23 year old needing advice on hair transplant

[m7_kas]

Hi guys,

first of all id like to tell you my background regarding my hair loss.

Im currently 23 going on to 24 in october. I found this website originally at the age of 18 when i was desperate for a hair transplant and had been conned out of £4000 by advance hair studio after they sold a very naive and depressed young man a very expensive wig,telling him he would get his hair back.

I started loosing my hair at 16 and remember being teased in school but it wasnt until 17 being at college that it became aparent to me i would no longer be able to keep my current hairstyle, so i just kept my hair short and shaved it a couple times under the false impression that it would grow back thicker. Without realising my hair line had receded significantly and i was no longer able to grow my hair to the length i once had it along with the fact it was thinning and my scalp was becoming more visible. If i remember this was the age the hair loss got quite aggressive and looking over the years it was definitely the period i lost the most hair. I started becoming depressed and embarrassed, being so young and having to deal with this defect really took its tole on me especially while being at college and around other young people.

The next coiple of years were the hardest and this is when i turned to advance hair studibviously i didn't get what i was expecting and lost a fair amount of money in the process which only caused further depression and put me in a worse place then i started.

at this point i came to the internet and found this website, i was advised by members on this forum i should avoid the hair transplant at all cost due to my age and try Propecia and finasteride so went down that route. Initially the hair loss stabilized but the propecia was not reacting well to my body and i stopped taking it after consulting the pharmacist who i started the course with. I did however continue with rogaine but after a while i didnt see much benefit from that either and stopped using it. I cant remember the specifics but during the age of 20/21 my hair loss slowed down. Even though i had lost most of my hair, at the rate it was initally falling out i should have been completely bold by now.
I forgot to mention i was at university studying my Mechanical Engineering degree at this point and i had some how managed to get myself out of my bad place and be more mature about my situation however my hair loss was only getting worse so was always on my mind.
I remember the next time i noticed further hair loss was when i was applying hair fibers but not getting the same coverage as previously. I had used the fibers on special occasions and for the remaining days just wore a hat. Im still attached to my hats and annoyingly have people in university constantly asking to see my hair throughout my time at university but i never have shown it to anyone and only remove it once i am back in my flat alone.

In brief this brings me to current times, as stated above i will be turning 24 this year and coming towards the end of my degree. My hair loss still has a significant impact on my life, For instance i refused to go to a wedding the other day as i will have to wear a suit and be unable to wear my hat, this does not depress me just makes me feel restricted. Im looking at my future at the moment and dont want to go into my career with my hair loss holding me back from opportunities.

currently I believe im around a 5/5A on the norwood scale. I am not using any hair loss products evidently they no longer work for me. I have researched FUT and FUE and with the number of grafts i require i think FUT will be the more feasible method for me although i would prefer FUE. also i have looked into surgeons i think i would be required to travel to Brussels to get the best result.
These are the areas i require your support in, the surgeon and the method. I will post pictures and would appreciate all the advise given on what would be my best options however Financially i am limited.
I will email the few surgeons i feel confident in with images also. I am expecting people to say i am still young however i believe my hair loss has become significant enough t justify a transplant now.

apologies for the essay.

 

[Prohairclinic]

Being just 24 and approachting a NW6 pattern can be really nasty.
The truth is that you may probably not be a HT candidate at all. Although you donor might look ok now, you can not predict how it is going to look like in 6 years lets say.
You may become a NW7 and in that case you would loose quite a lot of our implants by that time.

Maybe you want to shave all and forget about it.
Maybe you want to look into having a shaved look using SMP.
A hair piece might be an option if you are open for that.

B

 

[ziggs11]

You should send pictures to clinics to get their opinion, to get a more informed opinion as to the extent of your hair loss. You should also try and get pictures of your grandfathers, dads, uncles, or at least get an idea of what the genetics are and how far loss usually goes in your family.

How old were you when you started and stopped propecia? Perhaps it's different for someone who's fully developed and entering their mid twenties as opposed to 18-20. I don't know.

Given my family hairloss, I would be at best a n5 at 25 right now abd headed for an epic 7, but I'm around a 2.5 in the front and no notable loss in the crown thanks to propecia. Clincs repeatedly state that they are not comfortable doing transplants on very young patients who are not on propecia and whose hair loss patterns are unpredictable or aggressive. It's a tough spot to be in, all the best.

 

[topccat29]

Well since you are studying mechanical engineering you can probably appreciate time dependent material deterioration when assessing materials in design. If the material is barely strong enough to endure a design what happens in the long term and possibly in the near term as that deterioration continues ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦most often disaster are the consequences. Hair transplantation only works when there is plenty of material and it s strong enough just like building a bridge.

Doesn t mean it s completely impossible but once again using mechanical engineering as an example maybe you can build a very small bridge with the given materials.

Always good to post pictures but from your description alone it does not seem wise to proceed.

 

[m7_kas]

you guys are in for a treat, iv managed to locate some old pictures so you'll be able to see my hair loss through the years and the current state.

 

[m7_kas]

sorry you may need to zoom out as the picutes have uploaded quite large

 

[topccat29]

Well if you were a close friend I would tell you this. First off I would work on losing the hat slowly over time. If you are constantly wearing a hat not sure but if that is the case but mentally you are not be strong enough to consider hair transplantation just my opinion. Take short trips to the store with no hat and then longer trips and then eventually just lose the hat

I would go for some consultations and see what is possible. It all comes down to numbers which I`m sure you already understand. If you have 100,000 hairs and you lose 50,000 over time with only about 15,000 available from the balance of 50,000 that is left how do you spread that out over 50% of the now empty space and make it look normal.

My opinion but please get others is that with your kind of hairloss the biggest issue is that the hairline would need to start further back for the numbers to work in the long term. But work on losing the hat first. It`s important to be mentally strong enough before even considering surgery. If you are feeling anxiety now it can only be compounded with a hair transplant that does not meet your expectations. This was recently evidenced by a ht doctor that performed on what can only be described as an anxiety ridden 19 year old who now is worse off with that anxiety being compounded. You certainly do not want to destroy your life. That issue has to be addressed before anything.

Also in my opinion the best approach would be to slightly reverse the balding process at first and see how you feel about the whole thing. Meaning start out with a small session ¦evaluate over time and you will be better equipped to move forward. The longer you research the more apt you will be to make the right decision. See some hair transplants in person as an absolute must if this is not possible do not proceed.

 

[onlyjustbegun]

Look at it this way - the hair transplant field has grown by leaps and bounds these past five years, and it will likely grow by even bigger leaps and bounds five years from now. With the way technology is going, there WILL be a time where you won't have to worry about even asking these questions - trust me!

 

[bullitnut]

Have you looked at the temporary SMP as an option. I think it would look good and give you time to decide on whether you want to go down the surgical road.

 

[janna]

Hi UK-18,
I think that you have quite an aggressive hair loss pattern going and without being on hair loss prevention meds, you'll likely end up a NW6 or NW7 since you're already at a NW5 diffused at age 23. IMO, the advice to shave your head and forget about HT is due to few factors and I don't see why it would be considered bad or an offensive advice.
How much a person knows about hair restoration, their age, their current hair loss level, their financial situation and goals warrant a good, hard look to see if HT is right for them. I think a person needs to do their research and figure it out for themselves, however, I have heard many times over from repair patients that they wished they had never gone down the hair restoration route when they were so young. I understand hair loss bothers people and that's why they are on these hair loss forums, however, if you don't hear it here then where would you give/get such advice?
Good luck in your research - Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. DeVroye, and Dr. Mwamba are all in Belgium who you should consult with to figure out what's right for you.

 

[topccat29]

Yes I would have to agree with Janna. At 23 I had a full thick head of hair and didn't need a hair transplant just didn't have anyone to tell me. I sometimes forget this point, at 23 your hairloss is very aggressive so how far will it go?

Another point is that older men would be very happy with a slight reversing of the hair loss process so 15,000 hairs could be something that would be very satisfying, where with younger men it's not what they are really visualizing.

 

[ziggs11]

I'm in no place to know what kind of side effects you experienced from propecia and I don't want to sound like a cheerleader, but given that you still appear to have diffused coverage and in the absence of other options, I would try the meds again. If you prevented further loss and thickened up the diffused areas, the whole outlook might change and open up new treatment possibilities.

 

[ziggs11]

Was posting in response to OPs addition of photos, not to you.

 

[m7_kas]

First of all to answer ziggs11 it affected my manhood which is a possible side effect of propecia and I don't want to become impotent over my hair.

With regards to what fredthebelgian I'm a bit suprised you say it's not aggressive when everyone else has said it is and it clearly is when there is practically nothing left.

I appreciate everything said but So far a lot of the advice is what I was expecting to hear which is hold on but my hair loss is effecting me now and when I look back over the years I definetly believe iv reached the stage for a hair transplant. If I was 30 with the same hair loss would I still be getting the same response to wait?

I realise I won't have a full head of hair again I just want my scalp to be covered and anything more then that is a bonus.

 

[m7_kas]

By the way guys this hairstyle is as short as keep it at the minute and just shaving it is not an option for me.
The reason why people have hair transplants is to look and feel better and it's usually related to looking younger so am sure you can all appreciate why I would want it at this age, when I should be enjoying my youth.

 

[ziggs11]

Everyone with one more strand of hair on their head than him has a perfect head of hair according to Fred the bitter Belgian.

Your hair loss is definitely aggressive and you've documented the changes well. Don't let Fred make you think it's not just because he can't find any better ways to express his frustration with own his hair loss.

Don't blame you for stopping the meds if it gave you ED. Thats definitely a pretty clear line. Shame it didn't work out for you.

 

[topccat29]

In my opinion if you do proceed with a hair transplant you should only add some density to the bridge that connects the lateral humps and maybe a small area in front of it.........the extended forelock area..................you could also end up losing the rest of the hairline in the process from possible shock loss during the procedure. But if you are going to lose it anyway will it matter.

Might be better off in the long run as it could put you in a position of establishing a much higher hairline.

Are most 23 year olds equipped mentally to deal with this, sacrificing their current hairline as a possibility...............only you know the answer to that question.

Whatever you do go small...............it then becomes easier to make decisions as you go along and not rely on others so much.

I also agree with not taking medication and just working around what is available. Taking medication for 50 years seems unrealistic to me so why even start........just my opinion though for others it doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[garageland]

UK 18- Sorry to hear of your situation hair loss is harder to deal with when you are young no matter what other people tell you. I am speaking from personal experience.

You have aggressive hair loss judging from the photos and with you not be able to tolerate propecia you need to be very careful with how you proceed. You have maintained your youthful hairline shape in the last photo you posted with the phone covering your face and this is not something you should be trying to recreate imo.

If you can cope with a higher hairline and greater recession into the temples then perhaps something can be done to make you happy. But if you go the route of a transplant expect multiple procedures and the budget for this in the future. Can I ask where you taking branded Propecia/Proscar or was it generic that you had the sides with?

I would try to loose the hat and see what reaction you get from not wearing it, as Topcat says do it gradually once the initial interest dis down you will probably find that no one other than you is really bothered by your hair.

 

[DHI]

As you are quite young and you are facing an aggressive hair loss, I will suggest to you to proceed by using 1/3 of your available hairs from your donor area (that means 1/3 of the 50% of your total hairs in your donor area) combined with MPG (for thickening effect). It won`t give you a full head of hairs but it will certainly enhance your image. However, you should consider that you will never restore your previous image and as topcat stated really well you might consider to leave the hairline to diffuse and create a new one above. This will save you valuable space in order to make the best use of your available grafts. As far as FUT vs FUE I will suggest to you FUE for many reasons, one of the most important is that in case you will decide that a shaven look is finally more appropriate for you, you will have the chance to proceed with it, whereas the Strip scar will not give you this option. You should also consider to use grafts from chest and beard. By the way, take a look at this DHI patient`s blog, it might give you an idea of how things work for NW 6 patients:

https://imgur.com/a/hyVtt