23 year old balding guy looking for the right hair clinic

[ProfessorBald]

Hello guys,

Let me introduce myself: I'm a 23 year old male from Belgium and I have been suffering from hair loss since the age of 18. (Yes, I did not win the genetic lotery unfortunately)
I've been using Minoxidil since I was about 19, I use a dermaroller and a Laser Helmet to help my blood circulation. I've had a PRP-treatment about one year and a half ago (which was only helpful for a couple of months afterwards).
Since one year or so I've also started using Minoxidil + finasteride topical lotion on a daily basis. My hair loss is stabilizing now but my hair has fallen out significantly over the past few years.
I also have a pretty large forehead as you can see in the pics I've included so that doesn't really help my case either.

Anyway, the reason why I'm posting my story here is because I would love to get a hair transplant done this year. I'm aware of the fact that I'm still very young, but I really want to
regain a more youthful look. My goal is to recreate and lower my hairline and add some more density on the thinning parts of my crown. I must say I have a very dense donor area so there shouldn't be a problem harvesting good quality grafts. I would love to read your opinions on my case and give me some tips regarding the best clinic for me. My budget is about €5000 by the way.

Thanks alot!

[Britanium]

Hi

check out the forums recommended list:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN-MOB

[Melvin- Admin]

Have you tried finasteride? At your age, I’m afraid to say you’re headed to Norwood 6 by 30. You definitely do not want to chase hair loss with surgery.

[TommyLucchese]

I agree with Melvin.

I had a HT on my frontal third when I was 23 but this was after over 2 years of finasteride and minoxidil, which had (and has) stopped and reversed some of my loss to an extent.

You should get on fin (oral or topical) and see where you are in a few years. If that works, maybe you could then rebuild your hairline conservatively to get you through the next decade into your mid 30s.

I would say you should forget about the crown and learn to live with it for the next 10 years or more. Maybe grow your hair longer and use some concealer?

It's a tough spot but the advice I've given you is what I have followed over the last 11 years and so far so good. 

[Gatsby]

At 23 your hair loss is very aggressive and you need to stabilize with mediation. you need to be on finasteride for at least 12 months to see if can halt your hair loss and improve the density of your donor hair. Even if this happens you will need to be on finasteride for life if you are willing to do this to slow your hair loss down. My greatest concern is that you have a budget at age of 23 and you need to focus on results first and let the budget follow. Their are some excellent hair transplant surgeons in Belgium. However if they are still worth their pinch of salt they should be steering you towards meds and stabilization. Trust me. I understand how painful this news is to you at 23. I wish I was able to accept this advice at 23 (if it was available). You still have a scalp that has not been scarred. You need to seriously think this through with the help of ethical surgeons. There is a way out of this pain. Keep posting here and asking heaps of questions about everything to do with your hair loss and how you feel. It will save you a lot of life long regrets and money at this stage.

[ProfessorBald]

Thanks everyone for the advice and the tips. I've tried oral Finasteride in the past for a period of about 6 months. Unfortunately I had some pretty heavy side effects like drowsiness, feelings of depression, concentration problems,... So I decided to quit the oral Fin. After my PRP-treatment at Prohair Clinic here in Belgium, they offered me the topical solution (Finasteride + Minoxidil) and I've been using it ever since (about a year and a half now) without any heavy side effects. I've also ordered Essengen 6 Plus on MinoxidilMax and I will be using this in the future since I've seen a lot of promising reviews.

At the moment my hair loss is pretty stable. I use the amount of hairs in the shower drain after I took a shower as a measure. And I can honestly say it's reduced a lot compared to the amount of hairs that I had to pick out a year ago for example. So it gives me some confidence to keep using the topical finasteride solution.

I just really want to lower my hairline since my self confidence took a big hit since I started losing my hair. At my age it's pretty upsetting seeing your hair fall out and not having an effective form of medication to counter this. So a hair transplant is something I'm really considering in the near future...

[PizzaWolf]

@ProfessorBald I've heard that Dr Lupanzula in Brussels sells topical Dutasteride. Since your hair loss is on the aggressive side, you might consider using something more potent to try and manage your MPB. Also look into RU58841 and see if you're comfortable using a topical like that. You are obviously very DHT sensitive, but I personally feel you still have time to make a significant improvement in your hair through pharmacological means.

Dr. Bisanga and Dr Feriduni are in Belgium. I can't imagine two more aesthetic and reliable HT surgeons, but do your own research to confirm. Your budget needs to go up, though.

Save up more cash for the next year or two and use that time for experimentation and improvement on your hair.

[Doron Harati]

As a consultant center of HDC clinic, we advise patients to do the first procedure at age 25, maybe 24 on rare occasions, but there is still a risk to have a procedure at age 25, we must make sure your donor won't get miniaturized so the transplanted hair won't be effected by DHT, your hairloss is very advanced for your age, it seems you gonna be NW6, what is your family hairloss history?

[Melvin- Admin]

3 hours ago, ProfessorBald said:

Thanks everyone for the advice and the tips. I've tried oral Finasteride in the past for a period of about 6 months. Unfortunately I had some pretty heavy side effects like drowsiness, feelings of depression, concentration problems,... So I decided to quit the oral Fin. After my PRP-treatment at Prohair Clinic here in Belgium, they offered me the topical solution (Finasteride + Minoxidil) and I've been using it ever since (about a year and a half now) without any heavy side effects. I've also ordered Essengen 6 Plus on MinoxidilMax and I will be using this in the future since I've seen a lot of promising reviews.

At the moment my hair loss is pretty stable. I use the amount of hairs in the shower drain after I took a shower as a measure. And I can honestly say it's reduced a lot compared to the amount of hairs that I had to pick out a year ago for example. So it gives me some confidence to keep using the topical finasteride solution.

I just really want to lower my hairline since my self confidence took a big hit since I started losing my hair. At my age it's pretty upsetting seeing your hair fall out and not having an effective form of medication to counter this. So a hair transplant is something I'm really considering in the near future...

Lowering your hairline a lot would be a mistake. Trust me when I say this, you will need every graft you can spare. I had double the amount of hair you did at 23, and by 29 it was all but gone. Do you have pictures of your hair before the topical finasteride and minoxidil? 

If you’re in Europe, reach out to Dr. Bisanga, he has had great success with topical fin and oral minoxidil. I would ideally like to see you on meds for at least another year. In the meantime, you can use hair fibers to conceal hair loss, grow your hair out and do a fringe to reduce the size of your forehead. Whatever you do, DO NOT RUSH! Acting emotionally will only be a mistake.

This is a life changing decision, it should not be taken lightly. If you can’t afford a decent surgeon, save up. Most decent doctors charge a minimum of $2.5-3 per graft. Lower than that, you start getting into Hair Mills, which will gladly take money from a suffering 23 year old. We don’t sell hair transplants here, we educate first. Good luck, feel free to pm me for more information.

[Sean]

Do not step in the chair yet.  If meds are not distinctly improving the scalp, then a ht will be a chasing situation.  
 

hairs that are finer will have hard time during extraction process.  I’d wait a year to see if meds continue to improve hair quality and growth.  Have you used oral finasteride tablets?