Is Hair Transplant Surgery the Right Choice for Me?

This question, asked by a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums, was answered by recommended hair transplant surgeon Dr. Ricardo Mejia:

I’m just wondering if I can use the experience here to see if a hair transplant could be right for me. I’m 23 years old and have a quite noticeable receded hair line. When I was 18 I witnessed the graphic death of my dad and ended up in pretty dire straits as far as stress and anxiety levels and within a year my hair looked pretty bad. On top of the receding there were also very noticeable patches on the right side. After being on Propecia (finasteride) for a year, it seemed to stop and the patches seemed to mostly fill in. But now, I’m left with this (for the time being) stable hairline again. It just really, really gets me down. I feel like I didn’t get to enjoy being a kid for all those years while I was dealing with things and now that I’m doing better, my hair is like this scar from that time that just holds back all my confidence and self-esteem. I’m sure many of you know this feeling: It’s in the pit of my stomach all the time. Now that everything seems under control I wanted to inquire about fixing it up a little if I can.

I have some questions though that I would be grateful for your insight on. I’ve saved up 7500 Canadian dollars for this treatment. I’ve seen such variation in pricing for the clinics I’ve researched that I was wondering if this was a good amount or if I should be saving up more before I go further. Has anyone had any experience with Dr. Thomas Nakatsui in Edmonton Alberta or Dr John Gillespie in Calgary Alberta? Is 23 too young or is it somewhat common for men my age to undergo this procedure?

As a physician, when a patient comes to me with doubt about having a hair transplant done, I usually advise medical therapy or, in some cases, even counseling or acceptance if they are severely anxious. I had an 18 year old patient that I convinced to shave his head and give it a try. You know, bald is beautiful for some people and the in thing. Look at Pit Bull and other celebs. Nonetheless, my patient is bald and couldn’t be happier, dating and enjoying life. I can’t say this is for everyone, but every person needs to take a close look at their reasons.

Keep in mind that, if you have a family history of severe hair loss, you would need more than one hair restoration procedure and need to save a lot more over time as you age. Starting medical therapy for young patients is typically the route I choose, at least for the first year, to assure they are committed.

Dr. Ricardo Mejia

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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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