Been thinking of a HT for a long time. Your honest opinions please

[WeAreAllWeNeed]

Hi all, I've been thinking of getting a HT for around a year now. A little bit about me:

I'm 22 from the UK and have been thinning since around 17. I went on Minoxidil at 17 / 18 and it helped a little but I soon stopped.

I finally plucked up the courage and I went to the Belgravia centre in London where they gave me Minox and Fin. Tried the Finesterade and couldn't cope on it, had what I can only describe as the worst headache for around 2 weeks, felt my brain was going to explode. (This may have been physiological and I'm not against Fin as I am open minded and it obviously works well for some people!)

I've stayed on Minoxidil and I think it has helped a lot so far I'm 4 months in. However I'm tired of using it and want a HT more than ever. I have already spoken to a few doctors who say they can both do 4000 grafts but I would need more if all is successful.

I know I can't expect miracles but I'm hoping my hairline and the top of my head would get done. Could someone tell me if this is realistic?

I also want to know about the donar hair, I'm assuming this is taken from the back of my head? How does this look to you guys?

Going from my current hair I can see the 'Horseshoe' shape taking place so I would like think that I wouldn't lose any more than this. (Apart from the top)

I've sort of excepted it now that I'm pretty much bald but I'm 22, I just want to live life and I think doing this would mean I could!

I'm also wondering what would happen to that hair I already have on the top after the surgery. Will this remain? I don't want to look even worse than I do now after it. I would take about 3 weeks off... Realisticly is this enough time for the swelling and redness to go down? (FUE Method)

I would love to hear your HONEST opinions.

Thank you !

[GNX]

ur a diffuse thinner and not a good candidate for a hair transplant and any clinic telling u otherwise in not being honest with u.

ur donor hair is very thin and u will likely see extensive shock loss with ur native hair if u attempt a HT. shave it bro. will look much better then it does now. u seem to have a decent lookn round head so shave it.

u will likely be a NW7 by the time ur 25-27 yrs.

[arfy]

If you get a transplant, the hair inside the "horseshoe" will likely fall out (shock loss from surgery). If you have this much hair loss at your age, it's a good bet you will become fully bald (the high sides you have now will be lost eventually). There's no know how long that will take, but since your hair loss is aggressive, it's safe to assume it will continue.

Some guys are getting FUE and then shaving their heads. This seems to me like a waste of money in many cases (some guys do get good results). I think those guys should skip the expensive surgery, just clip their hair short, and that's the end. If you prefer some hair (not stubble) I don't think you are a great candidate for surgery. I've seen some guys with high sides (like you have) get satisfactory results, because the more hair that's already there, the better. There's a limited donor supply, so if you are fully bald it requires a lot of grafts, costs a fortune, and you still can't fully address the entire head. It seems likely that you'll lose those sides (horseshoe will expand) and the supply won't be able to keep up with the demand.

In my opinion, if young guys are not excellent candidates (which you are not, due to the aggressive pace of your hair loss) they shouldn't get surgery unless they are willing to accept some major compromises. That means getting the hairline of an older guy (think 40's) and accepting a thin or even bald crown. Many guys are not excited to learn that is the best they can hope for. There are certainly clinics who will transplant a lower hairline, but that means that you''ll need many more grafts overall (which you won't be able to provide) thus leading to future problems (low hairline and large balding area behind it).

If you were my brother, I'd tell you to get the clippers out and go as short as possible (military style). This tells the world that you've accepted your hair loss gracefully (which many people admire, actually, especially women) and you've decided that your hair isn't going to be an issue anymore. Then walk away from the idea of transplants and don't look back. IMO if you can do all that, and stop worrying about your hair, then you've won. Nobody cares about your hair loss as much as you do, and as you get older all your friends and colleagues at work will start catching up with you. Women will definitely care less, the older you get. The percentage of guys who decide on transplants is relatively small. You can be "that one guy who got transplants" among your friends, but I think it's better to be the guy who said "IDGAF about it". In the long run, I think you will be better off. Just my opinion.