Approx. number of grafts required - Considering HT at 27

[WLP2023]

Hi all,

Long time lurker and first time poster.

I'm 27 and currently considering a HT. I am balding in the same pattern as my dad who is 52.

I've been taking 1mg Fin daily since December 1st as I had read this was advised if considering a HT. No side effects to note.

I have attached some pictures below and was hoping some of the more experienced posters here could give a estimate on how many grafts I'd be looking at needing.

I'd say I'm in between a 5 and a 6 on the Norwood scale and I consider my donor to be in good condition but I guess I'm biased. I usually get a skin fade haircut.

I have attached 3 pictures of my condition 

•  Top of my head after a haircut on 25th April. 
• Back of head (Pre hair cut)
• Side (Pre haircut)

 

 

 

[duckling]

Your crown is dipping towards norwood 7. You need to keep taking meds and check your progress till end of the year. You are young so hopefully meds can get you regrowth. Don’t think about HT now. Maybe add minoxidil for crown.

[mister_25]

If I were in your situation I would;

• Maintain using medication for atleast one full year, and assess if you have any additional balding since then. If you did lose a visible amount you might want to consider other alternatives. If your hair loss was stable then I would say you can go for a Hair Transplant
• Go to a Doctor that does high norwoods very well (Zarev, Eugenix, Pitella are some names to get you started in research) or go to a multi step procedure with some of the best (Pinto, Ferreira, Bisanga are some more names to research)
• Start Oral Minoxidil (2.5mg or 5mg) to maximize donor capabilities for your surgery when the time comes

Your crown is dipping into Norwood 7, this means you have the worst case scenario in sight. But you still have alot of hair that you don't want to lose and can still hold on to. (Your lateral humps are quite high, not Norwood 6 level, and your crown is partway into thinning into a Norwood 6, whilst the Norwood 7 Dip is visible but does still have some hair. If you can save all these areas you can get a massive turnaround at the cost of your entire available donor. Your looking at probably around 7000-9000 grafts, which is also factoring in if medication works well for you. Doesnt look like you have retrograde alopecia which means your donor is probably either average or above average.

In summary, I believe you can get something pretty good (holds up well in harsh conditions such as wet, and harsh lighting. Maybe not as well with both), however to do this you have to have stabilized your hair loss with medication. Its going to be costly on your donor and also on your finances. You also wont get a second chance at that level of balding so you got to do it right the first time.

[WLP2023]

@mister_25

 

I reached out to one of the clinics you mentioned above and their evaluation was that I was a Norwood 6.

Their evaluation was made using more photos/videos than what I had posted above so I guess they had more info to go on. I sent them videos of a comb going through my donor, photos of before and after hair cut so they can see what sort of growth I have.

The evaluation was that I needed 3500 grafts, 500 of these would be from my beard. This seems low compared to your estimate..

I'm a tad curious at how the extractions from the beard would work, if I was to grow my beard out it would be a different colour to my hair. My beard would be red. I'm shave every second day usually.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WLP2023]

Having reviewed the evaluation again and consulted with the clinic.

Its actually 3500 grafts but the crown will not be worked on. If I was to include the crown it would be between 4400 and 4700 grafts. This makes more sense