25M considering FUE, advice appreciated

[norwegian_norwood]

Hello,

I have had what I would call a "quite pronounced forehead" for as long as I can remember. This became even clearer when I buzzed it at the age of 18, revealing some relatively high temples. Interestingly, the progression of the receding temples appears to be very slow, as you can see that there is no visible difference between 2 pics taken 2 years apart (2020 and now, at the age of 25).

I am on 0.25mg fin since November 2021, after an initial shed I have not observed any further loss.

I have been considering a transplant for some years now, as I do get self conscious on a windy day or when my hair gets wet, or many other situations. Since this decision has been a long time coming, I reached out to HLC in Turkey, and they recommended around 2000 grafts. I was told that I have great density, meaning my donor area should provide enough for some time to come.

One final piece of information is that the only case of MPB in my family is my mother's grandfather, who never seemed to have gone quite bald (photo included), despite beginning at a young age like me.

My questions:

- If I assume to stay on 0.25mg fin, is it still a good idea to get the transplant?

- Is it possible to follow a pattern like my great grandfather's (the pictures are of when he was around 70-80), even if you begin balding early? So, how likely is it that I will follow his pattern?

- Is HLC a good option for me? There are 2 websites: https://www.fue-hlc.com/, https://hairlinetransplantturkey.com/reviews/hlc-clinic/ 

my correspondence has been with info@fue-hlc.com

Thanks a lot!

[Mike10]

Honestly I would leave it at that. You are very young at 25 and hair rececession is minimal. 

Ad for your question, yes it is quite possible you follow your grandpa's pattern there but at 25 it is too early to tell.

[Melvin- Admin]

If you’re in Norway. I strongly, strongly suggest seeing Dr. Bisanga in person. Talk to @Frederik - BHR Scandinavia. 

 

[Vann]

I think you should continue medical therapy until a full year has passed. Are you taking fin daily or every few days? Have you ever considered Dutasteride? 

Also, my first suggestion would be to see a dermatologist and your primary care physician and see if they can rule out some tests. Surgery should be your last choice in my honest opinion since you can never "truly" undue the results whether good or bad.

If you do consider a HT you seem like a good candidate for FUT since you have your hair long. It might be something you should consider. Like the post above says, if you are able to seek a in person consultation with a HT professional. Bisanga is a highly regarded surgeon on this forum.

[Mike10]

Are you a Dr??? He does not even even need medical therapy, shXXt like Duta. I am happy I never listened to some BS advice like this 20 years ago because at 41  I am still  a good  strong NW2 without taking that shXXt.Not everybody with some mild recession goes on to heavy MPB.

[THE TRUTH]

The good news is your hairloss seems very mild so far.

The bad news is it started very early which may indicate it's probably not gonna stop there. 

Your grandfather was barely balding. He was a Norwood 2-3 with full density on density and crown. 

I agree your hairloss is probably not that agressive. I think it's comparable to Kevin Mann's. 

But still I would play it safe. You never know which genes you have inherited. 

You may follow your grandfather's path but you may also starting thinning  on the midscalp and crown later on in life. You never know. You should always be planning for the worse.

0.25mg finasteride daily is the perfect dose for you.

That should be sufficient to prevent any further development of androgenic alopecia since yours doesn't seem too agressive. Just stay on it long term and make sure you are conservative for your first hair transplant procedure.

[Mike10]

your advice only makes sense if he is going for a HT. But why commit yourself for a lifetime at 25, for something which even if it turns out perfectly, which is not even guaranteed in the best hands, would barely notcie anybody outside yourself. 

MY advice: Stay off the drugs and HT hassle, just live your life, there is a good chance you will come after your grandpa. Then if some mild therapy becomes necessar, this should be added in your 30s and 40s like Minox or PRP, take that route.     

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@norwegian_norwood,

Because you’re not posting your face or at least your eyebrows, it’s difficult to tell whether or not you have a naturally high forehead or if you’re just experiencing hairline recession due to male pattern baldness.  But based on what you said above, it seems like you do have some degree of androgenetic alopecia.  It also seems like the finasteride you’re taking may be helping to slow down its progression   

As someone else pointed out, the good news is that your hair loss is relatively mild at this point. However, you are only 25 years old and there’s no way to know with certainty how far your hair loss will inevitably progress.  As I stated above, medication may very well be slowing your hairline recession down.

Be careful not to select a surgeon strictly based on viewing a surgeon‘s website.  There’s nothing wrong with starting there but in my opinion, prospective patients should be doing their due diligence in researching all surgeons they are considering.

in my opinion, use this forum to view dozens of results posted by both clinics and patients.  Speak to patients of surgeons you are considering, ask questions and if possible, meet with them either in person or via video chat.  This will help you narrow down your selection.

Once you’ve narrowed your selection down to 3 to 5 surgeons you are most impressed with, be sure to consult with each of them, ask your questions and then ultimately select the one you’re most impressed with based on all your research combined.

I hope this helps and if there’s anything else I can do to help you, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

On 6/21/2022 at 9:45 PM, norwegian_norwood said:

Hello,

I have had what I would call a "quite pronounced forehead" for as long as I can remember. This became even clearer when I buzzed it at the age of 18, revealing some relatively high temples. Interestingly, the progression of the receding temples appears to be very slow, as you can see that there is no visible difference between 2 pics taken 2 years apart (2020 and now, at the age of 25).

I am on 0.25mg fin since November 2021, after an initial shed I have not observed any further loss.

I have been considering a transplant for some years now, as I do get self conscious on a windy day or when my hair gets wet, or many other situations. Since this decision has been a long time coming, I reached out to HLC in Turkey, and they recommended around 2000 grafts. I was told that I have great density, meaning my donor area should provide enough for some time to come.

One final piece of information is that the only case of MPB in my family is my mother's grandfather, who never seemed to have gone quite bald (photo included), despite beginning at a young age like me.

My questions:

- If I assume to stay on 0.25mg fin, is it still a good idea to get the transplant?

- Is it possible to follow a pattern like my great grandfather's (the pictures are of when he was around 70-80), even if you begin balding early? So, how likely is it that I will follow his pattern?

- Is HLC a good option for me? There are 2 websites: https://www.fue-hlc.com/, https://hairlinetransplantturkey.com/reviews/hlc-clinic/ 

my correspondence has been with info@fue-hlc.com

Thanks a lot!

You are already on finasteride and that shall help prolong baldness as long as you take it. You have a very mild recession. You are Grade II on the Norwood Hamilton scale of baldness. If you do for the hairline augmentation then 1200 to 1500 grafts would be more than sufficient.

[norwegian_norwood]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses.

I do believe a HT is a good choice for me, since I am quite upset about my hairline relatively often. Given that it would be conservative, I am hoping that my donor area will remain sufficient, even if I never increase my finasteride dosage from 0.25mg.

I was told that my great grandfather started receding around my age too (early 20s), so I am confused as to how his recession remained so mild for such a long time. Is it possible for this kind of early balding, followed by long-term stabilization, to occur?

Another question is regarding the triangular temple points. These fine hairs are harder to emulate, so I was recommended using fine hairs from behind the ears. Is this a more limited donor area? I guess further recession would look quite strange in this area.

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

28 minutes ago, norwegian_norwood said:

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses.

I do believe a HT is a good choice for me, since I am quite upset about my hairline relatively often. Given that it would be conservative, I am hoping that my donor area will remain sufficient, even if I never increase my finasteride dosage from 0.25mg.

I was told that my great grandfather started receding around my age too (early 20s), so I am confused as to how his recession remained so mild for such a long time. Is it possible for this kind of early balding, followed by long-term stabilization, to occur?

Another question is regarding the triangular temple points. These fine hairs are harder to emulate, so I was recommended using fine hairs from behind the ears. Is this a more limited donor area? I guess further recession would look quite strange in this area.

Baldness is unpredictable. The family history of baldness can give an idea regarding the progression of baldness but it cannot be accurate.

For the temple points, the donor hair are taken from the nape of thw neck where the hair are fine. These donor hair when used in the temples can create a very natural looking result. Finasteride can help prolong baldness in this area too.

[JohnCasper]

Don't put too much emphasis on your relatives hair loss.  Both of my grandfathers had a good head of hair.  My dad at 89 had great hair.  I was a Norwood VI before my surgeries.  It's been 10 years now since my surgeries and I still have great hair.....without any medications ever.  Just wanted to give another perspective.  Good luck.