What's the youngest age you can get a hair transplant?

I like patients to at least be 25-27 years old before considering a surgery as your future hairloss pattern is uncertain.  It's best to meet with an experienced doctor and discuss medical management of hairloss first before trying to move forward with a surgery.  Surgery should never be the first option especially in a patient that is only 21 years old.

Dear Balding21Thanks for the question. There is no age limit as such for a hair transplantation. But people under the age group of 18 years to 80 years usually options for hair transplantation as the symptoms of balding and spot balding occur within this span of life. I wish you all the best.

You need to consult with several hair restoration professionals and come up with a comprehensive master plan that includes all variables from age, medication therapy to density. Take your time.The youngest age we have had to transplant was 10 years old due to a burn on a childs scalp.

The traditional approach may prevent young patient from treating their hair loss early on, due to the fact that they will likely lose hair in the future. There is also the risk of not having enough grafts. It is possible to use the Shave Test to see if a patient is on their way towards severe baldness. They would need extra grafts through a body hair transplant which is a very specialized form of hair restoration. Other patients can rely on their scalp hair alone for their long term coverage needs. Obtaining these answers and proper planning allows young men to undergo hair transplant surgery.
I have provided a link below with more information on young-age hair transplants.

21, it’s really young. Your hair will continue to fall, to make a transplantation we need to have stabilised hairloss. If you want you can start finasteride to keep your hair, and considered hair transplantation in 3-5 years.

While there is no definitive age limit for hair transplantation, I typically do not perform transplants on patients before the age of 22 or so.  The physical exam, personal history of hair loss, family history or hair loss, and medical history are all key factors in trying to predict future hair loss.  Even in the early to mid-20's, it must be made clear that medical management is the first option and should be continued even if a transplant is performed.  The potential need for future transplant sessions should also be clearly discussed by the surgeon as hair loss patterns can sometimes be unpredictable (especially in young patients) and the patient should be aware that future sessions may be required.
All the best,

There is no RULE.  If you are 21 and completely bald and understand the risks with realistic expectations, you can be a great candidate.  If you are 21 and are just starting to bald and don't know exactly how "bald" you will be as you age, doctors are reluctant to recommend surgery because surgery can make you look worse in the long run (without proper understanding and planning).

21 is my cut-off, but it comes with several large caveats.  If you have a very bad family history, then I would want you to go on Propecia for a year or so before we did the surgery.  Over that time, I would want to see that you tolerate it well and that your hair loss abates.  If I do this surgery on young people with a bad family history, I recommend very, very strongly that you plan on staying on Propecia for life.  

In reality, there is not a cut-off age for hair transplantation. The main concern is the uncertainty of how much hair you will loose and how much hair you will have in the back to transplant. Your pictures right now don't show that you would benefit from a hair transplant. Nevertheless, you would benefit from medical therapies such as minoxidil (Rogaine or Formula 82M), Propecia, low level laser, and PRP (protein rich plasma). These therpaies will help you maintain as much of the hair you have right now as possible.

Hair transplanting is a well sought after cosmetic procedure that has been around for ages together. However, there is a recent trend of patients wanting to jump at the sight of some hair loss or thinning to get a hair transplant done. Any surgeon would suggest that this tedious technique only be used as a last resort.
Why is it advised so?
The bittersweet truth is because, the number of viable grafts present on the scalp are permanent. Though there are chances of the patient losing these grafts to underlying medical conditions that lead to hair loss and balding, they cannot gain more hair follicles than they already have.
Therefore, grafts need to be saved in case you require a hair transplant in the future. The younger you are when you get the transplant, the higher the chances are that the good grafts that were transplanted go to waste. This can be seen particularly in cases of genetic conditions like male pattern baldness which leads to progressive baldness and is quite common among men.
So what can you do in the meanwhile?
If you are in your early twenties to thirties and are suffering from hair loss, the treatment protocol will begin with medication (to control DHT if it is male pattern baldness). The protocol will also include other methods like oral supplements, platelet rich plasma therapy, low level laser therapy and further more.
Are there any exceptions?
Yes, the baldness of the patient will be assessed in grades. If the patient unfortunately has a higher grade balding when they are young, then hair transplant becomes their last resort. Therefore, they become eligible candidates for the treatment.