Procedure detail
This is an interesting case. In some ways, it is a 'worst case' scenario for young men seeking hair restoration. He first came to me in 2004 at the age of 16. His hair loss had actually started at age 14 and he had a strong history of balding on both sides of his family. He started finasteride and minoxidil with stablization of his hair loss. He came back five years later, wanting a transplant. As with all young men, I talked to him about the commitment this involves and to confirm he didn't want to try shaving his head as an alternative to hair restoration. We performed FUT of 2000 grafts to the front half of his scalp, with a conservative hairline and moderate density. He was very pleased with the result. He returned again five years later noting progression of his hair loss. He said he had continued his finasteride and minoxidil so I have to conclude that his underlying balding had pushed past the medical treatment; it would of course be much worse if he were not on these medicines. In Dec 2014, we performed FUT of 1,738 grafts, filling in the front and light coverage to the crown, as well as performing PRP/ACell. He just returned at 8 months with good results. By not dense packing, we still have plenty of grafts for future use. He plans to return periodically for PRP/ACell as needed. While this case in not typical, it does show the need for good planning and the importance of acknowledging the progressive nature of hair loss.
Bald class
Norwood class 3
The earliest stage of male hair loss. It is characterized by a deepening temporal recession.
