Question:

I started losing my hair at 14 years of age. I got sick of trying to cover it up at 16 and shaved it off. I'm now 23 and was wondering if I could get an FUE hair transplant procedure even though I'm only 23? I haven't lost that much hair (frontal hair loss and thinning hair at the crown).

Answer:

23 is a rather young age to consider a hair transplant, especially if your hair loss is minimal. In my opinion, it may be better if you try proven non-surgical hair loss solutions like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) for a couple of years first.

Whether you ultimately and eventually select follicular unit transplantation (FUT) via microscopic dissection (strip surgery) or follicular unit extraction (FUE), understand that hair transplants should be seen as a permanent solution. There are pros and cons to both procedures, but the end result should not include shaving your head permanently. Though there is a better chance of low visibility scarring with FUE, in my opinion, spending a fortune on hair transplants only to later shave your head would be a giant waste of money. Thus, making the appropriate use of a limited donor hair supply is crucial and involves selecting and mapping out a long term hair restoration plan with a qualified surgeon. To see a list of surgeons we recommend, click here.

Bill Seemiller (Falceros) - Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.
To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum.