Should I get a transplant?

[Rick sanchez]

31 year old man looking for advice.

I’ve been struggling with how to deal with my receding hairline the last few years and am strongly considering a transplant.

I have always had a big forehead but my hairline receded some in my early/mid 20s. It has since stabilized and has remained the same for the last few years. I used to wear tight hairstyles that certainly put strain on my hair but once I stopped, so did the recession. There isn’t a history of balding in my family, but several mature hairlines. My dad has a similar hairline to mine at 64.

I currently use topical minoxidil, ketaconazole shampoo, and a LLLT comb. I also take daily biotin and collagen supplements. I try to do scalp massages when I remember. I don’t like the idea of messing with my hormonal profile so I’ve stayed away from fin. I’m considering topical fin now though and doing routine blood panels to ensure serum dht levels aren’t decimated. I’ve noticed a few hairs sprouting in the recessed areas but after doing this routine a while I’m accepting I won’t reclaim my hairline like I want and would rather throw money at a transplant to get real results.

I’ve consulted several surgeons recommended here and have received quotes but find myself hesitant to pull the trigger on any. It seems whenever I think I have made up my mind and go further researching them there tend to be mixed reviews that make me doubt my original decision. 

Any recommendation for a surgeon that would excel with my specific case? I’ve consulted Eugenix, Dr. Bicer, Dr. Yaman, and Dr. Camacho so far. Estimates range up to 2500 grafts. Max budget I want to spend right now is $5-6k. 

Anyway, I appreciate the forum’s information and have learned a ton about the surgical process. Please let me know if there is anything I can clarify.  Photos attached.

[TheGreatPretender]

You seem to still have a good head of hair. I can see some slight recession from the corners howeaver your overall density seems pretty good plus you seem to look great with the long hairstyle which I quite envy. 

But needless to say that fighting with Minoxidil, Keto and Vitamins is mostly delaying the problem and not really adressing it at the root cause or stopping it on its tracks. 

This is why I would highly advise you to get on Finasteride ASAP if you want to keep your hair. The side effects are rare and most people settle in quite well and are able to maintain it for ages without having to worry anymore about their heads. Of course you can always check with a doctor but you are an excelent candidate for Fin at the very least.

[HappyMan2021]

Ultimately it should be up to you and you alone whether you get a hair transplant or not. Many men are more comfortable than others with recession/baldness. If male pattern baldness doesn't bother you too much, or if the anxiety of a permanent surgical procedure is too much, there is nothing wrong with just living your life and avoid the massive stress, cost, and time-commitment of hair transplants. 

Also keep in mind that 90% of guys need multiple procedures to be happy. It is very rare to get a one-and-done

2 hours ago, Rick sanchez said:

I don’t like the idea of messing with my hormonal profile so I’ve stayed away from fin

even if you ultimately decide hair transplants are dumb and silly, at the very least you should ignore the fear mongering and hop on Fin. 

If you keep abstaining from Fin and your MPB progresses, you will have no one to blame but yourself 🤷‍♂️

[Gatsby]

You sound like your family genetics are very consistent with your own hair. I'm not a doctor but my personal philosophy is that surgery is a last resort and that medication should always be the first port of call. I respect your decision not to take finasteride. But if your genetics are different to your father's then you may wish that you had started with finasteride in the first place to stabilize your hair as MPB is progressive. Personally I think your hairline looks incredibly natural. A hair transplant will never emulate this 100%. Also looking at surgery with a budget in mind is a risky way of researching. This has left so many people ending up spending two or three times as much in the long run trying to fix. At the end of the day I think it boils down to how bad you have to have a hair transplant. I think your hair would be the envy of many people here. Wishing you all the best! 👍

[duckling]

12 hours ago, Rick sanchez said:

I’m considering topical fin now though and doing routine blood panels to ensure serum dht levels aren’t decimated

you can try this. it works for many and may work for you. something is better than nothing. and topical fin works same as oral for good amount of people in the studies.

12 hours ago, Rick sanchez said:

topical minoxidil, ketaconazole shampoo, and a LLLT comb. I also take daily biotin and collagen supplements

use the topical fin+min regularly without fail. rest are your secondary treatment which can enhance the result.

12 hours ago, Rick sanchez said:

Any recommendation for a surgeon that would excel with my specific case?

after a year on topical fin you can re-evaluate the situation. keep checking the forum and stayed updated with work of surgeons. if after 1 year you are not satisfied then combine your research and create a new thread with updated images of progress and ask for recommendation. also do update us progress pics monthly here in this thread if possible. 

you need FIN, either topical or oral. not a HT as of now atleast. 

[Turkhair]

If you have to ask an internet forum then no, absolutely don’t get a hair transplant.

If you cared enough, you would get a hair transplant even if this forum recommended against it so yeah I’d say you’re not at the point where you need a HT. 

 

[A_4_Archan]

I don't think you need a HT unless you are too concerned abt it....be on medication for more ...you can add topical or oral finasteride to your regime after consulting your doctor and after seeing the pros and cons of it..if you can tolerate it than that would help you to stabilise your hairloss...

[consequence]

I wouldn't get a hair transplant without fin/dut. Don't build a house on shifting sands.

[Melvin- Admin]

I don’t think you should. You’re not on any anti-andorgen, which I would highly recommend. The hairline you have now looks good, and it will only look better in the next few decades. If you can maintain what you have now by the time you’re 50. Well, then, you’ve essentially beat the game without ever playing.

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/16/2023 at 1:39 PM, TheGreatPretender said:

You seem to still have a good head of hair. I can see some slight recession from the corners howeaver your overall density seems pretty good plus you seem to look great with the long hairstyle which I quite envy. 

But needless to say that fighting with Minoxidil, Keto and Vitamins is mostly delaying the problem and not really adressing it at the root cause or stopping it on its tracks. 

This is why I would highly advise you to get on Finasteride ASAP if you want to keep your hair. The side effects are rare and most people settle in quite well and are able to maintain it for ages without having to worry anymore about their heads. Of course you can always check with a doctor but you are an excelent candidate for Fin at the very least.

Thanks! I do like rocking the long hair but I also feel somewhat forced to since it helps hide the recessed corners. 
 

I’ll most likely hop on topical fin and bite the bullet. Even without the side effects, I don’t like the idea of messing with my hormones. That’s the main reason I’ve avoided it. 
 

What kind of results can I expect with fin? Is it possible to grow back in the areas of recession? 

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/16/2023 at 4:11 PM, HappyMan2021 said:

Ultimately it should be up to you and you alone whether you get a hair transplant or not. Many men are more comfortable than others with recession/baldness. If male pattern baldness doesn't bother you too much, or if the anxiety of a permanent surgical procedure is too much, there is nothing wrong with just living your life and avoid the massive stress, cost, and time-commitment of hair transplants. 

Also keep in mind that 90% of guys need multiple procedures to be happy. It is very rare to get a one-and-done

even if you ultimately decide hair transplants are dumb and silly, at the very least you should ignore the fear mongering and hop on Fin. 

If you keep abstaining from Fin and your MPB progresses, you will have no one to blame but yourself 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for the reply! 
 

Totally agree with your assessment and part of the reason I made the post. The recession definitely bothers me and I’m not sure if it would be better to get the HT done or work on getting more comfortable with owning my current hairline.
 

Im at the point where I want to pull the trigger, throw money at the HT and know I’ll get closer to the hairline I want. The only anxiety I have with the procedure is not getting a good result. 

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/16/2023 at 7:09 PM, Gatsby said:

You sound like your family genetics are very consistent with your own hair. I'm not a doctor but my personal philosophy is that surgery is a last resort and that medication should always be the first port of call. I respect your decision not to take finasteride. But if your genetics are different to your father's then you may wish that you had started with finasteride in the first place to stabilize your hair as MPB is progressive. Personally I think your hairline looks incredibly natural. A hair transplant will never emulate this 100%. Also looking at surgery with a budget in mind is a risky way of researching. This has left so many people ending up spending two or three times as much in the long run trying to fix. At the end of the day I think it boils down to how bad you have to have a hair transplant. I think your hair would be the envy of many people here. Wishing you all the best! 👍

Thank you for the reply! And thank you for all your contributions on this site. I really enjoyed reading about your experience and seeing you comment on so many other threads. You have definitely helped educate me on this process! 
 

I agree and I’ll likely give topical fin a go. What draws me to a HT is that I likely won’t be able to reclaim my hairline like I want to with the medication options. HT seems like the quickest, really only, way to do that at this point. 
 

I’m not too constrained to that budget but that amount was mostly around what I was getting quoted at for some of the recommended doctors on the site. My anxiety mostly is getting the procedure botched. 
 

Any recommendations for doctors to look into that are experienced with my type of hair? I definitely want a natural as possible looking hairline and wouldn’t even want to lower it much. Mostly just fill in the recessed corners. 

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/17/2023 at 1:33 AM, duckling said:

you can try this. it works for many and may work for you. something is better than nothing. and topical fin works same as oral for good amount of people in the studies.

use the topical fin+min regularly without fail. rest are your secondary treatment which can enhance the result.

after a year on topical fin you can re-evaluate the situation. keep checking the forum and stayed updated with work of surgeons. if after 1 year you are not satisfied then combine your research and create a new thread with updated images of progress and ask for recommendation. also do update us progress pics monthly here in this thread if possible. 

you need FIN, either topical or oral. not a HT as of now atleast. 

I appreciate the insight. 
 

Honestly, I’m itching to get the HT done sooner rather than later to get it over with and also to have the hairline and confidence it comes with while I’m still fairly young. 
 

I’ll give topical fin a go regardless and keep doing my research on surgeons. 👍

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/17/2023 at 5:17 AM, Turkhair said:

If you have to ask an internet forum then no, absolutely don’t get a hair transplant.

If you cared enough, you would get a hair transplant even if this forum recommended against it so yeah I’d say you’re not at the point where you need a HT. 

 

I was less asking for affirmation and more for advice. I definitely care enough to go through with a HT but have a little anxiety about choosing the right surgeon and the procedure itself. Just trying to do my due diligence before making a big decision. 

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/18/2023 at 7:30 AM, A_4_Archan said:

I don't think you need a HT unless you are too concerned abt it....be on medication for more ...you can add topical or oral finasteride to your regime after consulting your doctor and after seeing the pros and cons of it..if you can tolerate it than that would help you to stabilise your hairloss...

Thanks! 

[Rick sanchez]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:51 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

I don’t think you should. You’re not on any anti-andorgen, which I would highly recommend. The hairline you have now looks good, and it will only look better in the next few decades. If you can maintain what you have now by the time you’re 50. Well, then, you’ve essentially beat the game without ever playing.

Thanks for your input! And thank you for all you do on the site! I’ve learned so much browsing around and it is an excellent resource. 

I guess I have a bit of hair greed… I definitely would like to improve upon my hairline now and enjoy it while I’m still pretty young. Maybe thinking in the short term isn’t the smartest way to make a decision though… 

Do you have any recommendations for doctors that work with my type of hair often? I’d like to continue my research even if I decide a HT isn’t right for me. 

[Bhumik Shah MD]

On 6/27/2023 at 11:31 PM, Rick sanchez said:

Thanks for your input! And thank you for all you do on the site! I’ve learned so much browsing around and it is an excellent resource. 

I guess I have a bit of hair greed… I definitely would like to improve upon my hairline now and enjoy it while I’m still pretty young. Maybe thinking in the short term isn’t the smartest way to make a decision though… 

Do you have any recommendations for doctors that work with my type of hair often? I’d like to continue my research even if I decide a HT isn’t right for me. 

I personally feel you would be a good candidate for a transplant. If you decide to not use any medical stabilization (finasteride), just try to keep things conservative. That way if you have future loss, you still have enough donor reserves to address it.

Even a small session of 1200-1500 grafts would improve the recessions.

[TheGreatPretender]

On 6/28/2023 at 6:05 AM, Rick sanchez said:

Thanks! I do like rocking the long hair but I also feel somewhat forced to since it helps hide the recessed corners. 
 

I’ll most likely hop on topical fin and bite the bullet. Even without the side effects, I don’t like the idea of messing with my hormones. That’s the main reason I’ve avoided it. 
 

What kind of results can I expect with fin? Is it possible to grow back in the areas of recession? 

You will always mess with hormones even without knowing. I used this excuse in the past but let's be honest, anything you ingest orally has impact on them. Don't let fearmongering stop you from saving your hair, surgery should be avoided at all costs of possible. It saves you a lifetime of stress, anxiety and worries. 

If topical Finasteride is what you want to start with fine, but consider oral at some point as it's highly effective and side effect profiles are rare. You can always stop it if you want. 

[Nelly]

Your decision at the end of the day but it looks decent the way it is. Have you got any thoughts/ ideas on where you’d want a hair line to be placed? Maybe design something and post a picture of it