28 year old hair transplant candidate? (Photo)

I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon and I’ve been performing hair
transplant for 20 years in Manhattan and Long Island. The expectations of hair
transplants are very often not met because of overselling or aggressive
marketing combined with the reality of the limitations of the donor area. The
top of your head needs a certain number of hairs but unfortunately, the donor
area at the back of your scalp does not have enough hairs. In addition, the rate
of progression of your hair loss is too fast. There have been many patients who
tried to have transplant in their 20s to compensate for the hair loss. By the
time they hit their mid-30s, they really look like they didn’t have transplants
and still have thinning hair.



Many people have tried to use drugs like finasteride that is an
effective drug for male patients whose hair is DHT-sensitive. Finasteride is an
oral medication that inhibits an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase that facilitates
the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The challenge is
that many people don’t respond because their hair follicles are not responsive
to DHT. Therefore, there are a lot of unknown factors that are also
contributing to hair loss outside of DHT. There have also been numerous
chromosomes associated with hair loss which are approximately 11 of 23 pairs.



In our practice, we have been very excited to help patients using a
non-surgical option called Hair Regeneration. This was an accidental discovery
using a wound healing material called Acellular matrix in a hair transplant
that appeared to make thinning hairs to look thicker. Over several years, we
developed a system and process of doing an injection as an alternative to
transplantation that reversed hair thinning. It’s important to have this
treatment soon after your onset of hair loss. The rate of your hair loss
progression is also a factor that affects how well the treatment works. The
treatment has been close to a 100% beneficial for male pattern hair loss. There
are occasional patients who don’t respond to the treatment but that is a very
small group. We have not yet been able to figure out how to predict that, but
close to 100% of male pattern hair loss respond. It has been a huge success for
patients who come to us from around the world.



We have reached a point where we are now scaling this treatment to try
to bring it closer to people and the company we started is called Trichostem®
Hair Regeneration. Hair Regeneration is a onetime treatment. In some patients
after a year, we’ll do a second injection to build upon what we’ve done. In
someone like you, with your level of hair loss, you would probably get a second
treatment. With 3-5 years of data, we have been able to show no significant
regression with this treatment. From my experience, it far exceeds the benefits
of a surgical transplantation which has to be done every 3-5 years until you
run out of donor area. In someone in their 20s, we try to avoid surgical
transplantation altogether. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of
luck, and thank you for your question.



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Despite some answers you may read, photos and Internet posts do not make you a suitable candidate for a hair transplant.You need a diagnosis first.   You can't get a diagnosis with out a physical exam and a detailed history.  Photos are a good start but it isn't everything.You need to know how extensive your hair loss is with exam.  What happens if you continue to bald.Finally you need to convey exactly what you expect or want from surgery.  Just to "look better" or "have more hair" is not realistic.  For example: Hair transplant surgery does NOT always cover the thinning look or the "see through" look.Simply put, you need an exam, a diagnosis, a prognosis, and a treatment plan.  In the end you may not need surgery or realize surgery may not give you want you want.Many people on this site want quotes and what surgery may cost, but it is also highly variable between doctor to doctor.  This website is not Priceline.  It's not for price shopping. It's for general information and education.  It is ultimately up to you to contact the doctors you may consider and having a private consultation with the doctor.

Hey there, 
Lots of people are candidates for this form of surgery. 
Typically, anyone over the age of 18 who is experiencing thinning hair or baldness and has a healthy immune system will be a good candidate for this type of procedure.
Surgeons definitely proceed with caution before they approve candidates who are under the age of 18. So, age is a factor. Another factor is the general health of the patient. 
For example, a surgeon will look at medical history, current health conditions (if any) and then decide if it’s safe to perform the procedure.
More importantly, doctors prefer to perform hair transplants on patients who live healthy lifestyles. 
So, following a healthy diet, getting moderate exercise and practicing stress management will boost your odds of getting the “ok” for a hair transplant surgery.
Getting a one on one consultation from a cosmetic surgeon will be the best way to see if you’re a viable candidate for this type of procedure, as every patient is different.
I hope this helps.