Am a a good FUE candidate?

[WanderingRobot]

I’m 29 years old and will begin a topical fin and minoxidil regiment soon. I plan to wait a year before decided on FUE as I may respond well to the topical treatment.

My goal is mainly to preserve the density that I have and then to fill it whatever doesn’t fill in after about a year. Let me know what you think!

[NARMAK]

Honestly, going by your pictures your donor density doesn't look strong at all. Could be a factor of the lighting but you are definitely right to start medication for 12 months and see how you respond. 

As a suggestion, i recommend adding Microneedling once a week at 1mm to 1.5mm with a derma pen. You should hopefully see a better result alongside the Minoxodil. If you respond well, then you could get to a really good place and not require as many grafts. 

[Britanium]

Hmmm… 🤨 The donor area needs to be seen in person, whilst it doesn’t look particularly strong it’s always difficult to tell in just a couple of pics. 
Have you got anymore that you could show? The second pic shows that retrograde Alopecia is a possibility... 

Have you sent any pics to Clinics yet? Or seen a dermatologist/trichologist? 

[HappyMan2021]

I didn't even notice OP's donor density at first, but after @NARMAK mentioned it it does seem a bit lacking. The donor kind of looks diffuse in such a way that it looks like its already been thru 1 FUE HT. Perhaps it is just the camera angle and lighting, if OP wants to take more pics. 

With the donor area not factored in, I think restoring the frontal area would be pretty straightforward and doable,  but will likely need 2 surgeries given the large area to cover. 

[WanderingRobot]

I’ll post more pics soon! The flash may have made my hair appear to be thinner than it really is. I haven’t consulted with a dermatologist yet, but will be within the next few weeks. 

[DrTBarghouthi]

It would be nice to get better pics especially of your donor. In all cases good medical therapy is a must to slow down and further progression.

[WanderingRobot]

4 more pics in natural light, with my head facing the window. My hair is really short right now by the way. Just cut it maybe a week ago with no guard clippers.

 

i cut my own hair too btw. Also the patch in the middle of my donor area is an old scar

Edited April 6, 2022 by WanderingRobot
Clarified patch

[NARMAK]

3 minutes ago, WanderingRobot said:

4 more pics in natural light, with my head facing the window. My hair is really short right now by the way. Just cut it maybe a week ago with no guard clippers.

 

i cut my own hair too btw. 

Thanks for sharing the additional pictures. I am going to stick by what i said initially and have to be the bearer of bad news in telling you that your donor are is below average and it looks like you have perhaps some retrograde alopecia with how on the left side your hair is much more thinner and rises up. It's also really diffuse around the crown and over the ears. 

Now, i think that's a lot of negatives to be hit with, and i do not want you leaving here with a negative feeling. I want to also mention how things can be more positive. Firstly you did the right thing reaching out here on the forum and you already are on the right track by trying to get on medication to do some hair restoration. 

Finasteride, Minoxidil and Microneedling are your 3 biggest things right not for the next 12 months. Consistently doing these and seeing how you respond month to month with progress pictures taken in the same lighting. 

Save up, educate yourself on hair transplants and perhaps consider that you may need to go for an FUT procedure to try maximise your outcome via hair transplant and you will probably need to be really conservative with the hairline design if you want full coverage. 

[MAIZE1694]

You might be able to squeeze 1500-2000 including beard grafts but i'm not sure if that will be enough coverage for your loss. Still more hair on top is better than no hair.

Get on the treatments and reevaluate in a year.

Good luck man!

[Dillpickle123]

Do a consultation with eugenix I would also get the temples done if your going all in you look like you might have dupa 

[WanderingRobot]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I’ll consult with a dermatologist to check where my hair is thinning. I’ll schedule a free consultation with a HT surgeon as well to see if a HT is even viable as well.

[WanderingRobot]

If worst comes to worst, I don’t mind shaving my head! 

[civic]

1 hour ago, WanderingRobot said:

If worst comes to worst, I don’t mind shaving my head! 

Good plan! I strongly believe that HT should never be done if donor is questionable. If it shows any sign of thinning, retrograde  etc, that should be a wrap. I seen some utube videos where some docs recommend exosomes or some PrP on donor , but i don't think its ethical. There is no  cure for poor donor. Once ht fails they will say 'oh well, we tried .' HT in general has risks, but with poor donor its almost certain 1 way ticket to failure.

[WanderingRobot]

I agree. I’ve kept my hair very short for most of my life so taking itv one step further won’t hurt. I’d rather look good with a skin tight buzz instead of looking bad with a HT.

[JoeMan]

1 hour ago, WanderingRobot said:

If worst comes to worst, I don’t mind shaving my head! 

If you don't mind a shaved head, then go that route. Saves money and potential risks from HT. Also eliminating possible side effects from medications. 

[Bandit90]

I do think you have very similar hair characteristics to me in many ways, so I would certainly look at my recent surgery. I got on finasteride for a year and reached out to Eugenix.

 
Providing you are willing to get on finasteride and give up most of your beard to offset the poor scalp donor, then in reality you will likely get reasonable coverage and more importantly a decent cosmetic improvement. 
 

Personally, knowing first hand what FUE + BHT combos can achieve for the highest grade of baldness, you will be very surprised what can be done in the hands of good doctor!  

There are many great doctors recommended here. From my personal  perspective you should be putting Eugenix at the top of that list for a consult. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Bandit90

[Britanium]

6 hours ago, WanderingRobot said:

If worst comes to worst, I don’t mind shaving my head! 

Definitely try this before investing a lot of time/effort and money in a hair transplant journey ! I don’t say this often, but I wouldn’t consider you as being a candidate looking at your level of loss and possible retrograde Alopecia. 

[DrTBarghouthi]

I agree. Donor is showing some red flags. Start your medical treatment and if possible switch to oral finasteride. Reassess after a while. In the meantime you can certainly shave your head. In my opinion the other valid option would be a limited transplant for the hairline area and a hair system in combination.

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

12 hours ago, WanderingRobot said:

I’m 29 years old and will begin a topical fin and minoxidil regiment soon. I plan to wait a year before decided on FUE as I may respond well to the topical treatment.

My goal is mainly to preserve the density that I have and then to fill it whatever doesn’t fill in after about a year. Let me know what you think!

You are a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure. Your donor area is good. Taking finasteride will help preserve the pre existing hair (recipient as well as the donor).

Edited April 7, 2022 by Eugenix Hair Sciences

[Britanium]

11 hours ago, WanderingRobot said:

4 more pics in natural light, with my head facing the window. My hair is really short right now by the way. Just cut it maybe a week ago with no guard clippers.

 

i cut my own hair too btw. Also the patch in the middle of my donor area is an old scar

@Eugenix Hair SciencesI can’t say I agree with you looking at these pics in particular..

Edited April 7, 2022 by J.A.C

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

5 minutes ago, J.A.C said:

@Eugenix Hair SciencesI can’t say I agree with you looking at these pics in particular..

His donor is not excellent. But it is good. And if he does take Finasteride then he will have his pre existing hair as well as the donor hair preserved.

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, Eugenix Hair Sciences said:

His donor is not excellent. But it is good. And if he does take Finasteride then he will have his pre existing hair as well as the donor hair preserved.

With what looks like retrograde Alopecia and other thinning/possible DUPA I don’t think it’s even good, yes Fin is obviously the best way forward of he’s even considering a hair transplant, but I would say the donor is poor. The last pics he posted show this, further thinning out of the area is going to make it even more noticeable IMO. At best I think he would have some grafts taken and consider using a hair system. 

[Future Hair Doc]

Your scalp donor area is poor, as others have mentioned. You do have ample beard hair though and that can be used as well. You look to have DUPA and retrograde alopecia. If not already, you should see your doctor and ask to be on oral finasteride and oral minoxidil. 

[baldiee]

If you decide to do a hair transplant, start with FUT first to get the highest yield. Keep in mind you will need multiple surgeries to cover your loss. FUE should be the last surgery. Only go through with surgery after a surgeon has looked at your donor and has given you the green light. 

[CHRIS_at_RAHAL]

Hi I'm Chris patient advisor at rahal hair clinic in Toronto. 

No, based on your donor density and large area of hair loss I wouldn't.

If clinics say yes they are looking for your money and not after your results.