I am a diffuse thinner, 25 y/o, and have been taking Propecia for about 1.5 years, but I am considering ending that regimen as I am unfortunately being affected by its sexual side effects, and the constant urination sucks.

Would it be too early for a HT right now?
If not how much work do you think I need, and any recommendations from personal experience on a good doctor to do this. I am currently in the Florida area. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MY PICS

If you do any consulting for a HT, you may want to check with the Doc, or your derm, about stopping Propecia. If it's affecting you I understand you wanting to but it actually may have stopped your loss from being worse than it is at this point.

As for your pics.........yes, you have diffused thinning all over on top with pretty severe loss going all the way back to the crown. You'll hear varying opinions on ages for HTs. We've had some here who have had HT's that are in their early 20's.............it just depends on the situation. In your case, I'm not sure how worried I'd be about permanent shock loss but I would have concern about how far you will go on the Norwood Scale and what kind of donor supply you ultimately have. The only way to tell will be by consulting with a professional. You need lots of grafts........in reality as many as you can get. If you're wanting any appearance of density (this is purely a guess) I'd say over 5000 grafts for sure.

You may want to check out the Coalition Surgeons recommended by this site. Their skills are unsurpassed and they have the ability to deliver many grafts in one sitting which in your case, assuming you qualify as a candidate for a HT, is very important. Dr's. Charles, Rose and Epstein are all in Florida and I believe would all over you excellent results, but, don't let location influence your decision if you opt for a HT. Many clinics will pay for your airfare and hotel stay or credit you in grafts.........I did this for my 2nd HT flying from Illinois to Vancouver, BC......it was a great experience and I'd do it again in a minute. Consulting can be done with emailed pics and by phone so it's really no big deal.

Hope this helps!

studentjay,

welcome to the forums. I agree with what hairbank said above...talk to your doctor or dermatologist about stopping Propecia. Obviously, one's sexual life is more important than having hair. Some bald guys still get all the chicks after all

Your hairloss is indeed pretty diffused all over the head, and it is very possible at 25 that you will be destined for a NW6. I would advise at your age, and your level of loss, to hold off on an HT, not indefinitely, just for a few years and/or until you get your hairloss under control (or worse case scenerio, lose more). If you get an HT now, which you CAN, you will be transplanting around the diffuse hairs, and when this hair is gone, you will have to get more HTs to fill in those areas as well. If you can 1) get your hairloss under control, then you minimize the risk of losing these hairs and minimize the number of HTs you get, which is why medication is important if it works for you or 2) lose more hair, the doctor can evenly distribute the grafts to the balding area giving you a natural look without grafts being placed unevenly to fill in the missing gaps. Does that make sense?

Anyway...I hope this helps.

Falc

jay-

There's wisdom in your words. I, too, feel that many have jumped in very quickly despite advice to the contrary. It sounds like your approaching this cautiously which at your age, or any age for that matter, you should. There's absolutely NO way to determine how far anyone's loss will go.

Best of luck with your research!

Jay, you've received some excellent advice here from other posters already so I'll just say that's it's good to see you looking ahead to the future already and planning conservatively. Too many guys your age want immediate gratification and say they'll worry about the future when it comes. But you sound like you're on the right track. I would just recommend you find some way to stay on Propecia since taking meds is going to be a necessary adjunct to any transplant you may receive.

Hi Jay,
I agree you are smart to plan for the long term by taking a slow and conservative approach now. It is good good advice everyone is giving you. I will never forget this one guy from a Dr. True Open House that stopped taking Finesteride and was very disappointed by how much he thinned out as a result. He got back on it, but a lot of damage was already done and he was very sorry. You, me, and everyone would do well to learn from his pain. Since our minds are so complicated, don't necessarily buy in to the fact that you are definitely having Finesteride side effects. Don't underestimate the power of what you believe! Try to think about what else might be affecting your sexual health. Getting back to your overall thinning, since you do have some thin coverage you may want to try camoflauge to help hold you over a few years or so until it is a more practical time to get a transplant. I would recommend trying Toppik in combination with either DermMatch or ProThik if you haven't already. In addition, search those product names on these forums and Google for more info as needed. Hang in there and keep up that level-headedness so you don't trade-off your best future appearance for short-term gratification. Merry Christmas!
GratefulHead