Management of Progressive Balding

Dear Dr Rassman,

Your blog entry of 17 July 2007 includes before and after pictures of a man with a receding hairline who has been transplanted on. I am curious what his Norwood classification was before he had the corrective transplants. Is balding in this particular pattern common? Am I right in assuming that most men with this kind of hair loss will need more transplants later on as the balding progresses?

His before photo is on the left; after photo on the right. Click the photos below to enlarge. For more photos, see Results After a Single Session.

This patient has a Norwood Class 3 balding pattern, and yes, it is quite common. He is over 50 years old, so I would not expect his pattern to advance much at all. If he was 25 years old he could lose hair behind the transplants, which may require another procedure, but taking Propecia (finasteride 1mg) may help to prevent that. I don’t like surprises and nor do my patients, which is why miniaturization mapping and a good Master Plan in the hands of a caring, experienced and focused doctor go together hand in hand.