Like many guys I have been following this site for years, waiting for a substantial breakthrough to regrow hair on a thinning head.
I’ve ridden the roller coaster of hope, propelled by the likes of Intercytex, Aderans, PRP, and long before that, Dr Gho and Co. I’ve watched as each glimmer of hope fades into obscurity, or be relegated to the eternal ‘five year timeline’.
Enough is enough. I’ve come to the point I never imagined I would reach, ever. I am considering a hair transplant. Not seriously, but furtively, tentatively.
I have always thought of a hair transplant (HT) as the last, last resort of desperate people. I have also believed (and still do) that no hair transplant is undetectable - even the really good ones. I have looked at hundreds of HT images and videos online recently, and they all look a bit weird to me, and am sure they will look even weirder in real life. A girlfriend of mine once said a woman can always tell if a man has ‘mysterious hair’ - her term for a hair transplant - and that women invariably think less of a man for it. I also know that some HTs go terribly wrong, even when performed by the best practitioners.
Yet, I can certainly see that HT science has progressed in the past 10 years, and has evolved beyond the ‘plug’ look of the 80’s and 90’s. I also understand that even if hair multiplication were a reality it would still utilise HT processes to complete the picture.
I am sure many long-timers on this board have grappled with this conundrum for years. Have you ever come to the point where you finally given up hope for a real breakthrough and been tempted to have an HT.
Or are the consequence of going the HT route just too severe, and not worth it?
If so, would you kindly talk me out of it. And encourage me to age gracefully and naturally - or at least be more patient.
» Like many guys I have been following this site for years, waiting for a
» substantial breakthrough to regrow hair on a thinning head.
»
» I’ve ridden the roller coaster of hope, propelled by the likes of
» Intercytex, Aderans, PRP, and long before that, Dr Gho and Co. I’ve watched
» as each glimmer of hope fades into obscurity, or be relegated to the
» eternal ‘five year timeline’.
»
» Enough is enough. I’ve come to the point I never imagined I would reach,
» ever. I am considering a hair transplant. Not seriously, but furtively,
» tentatively.
»
» I have always thought of a hair transplant (HT) as the last, last resort
» of desperate people. I have also believed (and still do) that no hair
» transplant is undetectable - even the really good ones. I have looked at
» hundreds of HT images and videos online recently, and they all look a bit
» weird to me, and am sure they will look even weirder in real life. A
» girlfriend of mine once said a woman can always tell if a man has
» ‘mysterious hair’ - her term for a hair transplant - and that women
» invariably think less of a man for it. I also know that some HTs go
» terribly wrong, even when performed by the best practitioners.
»
» Yet, I can certainly see that HT science has progressed in the past 10
» years, and has evolved beyond the ‘plug’ look of the 80’s and 90’s. I also
» understand that even if hair multiplication were a reality it would still
» utilise HT processes to complete the picture.
»
» I am sure many long-timers on this board have grappled with this conundrum
» for years. Have you ever come to the point where you finally given up hope
» for a real breakthrough and been tempted to have an HT.
»
» Or are the consequence of going the HT route just too severe, and not
» worth it?
»
» If so, would you kindly talk me out of it. And encourage me to age
» gracefully and naturally - or at least be more patient.
I agree with most that you wrote.Your reasons not to are the same as mine.I also think you could regret it for a few reasons.It goes wrong,looks obvious,then you have to be able to be brave enough to be up front about it.I’m assuming most people do notice.
If I had an hair transplant my mates would really take the piss I assume.
I’ve been shaving what hair I have off every day.I’d have it lazered all off if it gets any worse of a hair loss patern,as I really do not want a smiley face on the back of my head,but I do not think thats available really.I look alright with shaved head,I look hard,but I don’t really like that look.
Like you I’ve been waiting for HM.Whats another five years,its a lot,when we are all getting older and balder.Roll on HM!!!
Minimally, you must be able/willing to (a) lay out seriously life-changing amounts of money which might be better spent elsewhere and (b) put life, work, etc on hold indefinitely to travel wherever in the world necessary to get the best job + stay there for a while to complete the process. IOW, you have to be positioned to rule out all quick, convenient, affordable options … which are just the sort that produce less desirable results. I hear lots of guys saying they will “pay anything” to get hair back, and “money is no object” etc. Big bold talk inferring that they have unlimited financial resources readily on-hand. I am surprised (+ also skeptical) at this because I know the stats and unless we happen to have an extremely upscale readership of CEOs, brain surgeons, and Silicon Valley VCs here, the average American does not have the available cash necessary to pay for a really first-rate HT job, like what you are aspiring to. Anything less than that and you are taking a big risk.
If you can afford to sink the price of a new truck into a cosmetic procedure, and if you’re like 30 years old and not going NW#5-7 . . . then I think getting a bunch of FUE work might really be a good option for right now. I would probably have done it by now if I had the money.
People say they can always spot a HT. Just like they can always spot plastic surgery, right? No way. They can only spot the work that’s mediocre/bad or the person isn’t really trying to hide it.
At least 90% of all HTs that are detectable can basically be traced back to over-reaching the area covered for the # of grafts used. I think the “you only need 50% of original density” idea amounts to a myth used to sell HTs. Throw enough density (with grafts that survive) at the problem and it’ll sell the work just fine. (Hint: If you’re having to build your hairstyle around selling the HT work, then it’s not dense enough.)
As for hairlines, I think those problems are mainly artistic too. Everyone’s still trying too few grafts and not using enough thinner-shafted neck hairs. Go get 1500-2000 grafts implanted just for the first CM of hairline alone, and then see how phony it still looks.
That, and the hairline needs to be a very gradual transition from shiny skin to full hair thickness. (Do the thick-ass-abrupt-wall-of-hair hairlines really occur in nature? Yes. But that still doesn’t mean they are the most convincing way to get HT work done.)
» Like many guys I have been following this site for years, waiting for a
» substantial breakthrough to regrow hair on a thinning head.
»
» I’ve ridden the roller coaster of hope, propelled by the likes of
» Intercytex, Aderans, PRP, and long before that, Dr Gho and Co. I’ve watched
» as each glimmer of hope fades into obscurity, or be relegated to the
» eternal ‘five year timeline’.
»
» Enough is enough. I’ve come to the point I never imagined I would reach,
» ever. I am considering a hair transplant. Not seriously, but furtively,
» tentatively.
»
» I have always thought of a hair transplant (HT) as the last, last resort
» of desperate people. I have also believed (and still do) that no hair
» transplant is undetectable - even the really good ones. I have looked at
» hundreds of HT images and videos online recently, and they all look a bit
» weird to me, and am sure they will look even weirder in real life. A
» girlfriend of mine once said a woman can always tell if a man has
» ‘mysterious hair’ - her term for a hair transplant - and that women
» invariably think less of a man for it. I also know that some HTs go
» terribly wrong, even when performed by the best practitioners.
»
» Yet, I can certainly see that HT science has progressed in the past 10
» years, and has evolved beyond the ‘plug’ look of the 80’s and 90’s. I also
» understand that even if hair multiplication were a reality it would still
» utilise HT processes to complete the picture.
»
» I am sure many long-timers on this board have grappled with this conundrum
» for years. Have you ever come to the point where you finally given up hope
» for a real breakthrough and been tempted to have an HT.
»
» Or are the consequence of going the HT route just too severe, and not
» worth it?
»
» If so, would you kindly talk me out of it. And encourage me to age
» gracefully and naturally - or at least be more patient.
How old are you? I am in my early 20s and I find it very difficult to resist not getting something done now, it really really sucks seeing all my friends having a full head of hair and me looking a lot older than they are, I think losing hair in your 20s is probably the most difficult, if somone is losing his hair in his 40s, it probably doesn’t hurt as much because by the the age of 40 you should have a family already and a stable career as your main focus. But starting out life without your hair really really SUCKS big time !!!
» Like many guys I have been following this site for years, waiting for a
» substantial breakthrough to regrow hair on a thinning head.
»
» I’ve ridden the roller coaster of hope, propelled by the likes of
» Intercytex, Aderans, PRP, and long before that, Dr Gho and Co. I’ve watched
» as each glimmer of hope fades into obscurity, or be relegated to the
» eternal ‘five year timeline’.
»
» Enough is enough. I’ve come to the point I never imagined I would reach,
» ever. I am considering a hair transplant. Not seriously, but furtively,
» tentatively.
»
» I have always thought of a hair transplant (HT) as the last, last resort
» of desperate people. I have also believed (and still do) that no hair
» transplant is undetectable - even the really good ones. I have looked at
» hundreds of HT images and videos online recently, and they all look a bit
» weird to me, and am sure they will look even weirder in real life. A
» girlfriend of mine once said a woman can always tell if a man has
» ‘mysterious hair’ - her term for a hair transplant - and that women
» invariably think less of a man for it. I also know that some HTs go
» terribly wrong, even when performed by the best practitioners.
»
» Yet, I can certainly see that HT science has progressed in the past 10
» years, and has evolved beyond the ‘plug’ look of the 80’s and 90’s. I also
» understand that even if hair multiplication were a reality it would still
» utilise HT processes to complete the picture.
»
» I am sure many long-timers on this board have grappled with this conundrum
» for years. Have you ever come to the point where you finally given up hope
» for a real breakthrough and been tempted to have an HT.
»
» Or are the consequence of going the HT route just too severe, and not
» worth it?
»
» If so, would you kindly talk me out of it. And encourage me to age
» gracefully and naturally - or at least be more patient.
In addition to the things you’ve mentioned, the HT industry is a nearly unregulated business, and horror stories abound.
However, if you’ve already done the “Big 3” and aren’t getting the results you’re looking for, and you’re not willing to experiment with the more extreme protocols (RU, etc.), then a HT is really the only other option you’re going to have for the next 5-10 years or so. If you can’t wait it out (and its more likely than not that the wait will never end), and you MUST have hair, then consider a HT, but do so knowing that all the things you’ve mentioned are a real possibility.
If it were me, I wouldn’t do it; its not worth the risk, and unless you already have a lot of hair, it will never live up to your expectations.
The bottom line is that HTs are still essentially the only way to retake any significant amount of ground once it has been lost to MPB. You can piddle around with minox and a few other things but it won’t add up to anything “cosetmically significant” in the long term.
Until something else sprouts that ability, HTs will always have their rightful place in our arsenal.
Your decision depends on the thickness of your donor hair and your terminal hairline.
If you have thick donor hair, the end result will be substantially better than if you have fine hair. Elton John’s HT didn’t work because his donor hair was so fine.
If you have a high terminal hairline and thick donor hair - go for it but only with a top FUE surgeon. If you have fine hair and a low terminal hairline - forget it.
FUE HT’s by leading surgeons aren’t painful and the results are undetectable but expect to spend a minimum of $8,000.
You have written, that no HT is undetectable. I want to contradict. I had 3 HTs in the last 4 years and my wife, but also my family doctor say, that they are not able to detect HT in respect of the appearence of my head and hair.
But as some other guys already said: You need time, money, patience, enough donor hair, and the best surgeon available. For me, as I already have been there 3times, is this the Armani Clinic in Toronto.
I started my procedure here from Germany, as I send some photos to Dr.Armani for a online consultation. Then I got informations about the amount of grafts and the price for HT. Then I started in August 2004. But in my case I have waited to long to fight against baldness, so I needed more than only 1 HT to get my full head of hairs back. I read your message as I try to upload my new pictures. If you want, have a look.
No ones gonna talk you in or out of it ok, it should, and hopefully will be your and only your decision! I’ve got a great HT and I tell you no one can tell. I work with a bunch of jerkoffs that would of been all over the fact that I got HT work done, basically I would never hear the end of it if anyone suspected, I havent heard a damn thing to this day. The reason you know is because people here are telling you, and allowing the rest of the followship on this site to critique thier work, but trust me dude IF YOU ARENT CHEAP and go to a good HT doc( do your research) chances are it will be one of the best decsions of your life… I know It was for me, Im almost 30, and i get complements from 21 year old girls, of course i keep myself fit as well but trust me the HT soooo helps!
All you have to do is to spend more time reading the hair transplant posts, give it a few more years, I don’t know your age but you will have less desire to get a hair transplant as you grow older.
I have had 3 hair transplants from a well known doctor and I am very glad I did. With hair, some is better than none. I have been on this forum waiting for miracle cure for 10 years. Don’t let your life waste away, do it and you’ll be glad becasue you will look better. My opinion. Alec, since 1997
» All you have to do is to spend more time reading the hair transplant posts,
» give it a few more years, I don’t know your age but you will have less
» desire to get a hair transplant as you grow older.
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