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Am I heading towards Norwood 6 and if so should I forget getting a HT if not on meds?

S

Saint4805

member
Hi all,

Some of you may know that I have toying/wrestling with the idea of having a hair transplant but am reluctant to commit to taking meds such as Finasteride at this time (nor within the next year or two). I know that it works great for some and not everyone gets sides but it's just a personal choice.

Anyway, I took a photo of the top of my head a couple of days ago and was pretty alarmed at what I saw. My hair looks better (in my opinion) when I am looking straight ahead in the mirror (photo also attached) and I was pretty surprised to see how much I have thinned on the top (I guess this is what they call diffuse thinning?). I never relish looking at photos of my hair and think that they look much worse than reality but the fact is that these photos don't lie!

A couple of months ago, one HT clinic had assessed me as a Norwood 3V but I have been informed by another clinic that I may be closer to Norwood 5/6 based on what my final baldness pattern is likely to be. I would be grateful to hear any thoughts on which direction I may be going and if I am heading towards Norwood 5 or 6 then perhaps getting a HT right now (in the absence of meds for a year or two) may not be the smartest thing for me to do?

FYI - I am 47 years old and while my Dad still has a decent head of hair for his age, my Grandad (on mother's side) ended up a Norwood 6 since being in his 50's/60's. I seem to be on a similar trajectory as my elder brother (by 1.5 years) who is currently a Norwood 4/5 but who probably lost hair a bit earlier than me when we were the same age.

Thanks in advance.
 

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Eugenix Hair Sciences

Eugenix Hair Sciences

Valued member
Looking at your pictures, you can go for hair transplantation in the frontal zone with a complete look change. For the mid scalp and the crown, you would have fabulous growth with the use of Finasteride. Finasteride at a dosage of 0.5 to 1 mg has minimal to no side effects. If you do feel that you're having a side effect with the medication then you can leave it. The side effects are reversible. You will, however, require hair transplant for the crown and/or the mid scalp in the future if the baldness progresses as per your genetic history or otherwise.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Having a hair transplant without meds is taking a risk, however, many people have done it and been successful. The problem is, you don`t really know what Norwood level you`ll progress to. You could stay as is, you may not.
If you did go for a HT, maybe have it planned and planted with the expectation that you will lose more hair. The HT should look natural if for instance, you lost all the surrounding native hair. I wouldn`t expect you to get a huge amount of grafts in the hairline, then lose the hair behind and be left with an unnatural look.

Finasteride definitely helped me, without it I think my hair loss would have continued. A lower dose could be beneficial to you, again, it`s your personal choice if you use it.

Have you checked into RU-58841? Instead of it blocking 5-AR like finasteride it suppresses the androgen receptors. It blocks DHT from binding and causing damage to the hair follicles. There is quite a lot of positive feedback from people who use it. Side effects are less than Finasteride.
 
S

Saint4805

member
Having a hair transplant without meds is taking a risk, however, many people have done it and been successful. The problem is, you don`t really know what Norwood level you`ll progress to. You could stay as is, you may not.
If you did go for a HT, maybe have it planned and planted with the expectation that you will lose more hair. The HT should look natural if for instance, you lost all the surrounding native hair. I wouldn`t expect you to get a huge amount of grafts in the hairline, then lose the hair behind and be left with an unnatural look.

Finasteride definitely helped me, without it I think my hair loss would have continued. A lower dose could be beneficial to you, again, it`s your personal choice if you use it.

Have you checked into RU-58841? Instead of it blocking 5-AR like finasteride it suppresses the androgen receptors. It blocks DHT from binding and causing damage to the hair follicles. There is quite a lot of positive feedback from people who use it. Side effects are less than Finasteride.
Thanks for the feedback BM. I have heard of RU-58841 but haven't looked into it. I have put my hair loss on the backburner these past 2-3 weeks which in itself has been quite liberating. I might do a bit more research in the coming weeks. I do like the idea of reframing my face by having my frontal hairline reconstructed and will think about how/which meds might best supplement that.
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
You could try buzzing your hair shorter to see if you are ok with the look.
Don’t be obsessed with hair, taking time out is good, focus on some positive things if possible.
All the best.
Bm.
 
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