Serious Help needed on the next step

[baldface]

Background

Hello, im a 22 year old and ive been losing hair since i was 18. i have previously been taking minoxidil and have been on july 2021. for most of that i was taking finasteride EOD, however I've been taking it everyday for the past month or two to see if that would make a difference. In the mean time i would like to make some actions regarding my current state, ive been using hair fibres to hid the issue and i really dont want to continue with it. At first most of the hair loss was in the crown and then the mid zone, with my hairline not really being affected, however recently thats begun to regress and thin. Losing hair so fast and at such a young has really knocked my confidence and mental health down in general. so here are the possible actions.

HAIR TRANSPLANTS

ive spoken to numerous clinics both in uk, europe , Eugenix and in turkey. all the clinics in the uk except one had told me that i am a candidate for a transplant, however confusingly one of them told me i only need 3k grafts (which i think is too little), while the others including the Turkish clinics said i would need around 5k grafts in total and 2 transplants. 

in terms of the clinics that currently had said now is not a good time for transplant was HLC in Turkey and sikos klinica in Hungary. the reason was that due to young and advanced loss im sure to keep losing hair, and my unsatisfied with the results, However one aspect i didnt understand was that HLC said that i have miniaturized hair and that i should stay on fin everyday for 6-12 months. with me taking it for more than a year i highly doubt i will reverse the miniaturization. Furthermore the one british clinic that said no to surgery told me i should try dutasteride, however i really dont know if its gonna really do much if fin hasnt done much

Ive been trying to get in touch with Dr bicer through her clinic, but im not sure if there's a communication issue as ive asked questions repeatedly without getting answers as well waiting a week for response. 

i previously was quite set on having a hair transplant but recently i am no longer sure if i will be a suitable candidate, especially with my impression that i may have retrograde alopecia and NW6. But i am still open to having one if it will give good outcome.

SMP (Scalp Micropigmentation)

ive also recently started looking more seriously into SMP, with the two main clinics being Creative Scalps or Brandwood clinic. However like with any procedure i feel it has its pros and cons, im not quite sure how faded smps look, upclose, in bright photos and also a big fear of developing the lego hairline look due to lots of topups. Furthermore, i remember reading a thread about some fears regarding if SMP increases risk of cancer, if someone could illuminate me and explain whether these fears are justified or not would be appreciated.

Hair system

this looks like quite a good idea however im scared if someone would be able to tell that its a hair system due to the hairline or the visible lace etc. how much maintenance is needed and also the costs is also questions i have.

just saying FOK IT and shaving it all off.

if this is the best solution then ill do it, the first couple of days will jarring especially with me being the youngest in my group/work and being the first person to go bald. But after that i feel may just accept and just not be bothered by it.

I Have attached some photos.

 

 

[baldface]

im sorry if this is not the correct forum for this kind of post

 

[Britanium]

With such extensive loss at a young age you really would need to be on Fin (and stay on it) before even considering a ht. 

I worry these clinics are just wanting your £££s. Most ethical clinics will ask your at least 25 before they will perform a hair transplant. 
It’s nearly a certainty you will continue to lose ground. Fin may or may not slow or stop the loss, it’s just too early to say.

Did you get feedback from Eugenix ? Please do mention the clinics that have agreed to do a ht, I would be very surprised if they are the decent ones. 

[Z--]

I'd check out Eugenix and H&W given the level of loss. I'd be a bit hesitant to do a hair transplant given your young age, but the level of loss you have is intense, though the donor looks okay. I'd honestly shave it off, give fin some time, and wait until 25 to see where your donor is at. If it hasn't thinned by then, I'd go through with it.

Best of luck with the journey -- you've come to the right place.

[mmokin]

I think fin or dut long enough could help regain you some coverage so you dont have to use as many hairs for a HT, but at your stage the only way to get a full head of hair, that looks good for your age, is a hair system imo

[Britanium]

At such a young age with a clear Norwood 6 heading to a future 7 (dipping crown) this is going to be a massive challenge. Tread carefully here. 
It’s absolutely worth shaving down and/or considering SMP. 

[HappyMan2021]

@baldface you are in the right place. Your hairloss is quite severe. Even if you were in your 40s or 50s I would say your hairloss is severe, but especially at 22. I have to assume that even if you start FIN asap, you will still lose hair. This is VERY aggressive hairloss. 

You will need multiple 10/10 homerun surgeries (unlikely), and even then you may only be a NW 3. 

I wouldn't bother with SMP. SMP is great if you only have a few select areas you want covered (crown, or select thinning areas on scalp). But if the choice is being naturally completely bald, or doing an entire SMP job on a bald head, definitely just go natty bald. You will have a shaved bald head either way. One looks natural and has no risk, the other can look really fake and you will need touchups every 5-7 years. Light can reflect the SMP and that can look weird. 

Hair systems have some cons, but if you're seriously up for at least experimenting with them I would give them an honest shot. IMO a hair system is your only realistic shot of "getting your hair back"

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by SadMan2021

[Britanium]

As with a lot of us high Norwoods I’m guessing you have a pretty good beard ? This can be a good combo with a shaved/SMP head. As well as being a possible future source of grafts 👍🏽

[Britanium]

@GatsbyIs your go too guy if you want to talk about hair systems ! 

[baldface]

4 minutes ago, JC71 said:

With such extensive loss at a young age you really would need to be on Fin (and stay on it) before even considering a ht. 

I worry these clinics are just wanting your £££s. Most ethical clinics will ask your at least 25 before they will perform a hair transplant. 
It’s nearly a certainty you will continue to lose ground. Fin may or may not slow or stop the loss, it’s just too early to say.

Did you get feedback from Eugenix ? Please do mention the clinics that have agreed to do a ht, I would be very surprised if they are the decent ones. 

Thank you for your comment its really appreciated, should i keep staying on fin,ive been on it for more than 18 months now, i absoultely agree that hairtransplant at a really young age is not a good idea generally. Euginex quoted me a price of around £12-13k and said hairloss is progressive and i should be on fin. in terms of the trnaplant clinics that wanted it done, basically most the clinics in the UK, eg vinci, wimpole etc.

[baldface]

3 minutes ago, JC71 said:

As with a lot of us high Norwoods I’m guessing you have a pretty good beard ? This can be a good combo with a shaved/SMP head. As well as being a possible future source of grafts 👍🏽

haha yeah guess thats the little postive we have, my beard is pretty good, im ok with a shaved head but woud rather not deal with the dreaded horseshoe. in terms of smp which would be the better choice between brandwood and creative scalps? thanks again

[baldface]

5 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

@baldface you are in the right place. Your hairloss is quite severe. Even if you were in your 40s or 50s I would say your hairloss is severe, but especially at 22. I have to assume that even if you start FIN asap, you will still lose hair. This is VERY aggressive hairloss. 

You will need multiple 10/10 homerun surgeries (unlikely), and even then you may only be a NW 3. 

Hair systems have some cons, but if you're seriously up for at least experimenting with them I would give them an honest shot. IMO a hair system is your only realistic shot of "getting your hair back"

thanks for the input i really appreciate it. yeah i think ur right its between hairsystem and smp. However since ill be working in a hospital and so will be quite close to patients i dont know if they will be able to tell that its a hair system. Also ive been on fin for 18 months now 1mg

[Britanium]

2 minutes ago, baldface said:

Thank you for your comment its really appreciated, should i keep staying on fin,ive been on it for more than 18 months now, i absoultely agree that hairtransplant at a really young age is not a good idea generally. Euginex quoted me a price of around £12-13k and said hairloss is progressive and i should be on fin. in terms of the trnaplant clinics that wanted it done, basically most the clinics in the UK, eg vinci, wimpole etc.

I’m going to say run in the other direction of those Uk clinics in particular, in reality we have poor choices here in general. 
For any chance of a decent result then it’s pretty much Eugenix and staying on Fin for a lifetime. It would take multiple sessions and i wouldn’t be a in a hurry. Definitely try shaving down first. 

[baldface]

13 minutes ago, mmokin said:

I think fin or dut long enough could help regain you some coverage so you dont have to use as many hairs for a HT, but at your stage the only way to get a full head of hair, that looks good for your age, is a hair system imo

if you had to guess how long would begin to see improvement in coverage?

[baldface]

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

I’m going to say run in the other direction of those Uk clinics in particular, in reality we have poor choices here in general. 
For any chance of a decent result then it’s pretty much Eugenix and staying on Fin for a lifetime. It would take multiple sessions and i wouldn’t be a in a hurry. Definitely try shaving down first. 

yeah thank you my experience really matches ur thoughts, if i were to do a transplant in the future i will definitely try to arrange it with Euginex. 

[HappyMan2021]

7 minutes ago, baldface said:

thanks for the input i really appreciate it. yeah i think ur right its between hairsystem and smp. However since ill be working in a hospital and so will be quite close to patients i dont know if they will be able to tell that its a hair system. Also ive been on fin for 18 months now 1mg

While hair systems can be detected if they are poor quality, or can be detected by hair transplant obsessives, hair system experts, etc. - the average person is not thinking about hair on a daily basis like we on this forum are. With a good hair system, I really doubt you would be "discovered" wearing one. I think the majroity of guys with hair systems have this phobia, which is completely natural. But hair systems these days can be very high quality and really are undetectable to the average person. 

Also, consider this. You can't take back/reverse SMP, but you can always stop wearing a hair system. I'd hate for you to do SMP and have it look horrible, and then deeply regret not at least trying a hair system first 

*I have never worn a hair system myself, but after reading a fair amount them on here and elsewhere that's the opinion I've formed. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by SadMan2021

[Gatsby]

You could reach out to Harry James at the Bald Cafe on YouTube if you consider shaving your head. I’ve had SMP for the past 5 years and I’ve only had a minor touch up earlier this year. I wouldn’t be concerned about cancer. I wore a hair system for 25 years but you really have to ‘own it.’ If you are worried that someone might find out then it’s not for you. I would get in touch with Eugenix for advice moving forward. Give Finasteride a solid one year and then review you situation. Dr Bicer is a great surgeon and a lovely lady. I was chatting with her last night on WhatsApp but your age really precludes you from surgery now. The biggest reason isn’t your hair loss but one’s mindset. You may and most likely feel different to what options you will choose 5 years from now. The worst thing you could do is make a permanent option like surgery and regret it in ten years time. Wishing you all the best! 

[baldface]

10 minutes ago, JC71 said:

@GatsbyIs your go too guy if you want to talk about hair systems ! 

messaged him thanks for the help! much appreciated 

[Britanium]

With regards to SMP then maybe @hairthere/ @EnhancedScalpmaybe kind enough to give there thoughts. I have not seen enough UK SMP results to give any recommendations. 

[baldface]

Thanks everyone for the help. 

I think the part that hurts the most is i spotted the hairloss so early and did everything i could to stop itor atleast slow it down, but my older siblings still have hair and i dont lmao.

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, baldface said:

Thanks everyone for the help. 

I think the part that hurts the most is i spotted the hairloss so early and did everything i could to stop itor atleast slow it down, but my older siblings still have hair and i dont lmao.

Tell me about it ! Lol my Dad and Bro are/were both Norwood 0. I was showing loss in my 20s… 😝

[baldface]

3 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

You could reach out to Harry James at the Bald Cafe on YouTube if you consider shaving your head. I’ve had SMP for the past 5 years and I’ve only had a minor touch up earlier this year. I wouldn’t be concerned about cancer. I wore a hair system for 25 years but you really have to ‘own it.’ If you are worried that someone might find out then it’s not for you. I would get in touch with Eugenix for advice moving forward. Give Finasteride a solid one year and then review you situation. Dr Bicer is a great surgeon and a lovely lady. I was chatting with her last night on WhatsApp but your age really precludes you from surgery now. The biggest reason isn’t your hair loss but one’s mindset. You may and most likely feel different to what options you will choose 5 years from now. The worst thing you could do is make a permanent option like surgery and regret it in ten years time. Wishing you all the best! 

thank you so much!!! this means alot! ill take ur advice

in terms of the fin are u suggesting to carry on for another year since ive been on it for 18 months. and i agree Dr bicer sounds like a great person so am a bit unsure why my experience with her assistant/whatsapp messaging person has not been the best.

[baldface]

1 minute ago, JC71 said:

Tell me about it ! Lol my Dad and Bro are/were both Norwood 0. I was showing loss in my 20s… 😝

😂😂😂 life throwing curveballs/surprises in the wierdest ways to us

[Britanium]

Just now, baldface said:

😂😂😂 life throwing curveballs/surprises in the wierdest ways to us

And luckily you can benefit from my experience’s, I didn’t do my research and chose poorly for my first ht (12 years ago) and it was here in the UK. 
Coming on to this forum is the best thing you could have done ! 

[baldface]

12 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

While hair systems can be detected if they are poor quality, or can be detected by hair transplant obsessives, hair system experts, etc. - the average person is not thinking about hair on a daily basis like we on this forum are. With a good hair system, I really doubt you would be "discovered" wearing one. I think the majroity of guys with hair systems have this phobia, which is completely natural. But hair systems these days can be very high quality and really are undetectable to the average person. 

Also, consider this. You can't take back/reverse SMP, but you can always stop wearing a hair system. I'd hate for you to do SMP and have it look horrible, and then deeply regret not at least trying a hair system first 

*I have never worn a hair system myself, but after reading a fair amount them on here and elsewhere that's the opinion I've formed. 

you raise some excellent points! this really made options clearer thanks