Would a hair transplant be possible for me? Honest advice appreciated.

[john123]

Hello,

I've been losing my hair for a few years now and it has weighed on me pretty heavily, especially lately.

I'd really appreciate some honest advice about what I can expect from a hair transplant and if I'm a good candidate. I've contacted some doctors, but it's tough to always know who to trust.

I'm probably an NW4/5 as the images show. I have significant thinning/balding in the crown, my temples are almost completely receded, and I have diffuse miniaturization all over the top of my head. All the older men on both sides of my family have gone NW7 bald so I know that's where I'm headed.

However, I've started taking Finasteride (1/25mg daily) recently and still have viable donor hair from what I can tell, so a part of me thought it might be possible to fight and win the battle against nature.

If I got surgery, I'd hope to repair the crown and upper 1/3rd, but I worry that even on Finasteride because of the aggressive hair loss in my family, I might regret the decision because of continued miniaturization and recession despite the drug. Is this worth or possible to fight?

Thanks anyone immensely for advice!

[Stevedawg18]

In the right hands you'd probably be able to accomplish what you are looking for and have a nice result. The first several months are difficult, probably more difficult than any clinic is honest about. Make sure to go to a reputable clinic, I went to Dr. Wong, and don't rush into it. You don't NEED a hair transplant. Don't rule out FUT either.

[JoeTillman]

How old are you? Here's the thing; buzzed down your pattern of loss is obvious, where you are now and where you're headed, but when your hair is grown out you've got some good coverage which tells me your hair is average to above average in coarseness. However, one of your photos looks like you're using concealer but the lack of sharpness in your photos makes it very difficult to see what is really going on. If you used these photos to get assessments then you need to question those assessments as these photos are really bad for surgical assessment. They need to be sharp, focused, and not look like vaseline was smeared on the lens.

To answer your question; yes, a hair transplant is possible, of course, but you should give the medication some time to see if it will turn things around for you. If it does then your surgery will cost much less since you won't need as much hair transplanted. As Steve said, take your time, don't rush and give the medication the time it needs to do what it needs to do.

[john123]

Thank you guys a ton for your advice! I checked out images of your surgery Steve and it looks really great!

Hey Joe,

I'm 35. I didn't use any concealer, it's probably just that the back of the crown didn't show up well. Thank you for your insight. I'll have to get better images to send to doctors in the future. The coverage is okay except for part of the crown and the temples, which are terrible. Plus, the upper third has miniaturized and thinned noticeably more than the mid-scalp. I'm really hoping the propecia can stop the miniaturization and recession long-term. I'm not one of those just shave it types

[JoeTillman]

Thank you guys a ton for your advice! I checked out images of your surgery Steve and it looks really great!

Hey Joe,

I'm 35. I didn't use any concealer, it's probably just that the back of the crown didn't show up well. Thank you for your insight. I'll have to get better images to send to doctors in the future. The coverage is okay except for part of the crown and the temples, which are terrible. Plus, the upper third has miniaturized and thinned noticeably more than the mid-scalp. I'm really hoping the propecia can stop the miniaturization and recession long-term. I'm not one of those just shave it types

I'm working on a "how to" tutorial on how to take photos for hair restoration assessment. Hopefully it will be done this weekend, or next week at the latest.