Undergoing a hair transplant at the wrong age can reduce your chances of having a head full of thick, luscious hair. If you get it done too young or too old, you’ll likely lose more hair after the procedure. So, what’s the right age to get a hair transplant?

The ideal age for hair transplant surgeries is 30 years or later. You can get it done earlier, too, but since you’ll be in the early stages of hair loss, the doctor will first stabilize your condition with medications. A hair transplant should only be performed on a patient with stabilized hair loss.

Whether your hair loss is genetic or due to any other factor, you must contact a professional hair specialist to learn about age and hair transplants. You should never risk your health!

Hair Loss at a Young Age: What Are the Causes?

Baldness occurs in males and females for different reasons. While the causes of female pattern baldness are unknown, research considers hormone levels and genetics the major culprits for male pattern baldness.

The same goes for baldness at a young age. In this condition, a sex hormone in males called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) interacts with your hair follicle receptors and makes them shrink. As a result, the follicles stop producing enough hair. 

Your genes determine how sensitive you are to DHT. This hormone is essential for physical development in adolescence and teenage years but becomes less necessary as you reach early adulthood. Yet, it promotes pattern baldness and prostate growth in adult males.

Blocking DHT at an early age is usually effective. Most doctors use medications for this purpose, which treat the issue cost-effectively and painlessly. 

Treating Hair Loss at a Young Age

Hair restoration is the best option for hair loss at a young age. The ideal medications for this purpose include:

  • Minoxidil. This topical treatment allows hair follicles to absorb more nutrients and oxygen by widening the scalp blood vessels. This promotes hair growth. 
  • Finasteride. This oral tablet reduces systemic DHT levels. You can also find off-label topical Finasteride. 
  • Dutasteride. Oral dutasteride blocks the action of 5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme that prevents your body from converting testosterone into DHT. 
  • Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy. PRP involves extracting platelets from the patient’s body and injecting them into the scalp to promote new tissue development for hair growth. 

Your doctor may also combine Finasteride and Minoxidil for better results. However, if nothing works for your hair loss, you can consider Follicular Unit Transplant Technique (FUT) or Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) surgery. 

The Best Age for a Hair Transplant

You can get a hair transplant as soon as you’re 18, but it’s not the ideal age for the procedure. Your right age will depend on how much hair you lose, which is measured on the Norwood Scale. 

According to a 2022 study, the most popular age for men to get a hair transplant is between 30-39 and 40-49 for women. Generally, the best age for men is around 27-40 and 40-55 for women.

At this age, your doctor can easily assess your hair loss pattern and whether you need to stabilize your hair loss or should go for a hair transplant. For women, it is the menopause stage where female pattern baldness begins to appear.

What If You Get a Hair Transplant at a Young Age?

Getting a hair transplant at a young age is troublesome because hair loss must still be in progress. This means replacing your lost hair when your surrounding hairs are falling will not be useful. You will end up with patchy, thin hair a few weeks after the transplant. 

Using Finasteride alongside the hair transplant may help restore and keep your hair intact. This way, your procedure may offer you the desired results, even at a young age. 

What If You Get a Hair Transplant at an Old Age?

Male pattern baldness is a continual process. If you are susceptible to this condition, you may be able to lose hair over time despite undergoing a hair transplant. 

If you lie between 5-7 on the Norwood Scale or are in your 50s or later, you’re considered too old for a hair transplant. The procedure won’t be able to give you the desired coverage, mainly because you’d have very little healthy hair.

Get Your Hair Transplant at the Right Age with DK Hair Klinik

Getting a hair transplant at the right age is crucial to getting the best results from the procedure. At DK Hair Klinik, our hair transplant specialists assess patients’ hair condition, evaluate all the necessary factors, and recommend whether they should undergo the transplant. 

Get a free consultation now to learn about your eligibility!