Am I a good HT candidate? 34yo, NW3 w/ diffuse thinning

[FirstAscent]

Hey all,

I plan to speak with at least a handful of HT surgeons in the US and Europe, but I really respect the opinions of you guys and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Genetic background: My maternal grandfather was NW6 as is my maternal uncle. I have zero information on my paternal side because my biological father was an anonymous donor.

Prevention: I started taking Finasteride 1g for 4 months last year, but then stopped for 4 months (for no particular reason) and restarted in December 2021. Pretty sure that, on the whole, I lost ground over that 8 month window. I plan to take Finasteride for the rest of my life now until given a reason otherwise. I am also considering adding additional substances to my hair loss prevention protocol.

I was a NW1 3-4 years ago, so the acceleration of my appearance of balding is pretty disheartening. I have a low stress lifestyle but have been battling some digestive problems over recent years. Basic blood tests (minerals, hormone levels, CRP, etc) have come back normal.

-Does this look like typical MPB?

-Does my level of diffuse thinning affect how good of a HT candidate I am?

Can post more pictures or share video if it would be helpful.

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by FirstAscent

[FirstAscent]

Here is a video of my crown:

 

Just to be clear, I'm not even really thinking about crown work. I'm just hoping that a drug protocol can stop my crown from getting worse.

[FirstAscent]

Jeez guys, almost 100 views later still no responses... is this not a normal type of thread to create? 😂

[Melvin- Admin]

-Does this look like typical MPB? Yes, typical diffuse thinning. 

-Does my level of diffuse thinning affect how good of a HT candidate I am? Yes and no. Yes in the sense that too much could do more harm than good. No, because you still have good donor hair. 
 

Your case I would advise to get back on medication. You don’t have to take the oral version of finasteride. Dr. Hasson has developed a topical version that seems to be really intriguing. Dr. Mwamba also has a formula. I’d like to see you be on meds for a full year before re-evaluating. You may need less grafts, or even feel like you don’t need an HT.

[aaron1234]

Melvin is exactly right.  Surgery is risky in that you could shock your remaining native hair on top, perhaps leaving you worse off than before surgery.  Get back on fin and stay on it.  If you don't, it is reasonable to assume that you'll lose the rest of your remaining hair in a few years surgery or not.

[HappyMan2021]

On 1/27/2022 at 2:56 PM, FirstAscent said:

I was a NW1 3-4 years ago

you have pretty rapid hair loss considering this. Ideally, I would say wait until you are 40 or so when the hairloss is hopefully stable, and you can get one large surgery. 

I worry if you get surgery right now, you will be chasing multiple hair transplants in a short 4-5 year timeframe. 

Obviously, it's alot to handle living with MPB for 6 additional years, so can't blame you for wanting surgery asap.

[Mike10]

No not the best one

[Smolhouse]

You have a strong donor zone but to be a good candidate you need to stabilize your hair loss with Finasteride and stay committed to taking it.  Also plan on 2-3 transplants and a conservative hairline since it appears you are on your way to NW6.