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hair transplant at a young age
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| Question: |
Dear Dr. Stone
is it advisable to undergo hair transplant to recover lost hairline
i'm only 26 had shown MPB since I was 20 and I want to know if it can
be done cause i've heard that its not yet advisable to undergo such
surgery do I have to wait to be completely bald? thanks Doc.
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| Asked
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Herbert
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| Answer: |
I would suggest you wait until you are around 30 years old.
Men in there early 20s are mostly just beginning to lose hair. Their goals in hair
transplantation are to retain the hair pattern they had in their teenage years usually on a
limited budget. Success tends to be measured by how close to the teenage pattern they
can get & effect on relations with significant others. On limited budgets hair is usually
grafted (mostly by unethical physicians) on the edges or in the temple area to achieve the
teenage pattern. In later years with continued hair loss these grafted areas end up being
incorrectly positioned for men older than 30 years of age. Additionally, the wispy areas of
hair left by receding hairlines look like small insects crawling on your head or are
reminiscent of the principal's hairdo in the Archie comics. Since the grafts usually lie too
low for older men these areas can't be grafted to thicken them up & cutting the hair short
shows scarring your stuck in a catch-22.
Men in their 30s have long forgotten their teenage hairlines & are more willing to have
grafts placed higher on the forehead. This positioning is required to give a natural look in
an older man & account for future hair loss& limited donor site hair availability. In most
20 year olds placing grafts in these positions will have little visible effect & so they tend to
be unwilling to have this type of surgery. The 30 something's budget is usually less limited
so they can have more hair grafts per session, more than just hair around the edges.
Success in this group is measured more by the natural look of the grafts (i.e. ability to hide
contrast) & ability to frame the face to achieve a more youthful appearance.
I saw a patient for a rhinoplasty who had 3 hair graft sessions by a locally prominent hair grafting physician. This fellow had such severe thinning that the scalp skin was visible on the back & sides when the hair was dry. This type of patient is clearly not a candidate for hairgrafting & is better off using Propecia. There is no way to hide the donor site & there is insufficient donor hair to make any significant difference elsewhere. After 3+ months on Propecia there had been significant thickening in all areas of the scalp. The transplanting physician never even mentioned Propecia to the patient & clearly placed his income needs over the needs of the patient.
Yet another reason not to have hairgrafting in your early 20s.
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| Answered
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Dr. Aaron Stone, M.D.
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