Advice Around Getting A Hair Transplant

[curiousone]

Hi all, I am considering getting a hair transplant and am keen on any advice and tips.

I have very recently turned 37 years old and have been aware of some hairline recession since I just turned 21.

I have a fairly minor amount of hairline recession, which I think happened around or just prior to the time I turned 21. I find it hard to discern whether it has receded any further since then. I have been taking finasteride consistently since then, so that may be why I cannot discern any more recession or maybe with my genetics it never was going to recede any further.

My hairline has receded a very minor amount at my left temple. If my hair is short it is barely noticeable form a normal hairline. It has receded a bit further on the right temple. The rest of my hair is thick. I manage to style it so as to minimise or hide the recession and my hair looks fairly decent. However when I am having bad hair days I think some people might be able to notice that I have hairline recession.

At the age of 21 the hair surgeon said he would not do a hair transplant, which was sensible of him. The hairline recession was a major source of concern for me from about the age of 21 to 26. After that I started to relax more as I realised the majority of my hair was not going anywhere.

At age 30 I went for another appointment with the hair surgeon to look at transplant surgery. Not that I was majorly concerned but I just really wanted a nice hairline again. The surgeon was prepared to do it but I was so busy at the time and being in NZ it was really hard to get an appointment and I have a very public job so I needed to take around 2 weeks off work to avoid the embarassment associated with weird visual effects of the surgery. It all became too hard to work it out and I ended up forgetting about it.

Now I have started to think about doing it again. The reason being that I have now started to notice a few grey hairs cropping up in my hair. I am quite vain and focused on my appearance and looking youthful. I am concerned about how the accumulation of grey hairs along with a slightly receded hairline is going to age me. If I am going to start going grey I would like to have at least really nice hair with a tight hairline going grey.

I am really keen on any advice around this matter, tips, pros and cons, people who have been through surgery etc.

 

[curiousone]

I have posted a few photos for visual context of what my hair situation is.

 

[michel sapin]

great hair for a 37 yo man!
you have been on propecia since you are 21 ?

 

[curiousone]

@Wolf Pack do these frontals give enough of an idea or do I need to do more pics? What does minoxidil do? I had thought that basically everything other than finasteride was bascially snake oil and ineffective.

@michel sapin thanks. Yes I have been on it since then. Almost every single day. I am quite routine oriented so its been ok for me.

 

[Trichosan]

You have had a long term clinical history of a proven antiandrogenic. Have you been able to avoid side effects of finasteride use?

 

[curiousone]

@Trichosan I have had no side effects from propecia/finasteride.

 

[curiousone]

I am also curious from experts as to what level on the scale to classify my hairloss as. Level 1 seems like too little and level 2 seems like too much. It almost seems like a 1.5 to me if such a thing were to exist.

 

[jeffmarsh]

I see all your Pics, your Frontal side of the head is good. But your sideline hair is receding, I think Minoxidril or Finasteride usage in the early ages made such an effect. So I think keep calm and reset your mind from this tension. You have needed 1-2k hair grafts on the sideline so you cover up hair receding.

 

[DoctorHouse]

You have great hair characteristics. You are very lucky you don't have diffuse hair loss. If I were in your shoes I would definitely get one. I don't have the greatest hair characteristics so I still am very hesitant to get one. Not only that but I would say my hair loss is not too stable. Most people would say you don't need one as you have great hair for for your age.

 

[Pequod]

I'm guessing there is a 5% chance that you get the hair transplant you want, and a 95% chance that you don't. If you were a NW5 they would put the hairline about where yours is right now. Nobody is going to notice a few grey hairs, and I hate to be blunt about it. You are setting yourself up for a lot of misery if things go badly.

 

[buckthorn]

finally out of a thousand posters, here is ONE that would actually benefit from a hair transplant. Find a very reputable doctor and go for it.

 

[curiousone]

@buckthorn why is it you say that I would benefit from a transplant? What is it from my circumstances?

@Pequod why do you say only a 5% chance of a hair transplant I would be happy with? Is the quality of hair transplants still sh*t? Would it not look natural?

 

[Murkey Thumb]

You don't need a hair transplant. Save your donor area for when you do! Now go away!

 

[CliffLee]

I would consider to you be an excellent candidate for a hair transplant - I don't understand those who say don't do it. You are still fairly young but at 30, a reasonable age to have a hair transplant; you're on meds and have responded well (maintained is enough!); you have great donor hair and your expectations are reasonable.

Find a great doctor to ensure that you have the best results as you don't want to risk having a botched hair transplant.

 

[curiousone]

I would consider to you be an excellent candidate for a hair transplant - I don't understand those who say don't do it. You are still fairly young but at 30, a reasonable age to have a hair transplant; you're on meds and have responded well (maintained is enough!); you have great donor hair and your expectations are reasonable.

Find a great doctor to ensure that you have the best results as you don't want to risk having a botched hair transplant.

Thanks - have you had a hair transplant ? If so what norwood were you? Is it tight and thick and dense and natural looking post op?

 

[CliffLee]

No worries. Yes I have (link to my thread below) and I was around NW3-ish but with no crown thinning. I'm only 7 months in - I'm just waiting for thickening and density over the next 4-5 months. You typically should wait at least 12 months for the final result but all-in-all, everything looks good.

I will be updating the thread in the coming months also. I kept my hair very short and want to have some length before posting pics.

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/post-fue-hair-care-concerns-over-lost-grafts.107289/

 

[curiousone]

@CliffLee Thanks I will follow your progress.

 

[Murkey Thumb]

You don't need a hair transplant if you do it now you will regret it in 10-20 years time. What you need is the big 3, finastride, minoxidil and especially in your case Nizoral as it looks like you have dandruff which will cause scalp inflammation and hairloss.

 

[CliffLee]

He's a perfect candidate. These are the guys that get the most of out the transplant and banish the problem for good. I was one. Btw you will see improvement from month 7 for sure. My hair thickened up a lot after repeated cycles.

Thanks Wolf Pack.

I'm glad to hear that as coverage is definitely there now - I would say virtually all of the hairs have sprouted. I just need density now!

 

[curiousone]

@Wolf Pack Can I ask a few questions about your transplant? What norwood were you when you got the transplant? Does your hair now look dense and natural? How long ago was it that you got it done? No further hair loss since?