Hair Transplant Advice and Guidance

[Cordial_Hair]

I’ve been lurking these boards for a few months and have considered a hair transplant for years.  My previous hair stylist thought I would be a good candidate for it and thought I’d have success.  Years ago I went to a hair transplant surgeon for a consultation and they prescribed me finasteride.  I don’t recall the dose as this was probably 5 years ago but almost immediately I noticed a decline my libido as well as my ability to get and maintain erections.  I stopped taking it and still have not fully recovered.  I’ve been using topical minoxidil (Rogain) for years and have noticed slight improvement but nothing major.  I’m 38 and in the US.  I’m open to travel within the country but not outside of it. I’ll give a run down of the pictures I’ve attached (assuming they post in the order in which I’ve uploaded them).

 

1. Hair Straight Ahead - this is me currently

2. Hair Front Left - current

3. Hair Front Right - current

 

I buzzed it off back in October and in November decided to let it grow back out.  I did this because if I tough it out and grow it out the back portion of my hair can get long enough to cover the recession and bare spots.  The next pictures show what that looks like from almost a year ago when I had it grown out.

 

1. Front Dry Hair - no product, just out of the shower dried

2. Front Hair Wet - this is at a longer length than the previous picture but it’s just out of the shower, combed, and obviously still wet

3. Front Hair Wet Slicked Back - pretty much what the title says

 

So, aside from the front of my hairline on life support the rest of it is thick and grows nicely.  This is the reason I think I would be a good candidate for a successful transplant (as did my stylist).  So, a few questions and I am open to suggestions/advice:

 

1. How many grafts would I need in order to have full coverage in the front and even bring back the hairline?

2. I have no desire to go on finasteride and I’m pretty set in that decision.  Does that hurt my chances of having a a successful transplant?

3. While I’ve looked at the approved doctors list on this site I would like to know if there’s a general consensus of top 3-5 docs in the US that do quality work I could trust and only have to do this once?

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any and all feedback!

[Myles23]

hello @Cordial_Hair. I had the same issues / side effects  with oral finasteride so i used an all in one topical spray consisting of minoxidil and finasteride.  I didn't have any side effects from this and it stabilised my hairloss. You could also look into oral minoxidil, something I switched to this week. 

 

At the top of the page there is a list of recommend surgeons in the US. There will be real patient reviews on these surgeons for you to research that have similar MPB and hair characteristics to yourself. From there you can reach out to the clinic for a consultation which will guide you in selecting the right surgeon for your needs.