Am I a good candidate for a hair transplant?

[cptgetdrunk]

Hello all,

as the title says I am mainly wondering if I could get some input on if I am a good candidate for a hair transplant. It would also be helpful to get an idea of what Norwood my balding is at.

My current routine is minoxidill foam @5% x 2 a day, dutasteride @ 0.5mg x 1 a day, various supplements (biotin, multi-vitamin, iron, saw palmetto, flaxseed oil) x 1 a day, microneedling @ 1.25 - 1.5 x 1 a week. I have been using minoxidill for a couple years, was on finasteride before switching to dutasteride for a couple years and have been microneedling for about a year. I don't feel that I have really had any results from any of the above. Perhaps some slight growth but nothing really beneficial enough for me to want to grow my hair out. I'm also 33 years old and started loosing my hair around 25.

So once again I guess my questions are am I a good candidate for a hair transplant, what kind of results will be realistically achievable, what Norwood am I currently at, any other recommended supplements or treatments that I should consider adding to my routine that could help improve my thinning.

Thanks in advance and apologizes if I missed something or didn't post this in the correct spot

[JoeMan]

You look like a really good candidate for Eugenix. It's hard to tell how thick the back is because your hair is short. Is it diffuse? 

I would look to get a consultation with Eugenix and they can tell you more but it doesn't look like something they can't handle. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by JoeMan

[Britanium]

Yeh I vote you give Eugenix a message, definitely worth a consultation. They excel in exactly these type of cases. A Norwood 6 pattern.

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/surgeon-list/IND/India

[Britanium]

Some other worthy considerations for higher Norwoods would be H&W, Hattingen, Dr Bisanga, Dr Zarev, @DrTBarghouthi(Vertex) and @Dr. Felipe Pittella

Edited February 23, 2022 by JC71

[cptgetdrunk]

@JoeMan The back and sides aren't diffuse at all. Just the top and crown. Would a FUE hair transplant for Eugenix, or anyone really, give me full coverage again on the top? I am worried about still appearing thinning on the top and not having the option anymore to buzz my head down if I have the FUE scars. I will reach out to them however and get a conversation going. I have seen some of their youtube videos and it does look like great work.

[cptgetdrunk]

One thing I notice on my head is a ton of tiny hairs. Like a good portion of my head has little hairs, they just refuse to grow. I guess those are just the classic miniaturized hair follicles? Is there anything I can do to help promote them into actually developing?

[JoeMan]

I think Eugenix might be able to get you full coverage but they'd be able to tell you best. 

[NARMAK]

You would probably need to grow your hair out a bit more to probably be able to take pictures that give a more accurate look and then contact Eugenix and others on the forum recommended list. 

I know that it might not feel like your routine has worked as well as you may have liked, but i tip my hat to you and you have my respect for sticking to it. How long ago did you start the Minoxidil as you didn't say about that one i think. 

Saw Palmetto + Dutasteride is a hardcore DHT reduction attempt imo but as long as you are not suffering sides, you've pretty much almost chucked the entire kitchen sink at it. 

There's a couple extra things you could try. If you are using a derma roller, switch to a derma pen. Add Nizoral as it has Ketoconazole 2% and that has mild Anti-Androgen effects. As a final bit, these two are entirely up to you but they really are the final two pieces of what you might be able to control. You could add low level laser therapy and if you can get it from the right place and budget allows, PRP. 

I personally would say Nizoral is the most cost effective of those 3 imo and you probably will get more minimal results for the cost from the other two. 

[cptgetdrunk]

@NARMAK, thank you for the reply. Really thank you to everyone who has replied. Its great to have this forum to discuss this. I will grow it out a big longer to get some better pictures, thank you for the advice. It just looks much worse when its a bit longer but your point is well taken.

For Minoxidil, looking at my purchase history, I have been using it since 2017. I was also doing Finasteride around that time as well. The switch to Dutasteride is a more recent thing but still atleast a year. No side or real issues with any of these supplements. I heard Niacine was a good option, tried that, got that insane Niacine rush, think I took 1 pill from this bottle I have haha.

For Dermaroller, I was using the roller originally but wasn't overly consistent with it. I switched to a the dermapen in Oct 2020, so a while ago, and have been consistently doing it once a week at the 1.25 - 1.5 depth. Really annoying seeing people online with great results from this and I feel like I have none, plus it hurts my head haha. I somewhat think I go to hardcore on it since I have a good amount of red prick spots for days but who knows.

 For Nizoral, I do actually use that. Totally forgot to mention it. I dont think I use it often enough or consistently enough. With my hair this buzzed short its often easy to forget to do in the shower since I'm pretty much just shampooing my head haha no fun bubbles or anything.

Is PRP something I should consider getting done before a HT and evaluate the effects? Do people have real results with the laser therapy? I have always somewhat discounted it as "magic" but would be open to getting one. 

Once again thanks for the advice and input, really is greatly appreciated.

[NARMAK]

13 minutes ago, cptgetdrunk said:

@NARMAK, thank you for the reply. Really thank you to everyone who has replied. Its great to have this forum to discuss this. I will grow it out a big longer to get some better pictures, thank you for the advice. It just looks much worse when its a bit longer but your point is well taken.

For Minoxidil, looking at my purchase history, I have been using it since 2017. I was also doing Finasteride around that time as well. The switch to Dutasteride is a more recent thing but still atleast a year. No side or real issues with any of these supplements. I heard Niacine was a good option, tried that, got that insane Niacine rush, think I took 1 pill from this bottle I have haha.

For Dermaroller, I was using the roller originally but wasn't overly consistent with it. I switched to a the dermapen in Oct 2020, so a while ago, and have been consistently doing it once a week at the 1.25 - 1.5 depth. Really annoying seeing people online with great results from this and I feel like I have none, plus it hurts my head haha. I somewhat think I go to hardcore on it since I have a good amount of red prick spots for days but who knows.

 For Nizoral, I do actually use that. Totally forgot to mention it. I dont think I use it often enough or consistently enough. With my hair this buzzed short its often easy to forget to do in the shower since I'm pretty much just shampooing my head haha no fun bubbles or anything.

Is PRP something I should consider getting done before a HT and evaluate the effects? Do people have real results with the laser therapy? I have always somewhat discounted it as "magic" but would be open to getting one. 

Once again thanks for the advice and input, really is greatly appreciated.

PRP and Low Level Laser Therapy have some scientific backing but personally for the cost i'm not a complete fan. Also, Finasteride/Dutasteride will continue working years later to improve your situation even if we only usually have a 12 month Hair Transplant timescale for full growth usually. That's why it's best to stay on it as long as possible. 

I would really say as difficult as it is, you should focus on your own situation and just blinker others. Easy to say but very few people would ever be a  "perfect candidate" imo and the majority fall into the average. 

However, and this is said with no disrespect meant, you look like the top of your frontal, mid and crown areas of the scalp look like diffused thinning and you may have to adjust for a realistic and very conservative hairline. 

Personally i know this can be hard as a younger guy (we're a similar age), but until we somehow get a well of unlimited grafts, we have to work with the finite donor areas we do have. You could try concentrate on the front and mid scalp mostly for the first surgery or two. Not sure what your beards like but beard hair usually around the crown is more accepted and probably be less noticed there. However, Eugenix and others mentioned above probably might be more suitable due to their experience with higher Norwood cases. 

[cptgetdrunk]

@NARMAK Ya maybe I will invest in a one of those laser hats. It isn't overly pricey so worth a try I guess. That is awesome though about Fin/Dut working continuously. 

I think my main concern with getting a HT is not getting full coverage and then not being able to go back to a buzzed look due to the FUT scars. I have no real interest in using fibers or anything like that to fill it in, I just touch my head too much and am too active I think. 

Honestly no worries about offending me man. I am a very chill dude haha ya the top of my head, crown and frontal areas have a good amount of diffused thinning, the sides and back do not. I will message Eugenix and see what they say but you may be right about not having enough grafts for full coverage. I have legit no beard haha insanely hairy legs though, wish that helped. Atleast I was blessed with a well shaped head for a buzz cut. Could be worse.

Thanks again for the chat and guidance though!

[JoeMan]

In my opinion PRP is a little over rated so I wouldn't put money into it. I don't have any knowledge about the laser so can't say anything about it. I don't believe either one can hurt though so if you have the money to blow then you can try them. 

If you're comfortable with a shaved head then I would definitely just keep that because surgery is always risky. 

I have seen on this forum @Gatsby case where Eugenix used body hair for his case. Look him up. His case will show you that Eugenix can and will dig deep to solve tough cases. 

[cptgetdrunk]

@JoeMan - I think I can blow a couple hundred on some laser hat to see how it works, not gonna get a 1000+ hat. I'll do some research into PRP as well. 

I am pretty comfortable with a buzzed head, suits me well, but its just nice to have options and I feel like as I get older the buzzed head add age vs hair.

I will check out @Gatsby's progress. I actually watched his YouTube video about the experience prior to coming to this forum. It would be awesome if they could use leg hair, though I know they cant, but I have so much. Prolly could get 30000 grafts just from my bloody legs. 

[Vann]

5 hours ago, cptgetdrunk said:

One thing I notice on my head is a ton of tiny hairs. Like a good portion of my head has little hairs, they just refuse to grow. I guess those are just the classic miniaturized hair follicles? Is there anything I can do to help promote them into actually developing?

there are other medical options that could help such as PRP. As far as it being effective to help completely... I cannot say. I read clinical studies that show 67% of people having success, so that's 2/3 people, but; mainly within that group it had the highest efficacy in targets younger -- those who are starting to lose hair or have cases that are less severe as yours.

However, it can sometimes be worth a shot if you do not want to go the surgical route. If you do choose to go get a hair transplant I would not recommend getting prp before so they can get a more accurate measure of your hair loss. 

One thing to note is that PRP can be pricey in the states (not sure globally) so I would suggest looking at a groupon for a discount? In my area there are derm offices that do them from $179 individually up to $999 for bundled sessions.

Another thing to note, if you do get a hair transplant I have found out that the plasma in the PRP can help the miniaturized (native) hairs from falling out (shock loss).

[JoeMan]

17 minutes ago, Vann said:

there are other medical options that could help such as PRP. As far as it being effective to help completely... I cannot say. I read clinical studies that show 67% of people having success, so that's 2/3 people, but; mainly within that group it had the highest efficacy in targets younger -- those who are starting to lose hair or have cases that are less severe as yours.

However, it can sometimes be worth a shot if you do not want to go the surgical route. If you do choose to go get a hair transplant I would not recommend getting prp before so they can get a more accurate measure of your hair loss. 

One thing to note is that PRP can be pricey in the states (not sure globally) so I would suggest looking at a groupon for a discount? In my area there are derm offices that do them from $179 individually up to $999 for bundled sessions.

Another thing to note, if you do get a hair transplant I have found out that the plasma in the PRP can help the miniaturized (native) hairs from falling out (shock loss).

Can you provide a link to the studies? I've had several Dr's talk me out of it for various injuries. They all basically said that while it can't hurt, the science doesn't show it's very helpful. I've read a few articles that also suggested similar findings. This wasn't for hair of course.

I feel like it's the new thing that many Dr's and clinics make lots of money off of. 

If it works for hair, how often would you need to receive an injection? 

[Vann]

32 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

Can you provide a link to the studies? I've had several Dr's talk me out of it for various injuries. They all basically said that while it can't hurt, the science doesn't show it's very helpful. I've read a few articles that also suggested similar findings. This wasn't for hair of course.

I feel like it's the new thing that many Dr's and clinics make lots of money off of. 

If it works for hair, how often would you need to receive an injection? 

I certainly can provide the links. I just have to find them again, I had access through at my library's site that contained a free database, so once I go back I will link it. 

But the tl;dr version of it (that I remember) said that they had a few control groups and a few groups that had 3 sessions and another with 4.

Each group had 3 session one month apart. However, the group with 4 sessions took 1 more prp injection 6 months after the 3rd. Each group had a result higher for younger males that were beginning androgenetic alopecia. In cases with higher norwoods the density for some males did increase but not by much. It did show about 50% of people having thicker follicles, but it was unsubstantiated as to whether it was PRP related or not. There were certain aspects they considered such as consistency of the drugs taken (fin/dut/minox) so it was inconclusive as to why certain males in both control and experimental groups had such results.

Also for some reason i remember something about smoking being a variable. But this was something back in 2010-2016 with a follow up in 2018.

I believe the research was autologous PRP studies I cant remember on top of my head but I will get back to you on this with the articles.

However, I definitely agree with you that doctors make a ton of money of this. Its probably the most expensive thing they can charge for cosmetic procedures that are non surgical. But, there are some derm offices that offer bundles through groupon for less than $100 so it might be worth researching and finding out if youre a good candidate.

Edit: Also to note if other injuries you mean arthritis or other inflammatory issues. PRP has not been shown to provide support but "relief" in areas with chondrocyte damage (own cartilage). People have been advised by orthos to try PRP to perhaps avoid taking cortisteroids in some cases where tendons are becoming weaker. (something I learned recently)

Edited February 24, 2022 by Vann

[JoeMan]

Yeah I'd like to read it if you find it. Thanks!

[Vann]

4 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

Yeah I'd like to read it if you find it. Thanks!

I remember reading this at first then finding the P value being interesting and started my search binge from there. (the p value being hair density for this study)

 

https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/477671#:~:text=Hair count and thickness were,a moderate level of improvement. 

[JoeMan]

8 minutes ago, Vann said:

I remember reading this at first then finding the P value being interesting and started my search binge from there. (the p value being hair density for this study)

 

https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/477671#:~:text=Hair count and thickness were,a moderate level of improvement. 

I'll read it tomorrow but thanks for the article! I've definitely been skeptical of PRP since I've had a few Dr's talk me out of it but like I said, this was for tendon tears and not hair related. 

[NARMAK]

5 hours ago, cptgetdrunk said:

@NARMAK Ya maybe I will invest in a one of those laser hats. It isn't overly pricey so worth a try I guess. That is awesome though about Fin/Dut working continuously. 

I think my main concern with getting a HT is not getting full coverage and then not being able to go back to a buzzed look due to the FUT scars. I have no real interest in using fibers or anything like that to fill it in, I just touch my head too much and am too active I think. 

Honestly no worries about offending me man. I am a very chill dude haha ya the top of my head, crown and frontal areas have a good amount of diffused thinning, the sides and back do not. I will message Eugenix and see what they say but you may be right about not having enough grafts for full coverage. I have legit no beard haha insanely hairy legs though, wish that helped. Atleast I was blessed with a well shaped head for a buzz cut. Could be worse.

Thanks again for the chat and guidance though!

Honestly, i think the FUE scar situation is a reality whether it's FUE or FUT and depending on how many grafts you need, how your body heals it could potentially be visible to the naked eye at a buzz cut/skin fade on the sides. Especially if you have a high number of grafts. 

Look up Mr Rolandas on YouTube. He's here on the forum too, and he went for a buzzed/fade on the sides and his FUE scars were imo more visible with how he healed. That's a potential risk if you ever think "Okay, the HT didn't work, i'll just stay bald" but generally a hair transplant should be a last resort when you've tried everything else. The bottom line though imo is that if you have thrown the kitchen sink of hair restoration towards something and it's still where you're diffused thinning, this could be a sign not to go ahead it imo. 

That's not something i say lightly but because there's a very real chance you may not be happy with the results and would probably have been better to save the money. 

There's potential treatments due out in the next few years that are topical/oral that could potentially help people alongside what we already had for like 20+ years, but i genuinely think nothing will be as big a game changer as Stemson DHT resistant clone grafts and it will start off really expensive and nobody knows when it would become mainstream enough. That situations where anybody and everybody imo can be considered a candidate and probably give with the right clinic a 100% density. 

That said, let's stay with current reality. You have diffused thinning and despite being buzzed i'm impressed you kept up that routine. I just think it's unfortunate you haven't seen a recovery of the diffused thinning as you could hope for but as you said, it's good that you recognise having a good head shape. 

This is why i genuinely do feel for guys that are in their 20s and 30s, put into these situations without any control over it. I think Bald Cafe is a good place for accepting that sort of situation but although Harry is a good guy, i think his stance on some of his videos around hair restoration and just advising men to probably shave it off before giving medication etc. a try and in some cases a bit even going towards a hair transplant isn't always something i agree with him on. 

I believe every guy should try hair restoration just like you did, see how it goes, consider a hair transplant or in some cases if the look of hairs really important, a hair system which i guess has become the evolved naming for a wig/toupee. Then consider making peace with shaving/buzzing it off full time. 

[cptgetdrunk]

@NARMAK @JoeMan @Vann @J.A.C 

Hey guys just wanted to update you. Sorry for the delay just had to grow my hair out a bit first. I reached out to Eugenix as was suggested in this chat. I sent them the following images. They suggested 5000 grafts with 700-1000 coming from my beard area. Wishful thinking on their part I think considering how little of a beard I have haha. Have added their image below for reference.

I was looking at the various packages they offer and the pricing seems to come out as follows:

Comprehensive Package - 75 INR per graft -> 1.275 CAD ->6375 + 18 GST -> 7522

Exclusive Package - 120 INR per graft -> 2.04 CAD -> 10200 + 18 GST -> 12036

Premium Package - 210 INR per graft -> 3.57 CAD -> 17850 + 18 GST -> 21063

Super Premium Package - 350 INR per graft -> 5.95 CAD -> 29750 + 18 GST -> 35105

I guess for this I am wondering is there much of a difference in results between the various packages? They tend to go from "oh ya that's not so bad" to "well time to sell a liver" expensive pretty quickly. 

@Gatsby Can I ask which package you got from them? 

@NARMAK I just checked out Mr Rolandas like you suggested. You are very right about the FUE scars being pretty obvious. At a number 2 guard they dont seem too visible so perhaps I could go for that. Just hasn't really been an option currently, hair look much worse that long with my current amount, so just more used to a skin fade. Could always get SMP for the FUE scars as well I imagine. I think I will just start budgeting for the transplant and think on it. Its not something I want to rush into either way but Mr Rolandas videos actually kinda gives me more hope than anything else. Dude has amazing hair at this point and with SMP hiding the scars that doesn't sound too bad. Def not afraid of getting a tattoo haha have been cultivating the biker look for a while now. 

The shitty thing with these miracle solutions is they always seem a couple years away. Kinda like flying cars, just seems like a dream that wont ever happen, but fingers crossed I guess.