Can I Have a Transplant Now, Then Redistribute Those Same Grafts Years Later?

I’ve been reading on treatments for months after realizing I’m beginning to express an NW3 pattern on my head. I’m extremely worried about how silly I will look like, when Propecia wanes and hair loss accelerates in my 50s and beyond, if I have a hair transplant at 30 and use up too much donor hair.

So to tone down my worries, I’m conjuring a kind of modification of the “Master Plan”; one which will involve a transplanting those follicles now, then having a scarce few of them re-extracted in my 50s, if the hair loss gets too bad, and re-distribute these to go well with the decreased density of hair. Would you do a FUE like this twice on the same follicles?

It technically can be done… but that would not be a good plan. Generally, when the Norwood class 3 pattern is treated, it should remain untouched. If you are smart about your hair loss treatment and use the drug finasteride (Propecia), then hopefully you can prevent your migration of the hair loss as you age. That makes more sense.

On the other hand, if you progressed to a more extensive pattern and stay with the hair transplants in the front/top, the results should always look normal.

I get that you’re trying to plan for a worst case scenario, but Propecia doesn’t necessarily just stop working for everyone. Some men might see the effects wane after some years, but I’ve had patients taking it for over a decade with great results. Besides, in 20 years there could hopefully (fingers crossed) be new treatments available.