Hair Transplants for Men in Their Early 20s

For those of us in our early 20 thinking about hair transplants, do you have before/after photos of men who decided to get a transplant at an early age? I’m interested to see what the balding progression would look like, especially if the man uses propecia.

Look at the Norwood classification below and you will see the progression of hair loss that is possible. Some people follow the loss pattern going from a Class 2, to a 3, then to a 4, and then on and on. Others will thin in the Class 6 pattern and not go through the various stages. What is important to be aware of, is that only about 7% of men progress to a full Class 7 pattern so just because you are a Class 3 pattern balding person, it does not mean that you will advance to a Class 4, 5, 6 or 7 pattern. The genetic factors that determine the final pattern vary between people.

The problem with young men (under the age of 25) is that their balding patterns are often not quite clearly defined. I generally like to wait until at least 25 years old, following the patient with miniaturization mapping regularly to understand the progression of the balding process and the effects of drugs like Propecia. If one transplants a 20 year old before the pattern is fixed, a long term Master Plan can not be derived. If this 20 year old becomes a Class 7 patient, transplanting him as if he is limited to a Class 3 pattern might start using up more hair for future pattern loss than he has. The problem is that we do not want to run out of donor hair and look freaky as the pattern progresses.