Q: Is There a Minimum Age for Receiving a Hair Transplantation?

Last Friday, a reader asked me the question, "What is the minimum age for receiving a transplant." In mm's (the reader) particular situation he/she has a 12 year old daughter suffering from severe hair thinning. According to my initial research, there isn't a specific age minimum for receiving a hair restoration; however, most institutions have patients ranging from 21 - 80 years of age. So twelve seems very early.

From my research I found several reasons why a person shouldn't undergo hair restoration surgery too early.

• The extent and rate of hair loss is more difficult to predict
• A diagnosis of a disease or infection might be missed
• Restoring the hairline to its original position will look unnatural as the patient ages
• Restoring a patient’s original density, of course, is not a realistic goal of a hair transplant, which services only to redistribute existing hair

Overall, I think it's best to consult a physician on this topic.  While I blog about my personal hair restoration experience and  certainly enjoy researching the topic, I am not an expert and can't give any sort of medical advice. And female hair thinning  at the age of twelve seems like a completely different medical problem from the male pattern baldness that I am suffering from.