21 considering hair transplant? Any advice tips?

[drybone]

Hi.

If you are 21 years old, then you are going to go Norwood 7 by the time you are 30 at the most.

I am 47 and have twice as much hair as you do now. I am not trying to be mean. I hope you understand that sometimes cold hard facts are more important than false hope.

Normally, I would not suggest a hair transplant. But in your case I would.

However, you have to start off with an expectation of being completely horse shoe bald, and making a realistic hairline from that. You can still look good as long as you understand you wont have a Norwood 2 hairline . Go take a look at Tom Hanks hairline that he has now.

This is the kind of hairline I would suggest for you. Like Jude Law. This is the kind of transplant I would suggest you tell your surgeon.

I would also suggest you get on finasteride and rogaine immediately to try to save what you have left so you dont need as many grafts.

Hope this helps

[Jasari]

Here's a few pictures of my hair. Apologies for the poor quality.

You'll get mixed advice on this topic. Typically it isn't a good idea to get a hair transplant young because inevitably you will lose more hair and then be playing catch up until your donor supply runs out.

That being said, this current generation is in a unique situation whereby there are likely treatments which at worst should be able to halt hairloss in the foreseeable future i.e (3-5 years).

In that regard it depends on whether you want to roll the dice. You could get a transplant in the knowledge that if none of the new treatments work out, you will have a scar and won't be able to shave down (Unless you get FUE into the scar) or you take a chance and figure the new treatments will be out before I ever have to shave down.

My own personal experience was that I started going bald at 21 - By 25 I figured wasting my 20's (Due to hairloss affecting my self confidence) wasn't worth it - I rolled the dice and got a transplant - I can probably buy another 5 years with another transplant. At the end of the day your going to go bald, all a transplant does is essentially stop your ability to shave down past about a 4 guard. You just have to decide whether the pro out way the cons in 'your' own mind.

[35YrsAfter]

You'll get mixed advice on this topic. Typically it isn't a good idea to get a hair transplant young because inevitably you will lose more hair and then be playing catch up until your donor supply runs out.

That being said, this current generation is in a unique situation whereby there are likely treatments which at worst should be able to halt hairloss in the foreseeable future i.e (3-5 years).

In that regard it depends on whether you want to roll the dice. You could get a transplant in the knowledge that if none of the new treatments work out, you will have a scar and won't be able to shave down (Unless you get FUE into the scar) or you take a chance and figure the new treatments will be out before I ever have to shave down.

My own personal experience was that I started going bald at 21 - By 25 I figured wasting my 20's (Due to hairloss affecting my self confidence) wasn't worth it - I rolled the dice and got a transplant - I can probably buy another 5 years with another transplant. At the end of the day your going to go bald, all a transplant does is essentially stop your ability to shave down past about a 4 guard. You just have to decide whether the pro out way the cons in 'your' own mind.

The main thing I object to is a young man getting a low hairline grafted. When I was 27, my hair looked unbearably thin. If it had been that way when I was 21, I'm not sure I would have wanted to live with that for another eight years. I had an exceptionally dense scalp donor area. I am one of those guys whose donor area thinned over the years. Having surgery done early does run the risk of taking scalp hair in the "safe" zone that will later disappear. That happened to me big time. I remember when I was young, parting my hair low to the point that it looked like a comb-over. That sucked at such a young age. If you have the money, and an intense hatred for hair loss as I did, you may want to plan on having, perhaps 1500 grafts planted per 1-2 years. We have patients who have done this with great results. I spoke with Dr. Cole earlier today about young patients and he has a strict age policy. As a general rule, he doesn't like to do a hair transplant on anyone younger than 29. He has good reasons I know I wouldn't want to hear if I were 21. It's really best to do everything else short of a hair transplant until you reach the age reputable hair restoration surgeons will perform surgery on you.

[ukcali]

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for all of your info and advice it's very much appreciated.

I've been on regaine/Rogaine for about a year and it hasn't helped at all! I would say I've receded slightly but definitely thinned a lot on top. I am happy to keep keep using it but I think the reality is I'm just one of those people it hasn't worked for. In regards to propecia/finasteride, I really don't want to take it unless I have to. The potential side affects are just too great for me to risk.

In regards to the hair transplant, I'm just wondering why would I have to wait until I'm 29 to have the transplant? Is it just simply I may not have enough hair left to completely restore my scalp?
What about using some body hair? Or is that not very reliable/not give good results?
I would be happy to have a transplant every couple years like someone suggested i.e just keep topping it up.

Shaving my head for me would be a last resort as I'm sure many of you can understand.

Thanks again for everyone's help. It's so difficult because I've Always been quite vain (I know I shouldn't admit that!) and up until a few months ago I could just cover the thinning areas no problem but now it's just becoming a daily struggle and I know by summer I probably won't be able to any more.

[aim4hair]

.

Shaving my head for me would be a last resort as I'm sure many of you can understand. (

That's right, this is why if you go for an HT, you should try to avoid having donor scars, cause if you got scars, then even shaving would not be an option along the road if you progress to nw7

[drybone]

We have tried to give you our opinion, but I strongly suggest you run them all by your doctor, and then listen to his/her advice. And in the end, you alone will have to decide.

If I was in your shoes, I go for a receded Jude law hairline which is reasonable and will look good now and when you are 40 and 60.

[35YrsAfter]

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for all of your info and advice it's very much appreciated.

I've been on regaine/Rogaine for about a year and it hasn't helped at all! I would say I've receded slightly but definitely thinned a lot on top. I am happy to keep keep using it but I think the reality is I'm just one of those people it hasn't worked for. In regards to propecia/finasteride, I really don't want to take it unless I have to. The potential side affects are just too great for me to risk.

In regards to the hair transplant, I'm just wondering why would I have to wait until I'm 29 to have the transplant? Is it just simply I may not have enough hair left to completely restore my scalp?
What about using some body hair? Or is that not very reliable/not give good results?
I would be happy to have a transplant every couple years like someone suggested i.e just keep topping it up.

Shaving my head for me would be a last resort as I'm sure many of you can understand.

Thanks again for everyone's help. It's so difficult because I've Always been quite vain (I know I shouldn't admit that!) and up until a few months ago I could just cover the thinning areas no problem but now it's just becoming a daily struggle and I know by summer I probably won't be able to any more.

I would keep using Rogaine, it can't hurt. Do you massage your scalp and brush your hair? As far as Finasteride, I personally wouldn't take it although it is considered to be a very effective in helping to slow the progression of hair loss. Regarding your question about waiting until you are 29... In speaking with Dr. Cole, one of his concerns relates to just how far the hair loss is going to progress. For instance, I once worked with a guy who had only a 1 inch wide fringe of hair on the back and sides of his head by the time he was in his late 30's. If hair had been taken from what is considered the standard "safe" zone on this man back when he was 21, the transplant at such an early age would have been a waste of money.

What is your family history of hair loss. How much hair loss did your mother's father have? How about your father?

Personally, I got MPB from both sides. My dad was a Norwood 6 and my mother's father died in his forties with frontal hair loss. Sucks. We sometimes see patients who got hit with MPB coming from an ancestor back before the camera was invented.

If I were 21 again, I'd give ACell and PRP treatments a try as well as invest in a derma roller. I recommend you avoid sun exposure on your scalp, don't smoke and try to avoid stress as much as possible.

-35YrsAfter works at Dr. Cole's office

[PatientlyWaiting]

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for all of your info and advice it's very much appreciated.

I've been on regaine/Rogaine for about a year and it hasn't helped at all! I would say I've receded slightly but definitely thinned a lot on top. I am happy to keep keep using it but I think the reality is I'm just one of those people it hasn't worked for. In regards to propecia/finasteride, I really don't want to take it unless I have to. The potential side affects are just too great for me to risk.

In regards to the hair transplant, I'm just wondering why would I have to wait until I'm 29 to have the transplant? Is it just simply I may not have enough hair left to completely restore my scalp?
What about using some body hair? Or is that not very reliable/not give good results?
I would be happy to have a transplant every couple years like someone suggested i.e just keep topping it up.

Shaving my head for me would be a last resort as I'm sure many of you can understand.

Thanks again for everyone's help. It's so difficult because I've Always been quite vain (I know I shouldn't admit that!) and up until a few months ago I could just cover the thinning areas no problem but now it's just becoming a daily struggle and I know by summer I probably won't be able to any more.

I think that taking Rogaine/minoxidil without slowing down or stopping the hair loss is an uphill battle, at least from my experience. You're better off using Finasteride by itself, rather than Rogaine by itself, but both together is the best possible treatment you can use. Rogaine by itself is just trying to stimulate growth of existing hair, WHILE hair is still falling out. Rogaine does not stop or slow down MPB, at least this is how I understand it. Worst case fin can give you, results wise; i'm not talking about side effects that's a different story, is slow down your hair loss like it did to me. Problem is in my case I have very aggressive hair loss and had already lost a lot of hair by the time I got on fin.

[Aeroes]

I did that, it's depressing. News after news saying "5-10 years away before it hits the US market". It's been 5-10 years away since I lurked the site in 2010, it's now 2013 and I see the same threads, same news over and over again being bumped.

You're 21, if money is not a huge issue, find a real good IAHRS doctor and get your FUT or FUE and at least use Rogaine, but I advise to use both Rogaine and finasteride. Then don't look back. You'll be here waiting and waiting, while follicle after follicle shrink more and more until you're bald and ugly. Go ahead and take their advice about sticking around and reading news, you'll soon see what i'm talking about.

lol give the kid a break..

[PatientlyWaiting]

lol give the kid a break..

Didn't mean to be rude, honestly. It's just that i've been signing up to hair loss forums since I was 18 [24 now] well only 2 forums. I came in with the mind set of getting an HT some day, then was steered clear of it because of all the negative stories. Then with my own research i'm basically back where I started, wanting an HT, this time i'm better informed and know what doctors to look for.

In the end, my "rude" posts is just me saying "Look, don't end up like me bro.". Because really, I wouldn't wish what i've been through on anyone. Started at 16, and it's been hell for me ever since, and I just don't want to see young guys going through that if they have better options than me. Just get your HT from a recommended doctor and get out of here. This place is cool and all, but it's depressing reading the same thing every day for what feels like 50 years.