the best.

[Al - Moderator]

If you get a hair transplant:

If you go with FUT they will only shave a strip of hair around the sides and back and then cut that strip out and use those grafts, so you won't have to shave your head for that. If you plan to keep your hair long for a lot of years then FUT is probably the better option for you. If you go with FUE they will need to shave a larger portion of the back and sides, but with the length of your hair you can probably still hide it pretty easily. Just make sure you let the Dr know you want to keep as much of your long hair as possible to cover the donor area.

For the recipient area since you're just doing the temple areas I don't think you should have to shave anything there either, although possibly a very small amount along the hairline to blend the grafts in if needed. It depends on how thick or thin the existing hairline actually is.

Take a look at Legend007 hair transplant thread to see how he managed to conceal his FUE transplant with long hair. You shouldn't need as many grafts as he did and your hair is longer than his was, so I think yours should be easier to hide.

 

[aaron1234]

Rock star head of hair! @longhairkindacare

The most important thing you can do is to keep it that way by getting on finasteride (1mg) asap.  Schedule a consult with a reputable hair doctor to get a miniaturization analysis and get a prescription.  I get generic proscar (5mg) from Costco and cut it into 4th's.  It costs me about $15 for a three month supply.  I've been on it for 14 years and it has been huge for me. 

Where are you located?  We can suggest a few elite docs to consult with.  Be very careful, there are a lot of charlatans out there in this field.... but I think it's been getting better the last few years. 

[longhairkindacare]

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome and all the excellent tips.  This is a great community.

I'm located in LA usually but spend time on the east coast too.

I will say that the pics I took don't really capture the issue very well.  I agree I'm lucky to have thick and pretty healthy hair but the recession is real.  And I guess I just feel like I'm just a couple full temples away from having killer hair for my age (plus the full cobain look I was going for) which is why I'm tempted by the HT.

Attaching a pic that hopefully shows it better.

And I'll start my research on Minoxidil, Finasteride, & Ketoconazole asap.  As far as actually choosing a doctor (if I decide to proceed), I'll be sure to do a ton of research and check back in here for opinions.  I'm cost conscious but at the same time money isn't really a concern (want value on principle but not going to cheap out on a medical procedure).  Was reading some about Dr Nader in MX and intrigued by his results but again, this is day 1, will do a ton more research.

Digging this Legend007 thread btw, excellent comp.  Didn't even think about doing an undercut for the donor.  Hmmm....

Thanks all, really great stuff!

!

Edited December 30, 2020 by longhairkindacare

[Britanium]

Definitely the usual meds can help retain the hair you have. Apart from the temple recession which we can easily see, how’s the density of the widows peak? 
It seems like that is thinning out too. You do seem to have good donor hair. Would it be possible to see more pics of the hairline if it’s brushed forward? Thanks 🙏 

And welcome to the forum 😀

[Curious25]

Great hair. 
 

Based off the photos I’m confident you’d be a fantastic candidate. 
 

Spend hours researching this forum and others - watch YouTube videos, and interact with as many patients as you can. 
 

Patient reviews are the key. Look for cases similar to yours (similar hair loss, age, hair type) . . And learn about the different procedures and what they entail. 
 

Read up on the medications and consult with medical professionals who specialise in the relevant professional field (urology, endicronology for finasteride . . Cardiology for minoxidil) and weigh up the pros and cons relative to you and your life. 
 

You come across pretty smart, so I assume you will have already taken the medical prescriptions from random baldies online with a pinch of salt - however that’s not to suggest their advice may be wrong for you. 
 

Anyway I wish you success, and I’m sure you’l go from a slightly receded Troy to Brad Pitt trot within 6-12 months post your op date 😉

Edited December 30, 2020 by Curious25

[champybaby]

 

15 hours ago, caricatura said:

First of all, your hair, especially for your age, looks relatively thick and lush. Your temples are slightly receded, but they don't look bad at all. The general recommendation for thinning hair is "the big three" (Minoxidil, Finasteride, Ketoconazole Shampoo). Most people just start with Finasteride and see if they can tolerate it, as Minoxidil makes the hairs "dependent" on it and Ketoconazole doesn't do all that much. Usually, Finasteride is enough. However, that will likely not restore the empty temples, but rather thicken and halt further loss. The reason for not taking Finasteride is that people are afraid of the drug's side effects.

If the temples bother you, you look like a great candidate. Provided those are your only problem areas and you have a strong donor area (hair at the back and sides of your head), you wouldn't need too many grafts and would likely thus go for an FUE procedure (perhaps 1500 - 2000 grafts?). I wouldn't recommend lowering the hairline or even filling in the temples completely, but maybe an inch or so. Some surgeons might be able to work without shaving, but I believe this is more common with the FUT procedure, which I don't really recommend considering your hair loss is minimal and you probably don't want to sign up for a big linear scar just to fill in those small areas. You would shave your head before the procedure and then grow it back out as long as you want, only with newly sprouting hair in the temples. It would take at least 7 months or so until those newly placed hairs look like the rest of your hair. Then, ideally, they'd be permanent. Hope that helps!

This is the best advice. Also to those reading, this is* a great example of where FUE makes sense as a first procedure versus FUT.

Edited December 30, 2020 by champybaby

[TrixGlendevon]

On 12/29/2020 at 11:35 PM, longhairkindacare said:

Hey all,

I decided to grow my hair out a few years ago, always wanted to.  In an unfortunate twist, I've also seen some serious receding over that time frame.  I've always had a serious widow's peak but I can't deny the hair loss anymore.

I'm 35 and have never looked into hair options before and have never used medication etc.  But I stumbled on this forum today and am wondering if a HT might be a good option for me to fill in the two receding areas above my temples.

I love doing research so will learn everything there is to know on here about the general process but wanted to get specific input on:

1. My actual hairline and if I'm a good HT candidate
2. Anything specific to long hair.  I'm guessing if I go HT I'd have to cut it all off for the procedure?  Does anyone do long hair transplants?  Could I grow it back out after?

Anyway, thanks for reading!

As far as I am aware, none of these people telling you to start on powerful medication that can alter your hormone balance, potentially forever, are doctors and none of them have seen you in person, given you an in person consultation or done any bloodwork to give this expert medical opinion. Google Post-Finasteride Syndrome. Even Feriduni does not recommend meds and laughs at the amount of non-medical professionals on forums giving this advice. Everybody online is an expert I suppose.

What do the men in your family look like? This will give you an insight into what your hairline destiny is. If it is just to fill in those temples with no real risk of it getting worse, why take meds? My advice is to go to several top clinics and get their opinion. If you don't live near any, many do online consultations and given that you are not even sure if you want a transplant yet, I think an online consultation at this stage will suffice. 

They will have to shave the donor area (the bit at the back where they take the grafts from). How much they have to shave it depends on if you have an FUE or FUT procedure done (FUT will be less shaving, FUE will mean shaving most of the back). It is a relatively small area so I think most doctors will recommend FUE but given you like your hair long, an FUT scar will easily be covered by the hair. I don't think they will need to shave the front. Your hair will grow back afterwards, yes. It is still your hair, just in a different place on the head.