Know Almost Nothing, Seeking Resources to Research Best Options

[CMaso99]

I just recently noticed that my hair's thinning all over, and I've just begun to educate myself on hair restoration options. So far all I've gathered are some of the different options (FUT, FUE, NeoGraft), and that getting a procedure done in the U.S. will be more expensive (but not necessarily better) than elsewhere else in the world.

I figure the first thing to do is travel to a relatively close clinic or specialist here in the U.S., who can best analyze what's happening with my hair, how many grafts I need, etc. Then, once I have a good idea of what I need and what will have the best result, travel to wherever I need outside the U.S. to get it done inexpensively, but well. Any impartial advice on a top clinic in the U.S. for the analysis (relatively close to SW New Mexico), or top clinic outside the U.S. to get a procedure done? Any advice on impartial websites that will get me up to speed on options and best clinics/surgeons in the world? Thanks much -- I know it's on me to learn what I need to learn, but would appreciate any point in the right direction.

[TommyLucchese]

Firstly - you've come to the best place for research. Congrats! To get the best advice here, it's best to post multiple clear photos of your hair....front, back, top down etc. as best as you can. How old are you? Are you on medication like finasteride/propecia or minoxidil?

Generally it's best to make sure your hair loss has stabilised through medication before having a HT. But it all depends on your situation. Age and level of hair loss plays a big part.

This is the list of doctors recommended on this forum https://hairtransplantnetwork.com/best-hair-transplant-surgeons

I would avoid finding simply the nearest clinic to you because this is such a dangerous industry full of people looking to take advantage. And even if they have good intentions, hair transplants are such a difficult surgery that also require a doctor to have a team of highly qualified and experienced technicians. There aren't many around that perform it to a high level. Luckily, this forum can point you in the direction of the ones that do.

It's also something you can't afford to get wrong - you only have so much hair at the back of your head (known as the donor hair) that can be redistributed across your head. If you go to a subpar clinic, you can risk having a large portion of that donor hair ruined and you can never get it back.

So take some time here to read and understand things. If there is a doctor on that recommended list that's near then it'd be a great idea to go for a consultation. Every case is different so meeting a recommended doctor will give you a better idea of where you're at. Don't rush into anything though.

[Melvin- Admin]

You’ve reached the best site to learn about the best surgeons and treatments. But it will take some work and research on your part. 
 

I suggest using our list as a starting point for research. 
https://hairtransplantnetwork.com/best-hair-transplant-surgeons

But remember do your due diligence and research here, by looking up reviews and using our advanced search page, which is like the hair transplant industry’s Google. 

[CMaso99]

7 hours ago, TommyLucchese said:

Firstly - you've come to the best place for research. Congrats! To get the best advice here, it's best to post multiple clear photos of your hair....front, back, top down etc. as best as you can. How old are you? Are you on medication like finasteride/propecia or minoxidil?

Generally it's best to make sure your hair loss has stabilised through medication before having a HT. But it all depends on your situation. Age and level of hair loss plays a big part..."

Thanks much for your response. I'm 55, and I'm not on any medication. I wasn't even aware of how bad my hair loss was until I recently noticed it from a top/rear video shot. I've attached shots of my hair (2 from top, plus front/back/left/right).

Seems to be an ongoing problem, because I've also noticed hair comes out every time it's brushed. So you think I should get on medication before doing an HT? That was my very next question, in fact--if my hair is falling out, won't it keep coming out after the HT?

Either way, yes, I definitely want to do this the informed and calm way, not the quick and panicked way. I've since read this promising GQ article (https://www.gq.com/story/how-istanbul-became-the-global-capital-of-the-hair-transplant). HOI doesn't sound like it would be a bad option, but I saw from the list of best surgeons that you linked that a few of them are based there in Istanbul, as well. That seems to be the best location for finding a low-cost/high-quality provider. My wife really wants to visit there, too, so it looks like Istanbul's a likely location for my HT. Hopefully I can send pics to one of the surgeons there, start a dialog, and that'll be sufficient for them to diagnose and determine what I need, yes?

There's still the question of medications, though, as far as if I should use and which I should use. So I may still take a trip to someone here in the U.S. that's on the recommended list, first. These pics are hard for me to look at, but they are what they are, and I have hope. I'll definitely be giving your book a read. Thanks again!

[Melvin- Admin]

I suggest trying medication first before considering surgery. Surgery is last resort. You may get some good regrowth with medication alone. Finasteride and oral minoxidil. 

[CMaso99]

4 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

You’ve reached the best site to learn about the best surgeons and treatments. But it will take some work and research on your part. 
 

I suggest using our list as a starting point for research. 
https://hairtransplantnetwork.com/best-hair-transplant-surgeons

But remember do your due diligence and research here, by looking up reviews and using our advanced search page, which is like the hair transplant industry’s Google. 

Thank you -- I certainly will!

[CMaso99]

7 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I suggest trying medication first before considering surgery. Surgery is last resort. You may get some good regrowth with medication alone. Finasteride and oral minoxidil. 

For this, I assume I don't need to consult a surgeon, though. I want to see a dermatologist, correct?

[Marko7t4]

You can get Finasteride online fairly cheaply. Not too sure about oral minoxidil though. We can’t seem to get that online in the UK. They’ll more than likely shave your head for the procedure, which I’m sure will be a bit of a killer after having your hair long for I’m guessing a long time. 

[CMaso99]

10 minutes ago, Marko7t4 said:

You can get Finasteride online fairly cheaply. Not too sure about oral minoxidil though. We can’t seem to get that online in the UK. They’ll more than likely shave your head for the procedure, which I’m sure will be a bit of a killer after having your hair long for I’m guessing a long time. 

But I'd prefer not to take any meds without medical advice, because maybe it simply wouldn't help in my case, and then there's the expense and possible side effects. Finasteride has some particularly unappealing ones -- "you should know that finasteride may decrease fertility in men; decreased sexual desire, ejaculation problems, and inability to have or maintain an erection may occur during and after your treatment is stopped." No thanks; I'll take surgery and a temporarily shaved head before that. As far as the head shave -- yes, that would be tough, and it sounds like the weeks immediately following a procedure are no fun, but I'm in this for the long haul. If I have to spend several months before it looks presentable, but then it will keep growing and I don't have to worry about hair loss ever again, I'm willing to pay that price.

[Adrenaline7]

25 minutes ago, CMaso99 said:

But I'd prefer not to take any meds without medical advice, because maybe it simply wouldn't help in my case, and then there's the expense and possible side effects. Finasteride has some particularly unappealing ones -- "you should know that finasteride may decrease fertility in men; decreased sexual desire, ejaculation problems, and inability to have or maintain an erection may occur during and after your treatment is stopped." No thanks; I'll take surgery and a temporarily shaved head before that. As far as the head shave -- yes, that would be tough, and it sounds like the weeks immediately following a procedure are no fun, but I'm in this for the long haul. If I have to spend several months before it looks presentable, but then it will keep growing and I don't have to worry about hair loss ever again, I'm willing to pay that price.

You need to do more research. It’s not a matter of Finasteride OR a hair transplant. If you get a transplant and aren’t on medication to block DHT and prevent future hair loss of your native hairs then you’ll continue to bald around where your transplanted hairs have been placed. 

[Melvin- Admin]

5 hours ago, CMaso99 said:

But I'd prefer not to take any meds without medical advice, because maybe it simply wouldn't help in my case, and then there's the expense and possible side effects. Finasteride has some particularly unappealing ones -- "you should know that finasteride may decrease fertility in men; decreased sexual desire, ejaculation problems, and inability to have or maintain an erection may occur during and after your treatment is stopped." No thanks; I'll take surgery and a temporarily shaved head before that. As far as the head shave -- yes, that would be tough, and it sounds like the weeks immediately following a procedure are no fun, but I'm in this for the long haul. If I have to spend several months before it looks presentable, but then it will keep growing and I don't have to worry about hair loss ever again, I'm willing to pay that price.

You should try at least topical finasteride. There’s XYON that’s worth looking in to, if shaving your head is a possibility, best do it now. If you can accept a shaved head, you wont have to do anything else. That should be your first step. 

[TommyLucchese]

14 hours ago, CMaso99 said:

Thanks much for your response. I'm 55, and I'm not on any medication. I wasn't even aware of how bad my hair loss was until I recently noticed it from a top/rear video shot. I've attached shots of my hair (2 from top, plus front/back/left/right).

Seems to be an ongoing problem, because I've also noticed hair comes out every time it's brushed. So you think I should get on medication before doing an HT? That was my very next question, in fact--if my hair is falling out, won't it keep coming out after the HT?

Either way, yes, I definitely want to do this the informed and calm way, not the quick and panicked way. I've since read this promising GQ article (https://www.gq.com/story/how-istanbul-became-the-global-capital-of-the-hair-transplant). HOI doesn't sound like it would be a bad option, but I saw from the list of best surgeons that you linked that a few of them are based there in Istanbul, as well. That seems to be the best location for finding a low-cost/high-quality provider. My wife really wants to visit there, too, so it looks like Istanbul's a likely location for my HT. Hopefully I can send pics to one of the surgeons there, start a dialog, and that'll be sufficient for them to diagnose and determine what I need, yes?

There's still the question of medications, though, as far as if I should use and which I should use. So I may still take a trip to someone here in the U.S. that's on the recommended list, first. These pics are hard for me to look at, but they are what they are, and I have hope. I'll definitely be giving your book a read. Thanks again!

 

 

You're in a similar position to where I was a decade ago.....long hair that's balding. The good news is you are 55 and I was 20! Thanks to propecia, minoxidil and a great transplant I am back to rocking the long hair and looking good.....so trust me it is possible. 

You definitely need to be on medication to stop the hair loss. Otherwise you could have a great transplant but the hair around it will continue to thin. You can get finasteride that you massage into the scalp or take the pill.....if you take the pill, start slow. Cut it into quarters and take a quarter every few days. Basically to give your body a long time to adjust to it. I avoided the side effects by doing it this way. It's when you go from nothing to 1 pill per day that it can shock your body into having side effects.

My opinion is that although there is some good work in Turkey, there are way too many snakes and therefore i would avoid it completely. They've been great at social media marketing but the reality is not always so good. A good plan for you would be to get on finasteride and minoxidil and take these same photos again in one year to compare them. If your loss has stopped and maybe even improved, then you can think about a transplant. A lot of research and patience is required in order to make the right decision but it's worth it. 

In the meantime, you can use concealer to cover up your crown loss if you're feel self-conscious. Toppik fibres, dermmatch, mane spray etc. these concealers offer a temporary masking of the bald areas. 

[Gatsby]

Your GP can write a script for Finasteride. Your dermatologist can write you a script for oral minoxidil. It’s taken this long to notice some slight thinning so waiting a bit longer doing more research is nothing. I’m the same age as yourself and though my story is a different one, I had surgery eleven months ago, after waiting three years for the ‘right’ surgeon for me. I would give medication at the very least six months to see if and how much you benefit from it. Remember MPB is progressive and having a hair transplant doesn’t stop this. Basing surgery on geography and price nearly always turns to regret without doing your research. You make an excellent candidate however because the minor hair loss you have began far later in life than most people on this forum. Wishing you all the best! 

[CMaso99]

15 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

You should try at least topical finasteride. There’s XYON that’s worth looking in to, if shaving your head is a possibility, best do it now. If you can accept a shaved head, you wont have to do anything else. That should be your first step. 

I'd have to shave my head to try Xyon? Is that true of all topical meds?

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, CMaso99 said:

I'd have to shave my head to try Xyon? Is that true of all topical meds?

No, I’m saying try shaving your head before buying or trying anything. If you can live with a shaved head you won’t have to do anything, that’ll be your solution. 

[CMaso99]

5 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

No, I’m saying try shaving your head before buying or trying anything. If you can live with a shaved head you won’t have to do anything, that’ll be your solution. 

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I tried that look a few years ago, and it didn't look good. Plus it comes in mostly gray, which doesn't look good either after even 1 or 2 days' growth.

[StillAlive]

Man, if you have this much hair at 55, you are probably never going bald. Your hairstyle really accentuates even minor loss.

 

Have you tried a layered mid length do? It's going to look like you never lost any hair at all. There's also saw palmetto to consider, given how little hair you've lost.

 

In my opinion, you have negligible hair loss and should not even be thinking about surgery.

[pkipling]

I agree with StillAlive that you may see an increased illusion of density even with a slightly different hairstyle. It's worth consulting with a stylist who could give their input on a different cut and/or styling products that would improve the overall appearance... Because even as it is right now, your hair seems to be in great shape! You may see a lot of improvement just by making a few cut and styling tweaks. 

As for dermatologist vs HT surgeon... Even if you don't want to get a hair transplant, I still think it's a better idea to get a consultation with a reputable hair transplant rather than a dermatologist. To me, it's the difference between going to a GP and a specialist. The dermatologist is going to be really well-versed in overall skin/scalp health, addressing any underlying skin conditions that could contribute to hair fall, etc... But I personally believe a *qualified* and *reputable* hair transplant surgeon is going to know the ins and outs of hair loss and the best ways to address it more so than a dermatologist would... And you can be upfront with them about wanting a HT to be a last resort. If you find a trustworthy surgeon, they'll be able to guide you regardless of if that guidance leads to a hair transplant or not. 

[CMaso99]

5 minutes ago, StillAlive said:

Man, if you have this much hair at 55, you are probably never going bald. Your hairstyle really accentuates even minor loss.

 

Have you tried a layered mid length do? It's going to look like you never lost any hair at all. There's also saw palmetto to consider, given how little hair you've lost.

 

In my opinion, you have negligible hair loss and should not even be thinking about surgery.

Thanks, I don't mean to whine -- I know some guys have had to deal with worse, and at a much younger age. It was just a shock at first, because from the front (the angle which I usually see) it doesn't look nearly as bad. From the sides/back/top, the loss is plain. And I've been noticing that more hair comes out when it's brushed than used to. I've tried mid-length layered, and didn't really like it. Long and black seems to have gotten the best reviews.

I went ahead and made an appointment for a Zoom consult with a well-rated hair restoration clinic in Albuquerque, so I'll see what they recommend afa meds. Clearly, looking into med solutions first is the next logical step.