Hair Transplant Advice & Recommendation

[James K.]

Hi All, 

I am looking to get a hair transplant this year, would love some advice or feedback regarding my current situation. 
 

I will be 27 in December, and currently on 3.75mg Oral Minox daily. I’ve been off Finasteride due to sexual side effects. 
 

I have diffuse thinning throughout the scalp, more notably in the hairline. (Pls see below picture for area circled in red). 
 

 I am thinking of going with DR. RATCHATHORN PANCHAPRATEEP from Absolute Hair Clinic, as it seems she has good results with diffuse thinning cases.

I am looking to improve the hairline (not lower, only fill in gaps) and implant grafts into diffuse thinning areas.  
 

Does anyone have any feedback/advice/recommendations on hair transplant surgeons? Thanks. 

Edited August 27 by James K.
Forgot to add something

[Berba11]

Same advice as your previous two threads:

1. You absolutely do not need a HT

2. You have a fantastic hairline that requires zero work. That weird straight hairline you've drawn will not look good now, let alone in later life

3. That "gap" is because you've parted the hair. You can't cover ever millimetre of your scalp 

You have no visible hair loss to address with surgery (which should always be the very last resort). I'm wondering if you could explain why you keep disregarding previous advice? The whole purpose of seeking advice is, I'd have thought, to gather feedback that you don't want to hear (because there's no value in a yes-man).

This is the advice you were given by multiple people last time around:

 

Was there something within that round of advice that was unsatisfactory? You seem quite determined ti get yourself into potential trouble by seeking a surgery you don't need. I would be amazed if any good surgeons thought any surgery was a good idea at this point.

[James K.]

Hi @Berba11, 

Thank you for the feedback. As far as my explanation, ever since being diagnosed with MPB and starting Finasteride, developing side effects, and Post Finasteride Syndrome, I have been dealing with severe anxiety/depression/suicidal ideation (diagnosed by psychiatrist). 
 

Although it is not 100% captured by photos, my hair is definitely thinning and am not able to style my hair the same as before.

I probably spend many hours per day researching and obsessing over hair loss…

I was hoping that getting a transplant would be able to improve my situation and improve my self esteem/mental health. Thank you for the real advice I needed to hear, I probably have some type of mental illness as hair loss affects my mental state more than most…

[Berba11]

15 minutes ago, James K. said:

Hi @Berba11, 

Thank you for the feedback. As far as my explanation, ever since being diagnosed with MPB and starting Finasteride, developing side effects, and Post Finasteride Syndrome, I have been dealing with severe anxiety/depression/suicidal ideation (diagnosed by psychiatrist). 
 

Although it is not 100% captured by photos, my hair is definitely thinning and am not able to style my hair the same as before.

I probably spend many hours per day researching and obsessing over hair loss…

I was hoping that getting a transplant would be able to improve my situation and improve my self esteem/mental health. Thank you for the real advice I needed to hear, I probably have some type of mental illness as hair loss affects my mental state more than most…

I'm very sorry to hear you're having a hard time and I hope you're able to receive the help you need, be it here or elsewhere.

As far as the hair goes, the reality is that you have a fantastic head of hair that everyone on this forum would die to have, and even if things feel slightly thinner than before, that's just a very natural normal process that literally every bloke goes through. Whether it will continue to progress to the point of visible hair loss is a matter of pure guesswork (I recall you have favourable family history), but until you actually hit a point where theres enough space to put some grafts, there's no surgical avenue available to you. And that's an amazingly good thing! You should be delighted that you don't need any surgery yet. No one actually wants to have surgery if they can help it and you have time on your side and a great head of hair in the meantime.

Be mindful that getting yourself worked up about hair loss is likely to have two consequences: stress that actually does cause loss, or a placebo effect where you're so concerned about loss that you start believing that things are worst than they really are.

Your diagnosis is from the dermatologist, to be frank, looks dubious and seems to have put you on the path of worrying unnecessarily.

Lastly, remember that a HT is no guarantee of anything, and in many cases can do more harm than good either by through going to a bad surgeon, or in your case potentially damaging healthy native hair by trying to place donor grafts in an area for which there is too little space to operate.

[Paul_]

4 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

I'm very sorry to hear you're having a hard time and I hope you're able to receive the help you need, be it here or elsewhere.

As far as the hair goes, the reality is that you have a fantastic head of hair that everyone on this forum would die to have, and even if things feel slightly thinner than before, that's just a very natural normal process that literally every bloke goes through. Whether it will continue to progress to the point of visible hair loss is a matter of pure guesswork (I recall you have favourable family history), but until you actually hit a point where theres enough space to put some grafts, there's no surgical avenue available to you. And that's an amazingly good thing! You should be delighted that you don't need any surgery yet. No one actually wants to have surgery if they can help it and you have time on your side and a great head of hair in the meantime.

Be mindful that getting yourself worked up about hair loss is likely to have two consequences: stress that actually does cause loss, or a placebo effect where you're so concerned about loss that you start believing that things are worst than they really are.

Your diagnosis is from the dermatologist, to be frank, looks dubious and seems to have put you on the path of worrying unnecessarily.

Lastly, remember that a HT is no guarantee of anything, and in many cases can do more harm than good either by through going to a bad surgeon, or in your case potentially damaging healthy native hair by trying to place donor grafts in an area for which there is too little space to operate.

^ truth right here

Do things in the proper order bud - take care of your mind first, and once you feel good, sharp and happy again, re-read this thread. You'll see we only wish to spare you needless surgery and suffering

[TakeAction]

At risk of sounding insensitive, "post-finasteride syndrome" does not exist. While you may have experienced sexual side effects, there is no mechanism by which finasteride could cause some sort of persistent long-term effects after stopping its use. PFS is a psychological issue, and it's good that you have sought professional help. It seems like the problem is mostly mental. My recommendation is to get off hair loss forums now and immerse yourself in the real world for a few months. 

You will most likely find that your "post finasteride syndrome" dissipates.

[James K.]

@Berba11 @Paul_ @TakeAction

Thank you all for the feedback/advice. Much appreciated.