2 years post transplant - get another?

[jakaroo]

A couple years ago, I gained some attention on this forum for seeking an FUE surgeon as a 20 year old. I knew I was extremely young, but my receding was bad enough that I would get stopped at airports because customs officials didn’t believe my age. I ended up getting a 2500 graft FUT procedure. Today I want to post an update that might help other young people in similar situations, and ask for a second opinion on whether it’s time to get another.

Here’s a link to my post 2 years ago where you can see how I looked originally:

If you’re very tall, people aren’t going to ask “do you play basketball?” because they realize you must get that question a lot. Looking older than your age, on the other hand, is just subtle enough that everyone feels the need to point it out. If you’re experiencing this, know that you’re not alone, and frankly time is on your side.

As for my personal story, I started at a new job a few months after the procedure as I had planned to. I had to continue to wear hats for the first 2 months at that job, but then I was able to take them off while the transplanted area was still maturing. Unfortunately, I only had a couple hatless months before covid hit. I couldn’t seize the opportunity to get another transplant because I wanted to wait to make sure this one had gone well. C’est la vie.

Sometimes, it’s hard to see things clearly when you’re too close to them. I’d love to get a second opinion on:

• is my transplanted hair thinning? (see below for pics 9 months post op to now, almost 2 years)
• is 2 years long enough that I can safely say the hairs won’t start falling out?
• should I get FUE this time around?

I've tried to include lots of pics so that anyone in a similar position can get an idea of what to expect. That initial frizzy texture is pretty common, doctors usually say it goes away but some people claim you're stuck with it for life.

[Future Hair Doc]

You should be able to get a few more FUTs before getting FUEs. You'll maximize the number of grafts this way. And you're usually safe at 2 years to get another hair transplant surgery. 

[Gatsby]

At 22 and with already one hair transplant under your belt you are far to young to know where your hair loss is going to head and you always have to assume that it will become Norwood 6/7 in the planning. @qui bono you have covered everything that I would have to say. Are you taking finasteride to try and stabalize the loss? Your hair looks great now going by your photos. It's the future you need to be concerned about and that means having a plan and not jumping back in to surgery. All the best!

[Richie888]

Your result has made a massive difference to your look. You can see the gain in confidence by the way you style your hair etc. 

Getting a HT is rolling the dice at any age but again you have to look at the pros and cons. If your getting constant references to your hairline and how it makes you look old it can leave deep mental scars. Would you like to have a good young quality of life and worry about how it looks down the line when maybe there have been developments in hair restoration?? I think you made the right choice, you will get nothing but wise advice on this site but no one can walk in your shoes. 

I also don't think you need a second pass yet. You look to have decent overall coverage, enough at least to see you through your mid 20's with confidence and without having to worry how strong the wind is each time you leave the house! Good luck man 

[gman849]

Its best to wait, like our other friends have said. You have made great improvements with the 1st transplant,your hair is looking good. Keep up the fight other ways, keep those grafts in reserve. 

[newme]

Your result looks good. I think it's ok to have transplant in your 20s as long as you don't build an aggressive hairline and plan conservatively. But But your current hair looks good as of now , not sure the need of getting an HT just now.

[TrialAcc]

Like others have said, I don't think you should do anything major. If you really want to do something maybe you could look into a minor procedure to add a tiny bit of density to the hairline, but otherwise you have a pretty normal looking head of hair for a guy in their 20s. 

Also, your transplanted hair has not miniaturized/thinned. You've just lost the native hair in that area and you're left with the transplant hair. 

What you really need to do is get on finasteride if you aren't and are comfortable doing so, as this is going to be the biggest impact on keeping hair on your head. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by TrialAcc