Can you tell donor area quality? (Long hair, photos included)

[noise2]

Hi all

I have recently come into contact with my desired hair surgeon for a transplant. I am in the US and desired surgeon is in Mexico. I have a fairly full and thick head of hair apart from my hairline which has slowly thinned but am trying to fix.

 

He stated that based on the photo I provided, that I have a limited donor area and should first consult with a local surgeon/derm and then relay him the information. However I have long hair and was unable to get a good picture of the back of my head so I'm pretty confused as to why he made a definitive statement that my donor area is poor. Which is why I'm posting to see here if anyone else thinks the same or could provide me some insight. I'm sure he needs someone else to confirm it, but his phrasing has made me nervous.

I've made an appointment with Bosley for next week for a consultation/dermoscopy, however I'm apprehensive if they are willing to relay whatever they find to my desired surgeon since I will not be doing the procedure with them and going across the border.

 

Thanks. Photos or hairline, top, and back of head attached 

Edited May 8, 2023 by noise2

[A_4_Archan]

@noise2Your donor seems be to good from your pics ....and you will be a good candidate for the surgery ....you have receding hairline and a bit of thinning at crown ...imo you will not require too many grafts and you should pick a surgeon who is very good at hairlines specifically ....

Edited May 8, 2023 by A_4_Archan

[shiba1985]

Hard to say anything about the donor area from that type of photo and that type of hair length. Bosley will probably not relay to your surgeon, but they may give you a printout of their dermascopy findings and you can email that to your surgeon of choice. 

Alternatively take a much better donor area pic i.e. have someone else take it. Wet the hair to be able to see down to the root if needed. 

[Sunset Dune]

With the way your hair is it’s hard to tell the quality of your donor, you need a hair cut

[Gatsby]

Are you on any medication for your hair loss? I'm not a doctor but you want to stabilize your hair loss as you look quite young and have a lot of hair to keep. The best thing to do would be to see a dermatologist and to commence finasteride. You may even be surprised that you could grow back hair in the miniaturized areas of the hairline and the crown. All the best!

[noise2]

28 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Are you on any medication for your hair loss? I'm not a doctor but you want to stabilize your hair loss as you look quite young and have a lot of hair to keep. The best thing to do would be to see a dermatologist and to commence finasteride. You may even be surprised that you could grow back hair in the miniaturized areas of the hairline and the crown. All the best!

Yes I’m on a lower dose of fin so I don’t get sides, I’m doing 0.25 a day and it’s seemed to stabilize. Also just got on minoxidil last week. I’m 26 turning 27 soon, but all of this recession really only starting as soon as I turned 25 lol. I can hide the recession pretty well like in this pic but it’s super concerning and disheartening when I step out of the shower and see my hairline like in the original post. 
 

Thansk all!

[Sunset Dune]

25 minutes ago, noise2 said:

Yes I’m on a lower dose of fin so I don’t get sides, I’m doing 0.25 a day and it’s seemed to stabilize. Also just got on minoxidil last week. I’m 26 turning 27 soon, but all of this recession really only starting as soon as I turned 25 lol. I can hide the recession pretty well like in this pic but it’s super concerning and disheartening when I step out of the shower and see my hairline like in the original post. 
 

Thansk all!

My loss started exactly the same age as you

[Gatsby]

Do you feel that your hair has stabalized over the past 12 months on finasteride?

 

[bear56]

looks like you have some dandruff. scalp health is very important. i would suggest to use nizoral shampoo if you don't already use it.  you said you just started minoxidil . start using it for a whole year on top of your fin with daily massage brushing and you probably won't need any surgery after that. 

[duckling]

Be on meds for a year (fin+min) . Be consistent and stop overthinking about hair. Crown should have filled in a lot and hairline you can decide that time if you need to add grafts. If you still wish to do HT after a year, then contact a doctor who specialize in hairlines. I can agree that with receding hairline you cannot pull back your long hair with confidence as it shows you are balding. But maybe you can change hair length or style and see if that helps.