22 year old - 2014-2015 HT

[cp9]

My hairline have receded a lot it's around a NW3 atm.

I'm currently 21 but looking at getting a hair transplant at the end of next year when I'm 22.
I'm currently using RU and lipogaine atm, will probably add CB in soon as well.
My body can' tolerate finasteride. Sides are too strong.
I've done my research and understand the risks to this (amount of donor etc), and I know I probably need more than one session as my hair loss will progress in the future.
But treatments such as histogen and cb are on their way to the market. Also, HT Drs are claiming their procedures to have donor regeneration more consistently. (I know what everyone's saying about Nigam, but I really hope Mwamba shows that his techniques actually work)
I really want to get this done, I feel like my life (confidence) has been put on hold. I'm sick of wearing a beanie around everywhere

Please tell me what you guys think and any feedback would be much appreciated!

[35YrsAfter]

My hairline have receded a lot it's around a NW3 atm.

I'm currently 21 but looking at getting a hair transplant at the end of next year when I'm 22.
I'm currently using RU and lipogaine atm, will probably add CB in soon as well.
My body can' tolerate finasteride. Sides are too strong.
I've done my research and understand the risks to this (amount of donor etc), and I know I probably need more than one session as my hair loss will progress in the future.
But treatments such as histogen and cb are on their way to the market. Also, HT Drs are claiming their procedures to have donor regeneration more consistently. (I know what everyone's saying about Nigam, but I really hope Mwamba shows that his techniques actually work)
I really want to get this done, I feel like my life (confidence) has been put on hold. I'm sick of wearing a beanie around everywhere

Please tell me what you guys think and any feedback would be much appreciated!

Could you post some photos?

We offer free consultations and will do a HairCheck at N/C.

What is your father's hair like? How about your mother's father, your mother's brothers and your father's brothers? It's very important to gather as much information as possible. At Dr. Cole's office we use HairCheck to evaluate and compare hair mass over several areas of your scalp. Currently hair restoration is effective up to a Norwood 6 if the patient has decent donor hair characteristics. We generally discourage men at your age from having hair transplant surgery. There are some specific exceptions to that though.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1045 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[John P. Cole, MD]

If you are a NW 3 at age 21, you should hold off on a hair transplant for now. Don't expect do something hoping for progress in cell therapy and cloning that makes you a candidate for a hair transplant. This progress may not materialize. Wait until the progress is confirmed to begin hair restoration surgery. In the long run, you will be glad you waited.

[topcat]

Confidence can be built in many ways much better than just having more hair. If you are in a position where you really should wait then work in other areas. When you are really good at something that brings confidence………….so become really good at as many things as possible………….become the best in several areas and you will have that confidence.

When the time is right you can revisit the hair issue.

[Dan26]

^sobering advice...

just be patient man...do what u can in the meantime treatment wise

if theres no advancing in cell therapy, donor regeneration etc then a HT at ur age with ur degree of hairloss will be a bad move in the long run

[cp9]

Thank you all so much for the such sound advice!
My grandfather on my mother's side had a full head of hair even at the age of 80. The only person that is bald is my mums brother, who's a NW6/7. My father and all his other brothers have a full head of hair and they're all older than 50. My grandfather on his side however is a NW5 ish. I started with slight thinning on my crown (which is fully recovered with RU now) and hairline recession. At this point, I'm willing to even give PRP standalone a go. Unfortunately my country doesn't have acell.
I didn't want to mention this, but it's really frustrating.. I work in the film industry as an actor. I have had a pretty good start to my career and have done my first movie recently... I'm not an extremely vain guy but looks are very important in this industry, and for a guy my age, hair is quite essential if I want more opportunity for jobs.

Are there no way around this? Dr Cole, I've heard you had success with 60% donor regeneration, wouldn't that be enough even if I end up with a NW5/6 in the future? I am well aware of the risks.

Thanks again, I guess I'll wait till next year before I make my final judgement.

[cp9]

Sorry for the typos, typing this on my phone.

[John P. Cole, MD]

You did not get hair loss from your father. That puts it on your mother's side. This does no mean you are following your mum's brother. You could be a 5. Sometimes the gene slips up passed from your mother's, mother. Her brother could have your grandfather's genes unless he had no hair loss. Then one would think you might be following your mum's brother.

I think maximal medical management is the optimal source for you right now. I'm not fully convinced that you cannot get good PRP results without Acell. The Acell is simply a matrix for the growth factors to set up on and provide a sustained release.

If you are going to try hair surgery, you should keep the grafts very small right now. Recognize that hair loss begins with a loss of color and diameter in the hair follicles. As it progresses, the number of hairs in each follicular unit decreases so that ultimately all of the remaining hair consists of one and two hair groups. Most are single hair groups. If you keep the grafts to single and two hair groups, it will look more natural as you loose the hair around the grafts. The other thing I'd try is to properly put ACell in the graft extraction sites. Finally, keep the extraction sites small so that pieces of the larger follicular units are harvested as opposed to the intact follicular units. This final step is only possible when you have an optimal donor area. In order to get Acell regeneration, the grafts must be harvested in a minimal depth fashion. You also have to take steps to prohibit the Acell from leaking out. You can do this by sleeping on the side of your forehead the first night or two and also by sealing the Acell into the donor area. I do this with a biodegradable gel when i want to make sure it does not leak. Minimal depth means an incision between 2 and 3 mm deep. Most physicians go deeper than this so they excise all of the Ck15 positive stem cells. you can't get regeneration without the CK 15 positive cells and the CD 34 positive cells whence are located deeper. A total incision such as with the safe system removes all the CK15 and CD34 cells. There is nothing left for the Acell to interact with. I prefer to stay under 2.5 mm deep when ever possible, but it is exceedingly rare for me to ever go deeper than 3 mm. An incision with a punch to 3 mm will excise the CK15 cells on the inferior aspect of the punch, but not the superior aspect of the punch. Because hair exits at an angle to the skin, the inferior aspect always incises deeper than the superior aspect of the punch. For example, for a hair growing at 60 degrees, a 1 mm punch will incise 1.73 mm before the superior side of the punch touches the skin. I use the 1 mm punch because the math is simpler, but a smaller punch will have a smaller disparity between the superior and inferior aspect of the punch. In terms of leaving stem cells behind, a larger punch will leave more stem cells.

What i'd do prior to surgery and medical management is get yourself into a place that can do cross sectional trichometery to evaluate the entire top of you scalp for signs of hair loss. You need measurements at least at 8, 12, 15, 18 and 20 cm above the glabella to establish potential loss here. If the CST is significantly less than the donor area (let's say at 31 to 33 cm above the glabella, you are probably going to loose the entire top. You already know that the crown is going and so is the front. It is the middle that is in question right now. The 12 to 18 cm marks will give you a clue about future loss.

[cp9]

Thank you very much for your informative reply Dr Cole, and also to everyone else who posted. Dr Cole, I really appreciate you taking your time and explaining things in depth. I will make sure to keep the hairlne as conservaive as possible if I was to go for a hair transplant next year. I will consult with a Dr in my country for a PRP treatment. My body is allergic to propecia so it's a no go. I'm willing to try anything now to keep what I have.

Thanks again!

[gchr]

any update on your journey?