Is my crown balding/ what norwood am I?

[SoSoz]

I am attaching some pictures. Could anyone experienced answer some of my basic questions?

Is crown naturally thinner like this or it started to bald already? I've never kept track of it before and recently took pictures of it. Also on norwood scale what would I be?

How many grafts would I need to restore the hairline?

Is my donor area okay?

Is my hairloss aggressive? Age 23(almost 24)

I've contacted some turkish clinics and they claim I need 4000-4500 grafts which seems like a huge number

Pictures are made using flashcam, 3 weeks of hair growth from 0

Edited April 16, 2022 by SoSoz

[JohnnyR]

It looks like you will become a norwood 6 in the future. You have aggressive hair loss, thats why you should take finasteride as soon as possible. You are too young for a hair transplant.

[SoSoz]

1 hour ago, JohnnyR said:

It looks like you will become a norwood 6 in the future. You have aggressive hair loss, thats why you should take finasteride as soon as possible. You are too young for a hair transplant.

I dont have motivation to go on finasteride if I do not have a hairline, also I don't see a point in waiting to my 30's and then doing HT. There are many people who done it at age 23-25 if they were already nw3

Edited April 16, 2022 by SoSoz

[ciaus]

1 hour ago, SoSoz said:

I dont have motivation to go on finasteride if I do not have a hairline

Most guys, even ones with less aggressive loss than yours and that jump on finasteride, end up getting hair transplants to restore or at least thicken their frontal hairline areas. Those frontal hairs are usually the most vulnerable to what causes hair loss. Finasteride is more about helping to hang on to your middle and back crown areas in the back so you don't look ridiculous with a restored hairline and nothing behind it. 

 

1 hour ago, SoSoz said:

I don't see a point in waiting to my 30's and then doing HT. There are many people who done it at age 23-25 if they were already nw3

 

The general point with waiting when you are relatively very young, like your early 20s, is to see how aggressive your overall loss rate is and whether its going to lessen/stabilize on its own, or with some medication like finasteride. No ethical hairloss doctor is going to operate on a guy younger than about 25, who already has lost as much or more than alot of guys twice his age, and who won't take finasteride.

[SoSoz]

9 minutes ago, ciaus said:

Most guys, even ones with less aggressive loss than yours and that jump on finasteride, end up getting hair transplants to restore or at least thicken their frontal hairline areas. Those frontal hairs are usually the most vulnerable to what causes hair loss. Finasteride is more about helping to hang on to your middle and back crown areas in the back so you don't look ridiculous with a restored hairline and nothing behind it. 

 

 

The general point with waiting when you are relatively very young, like your early 20s, is to see how aggressive your overall loss rate is and whether its going to lessen/stabilize on its own, or with some medication like finasteride. No ethical hairloss doctor is going to operate on a guy younger than about 25, who already has lost as much or more than alot of guys twice his age, and who won't take finasteride.

I see a lot of patients who are under 25 from doctors which are recommended on this site when I view their ig's/fb pages - how come? Also look at Machine Gun Kelly the famous rapper for example, he had his procedure done at 23 when he was norwood 3/4, now he is 31 and has full of hair, you telling me his doctor was not ethical as well?

 

I wanted just to get my hairline fixed, go on medication and around 30~ years of age go for another transplant

Edited April 16, 2022 by SoSoz

[ciaus]

1 hour ago, SoSoz said:

I see a lot of patients who are under 25 from doctors which are recommended on this site when I view their ig's/fb pages - how come?

 

There are not 'alot' of guys out there with as much hairloss as you have at your age. We're talking about a small minority, and more specifically an even smaller minority of those guys, that are actually trying to address it.

If you are ok with getting on finasteride, you should be starting that for at least a year to see what you can re-gain and stabilize first. What if you get unacceptable side effects from the finasteride and you can't take it long term? What if the doc takes a good chunk of the hairs from a part of your donor that is eventually going to thin out as well in the next 5-10 years? 

You've been dealt a bad hand when it comes to hair. The important thing now is to not make things worse by acting as quickly as you are losing hair.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

Crown is definitely balding, you’re a diffuse Norwood 6. At 23 your hair loss is extremely aggressive. Are you on medication?

[John1991]

 Life doesn't end at 29, and if you proceed as if everything has to be fixed immediately, you're going to find yourself in a position (especially with your aggressive loss) where you have a transplanted hairline and tons of thinning behind it by age 27.  The advice you've been given is that you should - at bare minimum - wait until your loss is stabilized for a few years and then perhaps go forward with a transplant.  If you're not "motivated" enough to get on preventative medication, then you're likely to be left with little to no hair on top within the next five years.  Imagine spending the time (and money) and going through the lengthy aesthetic/physical recovery that a transplant entails only to then end up with nothing behind it because you're not "motivated" enough to take step 1 in the process and try to keep all the hair you have.  You'll then be forced to continue to chase your hairline with further transplants and your entire 20s will be spent hellishly.  Don't do that to yourself.

Edited April 17, 2022 by John1991

[Nw7HPE]

I would wait 5 years . I know it is tough , I started balding at 18 , it effected my life for years , it was painful and I know it may sound funny but it may have changed the course of my life . But I m glad I waited till 28 to get a HT . It is extremely important that you know or at least have a strong prediction of what your final Norwood will be to have your donor/recipient managed properly . Our donors are limited and very valuable . 

[Future Hair Doc]

The earliest most surgeons will operate on a patient is 25. You are aggressively balding and should talk to your doctor ASAP about starting oral finasteride and oral minoxidil. 

[MAIZE1694]

It's important to consider that the guys who have regrowth from fin are typically in their early-mid twenties and younger.

OP is only 23, it's possible he could see significant regrowth with just a moderate dose of FIN.

Try FIN for 6-12 months and see where you're at.

[Gatsby]

If you're not motivated to stabalise your loss at 23 I can promise you that you will be at 43 when you have no donor supply donor left and only an island of transplanted hair (if it hasn't miniaturized) on your scalp. You will wish that you could shave (which you won't because of the scars from prior surgery) and you will wish that you never had surgery (which you will have because you made an emotional decision due to your age). I don't say this to be cruel. I say this because I went through it and it's the last thing I would wish on anyone and the it's the first thing that I want to try and prevent another from going through. What we do get a lot of is young people wishing that they never had surgery and regret having it done at a young age. You are in a perfect position to avoid this and tackle your hair loss with knowledge if you are able to try finasteride (and to a lesser extent minoxidil) for a good 12 months to see if it can stabalize your hair loss (and possibly grown your crown back). Any ethical surgeon will be recommending this to you. Any hair mill in Turkey will be wanting your money and will play on your age and emotions to butcher you.

[Future Hair Doc]

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

If you're not motivated to stabalise your loss at 23 I can promise you that you will be at 43 when you have no donor supply donor left and only an island of transplanted hair (if it hasn't miniaturized) on your scalp. You will wish that you could shave (which you won't because of the scars from prior surgery) and you will wish that you never had surgery (which you will have because you made an emotional decision due to your age). I don't say this to be cruel. I say this because I went through it and it's the last thing I would wish on anyone and the it's the first thing that I want to try and prevent another from going through. What we do get a lot of is young people wishing that they never had surgery and regret having it done at a young age. You are in a perfect position to avoid this and tackle your hair loss with knowledge if you are able to try finasteride (and to a lesser extent minoxidil) for a good 12 months to see if it can stabalize your hair loss (and possibly grown your crown back). Any ethical surgeon will be recommending this to you. Any hair mill in Turkey will be wanting your money and will play on your age and emotions to butcher you.

+1 Listen to this man. 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Dr. Suhail Khokhar

[Hair4Days]

14 hours ago, ciaus said:

. Finasteride is more about helping to hang on to your middle and back crown areas in the back so you don't look ridiculous with a restored hairline and nothing behind it. 

 

 

Why would he have nothing behind a restored hairline? His donor looks pretty solid right now. He could probably get at least 3/4 of his scalp covered over 2 surgeries imo

[JohnnyR]

18 hours ago, SoSoz said:

I see a lot of patients who are under 25 from doctors which are recommended on this site when I view their ig's/fb pages - how come? Also look at Machine Gun Kelly the famous rapper for example, he had his procedure done at 23 when he was norwood 3/4, now he is 31 and has full of hair, you telling me his doctor was not ethical as well?

 

I wanted just to get my hairline fixed, go on medication and around 30~ years of age go for another transplant

Machine Gun Kelly take Dutasteride. thats why it was possible to make an hairtransplantation with 25 years or something.

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

1. Is crown naturally thinner like this or it started to bald already? I've never kept track of it before and recently took pictures of it. Also on norwood scale what would I be?

Ans: Your crown is thinning. You are Grade III vertex.

2. How many grafts would I need to restore the hairline?

Ans: You shall require 2500 to 2700 grafts for the restoration of your frontal zone.

3. Is my donor area okay?

Ans: Your donor area is good.

4. Is my hairloss aggressive? Age 23(almost 24)

Ans: That needs to be determined with reference to your family history of baldness etc.

You will have to take finasteride to prevent any further progression of baldness. If you do not take finasteride then new areas will get empty and you will have to go for another transplant in the newly empty areas.

[Al - Moderator]

Give some serious thought to at least trying medication (Finasteride or Dutasteride) because right now you still have enough hair in your crown and midscalp that you may be able to make most of that area look full if you start now. If you wait until it's all gone then you won't have a chance of getting much back from the meds.

 

[SoSoz]

14 hours ago, Eugenix Hair Sciences said:

1. Is crown naturally thinner like this or it started to bald already? I've never kept track of it before and recently took pictures of it. Also on norwood scale what would I be?

Ans: Your crown is thinning. You are Grade III vertex.

2. How many grafts would I need to restore the hairline?

Ans: You shall require 2500 to 2700 grafts for the restoration of your frontal zone.

3. Is my donor area okay?

Ans: Your donor area is good.

4. Is my hairloss aggressive? Age 23(almost 24)

Ans: That needs to be determined with reference to your family history of baldness etc.

You will have to take finasteride to prevent any further progression of baldness. If you do not take finasteride then new areas will get empty and you will have to go for another transplant in the newly empty areas.

How long do I need to be on finasteride to think about hairline restoration? Is finasteride alone enough? Minoxidil makes my scalp really itchy and white flakes are forming

Edited April 18, 2022 by SoSoz

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

11 hours ago, SoSoz said:

How long do I need to be on finasteride to think about hairline restoration? Is finasteride alone enough? Minoxidil makes my scalp really itchy and white flakes are forming

Finasteride alone is sufficient for the restoration of your crown area. You need to take finasteride for at least 8 months to a year to start seeing the results. Then you need to take it until your baldness stabilizes at around age 50 approximately (if it stabilizes). If your baldness does not stabilize then you need to keep raking the medication if you want to prevent further hair loss.

[SoSoz]

Can someone tell me if my donor is balding as well or this is normal? Worried after taking photo with flashcam on my donor. I guess im born to be nw6/7 with no hope

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by SoSoz

[hairman22]

your donor looks fine.

[TheGreatPretender]

You are in a great position to get on to meds, sure the hair loss is aggressive, but I think you would have some good regrowth (if not maintenance) if you throw Finasteride at it. You can also revaluate after a year and add Minoxidil to the regimen. 

[SoSoz]

1 hour ago, TheGreatPretender said:

You are in a great position to get on to meds, sure the hair loss is aggressive, but I think you would have some good regrowth (if not maintenance) if you throw Finasteride at it. You can also revaluate after a year and add Minoxidil to the regimen. 

Im scared of nipple cancer from finasteride

[TheGreatPretender]

11 hours ago, SoSoz said:

Im scared of nipple cancer from finasteride

I had similar fears those being gynocomastia but these are extremly rare and even more so than ED which seems to be the predominant side effect reported from the drug. 

Only a handful of unlucky people have it and to be honest going to surgery without medications has its own profile risk of your results not holding up to the test of time so highly consider them before going under the knife. 

[SoSoz]

Clearly states on the propecia leaflet point 4. Also a lot of people report breast tenderness/itchyness which concers me.