Is 27 too early for a hair transplant? (photos)

You have hair thinning an minimal shedding. That means that there is VERY small room for grafts to be implanted without damaging surrounding follicles. So for th emeantime, stay away from hair restoration procedures.
Find an expert doctor, get into a medical, FDA approved treatment for hair loss and review the results in 6-12 months. I am willing to BET that you will have a full head of hair!

Seeing your photos, there is more hair loss to come. Best to stabilize this before or at the same time as transplants. Remember prevention is better than cure. Today a well informed Hair Surgeon will know how to stabilize most patients. Then have transplants to the front, let the medication do what it can to help the crown. After a year have another consultation, see how the transplant turned out, have more if you need. Personally you should have FUE, not FUT if there is a chance that you may need/want to wear short hair later in life.

Age is not the issue - it is trying to predict how advanced your hair loss will be in the future and what is your safe donor. Family history, age of onset, rapidity of progression, and current thinning pattern all need to be taken into account.Consideration of medical treatment to stabilise hair loss is also important. You should see a reputable hair transplant surgeon who will advise you on your long term appearance in mind and is not after a quick ‘sale’.

What determines your candidacy for a hair restoration, is the history of hair loss, your understanding of its progression, your expectations, and how you choose to live your life long as you are well informed.



My advice to you is to learn as much as possible about your own hair loss by using the internet, visiting doctors, looking at your past pictures, and your family history.  It still is possible that you may not be a candidate, but definitely explore all your options and exercise preventative care, it does work.

Being 27 in and of itself isn't a contraindication for a hair transplant.  Other factors, such as hair loss pattern, donor hair availability, family history (both sides) and desires & expectations are factors.  Typically, the crown area is not grafted in younger men but working on the front would be a possibility.  Find a local hair restoration surgeon and come up with a plan that covers potential future hair loss, and includes non-surgical adjuncts to maintain your hair and prevent further loss.

Dear SemplerHello and thank you for your excellent question. I suggest that you start Finasteride and Minoxidil, as they are the only two medications for hair loss approved by the FDA. For women of child-bearing age, I use spironolactone instead of finasteride. Both medications have different mechanism of action, and I usually recommend both medications to my patients. Other adjuncts include low-level laser light therapy, PRP, stem cell, or other regenerative medical treatment. Also, you will want to ensure that you are not taking any medications that could be contributing to your hair loss. The main objectives with the combination treatments are to stabilize your hair loss, increase your existing hair fiber diameter, and stimulate some hair regrowth. After those options are completed, I recommend hair transplant, including FUE or FUT. It is best to answer your question during a face-to-face evaluation, when you can discuss your goals and expectations for the procedure, and you can have a physical examination to evaluate for that procedure. I recommend that you find a board-certified, or board-eligible plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable. Be sure to have all of your questions answered during a face-to-face meeting with your surgeon, and review before and after pictures of similar patients whom have had this procedure. If you have any questions, call our office for assistance. Good luck!

Best,

Jon Ver Halen, MD FACS

Harvard educated plastic surgeon

Texas “Top Doc” 2017, 2018

RealSelf100

America’s Top Plastic Surgeons, Consumer’s Research Council, 2010 – 2018

BeautyAdvisor Top Contributor

I generally like to lay out a Master Plan for each patient and based upon your photos, you are clearly not over the balding that you will yet experience.  If you go forward, I would suggest that you focus on the frontal area first, saving your donor hair for future needs.