Who is a Good Candidate for Hair Transplant?
I
am 21 years old, and I began losing hair when i was 19. The area around my hair
line is very thin now. I was wondering, is hair transplant is an option for me right now? Who
should ideally consider having hair transplant done?
…Respond
Each Case is Unique
In
general, people under the age of 21 are too young for a hair transplant.
However there are exceptions, especially when emotional factors are considered.
For the average 21 year old, the treatments to consider are finesteride and
Rogaine, but even these are not for everyone. When looking at hair
transplantation, family history is very important and can give a good
indication of where your hair loss is headed. Because your hair loss has
started at such a young age, you need to look at the patterns to be expected
10-15 years from now as well as 50 years from now. Being too aggressive with
hair transplantation at a young age can be a major mistake. The other option
you have is to begin either minoxidil or finasteride.
If a transplant is done it should be
done in a manner that it can stand alone as a single procedure if all of the
current hair is lost and the only hair remaining on your head is the
transplant. Approaching
it in this way will require a lot of thought and planning and is far less
likely to result in a major mistake. In addition you should be aware that a
single transplant is not likely to solve your hair loss problem. You will need
to add to it, probably more than once, through the coming years as you continue
to lose hair
Hair loss is a progressive problem in which you
continue to lose hair. The key to determining good candidates for hair restoration surgery is estimating what the patient's hair loss pattern might be.Therefore It is important for you and your doctor to
assess what stage of hair loss you are likely to be at in the future.
This is based on family genetics and your current hair loss pattern.
Once hair is transplanted, it will not fall out,
though the native hair will continue its loss.
Really in a young person
such as yourself, it is difficult to tell what your eventual pattern of hair
loss might be and your transplant may create an unnatural appearance as you
lose more hair.You can usually get away with a small transplant to provide
slightly more density in the hairline with the understanding that you will
likely need additional treatment in the future as your hair loss progresses.