Should I get a hairtransplant at 22 years of age?

[jojolux]

1 minute ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I don’t mean to be brutally honest, it’s just I’ve been there, so I know the signs. This was me at 23 about a month shy of 24. 

29

Damn that went quickly, but thanks anyways.

So what do you think I should do? take finasteride for atleast 1 year and a half and then reconsider my options? 

And did you get a hairtransplant done?

[andrew11]

5 minutes ago, jojolux said:

Damn that went quickly, but thanks anyways.

So what do you think I should do? take finasteride for atleast 1 year and a half and then reconsider my options? 

And did you get a hairtransplant done?

I had a very similar hairline and it stayed the same from 20 until 25 , it really depends on your family history.I would definitely start the preventive treatment and monitor your hairline for a year or so before getting a hair transplant. This will also allow you time to research. I myself have personally noticed much less hair shed when starting finasteride although no regrowth. 

Edited February 12, 2021 by andrew11

[Melvin- Admin]

44 minutes ago, jojolux said:

Damn that went quickly, but thanks anyways.

So what do you think I should do? take finasteride for atleast 1 year and a half and then reconsider my options? 

And did you get a hairtransplant done?

Yea I’ve had three check out my hair transplant journey in my signature. Definitely take fin and wait to see if your hair thickens and gets better. At least a year and a half.

[giegnosiganoe]

Finasteride ASAP. Consult with a doctor to get a prescription of course, but no need for seeing a urologist and doing a bunch of tests lol. The large majority of the millions of people who take this drug have no problem with it. Worst case, if you're part of the unlucky small % who gets side effects, then simply stop taking the drug.

[Curious25]

2 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Finasteride ASAP. Consult with a doctor to get a prescription of course, but no need for seeing a urologist and doing a bunch of tests lol. The large majority of the millions of people who take this drug have no problem with it. Worst case, if you're part of the unlucky small % who gets side effects, then simply stop taking the drug.

Wrong. 
 

It is the most responsible thing a patient can do, to see a urologist - it is the area of medicine that they specialise in, and they are without a doubt, the most equipped medical professionals to sit down and talk to RE. finasteride.  
 

Too many guys like you talk about this as though it’s buying a tube of smarties from your local shop - I remember already having this debate with you on a different thread and you had no words in the end.
 

I was fortunate enough to consult with one of the leading urological consultants in the UK last year, and it was one of the most invaluable hours worth of doctoring I’ve ever had in terms of both my physical and mental health.  
 

I never advise people for or against, because that is ultimately not my place, and I am not a doctor . . however as a member of this community I believe I have a responsibility to advise and direct people to follow the correct steps as closely as they can possibly do so, whether that’s in terms of going through with a hair restoration procedure, or looking to start on a (life long) medication. 

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Curious25

[giegnosiganoe]

8 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

Wrong. 
 

It is the most responsible thing a patient can do, to see a urologist - it is the area of medicine that they specialise in, and they are without a doubt, the most equipped medical professionals to sit down and talk to RE. finasteride.  
 

Too many guys like you talk about this as though it’s buying a tube of smarties from your local shop - I remember already having this debate with you on a different thread and you had no words in the end.
 

I was fortunate enough to consult with one of the leading urological consultants in the UK last year, and it was one of the most invaluable hours worth of doctoring I’ve ever had in terms of both my physical and mental health.  
 

I never advise people for or against, because that is ultimately not my place, and I am not a doctor . . however as a member of this community I believe I have a responsibility to advise and direct people to follow the correct steps as closely as they can possibly do so, whether that’s in terms of going through with a hair restoration procedure, or looking to start on a (life long) medication. 

 

I don't see how any of what I said is incorrect.

You don't need to be a urologist to read and understand the evidence surrounding finasteride. Most physicians are well-informed.. that's their job. Will you find some who are against finasteride? Unfortunately, yes. Will you find urologists who are for finasteride? Yep. You can even do your own research, it's not that hard.

I didn't think it was worth replying to you last time. It's not like you provided any scientific evidence, you just don't like how I and most other users talk about the drug so casually. The way I talk about the drug has to do with the evidence relating to its benefits and its great side effect profile. It's not like I'm denying the fact that side effects exist. On the contrary, it's clear that you talk about the drug with way too much caution.

Yes people should be aware of the side effects, and that's where doing your own research and getting the opinion of multiple doctors comes into play.

[zakaria.sabbahi]

the age its not problesm i had many patients that younger than you . 

[DrTBarghouthi]

You definitely need to be on good forms of maintenance and to delay the procedure as much as possible. I would not advise you to have a HT at this current age and given your current pattern. 

[Future Hair Doc]

I agree with what others have said. See your physician about finasteride and minoxidil and wait at least a few years for stabilization. Ask your physician if it's appropriate for you to be on oral minoxidil as well. More and more studies are coming out demonstrating its safety profile and efficacy. About 5% of people experience side effects from finasteride, which translates to roughly 1 in 20 people. 

[Raphael84]

@jojolux 
It is really great that you have found this forum as a platform to discuss your situation and receive advice and support from a community of individuals who are essentially experiencing similar concerns. This can be very valuable for you and allow to educate yourself and not rush into anything that you may not be comfortable with.

Having said that, please be cautious whose advice you decide to prioritise in this thread.

Far more irresponsible than considering medication and seeing how you may respond, would be to proceed with a hair transplant at 22 with your pattern of loss. 22 is a very young age to be considering surgery and the majority of ethical surgeons would not consider proceeding in a 22 year old patient with a Norwood 3 pattern of loss, with some visible thinning/decline in quality of hair in the crown, and who is not using medication. This is somewhat of a red flag.

At 22, you may have been losing hair for approximately 4 years more or less. Hair loss is progressive and will generally continue well past middle age. Considering that you have another 38 years until you are 60, you unfortunately quite probably have many years of loss ahead of you, and the extent of loss over this amount of time could be significant, meaning that any frontal restoration now, may leave you with an unnatural pattern of loss, with your frontal hairline restored and little else behind. You would certainly require a subsequent surgery, but at such a young age and without medication, your lower crown and lateral humps may well drop, meaning increased graft demands, but further donor limitations.

Medication is certainly a very personal decision, but can be a very important factor in younger patients who are experiencing rather aggressive loss. 
If you were to decide to begin a regimen of hair loss preventative medication, if you were to have any concerns you could discontinue. If you were to proceed with surgery, then you would not be able to reverse this decision, so please be cautious.

Any individual experiencing loss, being honest and realistic is essential. Many guys have more aggressive loss than yourself at 22, and after managing loss and stabilising native hair with medication, and planning surgery later into their 20s, find themselves in very positive positions in regards to coverage as they age.

I wish you the best!

[jojolux]

5 minutes ago, Raphael84 said:

@jojolux 
It is really great that you have found this forum as a platform to discuss your situation and receive advice and support from a community of individuals who are essentially experiencing similar concerns. This can be very valuable for you and allow to educate yourself and not rush into anything that you may not be comfortable with.

Having said that, please be cautious whose advice you decide to prioritise in this thread.

Far more irresponsible than considering medication and seeing how you may respond, would be to proceed with a hair transplant at 22 with your pattern of loss. 22 is a very young age to be considering surgery and the majority of ethical surgeons would not consider proceeding in a 22 year old patient with a Norwood 3 pattern of loss, with some visible thinning/decline in quality of hair in the crown, and who is not using medication. This is somewhat of a red flag.

At 22, you may have been losing hair for approximately 4 years more or less. Hair loss is progressive and will generally continue well past middle age. Considering that you have another 38 years until you are 60, you unfortunately quite probably have many years of loss ahead of you, and the extent of loss over this amount of time could be significant, meaning that any frontal restoration now, may leave you with an unnatural pattern of loss, with your frontal hairline restored and little else behind. You would certainly require a subsequent surgery, but at such a young age and without medication, your lower crown and lateral humps may well drop, meaning increased graft demands, but further donor limitations.

Medication is certainly a very personal decision, but can be a very important factor in younger patients who are experiencing rather aggressive loss. 
If you were to decide to begin a regimen of hair loss preventative medication, if you were to have any concerns you could discontinue. If you were to proceed with surgery, then you would not be able to reverse this decision, so please be cautious.

Any individual experiencing loss, being honest and realistic is essential. Many guys have more aggressive loss than yourself at 22, and after managing loss and stabilising native hair with medication, and planning surgery later into their 20s, find themselves in very positive positions in regards to coverage as they age.

I wish you the best!

Thank you very much for taking your time and giving me such a structured answer.

And thanks to everyone else too who took their time and answered on my questions.

I‘ll deffo talk to my doctor and talk to urologists about taking finasteride:)

Edited February 14, 2021 by jojolux

[Curious25]

Look OP, in response to @Raphael84’s post with regards to being selective of who’s advice to take it’s as simple as this; 

 

If having hair is your main priority, then absolutely look into starting medication - it is the only proven and effective solution we currently have on the market, and it will almost certainly slow down your hair loss, probably re-thicken your existing hair, and if you’re lucky, maybe even grow some back. Still consult with a doctor of course. 
 

However, I don’t know you - the guys on the board don’t know you, so for all we know, you may prioritise other aspects of your life that MAY be affected by the long term use of certain hair loss medications, which in that instance, may prove not to be the route you wish to go down. 
 

Research as much as possible - you’l realise that you aren’t a good candidate right now, and the advice about stabilising and slowing your progressive loss before considering restoration is the absolute correct advice to be following IF your hair loss is the biggest concern to your lifestyle, as opposed to other aspects that may or may not take a negative hit as a result of this regime. 
 

Pretty much every hair loss surgeon will recommend using medication, because their goal for you is to regain your hair. Which is why for balance, it is important to consult with specialists who work in the field of what the medication actually falls into - finas - urology/endocrinology ... minox - cardiology. 
 

Just to put it into perspective - oral minoxidil is not even the preferred medication anymore for patients with high blood pressure because of the side effect profile (granted at a higher dosage). 
 

And urologists prescribe 5mg proscar to patients with enlarged prostates for only a temporary time frame, usually no longer than 9 months. Again granted at a higher dosage - but you have to realise that when using it off label for hair loss, it is prescribed to be life long. 
 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Curious25

[BLE123]

2 hours ago, Raphael84 said:

Having said that, please be cautious whose advice you decide to prioritise in this thread.

?

The only advice posted in this thread so far is:

- Get on fin
- Consider getting on Fin but do your research, weigh up the potential benefits and consequences, talk to an expert

Am I wrong in thinking that it's actually the 2nd view that you want the OP to be "cautious" of? Really?

[Britanium]

On 2/13/2021 at 2:05 PM, zakaria.sabbahi said:

the age its not problesm i had many patients that younger than you . 

This is the advice I think is very questionable 🤨 

[Raphael84]

13 hours ago, BLE123 said:

?

The only advice posted in this thread so far is:

- Get on fin
- Consider getting on Fin but do your research, weigh up the potential benefits and consequences, talk to an expert

Am I wrong in thinking that it's actually the 2nd view that you want the OP to be "cautious" of? Really?

No, as @JohnAC71 said, my concern would be with posts explaining that age is not a problem, and that proceeding with surgery at 22 regardless of personal circumstances/characteristics is fine. Unfortunately, we see this far too often.

I would completely agree with any and all advice explaining to thoroughly research and understand potential implications of any medication, especially those that require a long term commitment. I also feel that the same level of research should be applied to understanding hair restoration surgery, education, realistic expectations and long term planning as priority, and thoroughly research any surgeons you may have interest in.

[Melvin- Admin]

19 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

This is the advice I think is very questionable 🤨 

To say the least, the grammatical errors spell S-C-H-I-L-L to me.

[gillenator]

Keep rockin' the mohawk!....😉