A NW5 getting a hair transplant

[Autumn Sundown]

My father is a NW5, and my maternal grandfather was a NW2. I'm 18 and have the exact same hairline my grandfather did at my age, so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

However, if I do start losing my hair, I don't plan to start on hair loss meds. I want to lose the hair I'm going to lose, stabalize, and get a hair transplant. If my hair does decide to take the NW5 root would I be able to get a decent hair transplant? My plan would be to have the crown, forelock and runway filled in but have deeply receded temples so I can get more density elsewhere. I think a receded hairline looks strong and manly, and most men develop them as they get older anyway, so I really wouldn't mind having one.

I asked my barber about my hair density and the thickness of the strands. She said I have far above average density and slightly above average strand width. With that in mind, does it sound like a future hair trandsplant (after I make sure things are stabalized) would be a good idea? I would get on meds after the transplant to make sure I don't lose any more hair, although my dad has been stable for a very long time now.

Hopefully I won't need one, my father had already started losing his hair at my age and his hair is much, much thinner than mine. I have my maternal grandfather's very thick hair and ended up with the same exact hairline he had after my mature hairline came in.

 

[Autumn Sundown]

My father is a NW5, and my maternal grandfather was a NW2. I'm 18 and have the exact same hairline my grandfather did at my age, so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

However, if I do start losing my hair, I don't plan to start on hair loss meds. I want to lose the hair I'm going to lose, stabalize, and get a hair transplant. If my hair does decide to take the NW5 root would I be able to get a decent hair transplant? My plan would be to have the crown, forelock and runway filled in but have deeply receded temples so I can get more density elsewhere. I think a receded hairline looks strong and manly, and most men develop them as they get older anyway, so I really wouldn't mind having one.

I asked my barber about my hair density and the thickness of the strands. She said I have far above average density and slightly above average strand width. With that in mind, does it sound like a future hair trandsplant (after I make sure things are stabalized) would be a good idea? I would get on meds after the transplant to make sure I don't lose any more hair, although my dad has been stable for a very long time now.

Hopefully I won't need one, my father had already started losing his hair at my age and his hair is much, much thinner than mine. I have my maternal grandfather's very thick hair and ended up with the same exact hairline he had after my mature hairline came in.

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Here's a solution, prevent becoming a Norwood 5 so that you don't have to get a hairtransplant in the first place!

Hair loss meds only make you lose your hair slowly, and they eventually lose effectiveness. I'm looking for a perminent solution. I just want to lose what I'm going to lose, then solve the problem.

Most of my family members on my dad's side lose their hair until they hit a NW5, then they don't lose any more. Once I lose what I'm going to lose and seem to be stable, I'll get the transplant, then start on meds to make sure I don't lose anything else, although I really don't think I will.

Propecia seems to be the only hair loss drug that works (if you're lucky enough to have any success, and even then you can only hope to slow the loss down.) It's rare for it to work for over 10 years, I don't want to waste the 10 years it will work on hair I'm just going to slowly lose. If I did inherit the gene, I should be a stable NW5 from the time I'm 40 until at least 55 (and possibly after, but neither my dad or his brothers are older than 55), but I would take the meds just to make sure the sides and back don't drop between 55 and the end of my life.

 

[Autumn Sundown]

That's true, but I'm hoping my super thick hair will allow me to achieve at least decent coverage. The temples can be as far back as they need to be so the rest can have at least decent coverage.
But you're right, I should probably start on meds if I end up losing hair, I'm just dreading watching it lose effectiveness. I'm sort of losing hope for new treatments. I always hear that we're in the same place we were 10 years ago and probably won't be much closer in another 10 years.

I'm not interested in keeping my hair for looks. I consider myself to be a handsome guy with or without hair. I just really like my hair's quality and color, I like being able to style it how ever I want. I'm looking forward to going gray, I've always thought gray hair was nice.
In the end I just think hair is fun to have, I feel like I'm setting myself up for massive sheds and prolonging the pain of hair loss by getting on meds.

 

[CaptainForehead]

If you don't agree, you better have a medical reason as to why you can't take them other than a list of "possible side-effects." Otherwise, they can and will either:

1) refuse to perform surgery on you (some will do this)
2) consider you to have "psychological" issues (and refuse to perform surgery)
3) make you sign so many wavers to completely remove themselves from any liability as to the final result of your surgery

Why arent the possible side effects from meds a valid enough objection?

 

[fodandahalf]

If you don't agree, you better have a medical reason as to why you can't take them other than a list of "possible side-effects." Otherwise, they can and will either:

1) refuse to perform surgery on you (some will do this)
2) consider you to have "psychological" issues (and refuse to perform surgery)
3) make you sign so many wavers to completely remove themselves from any liability as to the final result of your surgery

Why arent the possible side effects from meds a valid enough objection?

I agree that the possible side effects should be enough reason not to take meds. My hair isn't actually doing anything useful for me to risk my most important assets.

 

[keepinthehair]

Hey I understand the frustration and impatience. Keeping and beating genetics is a b**ch. Everyone on this board is leasing their hair, some plans are more expensive than others, especially Smitty. If given the option, I would rather have all my temporary hair fall out in one day and replace it the next day by hair transplant to a solid (dense) NW3. Better than putting up a fight, 365 days a year for the next 10 years only to result in the same outcome. I think the process of watching oneself go bald is much worse than already being bald. You can only improve from there.

WHat if you determine your future cm2 needs for a NW5 now, (measure your dads scalp for worst case senario) determine your donor density with hair transplant surgeon and find out where you can go from there starting at the hairline. This is something that may help you decide if taking mediations now is worth the fight, or just say bring it on and rebuild backwards to a NW3.

Just my 0.02

 

[s.a.f]

I just cannot understand the massive objection to not taking meds. Everything we take has side effects. Meds are the first important step for hairloss and only after that should an hair transplant be considered.

a small minority of people will get sides but it is worth giving them a shot before eliminating them out of the equation. If you get sides then fair enough, stop taking the drug.

10,000 people a year die from taking asprin, roughly the same die from taking the contraceptive pill. There are over 10million men worldwide taking finasteride.
And yet people keep on talking about finasteride like its heroin. :shakehead:

 

[fodandahalf]

I'm fine personally with the idea of finasteride, it's just a big commitment (as is a hair transplant.) I'd rather have it done with than worrying about missing a pill, or maybe becoming skint and losing all my hair along with that. I'm gonna do the MHT, see how I am when I'm 27 or whatever, and if I'm in a similar position to now, maybe get a transplant.

 

[Rawtashk]

Taking a pill every day is no worse than what a woman on birth control has to do. Actually, it's easier, because missing a day is no big deal. I've gone a few days before when I forgot to take my finasteride out of town with me. Just add it to your routine. Personally, I take finasteride after I brush my teeth at night. Adds another 5 seconds to my routine, and I don't forget it.

 

[fodandahalf]

Taking a pill every day is no worse than what a woman on birth control has to do. Actually, it's easier, because missing a day is no big deal. I've gone a few days before when I forgot to take my finasteride out of town with me. Just add it to your routine. Personally, I take finasteride after I brush my teeth at night. Adds another 5 seconds to my routine, and I don't forget it.

It's just the whole idea of stopping and starting can't really be done. I might even end up on finasteride if my crown goes but at the moment it's something I don't really want to be worrying about/ paying for. If I could keep the amount of hair I have now and get SMP to repair the frontal loss then I'd never have to worry about hair again (except for the routine shaving) which would be great. My dad receded to the stage I'm at now, I just had finer hair to begin with and a super high hairline.

 

[Rawtashk]

Let's go with that scenario, and let's play it out as a best-case.

You get to the point where you say "Damn, I guess I do need to start on finasteride". You start it, and you get good results. You get a bit of regrowth and your shedding slows waaaay down. Now you think to yourself "DAMNIT! Why didn't I start sooner!!??!??!!!?"
^ This is what happened to me.

Or you could start sooner and keep more. It's 100x HARDER to grow hair than it is to just KEEP what you currently have.

 

[Agahi]

Agreeing with Rawtashk. Same scenario for me, wish I would have started years ago.

 

[fodandahalf]

I completely agree that the sooner the better. At the moment however, my loss is ambiguous- no crown loss/ diffuse thinning, just recession, and it's been happening since the age of 14, very slowly. I am unemployed at the moment so can't afford propecia, let alone commit to it. I am also not really interested in just keeping what I have as it requires dermmatch/ careful styling and constant worrying throughout the day, and still never looks very good. When I do get a job I'm just going to save up to get SMP from HIS hair clinic and no longer worry about how I look all the time- wash and go.

 

[Agahi]

Generic fincar from inhouse. 27 dollars for a four month supply. Your decision though. If you are happy with it, we can only be happy for you.

 

[fodandahalf]

Generic fincar from inhouse. 27 dollars for a four month supply. Your decision though. If you are happy with it, we can only be happy for you.

Cheers for the suggestion and I guess once I'm making money, and have the MHT done, then I may as well prevent any more hair loss if it were to happen so I don't have to constantly mess around getting more procedures. I don't know why but I always think 'what would happen if I got stranded on a desert island.' Ridiculous I know but that always somehow makes it into my pros and cons.

 

[Rawtashk]

If you get stranded on a desert island...then who's going to be around to notice the hairloss!?

 

[fodandahalf]

If you get stranded on a desert island...then who's going to be around to notice the hairloss!?

Me haha I rarely look at my hairline without dermmatch. And when I get off there- it's gone. With SMP it just needs another shave.