Would you encourage an FUE HT for me? (diffuse thinning without a receding hairline)

[Xeal]

Hey everyone.

Just a quick intro. I'm 31 years old, and have had my hair thin very rapidly ever since I turned 21. It sort of stabilized around 23, and it's been very very gradually thinning since then.
My hairline never receded, and I have phases where my hair looks better, and then worse again. 
I have my hair relatively short, and style it side ways. Not many people can always notice that I am balding. When it is shorter than usual, I do get comments from my friends when it gets more obvious.

I tried finasteride when I was 23 for around 10 months, but it gave me horrible side effects, and so I decided to stop using it. I then used a topical Spiro for a year, and believe it or not, that gave me some side effects as well, and I stopped that too.

Its been roughly 5-6 years now where I have done nothing for my hair whatsoever. I'm not opposed to shaving or buzzing my head down if I need to, but I feel as though if I am somewhat an "ideal" client for a FUE hair transplant, I'd definitely get one. I would really appreciate your thoughts and feedback and suggestions.
I am more than happy to give it a shot, and can justify the expense, especially if folks with diffuse thinning can be ideal candidates.

After the side effects I encountered with FIN, I am really against using any meds that have potential side effects anymore. 

Would really appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
Happy to share any more pictures that could help with the judgment.

[sukh123]

What side effects you get ? Because your type of hair loss is where fin would be very effective 

[Xeal]

1 minute ago, sukh123 said:

What side effects you get ? Because your type of hair loss is where fin would be very effective 

I essentially couldn't maintain an erection no matter what. I tried to ride it out, but it seems like I was extremely prone.

It took years for me to gain back sensitivity, and even then, I never recovered 100%. My hair was exceptional though when I was on fin. 

[sukh123]

 

Just now, Xeal said:

I essentially couldn't maintain an erection no matter what. I tried to ride it out, but it seems like I was extremely prone.

It took years for me to gain back sensitivity, and even then, I never recovered 100%. My hair was exceptional though when I was on fin. 

Yeh I’ll be honest The prevalence of these side effects is way more than the so called 2- 3 percent . Going by this forum I say it’s about closer to 33 percent of people who experience these sides. Why I think it’s essential to get a hormonal profile of bloodwork prior to fin too see your baseline levels . Yeh your hair loss because you have no recessions and just diffuse thinning , fin would of probably been enough . Your Individual case is difficult because you got no recession or bald spots jus thinning which isn’t ideal for a transplant. Shame about fin Because that would Of probably been enough for you in conjunction with minoxidil

[mafpe]

The side effect seems to be more than 5% yes, but i think the number might be around 10% if its used for a while (not to mention that usually people bothered to be active in something only if they have the problem, otherwise they wouldn't even think of it or research very much), since many report that the sides go away after getting used to the meds (usually around 1 to 3 months), but for the risk of it being long lasting like it dod for our OP here, i think it's best that he doesn't since even topical one affects him.

On OP's topic... i'm not sure but it seems like your donor is also slightly thin? I'm worried that your DUPA isn't only on the scalp and front, since if that's the case, your transplanted hair might be prone to balding as well... coupled with that you can't use meds, it's probable that it'd be lost after several years...

I suggest that yoy look for alternative solution for a while, from concealer, to milder meds... like our forum mod melvin, he doesn't use finas but have an alternative instead, and so far it seems to be doing well for him.

[Dillpickle123]

I would suggest topical finasteride, and some dark brown hair fibers it will make you not look thin 

[sukh123]

9 minutes ago, mafpe said:

The side effect seems to be more than 5% yes, but i think the number might be around 10% if its used for a while (not to mention that usually people bothered to be active in something only if they have the problem, otherwise they wouldn't even think of it or research very much), since many report that the sides go away after getting used to the meds (usually around 1 to 3 months), but for the risk of it being long lasting like it dod for our OP here, i think it's best that he doesn't since even topical one affects him.

On OP's topic... i'm not sure but it seems like your donor is also slightly thin? I'm worried that your DUPA isn't only on the scalp and front, since if that's the case, your transplanted hair might be prone to balding as well... coupled with that you can't use meds, it's probable that it'd be lost after several years...

I suggest that yoy look for alternative solution for a while, from concealer, to milder meds... like our forum mod melvin, he doesn't use finas but have an alternative instead, and so far it seems to be doing well for him.

Yeh but he had four hair transplants lol 

[mafpe]

59 minutes ago, sukh123 said:

Yeh but he had four hair transplants lol 

Wait what he had four? I thought he didn't do anything for his head.

That changes things though, it means that the donor might be safe non DUPA, but it would definitely look overharvested depend on what he does since even now it looks a little patchy on short trim. That and the scalp are looking thin, most likely means he lost most native and even few transplanted ones.

If he did have HT before, that is.

[BurnieBurns]

I feel your pain man.. It really sucks being unlucky enough to get sides while you, especially after being told how amazing fin works for diffuse thinners.

You absolutely need some form of stabilisation before thinking about hair transplant. Oral Minoxidil is a decent alternative and worth trying. Otherwise, try topical minoxidil ideally fortified with azaleic acid and caffeine along with a ketoconazole shampoo (or cream). There's other options too that will significantly slow the rate of progression

I also agree with the above comment that you need a proper consultation to be inspected for DUPA.

PS. Did you get the same erection issues on the topical spironolactone?

[Xeal]

10 hours ago, sukh123 said:

 

Yeh I’ll be honest The prevalence of these side effects is way more than the so called 2- 3 percent . Going by this forum I say it’s about closer to 33 percent of people who experience these sides. Why I think it’s essential to get a hormonal profile of bloodwork prior to fin too see your baseline levels . Yeh your hair loss because you have no recessions and just diffuse thinning , fin would of probably been enough . Your Individual case is difficult because you got no recession or bald spots jus thinning which isn’t ideal for a transplant. Shame about fin Because that would Of probably been enough for you in conjunction with minoxidil

 

9 hours ago, mafpe said:

The side effect seems to be more than 5% yes, but i think the number might be around 10% if its used for a while (not to mention that usually people bothered to be active in something only if they have the problem, otherwise they wouldn't even think of it or research very much), since many report that the sides go away after getting used to the meds (usually around 1 to 3 months), but for the risk of it being long lasting like it dod for our OP here, i think it's best that he doesn't since even topical one affects him.

On OP's topic... i'm not sure but it seems like your donor is also slightly thin? I'm worried that your DUPA isn't only on the scalp and front, since if that's the case, your transplanted hair might be prone to balding as well... coupled with that you can't use meds, it's probable that it'd be lost after several years...

I suggest that yoy look for alternative solution for a while, from concealer, to milder meds... like our forum mod melvin, he doesn't use finas but have an alternative instead, and so far it seems to be doing well for him.

 

Thanks for the replies gents. 
I must say, I'm generally prone to side effects from meds it seems. I'm not sure what the actual rate is, but I can say that I am certainly one of the few that has side effects that never entirely went away. I to date dont have my natural morning erections and I definitely dont have the entire sensation back. My blood work is normal, and fortunately, I have no issues anymore (it took years to get better) with having sex. Very very occasionally will I have an issue, but not to the extent that it bothers me. I'm married recently, and I'm happy. I haven't been worrying about my hair for years, but seeing it gradually thinning further, I've been debating trying to get something that can at least maintain or prolong my hairless. I use nothing for my hair, and use Head and shoulders, which has been the only shampoo that has helped stop my mild dandruff. 

Fin took only a few weeks to make my hair look perfect, worked like a charm, but to me its not worth losing my sex drive. The last time I buzzed my head was 2 years ago, and when it's very short, no-one can really tell I'm balding as I dont have bald spots. I have a full beard and a good shape on my head, which definitely helps the overall look.

Minoxidil I've avoided because I've read of the dark circles it can cause. I naturally have a bit of dark circles, and I made the decision to avoid that as well. I really dont want to correct my hair (potentially temporarily), only to have dark circles stick around forever.

I have to say. I can't be sure that had I not used FIN, would I have already been bald now? I have no clue. But going by the fact that my hair started thinning out heavily at a very early age, even I am sometimes surprised I still have an almost full head (albeit thin) of hair 10 years later.

[Xeal]

9 hours ago, Dillpickle123 said:

I would suggest topical finasteride, and some dark brown hair fibers it will make you not look thin 

I would honestly rather not. I got depressed facing what I did in my early 20s with the side effects. I'm terrified of using anything that has even a 0.1% chance of affecting my sex drive. 

[Xeal]

3 hours ago, BurnieBurns said:

I feel your pain man.. It really sucks being unlucky enough to get sides while you, especially after being told how amazing fin works for diffuse thinners.

You absolutely need some form of stabilisation before thinking about hair transplant. Oral Minoxidil is a decent alternative and worth trying. Otherwise, try topical minoxidil ideally fortified with azaleic acid and caffeine along with a ketoconazole shampoo (or cream). There's other options too that will significantly slow the rate of progression

I also agree with the above comment that you need a proper consultation to be inspected for DUPA.

PS. Did you get the same erection issues on the topical spironolactone?

It definitely sucks. As I mentioned earlier, fin worked like an absolute charm for me. 

I'm so happy I stumbled across this forum. I had a consultation with a team at hair of Istanbul (I am happy to do the hair transplant anywhere really and not worried about the cost), but I stumbled across them online and just had a chat. They seemed to think I was a good candidate, and I read alot of reviews here on folks that have had extremely bad results with Turkey. I will be avoiding it.

And yes, I did have the same issues. Lesser extent, but same issues. Mind you, topical Spiro ALSO worked like magic for me. 
Sucks

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Xeal,

I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old are you now? Your post says that you started losing your hair around 21 and it’s been gradually ever since you turn 23. I don’t know how old you are now in order to determine whether or not you are at an appropriate age to consider hair transplant surgery.

i’m sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old are you now? Your post says that you started losing your hair around 21 and it’s been gradual ever since you turn 23. I don’t know how old you are now in order to determine whether or not you are at an appropriate age to consider hairtransplant surgery.

I will say this however - you still have a substantial amount of hair on top of your head and if you are gradually losing your hair on top, many of those hairs may be in the process of miniaturizing which means they are susceptible and vulnerable to permanent shock loss in the event you have hair transplant surgery.

So if you were to undergo hair transplant surgery right now, what might happen is that you will lose some of the natural hairs on top of your scout that are in the miniature zation process and replace them with permanent transplanted hair.  You may or may not end up seeing a substantial cosmetic difference depending on several factors including how the hairs that are currently miniaturizing is affecting the overall appearance of thinning on your scalp, how many hairs are miniaturizing, how many end up being permanently shocked and lost after surgery and more.

Moreover, you aren’t doing anything to stop the progression of male pattern baldness so there’s a possibility that hair transplant surgery will result in an equal trade of miniaturizing hairs for permanent hairs (meaning that your hair transplant results may not dramatically change your appearance good or bad) but over time, you will lose more hair resulting in the need for another procedure.

So regardless of age, my opinion based on the amount of natural hair you still have on your head, would be to try to find some non-surgical solution that will work to slow down or stop the progression of genetic hair loss before you undergo surgery.  This may be topical minoxidil or even topical finasteride.  If topical minoxidil is a problem you can always try oral minoxidil although I don’t know how effective that will be.

i’m not saying that you absolutely need a non-surgical solution to become a hair transplant candidate but right now, given how much natural hair you have left on top of your scalp and the risks of permanent shock loss to the miniaturizing hairs, I personally feel that you should wait and look for some kind of non-surgical remedy that won’t provide side effects that are too difficult to deal with.  

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Xeal]

On 8/10/2022 at 10:31 AM, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Xeal,

I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old are you now? Your post says that you started losing your hair around 21 and it’s been gradually ever since you turn 23. I don’t know how old you are now in order to determine whether or not you are at an appropriate age to consider hair transplant surgery.

i’m sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old are you now? Your post says that you started losing your hair around 21 and it’s been gradual ever since you turn 23. I don’t know how old you are now in order to determine whether or not you are at an appropriate age to consider hairtransplant surgery.

I will say this however - you still have a substantial amount of hair on top of your head and if you are gradually losing your hair on top, many of those hairs may be in the process of miniaturizing which means they are susceptible and vulnerable to permanent shock loss in the event you have hair transplant surgery.

So if you were to undergo hair transplant surgery right now, what might happen is that you will lose some of the natural hairs on top of your scout that are in the miniature zation process and replace them with permanent transplanted hair.  You may or may not end up seeing a substantial cosmetic difference depending on several factors including how the hairs that are currently miniaturizing is affecting the overall appearance of thinning on your scalp, how many hairs are miniaturizing, how many end up being permanently shocked and lost after surgery and more.

Moreover, you aren’t doing anything to stop the progression of male pattern baldness so there’s a possibility that hair transplant surgery will result in an equal trade of miniaturizing hairs for permanent hairs (meaning that your hair transplant results may not dramatically change your appearance good or bad) but over time, you will lose more hair resulting in the need for another procedure.

So regardless of age, my opinion based on the amount of natural hair you still have on your head, would be to try to find some non-surgical solution that will work to slow down or stop the progression of genetic hair loss before you undergo surgery.  This may be topical minoxidil or even topical finasteride.  If topical minoxidil is a problem you can always try oral minoxidil although I don’t know how effective that will be.

i’m not saying that you absolutely need a non-surgical solution to become a hair transplant candidate but right now, given how much natural hair you have left on top of your scalp and the risks of permanent shock loss to the miniaturizing hairs, I personally feel that you should wait and look for some kind of non-surgical remedy that won’t provide side effects that are too difficult to deal with.  

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Hey there RHT.

Thanks so much for the response. 
I'm 32 now. At around 21 I lost a LOT of hair density, almost all within 6-8 months. It was very unusual and I thought at that rate I would be bald by 23-24 at best.
At the age of 23 I noticed it had just slowed down drastically. I'd say I lost 75% of the density that I've lost between 21-23 (mostly in the first 6-8 months), and then a further 25% from 23-32 (today). 

I can't tell whether it was the FIN that slowed it down even long after I stopped taking the drug (it definitely did leave my with some mild side effects even today. Not having morning wood has become totally common for me, but all my blood work is normal, and I am healthy and happy.

I had not worried about my hair for the last 5 or so years at all. I get the usual short haircut, comb my hair to the sides, and mostly no-one notices or says anything negative. I would also rather go bald than deal with any more side affects, and hence I am opposed to taking FIN again.

I appreciate your input regarding the HT, and totally understand. Are there any other natural non surgical options that are FULLY side affect free that you recommend could help even a little bit?
I've read about people getting bloated faces, dark circles, etc from Minoxidil, and that's the only reason I've so far stayed away from that.

I am tempted to buzz my hair down to a number 1-2 guard to see how bad my hairless has gotten. It's always a reality check when the hair is not there to conceal the scalp and cannot be brushed sideways.

Thanks once again for the response.

[stephcurry30]

I would advise medication first. I would try topical finasteride and minoxidil.