Normally many people search on the internet which age is best for hair transplant. We usually advise 24 to 25 years or whenever someone has a bald spot. It has been estimated that about 60% of men and 50% of women of all ages face hair loss worldwide. Baldness can affect people of any age group but it can have a greater impact on teenagers’ lives. It can cause low self-esteem in both men and women. American Hair Loss Association has concluded that people who face baldness in their 20s are extremely unhappy and would do anything to overcome it.
Hair transplantation is the surgical procedure in which follicles from a part of your body are extracted and are implanted within the area having baldness. It is done either by FUT (Follicular Unit Transplantation) or FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction). FUT is additionally referred to as strip procedure, in which follicles are extracted in the form of strips. From strips, follicles are then separated and are implanted in the recipient area. In FUE, grafts are extracted one by one from the donor area and are implanted in the recipient area. Now, most of the people who are looking forward to surgical treatment may know about this procedure but they are unsure which age is best for hair transplant. Let’s dive in and find out.
Which Age is best for hair transplantation
Well, many people claim the 20s to be the most effective age for getting a surgical procedure But the reality is that specialists have affirmed that young men /women in their early 20s are not the best candidates for surgery. This is perhaps because the rationale for their baldness is not yet fully determined. Another factor which will be seen is that after getting a hair implant surgery, their crown area becomes visibly dense and the hair in the sides of the head starts getting thinner and thinner with time. However, it is not completely impermissible to go through a surgical treatment at this age but other treatment alternatives like Minoxidil and Finasteride are still the best options.
Age that is considered the minimum limit for this procedure is 24 but most of the doctors don’t recommend at this age. While others may completely be okay with this. Norwood Scale, introduced by James Hamilton, to discover and understand the pattern of baldness, is based on seven stages of hair loss.
Baldness 7 stages
Stage 1 and 2 can be considered fine and full of hair or a little receding hairline. Stage 3 is when hair loss becomes noticeable and it may be more visible in the crown area, starting from a single bald spot. In stage 4, baldness becomes significant and therefore the bald area becomes larger. Hair loss becomes severe and hair starts getting thinner from front to the back of the head, in stage 5. Crown and the front area get bald in stage 6 and there is no patch of hair between the front and crown area. However, there may be visible hair on the sides of the head. In stage 7, which is the last stage of the Norwood Scale, the hair on the sides of the head becomes extremely thin or bald.
Severity of baldness important factor
The age in which doctors advise getting hair transplantation surgery depending on the Norwood Scale is when you have lost about 70% of hair or you are on the stage, above 5. However, if your hair loss is 30% or you are on less than the 3rd stage of the Norwood Scale, there is no need for surgery and Doctors would probably recommend other alternatives like Minoxidil but not Propecia or Finasteride. The verdict is that there is no specific age that is considered best to go for hair transplantation. Different Doctors and specialists claim different ages to undergo this procedure. However, one obvious thing is that hair implant surgery depends more on your severity of hair loss rather than the age. Your surgeon will guide you the best by examining and considering various factors including; the patient’s family history, socio-economic factors of the patient, amount of hair in the donor area, etc. Whenever you feel that you are facing baldness, go visit a good surgeon as soon as possible and you will be guided the best.
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