I'm 26 and have been thinning for a while and figured maybe I would get a transplant in my thirties. Well, I got a short cut recently and was a little shocked at the extent of the thinning. I'm wondering if people can give me their opinion on how many grafts I would need and how much I can expect to pay for such a surgery in Canada.

It doesn't look that bad. I think you would need roughly about 3000 grafts (100 sq ft X 30 grafts/cm2) ~ $10k - 12k.

I think about 3000 with propecia, but would recommend doing some online consulting. you can do it on this site. good luck

Top docs in canada are alvi armani and hasson and wong. I'll agree with the 3000 estimate, but realise that you'll need more work in the front when the diffused hair falls out.

Good luck

Also check out Seager in Toronto, I had good results with him. Shop around and do your research...this is an excellent place to start. Good luck.

Thanks for the info. $10000 wasn't what i was hoping to hear though! Oh well, that's the price of vanity I suppose.

i just flew to canada (from california) to have my procedure done at H&W in vancouver. i did an online consultation with them through their website and got an estimate for everything i needed.

Thanks for the suggestion Domie, I just did an online consult with them now.

My hair has always been really thick, so that's apparently one thing I have going for me according to the website. Is it unusual for people in their mid-20's to get this surgery done? I'm hoping that if I do it now, I can hold off on a follow up surgery until I'm at least in my thirties.

quote:

Originally posted by kg007:
It doesn't look that bad. I think you would need roughly about 3000 grafts (100 sq ft X 30 grafts/cm2) ~ $10k - 12k.

100 sq ft !? His head doesn't look that big to me

Van, at 26 I would suggest at least a year of Propecia before you consider a HT.
2 factors to consider:

1. You do not know how you will respond to Propecia. You may see enough regrowth in the mid-scalp to crown area to satisfy you at this time in your life.
(most cost effective + non-surgical method right at this time)

2. You nor any surgeon can forecast your future hairloss. You could shock some existing "weakened" follicles by doing a HT and be right back to square one. Of course this can happen during any surgery, but at least you will understand that you may need additional surgeries to get you where you want to be.

I would still do some consults with REPUTABLE and ETHICAL surgeons only, just to familiarize yourself with the process, cost, etc... Given that you are from Canada you have H&W and Shapiro Medical just a short flight away, so I would look there to start.

I hope this helps you out and please feel free to post additional photos or questions if you need to. There are many members on this forum with a wealth of knowledge to share.
PS: to answer your question, I don't think you need any grafts right now =)

thinningVan,

B spot has some good advice for you. The top looks a little thin, but, I would guess looking at you from the front your coverage appears decent.

Try Propecia (finasteride) and see if it helps. At the least, it will drastically slow your loss if not stop it...........and you may experience some regrowth. You could use a concealer to help thicken it and you may want to start a scalp and hair care regimen using Nizoral, Nioxin or others recommended in threads on this site.

Also, B spot's point #2 is a valid one. Though I was 38 at my first HT, I did experience shock loss to my native hair and less than 50% seems to have returned since they were already on the way out due to MPB. The overall effect of the 1200 grafts from my first HT is a thicker appearance, but the permanent shock loss put a bit of a damper on it.

quote:

Originally posted by thinninginvan:
I'm 26 and have been thinning for a while and figured maybe I would get a transplant in my thirties. Well, I got a short cut recently and was a little shocked at the extent of the thinning. I'm wondering if people can give me their opinion on how many grafts I would need and how much I can expect to pay for such a surgery in Canada.

Hi there,
I think that the more you can afford to do the better. Consider this, if you have a full head of hair you have about 20,000 Grafts on your healthy, full head of hair head. When you initially notice balding, you have already lost over 50% of your hair. When a surgeon transfers 2000 Grafts thats barely 10% of what a full head of hair has. But the artistry behind hair transplants is to position those Grafts nicely , so that the end result is a look of a full head of hair. My advice would be to go for atleast 2000 grafts, and possibbly go on Propecia inorder to salvage what you have left.
Unfortunately I don't know how much the cost would be in Canada.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

H&W gave me back my consult and suggested 4000 grafts. That's $15,000. I can't afford that. I'm going to go on propecia like a lot of people have suggested. I can live with my current hair, and some regrowth would be a bonus.

Thanks for everyone's advice, it's been very helpful.

A wise choice. See how it goes for a year or so, you can always save and do the HT later if necessary. At your age and with the loss you've experienced, Propecia and a good hair care regimen could do wonders for maintaining and possibly regrowing some hair.

It's a good idea to document your journey on propecia, otherwise it can be tough to see the results. You may already plan this but if not, I'd recommend photos every other month or so to track your progress.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'd recommend you try a concealer. They really work well and with the hair you already have you're a prime candidate. I'd recommend you try Dermmatch. It's less than $30 for a supply that will last you well over a year.

Good luck.