Should I Have An Aggressive Hair Transplant?

I am a 27 year old male with a Norwood 2 level of baldness. The men on both sides of my family have extensive balding. I have been on Rogaine and Propecia for several years which has halted my hair loss. I am now looking to restore my hairline to the way I had it as a teenager. Should I move forward with the procedure or is it a bad idea?

Unfortunately, at your age hair loss can still be unpredictable. It is important to remember that Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) will not change your genetic pre-disposition to male pattern baldness. There is no cure to hereditary hair loss and you will continue to lose more hair even while taking medication.

Surgical hair restoration should always consider the future. A long-term strategy or master plan must be discussed prior to undergoing a procedure. While the desire to turn back the hand of time is understandable, it may not always be in the patients best interest. In addition, the donor supply of a patient is a finite resource that must be used strategically, so that the patients results stand the test of time.

Now let’s discuss some of the complications that can occur with an aggressive hairline. Best case scenario, the patient continues to bald very slowly and doesn’t require another hair transplant for several years. Sadly, genetic hair loss can be unpredictable and could speed up at any given time. Let’s discuss the complications that turn hair transplant patients in to repair patients.

One of the biggest complications patients run in to with an aggressive hairline is not having enough donor supply to adequately cover the rest of their scalp. This leaves patients with an unnatural tuft of hair that resembles an island on their scalp. Many patients seek repairs from hair transplant surgeons, but there isn’t much a surgeon can do without an adequate donor supply.

In addition, an adolescent hairline may appear natural on someone who is 27 years old, but it may not appear natural on the same individual as they get older. This is especially true if the individual continues to thin and lose more hair. There is a saying that goes “the only certain thing in life is death and taxes”, but who ever said that never suffered from androgenic alopecia (genetic hair loss). It is not a question of “if” the hair loss will progress, it is a question of “when” the hair loss will progress.

Written and published by,
Melvin- Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network and The Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians