I Have OCD, Social Anxiety, and Early Hair Loss — I Want a Transplant Now!
Dear Dr. Rassman,
If one is in the early stages of MPB, is it possible to have a hair transplant straight away, and then keep having “top up†hair transplants as the hair behind the transplanted hair begins to recede? I wanted to take Propecia to begin with, but I am petrified after reading about the possibility of irreversible sexual side effects. I know that some people, including yourself, believe that these may all be in the mind, but the problem is, I am very fragile mentally (I suffer from depression, OCD, and social anxiety), and so I believe that I could be more likely to suffer from them because of this.
Many thanks.
If you are “petrified” about using Propecia, maybe the drug is not right for you. You are already biased against the drug and if you do have an obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety issues, it will be a difficult hurdle. I do find that most people who are very apprehensive about the side effects of Propecia almost always end up with the side effects. This has been corroborated by other hair transplant doctors in the past. In that sense I think there is something to be said about the negative placebo effect. I do not mean to shed a negative light onto your issue with medication, but in the end I believe you should speak to a doctor about your options.
With respect to hair transplants in men in their early 20’s with early stages on MPB, I generally do not recommend transplanting at that age, because you may do more harm than good. The process of hair transplantation may accelerate the MPB and you could end up looking even worse after surgery. This is a generalization and you also need to address this one-on-one with a qualified physician.
In the end, there is no easy answer and I do not have all the solutions.
This is ridiculous. You should keep away from the drug because it can cause actual lasting side-effects, not because you are afraid that it potentially may. Many guys, who have taken the drug were not concerned about the possibility of side effects, ended up developing them permanently. You can see this documented on many hairloss forums online.
Also documented on many forums online: Bigfoot sightings, 9/11 conspiracy theories, alien abductions, etc.
Jeremy: I hope you have hobbies other than spreading fear, because your one note song is getting tired.
Maybe start using some Minoxidil? It is unlikely to cause any lasting side effects.
Jeremy: So now I am getting grammar tips from the guy that said “I have my assumption that you have common sense is not too presumption”. Right. I apologize that I confused your mighty brain so much, but there’s no edit button on here and I thought you’d be smart enough to get it. Turns out, you’re petty along with whiny.
If you’re so easily persuaded by things you read online – as you just said you were convinced to take prescription medication because of what you read online – it’s no surprise that you’re so quick to believe the hair loss forums that publish unverified claims. Thanks for clearing that up. Clearly, you have issues greater than anything the medication supposedly caused you.