Receding hairline possible transplant advice

[fdam1234]

Hi folks,

My first post here comes as for the first time I'm seriously considering getting a hair transplant and would like some opinions from others in a similar situation.
I've attached a few photos with wet hair, with the first 2 taken yesterday, and the last one taken late 2018 as a comparison.

I'm 26 and started using lipogaine (a brand of rogaine/minoxidil) in late 2017. I haven't seen any noticeable improvements and as far as I can tell my temples have receded further. Although I do not think the frontal scalp has thinned that bad.

I have never tried finasteride after hearing the horror stories of the side effects, but I am considering giving it a go, what do you guys think?

My main thing now is that I would like to get a transplant to "fill in" the receding temples. This would preferably be an unshaved treatment in the recipient area as I do not want people to know I've had a procedure. But now I am starting to wonder if I should get some extra hair in the frontal scalp too to thicken it up, as I fear that if I do not, I may have to get another treatment for this area later down the road. This would be quite a big deal for me if I were to get treatment here, as I would have to shave my recipient region and probably have a lot of people realise that I've had treatment done.

I've already pretty much accepted that as I am so young, it's likely that I'll probably need another treatment in the future . But right now I am debating whether I should get the whole frontal area filled in and risk people finding out I've had a procedure, or to just get the temple regions filled and to maybe try using finasteride.

Side note - If anyone has any recommendations of surgeons or clinics in Europe, they'd also be appreciated!

Side note 2 - I also stopped taking minoxidil in mid December (3 months), mainly because I temporarily moved away from my apartment and forgot my bottle of it, but also because I wasn't noticing much good from it so became disinterested in it. Is it okay to get a transplant so soon after stopping using it? Or should I go back to using it to play it safe regardless of treatment?

All opinions are welcome, (except any comments telling me to shave it off as I'm really not ready for that yet! )

 

[FilthyFrancis]

Hi,
We have more or less the same hair loss at the same age. It started by temples recession and then diffused all over the mid scalp.

I have been discussing with several hair transplant surgeons. Below are the key takeaways:
- 26 is quite young for a transplant - most Doctor recommend waiting until you hit 30;
- Due to your hair being miniaturized in mid scalp, you are at risk of shock loss (i.e. the transplant could make you shed your native hair). Docs will most likely ask you to try treatments (minoxidil/finasteride) first to thicken up what you already have;
- Hair transplant without shedding is bad idea: the results will be much better if you accept to shave (especially if you want some hair to be transplanted in the mid scalp).

If you are unsuccessful with minoxidil, you try dermarolling once a week at a 0,75mm depth (and apply minoxidil right afterwards). You could also try oral minoxidil which is most of the time effective. There's finasteride which people might reasonably recommend but you must be aware of potential sides (and willing to take the risk).

 

[fdam1234]

Thank you FilthyFrancis

Nice to hear from someone else in the same boat, thanks for all the info!

Yes not wanting to rush into a transplant as I'm so young is something I've been conscious of alright. Although I'm also thinking it would be better to get in there early before it gets worse/more obvious to my peers.
That's a good point about the hair being miniaturized in mid scalp and the risk of shock loss. That really is the last thing I need right now!
I am considering going for a small transplant to the temples, and then to try to thicken up the frontal scalp through a combination of either finasteride/minoxidil/oral minoxidil. I'm going to get a doctor's appointment next week to discuss whether I'd be an acceptable candidate for using finasteride or oral minoxidil.

I'm starting to wonder now that although the minoxidil didn't do my temples much good (I've read that they are hard to regrow, maybe it's responsible for my frontal scalp not being in (too much) worse shape than 2 years previously so will focus on that area more so when applying topical minoxidil (I previously was only really aiming for the temples and surrounding hairs).

 

[SD1984]

You are not a great case IMO as you still have full hair in the middle of your hairline. So yes you could fill in those temples with a transplant, but the second that middle forelock area possibly starts thinning out (in a few years, maybe much longer maybe much sooner) it will no longer match the density of your transplanted temples. What's even worse, since the middle will only be thinning and not totally gone, you won't be able to have a transplant in there to correct what will be an uneven hairline of density. So for years hair fibers would have to become your best friend by default. Hope that all makes sense.

 

[coolio]

At this stage you should put your money/efforts into preventing more loss, not getting transplants. Both your age and your current hair situation are pointing to that.

 

[fdam1234]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Much appreciated. Looks like I'm going to put a pin in any procedures for the time being anyway, hopefully get another few years out of what I have yet!

 

[WilliamTgs]

You have good hair, don't do a transplant, please.