Obviously Hair Transplants Work. Why don't more people have them?

[PayDay]

This is my concern. I can usually spot a hair transplant from down the block. This is one reason I have been holding off besides hearing Spencer say on the radio that people need to be emotionally prepared before having one. I'm not sure if I could deal with a less than perfect outcome, like the ones I see being posted here.

If transplants look so good how come every bald guy doesn't get one? Is it the cost? I guess I can just put it on a credit card if I was willing to go into debt and I assume many people would feel this way. It seems to me that if hair transplants have come so far, then it would be like fixing your teeth and anyone willing to invest in a good smile would do the same with their hair.

Any thoughts?

[WomensHairLossProject]

This is my concern. I can usually spot a hair transplant from down the block. This is one reason I have been holding off besides hearing Spencer say on the radio that people need to be emotionally prepared before having one. I'm not sure if I could deal with a less than perfect outcome, like the ones I see being posted here.

If transplants look so good how come every bald guy doesn't get one? Is it the cost? I guess I can just put it on a credit card if I was willing to go into debt and I assume many people would feel this way. It seems to me that if hair transplants have come so far, then it would be like fixing your teeth and anyone willing to invest in a good smile would do the same with their hair.

Any thoughts?

Did you see the hair transplant posted by Janna : http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?t=215

I found myself gazing at the photo at how remarkable that guy's transplant came out. Just as it is important to have sufficient donor hair etc, I think it is just as important to be mentally a candidate. Take it from one OCPD (yes OCPD not OCD) girl, if things aren't just right I can drive myself bananas. I think you have to have realistic expectations as well. I think some transplants probably will turn out better than others, even when done by the same doctor based on the hair characteristics of the particular individual. Everyone is different.

Surgery isn't for everyone, so that's probably why not every bald guy goes out to get one. The cosmetic dentistry industry has quite perfected the whole veneer thing, so a gorgeous smile is available to anyone who can purchase it, yet I see wealthy people on television all the time all crooked tooth with stained teeth. Not important to them.

Some guys embrace the shaved head bald look and move on. I'd be willing to sell my car and ride around on a bike to get my hair back. I'd jog around naked for 5 miles each morning, till I got arrested, if it meant I could get my hair back. But alas that is a different story and I am the furthest thing from the right candidate for this type of procedure.

If this is the route you go, you need to find the right doctor and be in touch with yourself. The doctor could do an awesome job on you, but if you are a crazy perfectionist perhaps it won't live up to your mental imagine. The one that we hold of ourselves in our carefree hair days.

[SpencerKobren]

This is my concern. I can usually spot a hair transplant from down the block. This is one reason I have been holding off besides hearing Spencer say on the radio that people need to be emotionally prepared before having one. I'm not sure if I could deal with a less than perfect outcome, like the ones I see being posted here.

If transplants look so good how come every bald guy doesn't get one? Is it the cost? I guess I can just put it on a credit card if I was willing to go into debt and I assume many people would feel this way. It seems to me that if hair transplants have come so far, then it would be like fixing your teeth and anyone willing to invest in a good smile would do the same with their hair.

Any thoughts?

There are many people who just don't want to have cosmetic surgery of any kind. There are also those who make poor candidates for hair restoration surgery.

What's really unfortunate, is that many who could benefit from this procedure are turned off by the field's history of providing less than aesthetically pleasing results. The term "plugs" plagues this field giving people images of the old style corn rows that are the hallmark of the dark ages of this procedure.

Today's state of the art hair transplantation can be completely undetectable as illustrated by some of the photos posted on this forum.

It's a life changing procedure, but it's vital that prospective patients never underestimate the importance of choosing the right hair restoration surgeon.

Your first step in researching a hair transplant surgeons is to make sure your doctor is an accepted member of the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons.
http://www.iahrs.org

[TeeJay73]

PayDay: Great question. I can only add to WHLP's and Spencer's awesome comments.

I pondered the same question back in the year 2000 when I received my first hair transplant at (unfortunately) Bosley. I watched the informercials, in complete awe, and thought to myself: with the perfect answer to balding so vividly and intelligently displayed in this informercial, why wouldn't every bald (or balding) man get a hair transplant?

I can think of a few variables that I had to overcome before I took the leap, some of which overap with comments that have already been made. If you are set against baldness, as I definitely am (I've always had a thing for my hair, ALWAYS!, even as a kid, when I grew my hair long to look cool like Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo movies :-)), and are considering hair restoration surgery, you may contemplate a few, if not all, of these things:

1) Permanence
Hair transplant surgery is permanent. I equate it to a tattoo. If you get a tattoo on your skin, then, for all practical purposes, it's there for life. You can't wake up one morning and say "I think I'm sick of this tattoo, I don't want it anymore". Hair transplant surgery is similar. And while the permanence of hair transplant surgery may be exactly what attracts some men to this option, there may be others that aren't willing to commit to its permanence, for whatever reason, and, instead, accept baldness.

2) Cost
Hair transplant surgery isn't cheap. Cosmetic surgery of any kind isn't cheap. Thousands of dollars, minimum, per surgery. And numerous surgeries may be needed. Some men may simply accept baldness in light of the cost of this specialty surgery.

3) Inconvenience
The inconveniences associated with hair transplant surgery are only temporary, but, in my opinion, they are real. Don't believe the late-nite BS informercial statements: "most patients return to work the very next day". That's marketing hype BS nonsense. How can someone return to work the next day with (1) a ton of stitches in the back of their head (assuming you have the "strip" procedure), (2) the potential for oozing puss and/or blood from the donor site, (3) tiny visible scabs all over the transplanted scalp area, (4) potential soreness and discomfort, and (5) whatever else! For one week after my 2nd surgery with Doctor McAndrews, I had to keep my entire transplanted scalp completely covered in vaseline to protect the grafts and speed the healing process. There's no way I'd show up at work with vaseline dripping down my face. I also kept myself out of my social circles, away from friends and dfamily, until I was present-able. The truth is hair transplant surgeries, in my opinion, pose inconveniences in one's work life and social life. It took me one week before I went back to work, and started to see my friends and family again. And hair transplant surgery is SURGERY. It's not the pretty pictures that late-nite informercials lead us to believe. Your head gets cut. You bleed. You get stitches. And if you get multiple surgeries, you may have to deal with these inconveniences on numerous occasions. In light of all of these inconveniences, some men may simply forego it all, and accept baldness.

4) Results / Time
The results take time to come into fruition. Results, in their entirety, may not show for one year, or substantially more. I am 9 1/2 months post-op now from my surgery with Doctor McAndrews, with my superior results showing, yet I know I still have some time to wait to see the full results. But if a balding man out there is not one of us lucky ones that have found The Bald Truth, this message forum, and the IAHRS, he may not be willing to wait so long, after paying so much money and dealing with the inconveniences, for results that may, well, suck. Also, on the issue of results, one has to be realistic as to what can be achieved. The days of the teenage hairline are probably gone, but incredible, "perfect" results are achieve-able.

5) Less-than-Favorable History in the Hair Restoration Field
I agree with Spencer. Unfortunately the hair restoration field is plagued with words, like "plugs", that blacken the TRUE reality of it all: Beautiful, natural, undetectable results are completely and entirely possible. This is proven by the coolest guys on Earth on this message forum that have been willing to share their before & after photos. But since baldness is truly the last bastion of political incorrectness (I know this is your term Spencer :), but I like it, so I had to use it!), and balding men are punchlines for jokes from insensitive joketellers who truly don't understand that hair loss is "cancer of the spirit" (did it again Spencer!), and because words like "plugs" still exist and paint imagery of hideous cornrows on one's head, and less-than-ethical companies and maybe even physicians exist that are more interested in the easy financial gain from hair loss sufferers' vulnerability rather than truly helping, well, men may steer clear of hair transplantation, worried not only about poor results, but also about being considered vain and arrogant and whatever else for caring about how they look to the eyes of the world.

6) Lifetime Commitment
Hair transplantation relies on the theory of "supply and demand". A limited amount of donor hair is available (the "supply") and, can only cover so much bald area (the "demand"). Even with hair transplant surgery, it's important to keep as much of your natural hair as possible. To do this, men probably have to commit to a lifetime of medication, such as Propecia, or Rogaine, or both, or whatever else his doctor may prescribe. A lifetime committment to medication, at least in my case, was a necessary partner to my hair transplant surgery. Some men may not be willing to commit as such, and accept baldness. I have a buddy who recently commented that he has begun noticing some light recession. I hinted, very casually, about Propecia to him, and he immediately rejected the notion. I know I was hesitant to commit to Propecia for a lifetime, but, in retrospect, I wish I wasn't. I'd probably have alot more hair now had I taken it back in my early days, and, who knows, may have not even needed surgery yet.

7) Scars
Unless you have the FUE hair transplant procedure, scars will result from a hair transplant surgery. Of course they are small and completely covered by your hair, and potentially entirely insignificant, but the mere idea of introducing scars into one's head may turn off prospective men from hair transplant surgery.

Well, those are some of the things that I thought of. But once you overcome them, and realize that they really aren't too bad, if bad at all, then hair transplant surgery can be amazing! I'm way excited myself and plan to have another in 2009. And hopefully one day I can grow my hair long again like Rambo. :-)

TeeJay

[PayDay]

Hi TeeJay73,

THANK YOU so much for writing such an incredibly detailed answer for me! Like you say this forum is Awesome! I'm very happy that you are pleased with your hair transplant and hope you keep us updated on your future hair growing endeavors. I'm still on the fence about what I'm going to do, but I plan on participating and asking plenty of questions on here. I hope people don't get sick of me.

Thanks again for your time and your caring answer!Oh and thanks to Spencer and WHLP too. Didn't want to forget you, I was just so overwhelmed by TeeJays response as a "civilian" I guess:)

Paul

[TeeJay73]

PayDay:

You're welcome. It's nice to see younger guys (not that I'm THAT old, I'm 35) on here that are looking for good, honest, helpful answers as they start to undergo hair loss. I started to notice hair loss in about my mid 20s, and fell for the early pitfalls and scams, I spent lots of money to no avail, felt depressed and defeated and helpless, and it wasn't until I found The Bald Truth and Doctor McAndrews when I was 34 that I started to realize true help from a genuine, caring, awesome doctor.

I almost had a 2nd surgery with Bosley -- I was literally 1 day away from it, when some odd circumstances and weird vibes told me to BAIL! And that I did. Otherwise I may be sitting here as a chopped up, hacked up, pluggy mess. I almost feel like some invisible guide was out there telling me "hey dude, get off that road you're traveling, and find another one".

So, whatever I can do to offer help, advice, or share my experiences, especially if it helps guys like you avoid the all-too-easy traps that I fell into, well, I am happy to do it.

Good luck in your hair loss battles man. Kick its ass :-)

TeeJay

[delpiero1980]

is the incovenience part such as puss, soreness, discomfort applicable to fue??

[TeeJay73]

Hey Delpiero, don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to overstate the inconveniences of hair transplant surgery. In my case, soreness was extremely minimal -- literally lasted for only a few hours after my surgery. And I only had slight oozing from my stitched up donor site on the first nite.

Not sure about the answer to your question as it relates to FUE though. But without doubt, strip surgery was very simple for me.

TeeJay

[bigmac]

is the incovenience part such as puss, soreness, discomfort applicable to fue??

I have had strip 3 times and fue twice.

They both produce discomfort and a little soreness unless you go to a rubbish doctor,then you may be in for a bumpy ride.

Anyone who says fue does not create soreness and some degree of discomfort aren`t being truly honest.

Stick a pin in your finger and you will still feel the discomfort for a day or two especially if in the tip.

[Spex]

Indeed FUE is surgery so be aware although often more appealing to many over strip - it is surgery. Some clinics call it "non surgical" - do me a favour!:eek:

[bigmac]

Thats very true Spex and the no scarring is not exactly the truth.

[SpencerKobren]

FUE IS SURGERY, and all surgery carries its share of potential complications. There's no doubt that FUE can be an easier ride for some, as far as discomfort and donor healing, but in the end you are still being cut, and scaring, even if imperceptible, will occur.

There is no such thing as a scarless or a non surgical hair transplant! Cosmetic surgery of any kind will leave scaring. The key is to minimize this scaring. In the best case scenario, not even your barber will detect a hair transplant scar, and believe me I have found myself having to comb through many patient's hair to find some of the better hair transplant scars.

Check out This Video of IAHRS member Dr. Robert Bernstein on Oprah. It clearly illustrates how imperceptible a clean HT scar can be.

http://www.thebaldtruth.com/featured-hair-loss/hair-transplant-oprah-winfrey-robert-bernstein/

[Lefty76]

Amazing post TeeJay, thanks for that.

Payday, I'm in the same boat as you. The first question I asked was why everyone doesn't get this done if its so good. I think it's a normal reaction when thinking about taking a big step or making a big decision.

I think the biggest one is that people usually end up shaving their head and accepting it. If you're married and really not that concerned you're definitely not going to spend $ or take the time, or any of the other inconveniences a HT provides. I also think that in the big picture, getting a sweet HT is relatively new, the technology has come a long way just in the last 10 years, I dont know of any doctors doing this surgery even 20 years ago, and at a medical level that is not very long ago.

I'm 32 and seriously considering a HT. I just started taking Propecia and I really hope I can have great results. I will be posting along my journey because I consider myself an average guy and I'm sure there are 1000's of people in my circumstance.

Hope it all works out for you

[PayDay]

Thanks to everyone for responding to my poll and posting your answers. Like I said, this place is Awesome!
So far it looks like about 94% of you guys think hair transplants look natural. Your responses make a lot of sense.

[Fixed by 35]

I think the reason that a lot of men do not have hair transplants is because they're not suitable candidates or they're too bald already. Much as it pains me to say it, I've never seen a hair transplant on a Norwood 7 that doesn't look like a comb over of sorts. That's not a slur on the physician, he just did the best he could with what he had available. It also seems unlikely that a Norwood 6 could get a satisfactory result.

Also, when you embark on a hair transplant, you could be storing up future costs to make it look natural and acceptable if you lose more hair later on and need further procedures. You might run out of doner hair and have a weird look at the end of it too.

My advice to anyone losing their hair is fight, fight, fight. Don't be one of those pillocks who accept their hair loss and wallow away their life at the gym or shaving their head at the sink. Remember, whilst they claim to be accepting their hair loss, they're simultaneously dedicating the rest of their lives to spending hours on their personal appearance to make themselves acceptable to society. Surely the person who really accepts hair loss is the one who just does nothing about it and has a messy, patchy scalp?

The joke will be on those who accept their hair loss now, because they will probably always be bald. I always say the more hair you can keep, the faster it will be to restore when a real growth treatment is released. If products are released that stop hair loss in its tracks but do not promote regrowth of what is lost, if you've retained hair you can also have a better transplant. It might be that the new product can work on live hair follicles which are miniturised, but not dead ones. You never know what's coming next, so for gods sake keep what you have so you have a fighting chance.

[hair leaving]

other than no scar does fue cover the head better than strip ht's meaning does it take less fue grafts over strip?

[Winston]

other than no scar does fue cover the head better than strip ht's meaning does it take less fue grafts over strip?

The grafts are the same. FUE is only a method of removing them.

[KeepTheHair]

More people dont have them simply because...

They are very, very expensive.

You don't know who to trust in this world...a lot of people have been screwed over.

Kinda embarrassing to admit you had cosmetic surgery.

You have to travel and make time for this. You have to hide it once you got it.

You don't really have a clue whats really going to happen...

And some people think it will look weird later in life or in later months.



I definitely will get a hairtransplant some time during my lifetime...

I would absolutely HATE LIFE if I was bald. It would SUCK.

[CIT_Girl]

hairleaving, in response to your question, I would actually contend that FUE can provide more coverage with less grafts. With FUE, the surgeon can cherry-pick the "best" follicular units (rather than being limited to just the follicular units found in the strip removed via FUT). Therefore, the surgeon can purposefully harvest grafts that contain more hairs. With the CIT method, Dr. Cole averages 2.9 hairs per grafts, versus typical strip surgeons' 2.0 hairs per graft. This equates to almost 30% more hair in each graft, or almost 1 hair extra per graft. Thus, a FUE surgeon transplanting just 2,000 grafts might appear comparable in density to 2,900 grafts performed by a strip surgeon.

[ebutterg]

hairleaving, in response to your question, I would actually contend that FUE can provide more coverage with less grafts. With FUE, the surgeon can cherry-pick the "best" follicular units (rather than being limited to just the follicular units found in the strip removed via FUT). Therefore, the surgeon can purposefully harvest grafts that contain more hairs. With the CIT method, Dr. Cole averages 2.9 hairs per grafts, versus typical strip surgeons' 2.0 hairs per graft. This equates to almost 30% more hair in each graft, or almost 1 hair extra per graft. Thus, a FUE surgeon transplanting just 2,000 grafts might appear comparable in density to 2,900 grafts performed by a strip surgeon.

Sure, except that if you have to go back to get more grafts once you've lost more hair -- which is always almost the case - you're left with only the grafts that contain less hairs. So in the end, it's a wash isn't it!?!?

[CIT_Girl]

Sure, except that if you have to go back to get more grafts once you've lost more hair -- which is always almost the case - you're left with only the grafts that contain less hairs. So in the end, it's a wash isn't it!?!?

This is a good question...

If you assume that a donor area has predominantly 1- and 2-hair grafts with a handful of 3+, you’d be correct, because once you took out all of the 3-, 4-, 5- and occasional 6-hair grafts, you’d be left with only 1- or 2-hair units. However, unless you have a very low density, and a very low calculated density (average number of hairs per follicular unit), you are not going to have many natural single-hair follicular units (probably no more than 10% in most donor areas). Therefore, cherry-picking grafts certainly will not clear out all acceptable grafts in one pass: there will be plenty of multi-hair units left if subsequent procedures are necessary.

The fact is, if you select the better grafts in the first procedure, you’re giving your patient better coverage from the very beginning. What hair transplant patients want is to achieve an acceptable level of density in as few procedures as possible, and for as little money as possible. By selecting grafts containing more hair from the first procedure, the person will get significantly, if not exponentially, more hair with a FUE procedure.

In an ideal transplant, you want to achieve an overall appearance whereby the density on top of the head is similar to the back. FUE is the perfect means to do this as you are thinning out the back subtly while improving density on top and up front. With a strip procedure, you’re clearing out a center section of scalp but leaving a dense section of hair above and below the scar. To me, this doesn’t look as natural as thinning out the donor region slightly so as to achieve an equal appearance in density throughout.