Are hair transplants the only effective remedy?

[Dav7]

Hello, I am a 27 year old male with a badly receding hairline - possibly an early Norwood 3. I am wondering if hair transplants are the only truly effective means to restore hair? I am asking, because I am only a student at the moment and cannot afford a transplant.

Are there any medications/ creams or combination of medications/ creams that can restore hair loss?

Also, I have recently learned about "partial hairpieces". Are these partial hairpieces as real looking and effective looking as a hair transplant, or even a natural head of hair and hairline. If so, what would be the cost for a good one (I would not trust cheap ones), and what is the procedure for planting it on the head - who would I go to do this, and would this be expensive?

Thanks for the help.

[PatientlyWaiting]

Yes, unfortunately.

BUT, there's a plenty of people who regrew hair using finasteride and monoxidil, I was not one of those. I can only speak for myself and say that a good hair transplant is most likely the most effective thing to do for hair loss. I haven't done one either, i'm also a college student and can not afford one. From pictures I have seen, an HT is the way to go.

[Tracy C]

Are hair transplants the only effective remedy?.

No. Men can use Finasteride and Minoxidil to varying degrees of effectiveness. Some men respond better to treatment than others but both medications work for most people who use them.

[Aeroes]

In the long run HT, Look at all the money you spend on say minox + finasteride over a lifetime will easily add up to the price of a HT. Plus i'd never touch those treatments again after the sides I got from propecia.

[Aames]

If you get an HT, you'll likely have to use treatments for life anyway. Otherwise, your non-transplanted hair will continue to miniaturize and you will look very strange.

[Dav7]

In the long run HT, Look at all the money you spend on say minox + finasteride over a lifetime will easily add up to the price of a HT. Plus i'd never touch those treatments again after the sides I got from propecia.

Yeah I think I'll wait until I graduate with a job and can afford HT's. Also don't care if I have to have a few over my lifetime - some things like sense of self are more important than money. I just shaved my head for the first time, I feel very strange - I guess I'll just have to keep this look throughout the rest of college, maybe grow a little bit of chin facial hair or something. I have pics - god I do not like this, I really cannot wait to have my old self back, but I guess I may as well go the HT route as opposed to the whole chemical induced creams route, or wearing stupid wigs. Thanks anyway

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80695791@N04/8490234993/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80695791@N04/8490237673/in/photostream

[Aeroes]

Hello, I am a 27 year old male with a badly receding hairline - possibly an early Norwood 3. I am wondering if hair transplants are the only truly effective means to restore hair? I am asking, because I am only a student at the moment and cannot afford a transplant.

Are there any medications/ creams or combination of medications/ creams that can restore hair loss?

Also, I have recently learned about "partial hairpieces". Are these partial hairpieces as real looking and effective looking as a hair transplant, or even a natural head of hair and hairline. If so, what would be the cost for a good one (I would not trust cheap ones), and what is the procedure for planting it on the head - who would I go to do this, and would this be expensive?

Thanks for the help.

You can go on expensive medication. Personally I had a horrible experience with finasteride, don't let my experience ruin it. Do your research before rushing into treatments. HT are an effective but expensive way to solve it, though you'll have to use medication most likely to keep your other hair, depends on the progression of your hair loss.

Nizoral shampoo is also a handy treatment to use in correlation with other treatments.

I'm in the same shoes slow recession in temples, minor in crown, still have a thick head of hair but it's starting to become hard to hide those recessions.

Best of luck,

[mpb47]

If you get an HT, you'll likely have to use treatments for life anyway. Otherwise, your non-transplanted hair will continue to miniaturize and you will look very strange.

+1

I think this is true, esp if your mpb is in the vertex crown area.

I consulted with a Dr who I believe reallly good. He has diagrams showing the 3 basic crown balding patterns, and specializes in this area.

I explained I have very very slow (30+years) of mpb and my hairline was not a concern for me. Just didnt want thin spot to get worse and wanted 1 session to fix it for good. I added that I had once used propecia , had good results, but eventually had to stop because of sides. And that I may or may not be able to use it again in small amounts, but that was something I was going to have to experiment with.

After that was said, he politely began to shy away. But better that than to make false promises.

I later read some notes from a hair dr conference and this very subject was a big debate. Not sure if the paper is here, but it was on www.**************** as they were debating it over there.

Basically it seems that many/most hair dr's believe the crown will never stop expanding. The debate on ************ was to what degree. But bottom line, I believe that is why so many dr's want you on propecia after a transplant.

No matter how good they are, they still must deal with the patients natural progression.

So something to think about if you think HT alone will be enough.