At 17 years of age, a receding hair line is likely due to a genetic cause of hair loss. Male pattern hair loss can occur from any age after puberty, with some patients experiencing it earlier than others.
It would be ideal to first consult a doctor familiar with hair restoration, to discuss your suitability of a hair transplantation procedure to restore your hair line.
Some of the issues that need to be discussed:
1. The rate of hair loss (or hair line recession)
2. The family history of hair loss
3. The extent of your current hair loss
4. The different ways that male pattern hair loss can be controlled or stopped.
Hair transplantation for hair line restoration, while being a permanent solution, does not address the possibility of further hair line recession or hair loss at other areas of the scalp.
At 17 years old, if the hair line recession is prominent, it is possible that a repeated hair restoration surgery be undertaken a few years from now to restore areas behind the current new hair line in view of your early age of onset of male pattern hair loss.
While this seems like a simple solution, the donor area where hair follicles are used for transplantation may be depleted with repeated hair transplants.
It may be the case where your hair restoration doctor suggests to optimize the medical management of hair loss first - using medications like finasteride and minoxidil to control the rate of hair loss, while planning for a hair restoration once that is under control.
Be sure to address all these concerns before committing to a hair transplant procedure at this age. I hope this helps.
Regards,
Dr Joshua Chong
