29 years old wondering if I’m a good candidate & options

[Limbo]

Hi all. I’m 29 from the US hoping for some opinions on whether or not I’m a good candidate and how many grafts I’ll need. 
 

I’ve been losing my hair since 14. I’ve been on minoxidil for 8 years, recently moved to oral minoxidil 5MG (1y) and dutasteride 0.5mg 1yr. 

I have done WhatsApp consultations with a few clinics, and some have suggested that I would be a good candidate, others just didn’t reply after I sent photos. I would just like to have some realistic expectations and hear what worked best for other diffuse thinners. I was planning to do a transplant and then SMP for enough coverage. 
 

thanks all for any replies!

 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@Limbo,

out of curiosity, are you taking any hair loss medication such as finasteride or minoxidil?  If not, I strongly recommend it because your hair loss pattern appears quite advanced  And if I had to take an educated guess, I would suggest your hair loss will progress to about a Norwood class 6 - maybe even a Norwood class 7 as I do see what appears to be some minor thinning below the obvious thinning areas.

As a result, you do not appear to be the best candidate for hair transplant surgery although since you mentioned it, have you considered full scalp micropigmentation?  I don’t know if your goal was to wear your hair longer or shorter but if you are open to sporting a short looking buzz cut, you could consider SMP which would give you the illusion of short, cropped hair without having to transplant any real hair.

Ultimately, it depends on your goals but it doesn’t appear that your donor is overly plentiful and if you are heading towards a potential Norwood seven, you’ll likely not be satisfied with her transplant surgery.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant

[duckling]

Your hair loss extending down from crown is worrying. If that was not the case then you would have lot more grafts to use in front and mid-scalp. 

Your progression puts you as future nw7.  And that is a little tricky case. 

There have been people here who have got good results as nw7 too. You have to hope the meds can improve those thinning areas below the crown. and focus on putting grafts in front and mid-scalp with a high hairline.

But smp looks to me like best route in future if meds dont help with the existing hair. 

One approach to do HT and also SMP in my mind is: 

You can get HT and have decent results but density will be less (due to less existing hair), then once your existing hair is gone then density will be left to just your HT hairs. so then you might buzz cut and get a SMP and your HT hair will help with 3d impression.

Edited May 2, 2023 by duckling

[Renegade]

For HT your only options would probably be Zarev or Pitella and Eugenix using some combination of beard hair. 

[Sunset Dune]

I don’t think so your hair loss is very aggressive considering your age as well you are headed for a stage 7

[Bucky O Hair]

Depends on your expectations.

Are you comfortable with just rebuilding a hairline and sporting a bald crown?

I am a NW5 (heading to a NW6) who just fixed my hairline and it looks great.  I still have a 3 inch wide balding crown, but to be honest I don't really mind it (since it doesn't look too bad with a short cut).  I guess I always had more issues with my receded temples and weak hairline than I did with my crown.  

You could do SMP, but it generally looks better in combination with a HT.  

You could go to a respected HT doctor and have your donor area examined to see how many you can realistically extract and then you can decide where you would place them.  I would check out some of the NW6 results found on this board and see if it meets your expectations.  

Or you could try sporting a short cut buzz and see if you like it. 

 

 

[Doron Harati]

 Very aggressive hairloss for age 29, seems you're NW6 and maybe NW7 in the future, meaning that maybe the transplanted hair may fall after few years.

The lateral humps look ok for now, this can help the HT result.

Can you upload photos of sides head donor?

 

[Limbo]

9 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@Limbo,

out of curiosity, are you taking any hair loss medication such as finasteride or minoxidil?  If not, I strongly recommend it because your hair loss pattern appears quite advanced  And if I had to take an educated guess, I would suggest your hair loss will progress to about a Norwood class 6 - maybe even a Norwood class 7 as I do see what appears to be some minor thinning below the obvious thinning areas.

As a result, you do not appear to be the best candidate for hair transplant surgery although since you mentioned it, have you considered full scalp micropigmentation?  I don’t know if your goal was to wear your hair longer or shorter but if you are open to sporting a short looking buzz cut, you could consider SMP which would give you the illusion of short, cropped hair without having to transplant any real hair.

Ultimately, it depends on your goals but it doesn’t appear that your donor is overly plentiful and if you are heading towards a potential Norwood seven, you’ll likely not be satisfied with her transplant surgery.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant

Yes I am taking dutasteride. I appreciate the honesty! I think Norwood 7 is in my future. Bummer. 

[Limbo]

3 hours ago, Doron Harati said:

 Very aggressive hairloss for age 29, seems you're NW6 and maybe NW7 in the future, meaning that maybe the transplanted hair may fall after few years.

The lateral humps look ok for now, this can help the HT result.

Can you upload photos of sides head donor?

 

Does this help? I can take better photos if you need.

 

I have a theory about the hair loss, because it started rapidly when I was 14. I have a twin sister with PCOS, and diffuse thinning is a symptom of PCOS in women. But because I don’t have ovaries (duh), I don’t have PCOS, so I only have the female patterned hair loss (DUPA)!

[mr_peanutbutter]

you need beard hair and then you go with either eugenix or pittella