Not everyone who is losing his or her hair is necessarily a hair transplant candidate.

Age is an important consideration when evaluating a potential patient. As a general rule, age 22 is considered a minimum for transplanting because, in most individuals, by that age, it’s easier to predict the degree of future balding. This, however, can vary with different people and an experienced physician can often predict future balding in a younger individual and get a head start by filling in thinning to balding areas.

Where, exactly, are you losing hair? If your hairline is receding slightly, it might just be the normal change that occurs when a low “juvenile” hairline moves up and indents slightly and becomes a so-called “adult” hairline. Lowering a normal adult hairline is unnecessary and unwise.

How large an area of thinning or balding is present, and how large and full is your donor area? If too large and area needs coverage and there isn’t enough donor hair to adequately fill it in, it’s often wise to settle for transplanting a smaller area with good coverage rather than spreading out your limited supply of donor grafts and achieving coverage with very poor density.

If you’re young and thinning slightly, you may be better served by trying a medical approach using topical minoxidil and/or oral finasteride. While there is no medical cure for common baldness, these medications may slow down the balding process.