Are Hair Transplants Appropriate For a 23 Year Old Male?
This comment, addressed by Coalition hair restoration surgeon Dr. William Lindsey, was shared by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums:
I am a 23 year old male seriously considering a hair transplant. I am a class 2 on the Norwood Scale with a naturally high hairline and diffuse thinning and recession in the temples about an inch back and slight thinning and recession in the front (minor). I have been on Propecia (finasteride) for 2 years and Rogaine Foam (on the hairline) for 2 years. I also use 2% Nizoral twice per week. I have a few uncles on my mom’s side who are Norwood 5’s and some uncles on my dad’s side who are norwood 2’s and 3’s. My dad is a Norwood 2a. I have been to two hair restoration surgeons who both said I was a good candidate because I have good donor hair and I’ve halted/slowed my hair loss with finasteride. The surgery would be a conservative approach to establish a mature hairline. I’m not trying to get my adolescent hairline back. They each recommended between 800 and 1000 grafts via follicular unit transplantation (FUT). I know I am young but what do you guys think? Will I regret this in 10-20 years? Is shock loss a major concern in my case? Anyone with a similar experience?
I have no problem with your age if you are an informed patient and you plan to avoid the 3 mistakes of hair transplant surgery.
1. Big scar – pick a hair transplant surgeon who tends to get decent scars in most cases
2. Hairline too low – this can be a real issue in guys your age. You need to plan on a hairline that will look okay at 45, not 25. Avoid pushing for a transplant with a hairline that will not age with you and its conceivable that you may not need much or anything done yet.
3. Too little hair on too much bald head – lets say you get 1500 grafts now but, due to your genes, you wind up a class 5. Well, depending on your hair characteristics, you probably have enough donor hair to nearly cover all the hair loss (behind your current transplant) pretty well with additional surgeries. But, if you turn out to be a class 7, you may only have enough hair to adequately cover behind the current transplant back to near the crown. Don’t spread it around trying to get a little coverage as you end up no better off than not doing anything.
Good luck to you. Make sure you plan for future hair loss and hope you don’t have any and this is it for you.
Dr. Lindsey, McLean VA
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David (TakingThePlunge) Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Restoration Forum and Social Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.
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