How much will a HT realistically help me at this point as a diffuse thinner? 26 y/o

[Savemyhairline]

So I have been on fin 1mg/day for 9/10 months and Min for 8/9 months, I have noticed quite a positive change. Let’s be conservative and say i won’t see any more change in the next year and this is it. I know hair transplants are really just an illusion of density; the thing is, with my diffuse thinning I can also provide the “illusion” of thicker hair by how it’s styled, the lighting, how recently it has been washed, if there’s no dry minoxidil foam, etc. what I would essentially like is the illusion of no hair loss without the use of fibers, specific styling, etc. is this possible? Here is what I currently look like in basically the worst or close to worst scenarios (bright light, dried minoxidil foam from 8 hours ago, etc). I know my hairline can be lowered via HT, but it’s really the lack of density that bothers me. Some pics my hair is pushed back, some pushed forward.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

I would be very careful, as there’s a big chance of shock loss. Have you seen any regrowth with fin/min?

[Savemyhairline]

10 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I would be very careful, as there’s a big chance of shock loss. Have you seen any regrowth with fin/min?

I have, or at least the existing follicles have definitely thickened up. Here are some old photos. That’s pretty much my main concern, ie I get surgery then some hair is basically displaced by transplanted hair and the end result looks no better. Also I basically lose the option of shaving my head in 20 years or if I ever decide to in the future. I suppose I could just stay on the meds for the foreseeable future and not get surgery, I wouldn’t be 100% satisfied of course but oh well. My plan was to do another round of photo consultations to my top surgeon picks in a few months/around the 1 year mark of meds and see what they say. Just want to gauge my expectations.

 

[Whipaway]

It looks like you have had a real positive result from the meds ! 
Are you taking oral Minoxidil? If so what dose ? 

[Savemyhairline]

6 minutes ago, Whipaway said:

It looks like you have had a real positive result from the meds ! 
Are you taking oral Minoxidil? If so what dose ? 

Thanks, there has definitely been improvement and I am thankful for that. I am not using oral minoxidil; I watch Kevin Mann/Haircafe and he has cited multiple sources of oral Minox not being completely safe for your cardiovascular health. I know some reputable people claim it is fine but I personally would never risk my health over it. I use foam minoxidil, typically rogaine, once a day. Full scalp coverage. I was doing twice a day but switched to once for convenience. Maybe it’s in my head, I felt like twice a day was making my hair look slightly better but I don’t think I’ve lost any ground switching to once a day, just not improving at the rate it was at 2x/day if that makes sense.

[devnull]

TBH, I would really wait until the 2year timeline. Hair regrowth is sometimes pretty slow. 

[SeanT1]

If you're not concerned about your hairline then what about some SMP for density?

[Savemyhairline]

12 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

If you're not concerned about your hairline then what about some SMP for density?

I would like a better hairline but I didn’t think a HT would be feasible if behind the new hairline would still be thin. Not a bad idea, not my first choice but if the top surgeons I ask in a few months think a HT isn’t a good call in my case I will explore smp. I don’t think I have the ideal skin and hair color for it though, it seems to work much better on darker skin and hair.

[Al - Moderator]

You are getting good results on meds so far. I'd stay on it and just wait and see how that goes for a few more months at least. It looks like you have a good donor area, so a hair transplant may be a good idea to at least get a more defined hairline area.

[SeanT1]

17 minutes ago, Savemyhairline said:

I would like a better hairline but I didn’t think a HT would be feasible if behind the new hairline would still be thin. Not a bad idea, not my first choice but if the top surgeons I ask in a few months think a HT isn’t a good call in my case I will explore smp. I don’t think I have the ideal skin and hair color for it though, it seems to work much better on darker skin and hair.

Search 'micropigmentation density' on YouTube, you'll see a few solid results on lighter skin.
Also the pigmentation itself can match your hair color.

[brian6829M]

6 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I would be very careful, as there’s a big chance of shock loss. Have you seen any regrowth with fin/min?

I was under the impression that the majority shock loss hair gross back after a few months and the only hairs that don't grow back are those that are on their way out already (i.e. within a year or so). I know if you have a poor surgery it could interfere with the blood flow, etc and in that case cause permanent lose. I figured a lot of HT candidates are diffuse thinners so would be faced with the similar issue. 

[SeanT1]

5 minutes ago, brian6829M said:

I was under the impression that the majority shock loss hair gross back after a few months and the only hairs that don't grow back are those that are on their way out already (i.e. within a year or so). I know if you have a poor surgery it could interfere with the blood flow, etc and in that case cause permanent lose. I figured a lot of HT candidates are diffuse thinners so would be faced with the similar issue. 

I assume they mean that the super weak hairs that are on life support (minoxidil) might be affected negatively by shock loss.  

[brian6829M]

22 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

I assume they mean that the super weak hairs that are on life support (minoxidil) might be affected negatively by shock loss.  

Makes sense. I realize it completely varies from patient to patient but I wonder if there are cases that the shock loss negates the procedure. That's a scary thing.

[SeanT1]

9 minutes ago, brian6829M said:

Makes sense. I realize it completely varies from patient to patient but I wonder if there are cases that the shock loss negates the procedure. That's a scary thing.

A part of me thinks my crown is thinner AFTER a hair transplant on my frontal scalp.
But that could also simply be age or finasteride not being strong enough.
I did have some bad shock loss during the early months. 🤔