norwood 6 at 22

[Hairtransplants4life]

First picture is october 2022 

second picture is today 

Is it still too early to get a hair transplant? When should I be looking to get it done. 

Currently on Fin 0.5mg and minoxidil 5% twice a day

[Hairtransplants4life]

Pictures are in the wrong order

[mister_25]

How long have you been on Finasteride and Minoxidil for?

Getting a HT at 22 is a risk and you have to make yourself the best possible candidate before you even consider one.

[Hairtransplants4life]

Just now, mister_25 said:

How long have you been on Finasteride and Minoxidil for?

Getting a HT at 22 is a risk and you have to make yourself the best possible candidate before you even consider one.

4 months 

[mister_25]

51 minutes ago, Hairtransplants4life said:

4 months 

Wait a full year, see what finasteride/minoxidil can hold on then reassess

[JayLDD]

4 hours ago, Hairtransplants4life said:

First picture is october 2022 

second picture is today 

Is it still too early to get a hair transplant? When should I be looking to get it done. 

Currently on Fin 0.5mg and minoxidil 5% twice a day

You’re almost completely bald. This is 90% loss of hair, at this point all of these remaining hairs would need grafts planted into them so the only coverage you have is effectively worthless. 

Age has nothing to do with the question contrary to what people here might throw out without anything to back the claim up.

If there’s a competent surgeon nearby it would be worth having them analyze your donor and try to find is there is any miniaturization in the donor area, below the NW6 pattern. Also the donor quality, specifically density and size of follicules, as well as hair texture etc. 

You should primarily consider FUT imo. Clinics like Hattingen and Hasson/Wong. Assuming you have a reasonable donor area and optimal laxity as many grafts as is safely possible would be worth considering. Probably 8000 grafts for a substantive reconstruction of all areas over multiple procedures. 

Dr Zarev has some fairly miraculous graft numbers with FUE, however his pricing is very high.

The fact that your hair has a curl to it means that behind the hairline and in the crown the amount of grafts required for good overall coverage might actually not be that high, potentially closer to 5000.

If your desired outcome wasn’t full coverage and just a modest hairline, then you’re still very likely to have reasonable success.

I would personally wait 6 months to a year to see how the Finasteride works out, otherwise I would get going now, with the awareness you will probably need multiple procedures. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by JayLDD

[Gatsby]

If this is your hair loss at 22 I strongly urge you to remain in medication for a year at the very least. I would not even consider cutting into your scalp at your age. I know this is not what you want to hear but this is very aggressive MPB at a very young age. Have a reassessment at 25. All the best. 

[mr_peanutbutter]

id buzz it and get smp

[Rafael Manelli]

Brutal.

People say don't do HT young, but that's because your hair loss may advance. However yours is already super advanced. Depending on how much it bothers you, I can see why getting an HT ASAP could be a good idea. Nobody wants to be Norwood 6 at 22. People telling you to wait can feel like people saying just sacrifice your youth. For no apparent reason.

Get a consultation with someone good, who will analyse donor and recipient and check for underlying skin conditions. 

Finasteride might help. But dutasteride would probably help more. Your loss is diffuse, so meds might be able to restore quite a lot, and concealers like toppik might be able to give you a good dense look. The advantage of diffuse thinning rather than recession. 

You have good hair traits for coverage. It's a bit curly. I can't speak to the density on the donor as you haven't posted a photo. You'll need a huge number of grafts if you want the whole area filled in, but fewer grafts than you might expect since the hair is frizzy and curly, and fewer still if you respond to meds.

If it were me, I'd go on dut, toppik, check my donor health and capacity, and take it from there. If you have enough hair you might be able to get a full surgical restoration. Won't be cheap, but could be worth it.

 

[mister_25]

10 minutes ago, Rafael Manelli said:

Brutal.

People say don't do HT young, but that's because your hair loss may advance. However yours is already super advanced. Depending on how much it bothers you, I can see why getting an HT ASAP could be a good idea. Nobody wants to be Norwood 6 at 22. People telling you to wait can feel like people saying just sacrifice your youth. For no apparent reason.

Get a consultation with someone good, who will analyse donor and recipient and check for underlying skin conditions. 

Finasteride might help. But dutasteride would probably help more. Your loss is diffuse, so meds might be able to restore quite a lot, and concealers like toppik might be able to give you a good dense look. The advantage of diffuse thinning rather than recession. 

You have good hair traits for coverage. It's a bit curly. I can't speak to the density on the donor as you haven't posted a photo. You'll need a huge number of grafts if you want the whole area filled in, but fewer grafts than you might expect since the hair is frizzy and curly, and fewer still if you respond to meds.

If it were me, I'd go on dut, toppik, check my donor health and capacity, and take it from there. If you have enough hair you might be able to get a full surgical restoration. Won't be cheap, but could be worth it.

 

I got my HT at 22 years old and I knew all the risks.

Its not a "good idea" to get a hair transplant ASAP, that's a dangerous approach and the one thing I can imagine that's worse than being a Norwood 6 22 year old is being a Norwood 6 22 year old with a botched hair transplant or a hair transplant that wont last.

OP, My advice is that since your hairloss is already very extreme, and if I'm reading your messages correctly you have the photos mixed around (meaning the first photo is the one taken recently and the one where you are very bald was taken a while ago) you have a chance for a good transplant. But you can't afford to make any mistakes.

You want at least one year on Finasteride/Minoxidil, maybe even a bit more to reassess if the regrowth you got is going to stay. You want to make sure you have money for the right surgeon for your needs. You need to have your donor assessed and see if you have miniaturization in the Norwood 7 Zone. You have to plan accordingly and you can't afford any mistakes. It is rare for anyone Norwood 5+ to get second chances.

I know that it sucks, I'm the same age as you so I know exactly what your going through but you gotta look forward to maximise the best chance of success and by doing that it may mean to wait a little longer.

[Rafael Manelli]

7 minutes ago, mister_25 said:

I got my HT at 22 years old and I knew all the risks.

Its not a "good idea" to get a hair transplant ASAP, that's a dangerous approach and the one thing I can imagine that's worse than being a Norwood 6 22 year old is being a Norwood 6 22 year old with a botched hair transplant or a hair transplant that wont last.

OP, My advice is that since your hairloss is already very extreme, and if I'm reading your messages correctly you have the photos mixed around (meaning the first photo is the one taken recently and the one where you are very bald was taken a while ago) you have a chance for a good transplant. But you can't afford to make any mistakes.

You want at least one year on Finasteride/Minoxidil, maybe even a bit more to reassess if the regrowth you got is going to stay. You want to make sure you have money for the right surgeon for your needs. You need to have your donor assessed and see if you have miniaturization in the Norwood 7 Zone. You have to plan accordingly and you can't afford any mistakes. It is rare for anyone Norwood 5+ to get second chances.

I know that it sucks, I'm the same age as you so I know exactly what your going through but you gotta look forward to maximise the best chance of success and by doing that it may mean to wait a little longer.

When I said he may want one ASAP, I don't mean he should rush things. I mean he should do his research and plan properly, but he doesn't need to wait ten or fifteen years just to see if his hair loss advances. There isn't really much upside to that, you're just sacrificing your youth that way.

Nothing wrong with getting an HT young as long as you've thought it through. 

[Mountinvan]

I would check out some really good resource material on this site for high Norwood: s--Eufenix does wonders, too. There is hope and new things popping up research-wise.

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Mountinvan