Hair Transplant in Young Men: Safety First 

your 20s are your prime years though, balding or receding hairline can be a big blow on your confidence,

@Samuel Lam This is the first time that I see a hair surgeon give truthful, pragmatic and ethical advice. He made an excellent point that most surgeons out there are out for your money only and don't care about the long term consequences of their patients. This is the most valuable video/advice I've seen on hair transplants. Thank you for being an successful but honest surgeon and serving your patients' best interests.

if you are interested in the laser cap and can afford it, send me an email to samlammd at yahoo dot com.

thank you for the kind remarks. i am glad the video was helpful. :)

what a amzing doctore !!! smart honest so clear wow

great video doc, very informative. =D i was actually thinking of having a hair transplant myself (I am in my early twenties). anyway, what are your thoughts on Propecia? my doctor actually recommended that i take these, but what scares me is the possible risk of irreversible impotence. thanks!

yes, minoxidil truly helps. it does not stop hair loss but it can work well to help with hair loss especially early on.

rogaine works on the front just like propecia. the fda only can state the back because the trials focused on the back. PRP and rogaine and laser (preferably the laser cap) but that is expensive at 3000 are all things that truly help, and they all help synergistically, that is they are not overlapping in their benefit. use as many methods as you can with early hair loss. the PRP really must be of high quality and mixed with Acell and stimulated with the proper technique for best results.

my pleasure. :)

This video and the other one about FUE vs FUT (pros and cons) are very insightful! Its very good that you discus the future longevity with people (something that I am very interested in and have thought about a lot). Using your tattoo example, I don't want to do something that is supposed to be a permanent Tattoo, and have is dissolve like a sticker Tattoo. I believe that I am a good candidate for the FUE procedure based on age (32-33), donor site density, and progression of hair loss. My problem is finding a great doctor near me to do this procedure. Even my PCP doesn't know where I should start to look. Do you have any recommendations on how to find a proper specialist in this field in my area (Massachusetts)?

best answer to that is to youtube search my videos on propecia. in my opinion it is very safe. i think it is very important for you to consider it but obviously speak with your doctor about the pros and cons (hopefully an ethical hair restoration surgeon who oftentimes knows better than your family doc but who won't try to operate on you). i am very passionate about Rogaine used with Propecia and laser cap but the good laser cap costs 3000 but you can use it for life.

yes, monixidil and latisse work on the miniaturized hair and reverse some but not all to terminal hairs. watch my video on propecia mechanism. just search for propecia and my name and watch that one.

it depends on how much hair loss, how realistic he is, how dense his donor hair is, caliber of the hair, curl, color contrast, etc. never say never but all of that would have to be assessed in person.

Thank you so much for this candid answer. How much do you think an ethical physician such as yourself would charge for each session, assuming I will need touch-ups down the line? I'm in my late 20's with a thick donor area but fairly significant loss on the top, I would be fine with a conservative hair line. I want to find a competent physician who isn't overly enthusiastic about potential damaging procedures such as yourself, but I don't want to waste their time with a consult if I won't be able to afford the procedure even if they agree.

derma rollers only help with PRP. i am unfamiliar with azealic acid benefits.

you can't buy generic bimatoprost. you have to wait for allergan to get their hair version or just buy latisse, which unfortunately would be expensive.

sounds good. you are getting closer to safety. at least i should have your old photos to compare to really make sure that you have not significantly advanced.

most likely it was epinephrine that causes the HR to go up. you can cut down the load of that or obviously since i don't know your situation, you can ask your physician what referral to what physician would benefit you. Propecia helps most young men out there. You can find out the pros and cons by speaking to a qualified physician about that.

I just turned 26 and over the past few months my hair has lost about 15-20% density on the top area. I am not sure if this due to age or because i had gone through some serious emotional stress in the past 4 months. Do you recommend i use a mioxidil/dht blocker or some natural hair strengthener like biotin and nettle first? how long in length do hair grown from rogaine actually grow to? would you recommend PRP as a better option for me if my hair is indeed thinning at an exponential rate? Also, are there any "male" side effects for using DHT blockers?

personally, i do not think nioxin does anything but it won't be harmful to be used with rogaine.

totally agreed. you just don't want to do anything that you would regret for the rest of your life. i am not saying no one should have a hair transplant in one's twenties, just that the surgeon must choose one carefully and also explain the risks very clearly. further, it would be important to try everything. now, i advocate laser technology, rogaine, propecia, and PRP injections all of which can help. in addition, powders like nanogen can cover up the loss. there are many options today.

@hanielroswell1981 everything is pretty technique dependent. i would not condemn a technique but i would say it is dependent on the experience of the person doing the procedure. i personally prefer strip harvest because i can get much cleaner viability to my grafts than with FUE.

i sell topic DHT blockers in m salon but honestly i am not fully convinced they do anything.

Dear sir, I am going to take prp treatment in three weeks time. Just for information and inspiration, does prp work on crown area?and how much time it takes to see the result? I am a great fan of you and just want to say if doctors are like you, respect comes from the bottom of heart and it is difficult to find the words that can show enough gratitude :)

When I was 20 my friend got a hair transplant fast forward 10 years now I'm 30, he hasn't lost much at all, I went almost full blown Norwood 6, I got a hair transplant last year now I'm like a Norwood 3V. I'm going back to do the lateral humps and fill in a bit of my hairline which is conservative. But the point is hair loss is unpredictable, when I was 20 I had no signs of hair loss, then I became balder than my friend, my friend could've been a horror story but he hasn't lost much hair since then. In your early 20's it's a gamble, I'm glad I waited till I was 28 to get a hair transplant, at least I have an idea of where my hair loss will go the Norwood 6 pattern was there. In my early 20's I would've never imagined I'd be that bald.

thank you for the kind words. research is going on everywhere right now. there is no "cure" coming in 2014 though. right now, rogaine, propecia, laser, and PRP/Acell injections to me are the four cornerstones to helping young men losing hair who are not eligible for surgery. these latter two are newer concepts that are not covered in this video because it is an older video. next year we should have Latisse used for eyelashes that will help with head baldness once Allergan is done w/studies.

@buttirs1 i personally do not like to prescribe avodart because i do not know the long-term consequences of taking a double blocker. i rarely prescribe it to be honest.

I started losing my hair at 16 and got a receding hairline. I just got a hair transplant 4 months before I turned 19. Sure they were a little hesitant on doing the procedure just cause of my young age, but I'm using the laser comb, propecia, and rogaine.

Hello doctor, I am 17 years old and I have suffered from traction alopecia. Now I practice healthy hair lifestyle. Everywhere else my hair is very healthy and strong except my hairline and temples(the damaged areas) I don't have any male pattern baldness in my family. My question is would you recommend a hair transplant for me? Please reply whenever you get time. Thanks!

Hey samuel. I am 20 my front hair has receded I have had straw like fringe since 16 and when I properly look its full of gaps and its receding is making me depressed. What shall I do without drugs because the side effects are ridiculous.

Hey Dr. Lam hopefully you see this and can get back to me. I understand what your saying about the risks through aging. I'm a 21 year old male, and I'm not balding at all. I have a natural receding hairline which I'm desperate to fill in. It gives my forehead the illusion of being very wide at the top. My dad and all the men in my family share this hairline, however none of us actually bald. My dad is 55 still has a full head of hair, and my grandpa at 78 with nearly a full head of hair...

most stuff out there do not work as well as rogaine or they just stick minoxidil (rogaine) in there and then charge a lot for it. that at least is my opinion.

you can email me to them but honestly if you are losing hair that early i already can sense that i am not doing a surgery on you and that you would benefit from laser, PRP and rogaine as soon as possible. hopefully propecia as well since it is an incredibly safe medication and critical to your slowing down your hair loss. hope you are not paranoid at the internet hype. honestly, i would use as many of those 4 methods as soon as possible. if you wait on any of them for 5 to 7 years

hello doctor is it true that in most (caucasian) men, the hairline progresses from a teenage 'juvenile' level to a higher mature level, even if MPB is not present? if so, is there a way to tell if it won't progress further and thus, if they are a candidate for lowering of the hairline back to the original level?

Hey doc I have a serious question and can you please reply. Can too much sexual activity/"excessive masurbation" be lead to early hairloss? I have read articles stating this. Is it just a myth or true? If it is true, I think more young people need to be educated on this.

yes, that is correct. fortunately, besides medicines we also now have PRP, which i am using with good success in early loss. check out the news story on youtube on my channel.

o and I have a small baldspot and the hair one one part onf my line receeds very little but the place where the bald spot is is on the right side of my head in which has been a very very small portion of thin hair since I was born.

I have been to the doctor. I am in toronto, canada so I will see if i can look into prp, only problem with that is price for me but I am sure I will figure that out. What do you think of azealic acid and derma rollers?

ok thanks but see I am losing for some reason I started taking daily vitamins at like 16 I was taking zinc , d-1000 , garlic and parlsely , cinnamon , cod liver oil , and vitamin a vitamins (all natures bounty). Since I startede taking radiance time capsules(mixed vitamins in one capsule) it seems I had started losing hair. It might have been the fact I was using hard brushes , using too much hair grease , and rubbing my head hard with towels.Is there anyway I can reverse this ? Im 18 now

Hello Doctor. Thanks for clearing all my confusions. Please don't get annoyed by my new question, its okay if you find it as information redundancy and don't want to answer. Recently I went through a website and found about revivogen. I saw people discussed about it as alternative of propecia. Is that true? They wrote revivogen works similar way as propecia but better than propecia while considering side effects cause its topical and doesn't have any. I would be grateful if you clear up this.

Hi Dr Lam. Iam 18.. When I was 9 I fell down straight with the back of my head on concrete and I lost my hair at the back ```a little part"". Since then till now I have no hair that part. it never grows... Is it possible I can get a hair transplant?

hey doc my hair getting white and grey l.is there any way can stop it or get black again?

Im 27yrs old N ive an important hair loss since 2003 I used Propecia also minoxidil It worked for me it stopped my hair loss n helped me to get sum hairs back But im having some questions The minoxidil spray made my hair very dry and looks horrible... there is any pills solution with the minoxidil? ? Everywhere they say that Propecia gives sexual impotence... is it right??!

yes, it works great in the crown. it takes 4 to 6 months to see the result. good luck. :)

Dr. Lam. I am not being able to show my gratitude and respect towards you cause it just boundless. I also commented on your other video. Its pending and waiting for your approval. I wanted to know, is it true that there is research going on in USA, Japan and Germany and also many other countries on baldness cure and by 2014 topical hair restoration solution is coming up? I am devastated cause of my bald patches. I am 26 years old man. sometimes it seems I should never go out.

you need to see a doctor to get proper advice. also, please watch my updated video on this subject. look at my channel and maybe type in search words like "Lam Young Men Safety Hair Transplant Update". i think you will find it. there are many amazing ways to manage hair loss that are much safer than a transplant for you like PRP/ACell and laser in addition to Rogaine.

Hi Doctor, i am 26 years old and since mid 2011 i have been noticing frequent hair fall, my front part of the scalp is highly effected, then i did visit dermatologist on last Dec 2012 and they prescribed me Minokem-n 5% solution(it contains Minixdil+Tretinoin+Azelaic Acid).I regularly used this solution for 4 months and after that i noticed that my hair fall was very minimal and also hair started to regrow.After that i stopped using it for a 2 months now again i am loosing my hair rapidly.

Hello sir, I would kindly like to know your comment about hair follicle life. Is it so that if I have even miniaturized hair (baby hair, color less whispy) my follicles are still alive and minoxidil or Latisse (in future) could reverse it to terminal hair? my knowledge on follicle is not so clear. I can feel hair on my vertex but they seem not to grow up. I am on minoxidil for 6 weeks.

great video dr lam. i am in my late 20's and had 2 different surgery done on my forehead. FUE and strip harvesting. from my understanding FUE doesn't work as well on asian men then there do on caucasion men. is that true> i had FUE on done the first time and had terriible result. 2nd time with strip harvesting is more better.

Hello, Dr. I'm 21 years old, and not only is my hairline receding, but my crown is thinning, and the whole top of my head is diffusing. Not too noticeable when its a little longer, but heres the problem...it grows to about a half an inch and then literally stops..the hair on the sides keeps growing thick and dark, and the hair on my hairline stops growing and looks uneven and bad...so I keep it short. I use minoxidil, but it doesn't do much, propecia is not an option. What should I do?

Thanks. What do you think about avodart. Have you seen results?

I also am thinking about getting into a hair remedy program using no pills , chemicals , or supplements. The only thing I will be using is rememdies you can make right in your home kitchen

personally, i do not think biotin gets close to rogaine or propecia.

Hello doctor, I think minoxidil has started working. I got topikk test version today. Didn't like it much though. Doctor, I would like use Bimatoprost solution. How do I buy generic version of it ? other allergan, can't I buy the generic Bimatoprost from a pharmacy? I want to try this with minoxidil. Would it be good decision?

it is impossible without seeing you in person but you can send initial photos to emina at hairtx [dot com].

Sir. Please do reply me I am fresh graduate my age is 23 and I am looking forward for hair transplant. Because this is the only age I can built my career other wise in 40's I just have to relax. I have hundreds of meeting and interviews everyday. So please do u suggest or still I should wait.

Dr.Lam, I'm 27 years old.i went back home for hair transplantation but i my heart beat went 200 & Dr said they stopped the surgery.they where giving me (inj Epinephrine C LA) while surgery.what was the reason could be of heart beat went 200 but i wasn't feeling anything .would you recomond any other injection to numb the head or what should i do about it.i really want my surgery done.I live in Canada.would you recomnd Propecia?

@wakeboardstud28, yes and no. the hair transplanted will stay permanently but the area around the transplant will continue to go away. the reason for the propecia and rogaine is to keep the non-transplanted hair there.

I have been using a product called "Nu Hair." Does it work as well as Rogaine? Will Rogaine work on receding hairlines?

honestly, i do not think anything you are doing helps except finasteride and minoxidil. i have been using PRP too that can help with early hair loss. everything else are probably not helping or hurting in my opinion including how you are treating your hair physically.

If you get a hair transplant, will you still have to use products such as Propecia or Rogaine in order to keep your hair permanently?

19 years old is very high risk. but i cannot comment since i don't know your case.

Dr. Lam. Do you see patient around the world?or only in states? I live in Helsinki. Is there any possibility that you'd come to Helsinki?I would also like to know the cost of PRP. I am on rogain for 4 weeks and I am planning to continue it with Topikk until something stable comes up. Is that right decision? Would you check my picture if I email to you. I can pay your fees over online if you want.

i really cannot give you advice on here but i really only see patients in dallas. i am sorry about that. rogaine is great and if you are a man then propecia, laser, and as you have inquired pro are all ways that help each other to get better results in slowing down early to moderate hair loss.

Am i a candidate considering I will not lose much hair throughout my life? thanks

I won't start with "I" since I want to know about your case that you were dealing with. When he would be 40, he could just go for a bald look if that would be such detrimental to his life, can't he?

Dr. Lam. I just wanted to know if topical minoxidil has any sexual side effects. For instance lack of desire, decrease libido, ED or such kind. Thanks in advance

thick donor hair is not enough. if you have extensive baldness then you still may not be able to have a natural result. plus, inheritance is polygenic, i.e., from many members of your family. it can even skip 2 generations.

in short, no. minoxidil is over the counter and very safe. :)

:) thanks. doctor. got it. I am religiously using minoxidil. I saw somewhere washing scalp daily is harmful for essential oil. so I am not washing head with shampoo daily. but minoxidil is giving me lot of dandruff. I started using minoxidil on shaved head about 4 weeks back. now side hair and back hair grew as usual but hair on top (U shape area) are really thin and one may see from far that I am NW7.Just hope that Rogain 5% will work for me. I'll worship this medicine if it does. Thanks doc

yes, rogaine should do well for you.

ok doc I get basically you dont wanna do our shit because we may lose more hair when the procedure is done then we will have a nice hairline but receding hair beind it

hey doc, what do you think of propecia 1 mg only 3 times a week. will that still work ?

Will we be at a point where hair transplants are 99% successful/safe?

i really cannot speak on revivogen but most of these are scams. only finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine) have been proven to truly work and to work very well.

20 years old male stable hair loss am I eligible for hair transplant

with your history you are safer but at 21 all bets are still off. you definitely can still do it but we do not know 100% where you will be. at 30 we would. send your story and photos to emina at hairtx [dot com] and she can do an initial eval. she is my coordinator.

FUE is not salvation. you risk exactly the same problem as strip that you will have a lack of donor hair in the future with a hairline that is isolated and too low for you, especially if you have an opening in the crown. it would probably be better to shave your head since it is unlikely to be able to cover the whole thing just based on what you are stating.

ok, that is terrible to hear that. i have given thousands of prescriptions without seeing these side effects, at least we are talking permanent. i have had one person from England tell me he had persistent side effects. it is just a powerful medication that helps to save young men from hair loss. i am just saddened that young men who desperately need it stop even though they had no problem with it. I am sorry that it has had terrible effects for you.

no, unfortunately not.

they won't be as effective and you can't go back in time.

way too much media hype. very very unlikely to have sexual side effects.

I have a hair fetish