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  1. #1
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    Talking Hair transplant advice for 22 year-old

    To cut a long story short, I'm 22 and I've been losing my hair since I was 18. My hairloss is quite aggressive and I think I'm now a Norwood 3/4. I was on minoxidil for almost two years (big mistake) and I came off it 6 months ago and immediately started taking propecia. I've been dreading having to have a HT but after staying round my parents for Christmas and seeing how bad its gotten I decided then and there I should have it done. I've attached amateurish images of my hairline, let me know if you want more to give better judgement and I'll gladly upload them! I should add that my hair has of course been cut to disguise it as much as possible but it gives a fair view of where I'm at (I've combed my hair in some of them to show a more accurate picture of my baldness).
    http://imgur.com/a/XUGXG


    I know very little about HTs other than what I've read online, and because I'm very nervous about it I'd like to ask the helpful people on here for some advice. From what I can tell I'll probably have to go to Turkey to have it done as being only 22 I'm on a budget (I'm in the UK and HTs seem very expensive here), which I was initially very weary about but from what I've read Turkey is a world leader in the HT industry so that boosted my confidence.

    I also have no idea about what surgeons are good/bad etc. I initially planned to see a surgeon who had a very good write up from various forum users going by posts from 2013-2015, but when I looked at later 2016 reviews it seems the surgeon had rapidly gone down hill and had a lot of recent negative feedback! That left me very worried. I'm now inclined towards Dr Koray Erdogan but I'm very open to other recommendations. I plan to have the operation done in late May/early June of 2017.

    Anyway, to be concise my questions are:
    -Is 22 generally a suitable age for a HT?
    -From the pictures roughly how many grafts would I need?
    -Is Turkey a good place for a HT?
    -What questions should I ask potential surgeons?
    -Does Dr Koray Erdogan have a good reputation? Who else would people here recommend?
    -I read that in Turkey parts of the procedure are carried out by nurses, is that something to be concerned about?
    -Which procedure is recommended (I'm almost certainly going with FUE but I've read there are various sub-categories within that which I don't really know about)?
    -Plus anything else you think I should know about and may have missed!

    Don't feel the need to have to answer all of them I think I'm being over zealous with the questions. Thanks in advance for your help it's very appreciated!

  2. #2
    Moderator JoeTillman's Avatar
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    I saw this image and knew immediately that you have diffused loss of your donor zone. Why? Because while your posterior donor hair looks strong as Hell in this image your nape hair is weak and scraggly (non-medical description, of course).



    Then it was confirmed by your lateral donor shot. Even in the low light it is see through and of low density.



    On to your questions...

    -Is 22 generally a suitable age for a HT?

    No, you're too young. You haven't done enough research and since I already see your eventual pattern of loss is going to be a NW7 with a poor donor area you are a bad overall candidate.

    -From the pictures roughly how many grafts would I need?

    3500 minimum with a mature hairline.

    -Is Turkey a good place for a HT?

    Generally, no. IAHRS doctors for sure are fine, and there are a couple outside of the IAHRS that are ok, too. I know them personally, including Dr. Erdogan but you should realistically consider visiting clinics closer to you to get a better and more comprehensive education about hair loss and what your specific future holds.

    -What questions should I ask potential surgeons?

    This one is not very simple to answer as there are a lot of questions to ask. I think you should just do a lot of reading first and visit some clinics locally before you get deep into this. You have to understand the answers before you ask the questions.

    -Does Dr Koray Erdogan have a good reputation? Who else would people here recommend?

    Yes, he does.

    -I read that in Turkey parts of the procedure are carried out by nurses, is that something to be concerned about?

    In almost all of the clinics in Turkey the procedures are carried out by technicians, not nurses. Nurses have a degree from a nursing school. There are very few clinics where the doctor does any part of the surgery.

    -Which procedure is recommended (I'm almost certainly going with FUE but I've read there are various sub-categories within that which I don't really know about)?

    I think you should learn about the various terms and what they mean here...
    http://www.hairtransplantmentor.com/hair-transplant-glossary/

    -Plus anything else you think I should know about and may have missed!

    If you're not having any side effects with Propecia (avoid generics) you should stick to it for at least another year and a half. It has an efficacy curve of about 24 months before it plateaus, meaning you could have improved results by the time you're 24.

    The other option is to shave your head to see if it suits you. If it does then you'll have saved yourself potentially tens of thousands of pounds and additional heartache if any of the procedures (yes, you'll eventually have more than one) fail miserably.
    Joe Tillman
    The original Hair Transplant Mentor

    Interested to know which doctors I recommend?
    See the full list at HairTransplantMentor.com/hair-transplant-doctors

  3. #3
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    Hi Joe appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thank you for being detailed and honest-I won't lie I'm a bit sad after reading it but now I know where I'm at.

  4. #4
    Moderator JoeTillman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hzk80 View Post
    Hi Joe appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thank you for being detailed and honest-I won't lie I'm a bit sad after reading it but now I know where I'm at.
    I don't like giving this kind of assessment but you should know the truth first, regardless of how it makes you feel because if you did not get the truth now you would eventually and most likely after it is too late.

    However, this does not mean you can't get help. You have a long life in front of you, take your time to really understand what you're considering. If anyone pushes or encourages you to have a procedure you have to ask yourself why, especially if they are anonymous in various online outlets or of course if they work at a clinic. Use your gut and always ask what the downside is to any decision you make about this. With time you may be a better candidate due to your matured expectations and understanding of the process, both short term and long term.
    Joe Tillman
    The original Hair Transplant Mentor

    Interested to know which doctors I recommend?
    See the full list at HairTransplantMentor.com/hair-transplant-doctors

  5. #5
    IAHRS Recommended Hair Transplant Surgeon WHTC Clinic's Avatar
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    You can get a couple of opinions if you need to start looking into surgical solutions. Have you considered platelet-rich plasma?
    Click here for a free hair loss recommendation from Dr. Patrick Mwamba

    My opinions are my own. I am one representative of MyWHTC clinic.


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    les meilleures solutions chirurgicales pour la perte de cheveux

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by JoeTillman View Post
    I don't like giving this kind of assessment but you should know the truth first, regardless of how it makes you feel because if you did not get the truth now you would eventually and most likely after it is too late.

    However, this does not mean you can't get help. You have a long life in front of you, take your time to really understand what you're considering. If anyone pushes or encourages you to have a procedure you have to ask yourself why, especially if they are anonymous in various online outlets or of course if they work at a clinic. Use your gut and always ask what the downside is to any decision you make about this. With time you may be a better candidate due to your matured expectations and understanding of the process, both short term and long term.
    I think I'm just going to go to as many consultations as possible and see what the general opinion is, but I've taken what you said and I'm not going to rush into it. For the time being I'll shave my head and wait it out. Thanks again for your help-I've been taking my time to read through your website, it's very good and I wish I'd discovered it sooner.

    Quote Originally Posted by WHTC Clinic View Post
    You can get a couple of opinions if you need to start looking into surgical solutions. Have you considered platelet-rich plasma?
    Not up till now-I read some things about it but I generally saw forum users complaining about bad results (these posts were from 2010ish) and I dismissed it. However when I saw you mention it again I checked hairtransplantmentor.com and to be fair it seems the technique has come a long way and Joe has had some good results from it (despite the fact it's not as effective for people with transplanted hair). It's a bit early but I think I'm leaning towards it rather than having a HT, though my only concern would be how permanent the procedure is and there doesn't seem to be a straight answer. Is PRP more suitable for a 22-year old or should I wait? From my pictures do you think I could see good results from it? Thanks for mentioning it it's given me a bit more hope!

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