How screwed am I?

[Breaking Bald]

After recent observation of my head I can see where my diffusing is going to end! I had hoped that it wasn't going to progress as low as this but this is it and it sucks. I think I am looking to be around a norwood 5-6, what do you think? My donor hair is ridiculously thick and the sides will remain quite high as fair as I can tell so what do you think my chances are at getting a successful hair transplant with good coverage?

Thank you

[HTsoon]

Looks like I'm looking at the back of my head 2 years ago, seem to be a good candidate but do you have realistic expectations?

[GNX]

ur donor looks a little thin though too tell tho. without seeing the front I hav no idea wat u will need or if u have enough donor. do u have body hair? how bout ur beard?

[arfy]

From what I can see, your sides are not "high" they are average.

Your odds of getting "good coverage" from a hair transplant are not encouraging. You can get "a little hair up there" but it probably won't be a "wow" result.

If you're relatively comfortable with your hair now (I know that hair loss sucks, that's a given) I would just go with the hand that nature dealt you.

[Breaking Bald]

Thanks for the replies guys, I've uploaded some more pics ^^

Let me know what you think based on those, I think my donor area looks pretty good.

[Breaking Bald]

Looks like I'm looking at the back of my head 2 years ago, seem to be a good candidate but do you have realistic expectations?

Wow! Yours looks great, have any bigger pics that I can see? Can I ask how many grafts you have had done?

Thanks

[GNX]

ur definately a diffused thinner and at some point you will be a NW5/6 based on the rate and areas ur losing hair. tough to say how many grafts u cud expect to get from ur donor based on the fact it too is thinning. problem with diffused thinners is they are subject to really bad shock loss and not usually a good candidate for a HT.

im sure medication wud slow the rate of hair loss but eventually u will lose most of ur hair. if u have a good shaped head u may look just fine shaving it. my head is all fuked up and doesnt look good shaved at all but I dont have much choice since im a NW5. yep..... hair loss sux balls!

[JoeTillman]

Are you currently taking medication to fight your hair loss?

[Breaking Bald]

Are you currently taking medication to fight your hair loss?

Oh hey Joe! Nice to get a reply from you as I'm aware of who you are. No I'm not, I was on Rogaine for a while which may have been slowing it down but I stopped it. It does indeed suck, I'm only 25...I know people will say propecia again and again but I made the decision years ago to not take it. But Joe what do you think? I'm a diffuse thinner and you can clearly see where it is going to stop, my donor area is very thick and hopefully it won't thin out below that point. Do you think I have enough donor for an HT?

[HTsoon]

Wow! Yours looks great, have any bigger pics that I can see? Can I ask how many grafts you have had done?

Thanks

I posted my photos on this thread second page, I haven't done my crown yet, I've had a total of 4,000 grafts.

https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/threads/23179-How-bad-is-it-and-what-can-be-done/page2

I have to say though, getting an HT at 25 with diffuse thinning with no preventive measures is not a good idea, I'm also diffuse however I was on minoxidil for years before I took the plunge at 29, I recommend you get on minoxidil and nizoral 2% for at least 2 years before considering an HT.

Also, have your donor checked for miniaturization, it looks ok I'm the photo but some areas on the nape look a bit thin possibly retro alopecia, if so careful planning is needed, you need to plan this long term what will look good in 10-20 years, expectations should be low.

Another thing to consider is head size and hair characteristics, it appears as if your head is somewhat large and the hair is straight and thin, not the most favorable for transplants. Again, no one on a forum can properly asses you, you should go in person to a respected surgeon who will evaluate your donor and give you a long term plan.

[JoeTillman]

Oh hey Joe! Nice to get a reply from you as I'm aware of who you are. No I'm not, I was on Rogaine for a while which may have been slowing it down but I stopped it. It does indeed suck, I'm only 25...I know people will say propecia again and again but I made the decision years ago to not take it. But Joe what do you think? I'm a diffuse thinner and you can clearly see where it is going to stop, my donor area is very thick and hopefully it won't thin out below that point. Do you think I have enough donor for an HT?

Someone said earlier that you are headed to a NW5 or NW6. I think you're there. Why? Because to properly assess a case you have to look at the obvious pattern that is developing and use the end point as the classification. You are what can be described as a diffused NW6 and it will only get worse, guaranteed. In fact, and I hate to be the one to say this, you've got a higher chance than average of being a NW7 because the parietal humps are almost non-existent and I see the outline of what the sides are going to look like. They're going to drop, the crown will open up, and you'll be a NW7. Your pattern is more obvious to me than was my own pattern at the same age.

Your donor area is also questionable to me. You said it's thick but I think it is also being affected as I see what area almost like patches of low density. It could be the way your hair might clump together but I think at best it is simply a mix of issues. Bottom line is that I don't think you are a surgical candidate given the facts of your case.

You're 25.
You're a NW6 heading to additional loss.
You have no preventative program in place.

If you "have enough for a transplant" is irrelevant. The relevant question is if you have enough donor hair for the future when measured against your current AND future loss. The answer is no.

[Breaking Bald]

Someone said earlier that you are headed to a NW5 or NW6. I think you're there. Why? Because to properly assess a case you have to look at the obvious pattern that is developing and use the end point as the classification. You are what can be described as a diffused NW6 and it will only get worse, guaranteed. In fact, and I hate to be the one to say this, you've got a higher chance than average of being a NW7 because the parietal humps are almost non-existent and I see the outline of what the sides are going to look like. They're going to drop, the crown will open up, and you'll be a NW7. Your pattern is more obvious to me than was my own pattern at the same age.

Your donor area is also questionable to me. You said it's thick but I think it is also being affected as I see what area almost like patches of low density. It could be the way your hair might clump together but I think at best it is simply a mix of issues. Bottom line is that I don't think you are a surgical candidate given the facts of your case.

You're 25.
You're a NW6 heading to additional loss.
You have no preventative program in place.

If you "have enough for a transplant" is irrelevant. The relevant question is if you have enough donor hair for the future when measured against your current AND future loss. The answer is no.

Wow that's a real blow hearing you say that but thanks for being honest. This is truly devastating, I didn't expect it to end up advancing so low. So there is really nothing I can do is there?

What do you mean when you say that the parietal humps are none existent? You really think it's gonna get lower as you can see the hairs that are effected, as I'm a diffuser, it should all be going at once right? Ao the healthy hairs that you can see now should stay like that don't you reckon?

[Breaking Bald]

I was on nizoral and minoxidil for about three years but stopped recently. Is there any point on going back on them? It didn't do a great deal but maybe slowed it down.

[HTsoon]

Can you post photos of what you looked like when you were taking minoxidil and nizoral? Also please post side view pictures at eye level, I'd like to see what your lateral humps look like, it's hard to see in the initial picture you posted. To be honest, if you were to get a procedure you'd have to have low expectations and be mentally prepared if you ever become Norwood 7, I chose FUE solely for this reason, I have an escape route, although my FUE scars are visible at a zero guard it doesn't draw the eye like a linear scar.

A lot of guys think HT will solve their problems it doesn't, it creates a multitude of other problems, I wish I could live with my baldness, I just could not accept it, so I made the decision knowing the repercussions. If I ever become Norwood 7 I'll shave my head and I'll have to live with my FUE scars, it's something I thought long and hard about. Think about it, you're very bald at a very young age. Although I respect joes opinion he is not a doctor, if an HT is truly something you're interested in you'll have to go in person to a ethical reputable surgeon for an evaluation.

[JoeTillman]

Wow that's a real blow hearing you say that but thanks for being honest. This is truly devastating, I didn't expect it to end up advancing so low. So there is really nothing I can do is there?

What do you mean when you say that the parietal humps are none existent? You really think it's gonna get lower as you can see the hairs that are effected, as I'm a diffuser, it should all be going at once right? Ao the healthy hairs that you can see now should stay like that don't you reckon?

Breakingbald,

I don't like making such assessments but the facts are the facts. You have a lot of cards stacked against you for two main reasons. You are 25 and you are not on preventative medication. Those two facts make it more of a challenge for the long term than any other consideration. Period.

Make no mistake, any respected doctor can make a big improvement for you. This much is true, and you would most likely be happy in the short term assuming everything went well with the surgery itself, which is another risk altogether (never forget this). My concern for you is the medium to long term post-surgery.

And I respect HTSoon's comment about me not being a doctor. This is true. In fact, I never graduated college. This does not take away from the idea that surgery is a bad idea for you. Regardless of my formal education you still are 25, you still are a NW6 with diffused loss, and you still are not on an effective preventative program with observed stabilization to your loss.

I do agree that you should visit an IAHRS member doctor and have a face to face assessment. Tell the doctor(s) you have started this thread, have him or her read through it, and then ask if they agree or disagree with the general idea presented by me and others that you are not a good surgical candidate. Report their opinion back here along with their argument, pro or no, regarding your hair transplant future.

Regarding your parietal humps, I think saying they are non-existent was a bit much. They exist but what I meant was that the density is so low that they blend with the rest of the diffused loss on the top of your scalp. Yes, I'd like to see profile shots as well but I'm certain that the density gets higher further down on the sides than where the parietal humps would normally be well defined.

Regarding nizoral and minoxidil, if you did not have sides and you could handle the routine (minox mainly) and you don't want your loss to get worse then yes, restart them both.

I want to be clear about this. My opinion is based on seeing a lot of patients that regret their hair transplant decisions if only for the continued loss that occurred after their surgery. Most cases are those where the patient stopped taking medication (for various reasons) after the surgery and their full results were realized only to be reduced to considering wigs five years later because the loss was too much for them to handle. Other cases can be chalked up to medication not effective enough to stop but only slow the loss or other reasons that can contribute to such circumstances. I don't want you to got through this nor what I personally went through with my own continued loss after my first two surgeries in the early 90's. I've walked the walk and no one else should do the same.