Need some advice

[Costa31]

Hi 

I’m looking for some advice regarding whether I should get a hair transplant at some point. 

I’m a 28 year old who has suffered from mpb since about 20 years old. I’m probably a nw2 at the moment, hairline has receded and I have diffuse thinning throughout the frontal forelock. The crown and mid scalp are fine for the moment. I’ve tried topical minoxidil which doesn’t seem to have much of an affect. I then tried taking finasteride but unfortunately can’t tolerate the side effects and I’ve recently started on oral minoxidil as well but it doesn’t seem to be doing much.

I’ve been looking into hair transplants but given the fact finasteride doesn’t work I don’t know if there is any point? I recently had a consultation with dr bisanaga, where he said I had good density in the mastoid and occipital donor area (7000-8000 grafts in my donor area overall) and that I would need approximately 2100 - 2300 grafts if I were to get a hair transplant now.

I understand it’s probably too early for me to get a hair transplant at the moment given the level of hair loss and lack of reaction to treatments. However, is it even worth me getting a hair transplant at some point in the future considering no treatments out at the moment work?

Has anyone else been in a similar situation and got a hair transplant and if so, how did it turn out?

 

Thanks 

 

 

[GoliGoliGoli]

You need to post pictures before anyone can give you advice that is worth a darn.

I will say, I am not currently taking min or fin and am still planning on getting a HT. Many others have done the same. You just have to accept and budget for the fact that you might need 2-3 down the line, and obviously need to ensure your donor area can handle that which it sounds like yours can. That said if you're only NW2 you can still probably style your hair well enough to hide any loss so without seeing any pictures I would agree that you're better off waiting,. 

[Mike10]

I would agree that you are probably too young. You should consider around age 40, by then you can better assess the donor and long term progression. I am doing now one at age 41, non finansteride, strong mid scalp and crown, excellent donor. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by Mike10

[Melvin- Admin]

I don't believe 28 is too young, but it's hard to give you sound advice without pictures. 

[Mike10]

1 hour ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I don't believe 28 is too young, but it's hard to give you sound advice without pictures. 

Even if one can't take Fin and Minox does not work?  

[Hairy Henderson]

7 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

Even if one can't take Fin and Minox does not work?  

Got mine at 25 and it enhanced my life significantly.  I did go on fin and it has worked.

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, Mike10 said:

Even if one can't take Fin and Minox does not work?  

It depends on how much hair you’ve lost. I got an HT at 28 without meds, I was basically bald. I did get on minoxidil after. I think context matters, if he’s a Norwood 6/7 by 28, it’s okay. But Norwood 3/4 diffuse, not a good idea.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Costa31,

28 years of age is not necessarily too young to have a hair transplant. What matters however, are the specifics of your case. For starters, can you present some photos showing your existing hair loss and photos showing the sides and back of your scalp?

Also, when did you start losing hair and are you still losing it? Would you consider your hair loss aggressive or gradual?

While men who use finasteride and other viable non-surgical solutions have an advantage over those that don’t, there are always circumstances beyond a patient’s control and it doesn’t necessarily preclude them from undergoing a restoration surgery. Just know that hair loss is progressive and without non-surgical solutions, it will continue until your genetic programming tells it to stop. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict just how far I’ll go but family history and your current hair loss pattern can be indicators. The good news is, not everybody progresses to a Norwood class 7 and if your circumstances show signs that you’re hair loss isn’t as aggressive or severe as this, you may just be a good candidate.

But in order to provide you with any more specific information about you and your case, it would really be helpful to see photos showing your current hair loss and photos of the sides and back of your scalp.

Once you post these, let me know and I will give you some more specific feedback.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited July 15, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[Mike10]

Well said Rahal HT. But even if these circumstances are met,  I still believe it is not appealing to perform a HT at 28 NW2 without meds. Because you will be already 2 HTs down before the age of 40.  Then again this is only my personal opinion.

Edited July 15, 2022 by Mike10

[GoliGoliGoli]

9 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

Well said Rahal HT. But even if these circumstances are met,  I still believe it is not appealing to perform a HT at 28 NW2 without meds. Because you will be already 2 HTs down before the age of 40.  Then again this is only my personal opinion.

Well, what's the problem being 2 HT down before the age of 40? As long as your Dr is good at what he does this shouldn't be an issue, and will mean you will have hair for the prime years of your life. 

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

It is a difficult situation to be in and I understand your predicament regarding getting a hair transplant. If finasteride has side effects in your case, then you can try Saw Palmetto and see it's results in your case. Also, please do post some pictures for us to see your hair loss pattern. We can give you an evaluation regarding your situation.

[Mike10]

9 minutes ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

Well, what's the problem being 2 HT down before the age of 40? As long as your Dr is good at what he does this shouldn't be an issue, and will mean you will have hair for the prime years of your life. 

It would have been a problem for me but may not be one for you. Indeed, that is why I stated that this is only my personal opinion. 

Alltogether without going into all detail, I just think that there are more negatives than positives to start the process at 28 NW2. Then  again my suffering was never really high, being at age 28 a NW1,5 and at 40 a NW2 (without meds).  

Edited July 15, 2022 by Mike10

[GoliGoliGoli]

38 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

It would have been a problem for me but may not be one for you. Indeed, that is why I stated that this is only my personal opinion. 

Alltogether without going into all detail, I just think that there are more negatives than positives to start the process at 28 NW2. Then  again my suffering was never really high, being at age 28 a NW1,5 and at 40 a NW2 (without meds).  

If you were a 1.5 at 28 and a NW2 at 40 why would a HT at 28 have been a problem? 

[Mike10]

14 hours ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

If you were a 1.5 at 28 and a NW2 at 40 why would a HT at 28 have been a problem? 

Because in my estimation I would have needed another minor HT to fill in the gap resulting from the receding hairline in the corner. Most likely between age 35-40. I am just not the type of person who will revert to hair fibers and stuff like that. Keep in mind that I am not per se against Hair transplants, I have one coming up myself. I just feel that at age 41 , I am in stronger position. 

 

 

[pkipling]

As has been covered here, I really do think it's situational, and there really is a lot of variance when it comes to how young is "too young" to get a HT. I got mine on the slightly earlier side at age 30, which meant I started considering it and looking into my options right around your age. Based on the big picture (current hair loss at the time, projected hair loss, family history/genetics, miniaturization levels of existing hair, etc.), Dr. Mohebi felt confident that I was a good candidate to go ahead and get one, and that I wouldn't need a second procedure for many years. He's also willing to do procedures on people in their 20s if all the other factors support it being a good idea, and he uses the same logic as above in that for many people, having their hair restored during those younger years is when it can the most impactful and meaningful to their life. (This is not to be confused with the irresponsible stance some younger guys have who say "I won't care about my hair when I'm older, so let's do it now even if it bites me in the butt later!") The decision should still be carefully made so that you're setting yourself up for longterm success. 

I'm 38 now and still have had no further signs of hair loss and no need for a 2nd procedure in my near future, and so I'm very happy I did it when I did. A good place to start would be with a consultation or two with some top surgeons to get their professional input so you at least know where you stand and what your options are. Best of luck!