Hair Transplant Surgery or Medical Hair Loss Treatments: What is the Best Option for a Young Man?
This comment addressed by recommended hair restoration physician Dr. Ricardo Mejia of Jupiter, FL was shared by a member of our Hair Loss Social Community and Discussion Forums:
I’ve been contemplating hair transplants for a while now. For my age, it seems follicular unit extraction (FUE) would be best but this is a huge step and I’m still in school, with little funds. I’ve worked enough to be able to afford possibly 1 transplant, giving every last drop of my money. From research, I’m assuming it will cost me $7k – $11k given my current hair status. I’m a young man, so I’m very afraid of Propecia (finasteride) and its sexual side effects which may ruin my life forever although from hours and hours of research it seems this is the only real medicine that might show results other than Rogaine (minoxidil) which I’m not sure will help my case as much. Will it?
If you have limited funds and can only afford one hair transplant, I would think twice before getting started surgically. I typically advise my patients to start medical hair loss treatments and give it a try. The side effect profile is a small percentage but hair saving on the back end (no pun intended).
Remember if in 5 years, your hair loss advances significantly and you thin out, you are going to need another hair restoration surgery to bring you back to where you were. So in reality it is a catch up game transplanting what you are losing. I have had young patients with much more advanced balding try actually going the opposite direction. They shaved their heads. At first it was hard but now they are totally happy.
Get good consultations from doctors in your local area who can sit down and clearly go over your history and your expectations.
Dr. Ricardo Mejia MD, FAAD
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David (TakingThePlunge)
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
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