Age

[Gerhard]

My question pertains to why young men should wait for a hair transplantation. To make it blunt, why wait and have your hair restored when you're older than when you're younger? After all, I honestly wouldn't care about being bald in my late 30's or 40s or even 50's. In my twnties, teens, and thirties I understand hair being important and why HT's would be amazing. But there's always a push to wait until you're older.

I hope this makes sense as I'm writing this on my phone in class.

[Gerhard]

Also, wouldn't it be more effective to get maintenance over the years rather than ingesting a drug like Propecia which could potentially have some rather adverse effects on young males? Maybe I'm an oddity.

[D8n]

I think it's a question of supply and demand as you have a finite amount of donor hair available, so filling in the gaps or "maintenance" assuming that you are heading towards a NW5-6 isn't always possible. The aim of the game being to retain as much of your native hair as possible with medication to make the best use of your donor. It will do a better job of restoring a NW3 than a NW6.

Your suggestion that you will not care what you look like in your 40's is a little short sighted. If you care now then you will care in 20 or 30 years time. You aren't just going to wake up on your 40th birthday with a complete change of heart and mind. Im not trying to insult you, its just my point of view. I am 28 and plan to have a HT at some point. I think its important to get the facts clear in your mind first to best asses your situation.

[Gerhard]

I think it's a question of supply and demand as you have a finite amount of donor hair available, so filling in the gaps or "maintenance" assuming that you are heading towards a NW5-6 isn't always possible. The aim of the game being to retain as much of your native hair as possible with medication to make the best use of your donor. It will do a better job of restoring a NW3 than a NW6.

Your suggestion that you will not care what you look like in your 40's is a little short sighted. If you care now then you will care in 20 or 30 years time. You aren't just going to wake up on your 40th birthday with a complete change of heart and mind. Im not trying to insult you, its just my point of view. I am 28 and plan to have a HT at some point. I think its important to get the facts clear in your mind first to best asses your situation.

I understand the first point. I wish I could accurately predict what level of norwood I would eventually recede to. In my family there's a strong prevalence of young Norwood 3's, but then there's the occasional 6 or 7 which is simply brutal and makes it hard to predict at this age.

I personally may not be able to live much longer than my 40's. It's a sad, but true fact. If I were to live to my 40's and 50's I'd be far more reserved being a bald man at that age when it's more socially accepted and expected almost than in my teens and twenties. Especially considering I may be on a finite time limit. That isn't me trying to get sympathy - just trying to have you understand where I am coming from.

[garageland]

Gerhard,

Sorry to hear what you say about you not living on past your 40's I hope that is not the case for you. As someone who started loosing hair at around 18-19 and had my first transplant at the age of 23 I can speak with experience on the subject. I turn 42 next month and remember saying the exact thing that if I can just keep my hair until I am 30 I will be ok, I was desperate to get my hair back and the three hair transplants that I had back then probably killed off as much hair as it grew. Hair loss is unpredictable and unless your hair loss pattern has been established it is very difficult to predict where it will end. Trying to restore a hairline if you are heading for a nw6 is not going to be a good idea as I found out. How old are you?

[Gerhard]

Gerhard,

Sorry to hear what you say about you not living on past your 40's I hope that is not the case for you. As someone who started loosing hair at around 18-19 and had my first transplant at the age of 23 I can speak with experience on the subject. I turn 42 next month and remember saying the exact thing that if I can just keep my hair until I am 30 I will be ok, I was desperate to get my hair back and the three hair transplants that I had back then probably killed off as much hair as it grew. Hair loss is unpredictable and unless your hair loss pattern has been established it is very difficult to predict where it will end. Trying to restore a hairline if you are heading for a nw6 is not going to be a good idea as I found out. How old are you?

It's alright, I've long made peace with it. It's something I as well hope won't come to fruition, but it is a very real possibility so I suppose I view holding onto my hair into my "older" age as a luxury I can unfortunately not really afford. I'm sorry to hear your HTs at a young age weren't very successful, but I'm happy to see how great your hair is looking now a days (honestly my friend, you look FAR younger than a man turning 42). I'm 19 years old. I'd say I'm roughly a NW 2.5 or a 3 in case you were wondering.