Is anyone else "Dreaming" of a HT?

[Bleachcola12]

I am entering law school in the fall so a ht isnt really an option for me for a while UNLESS i take out loans. It just seems like a dream process for me that will never happen. Atleast not for a long time, I was tempted to put off school and teach for a year or 2 and hurry up and do the ht, but unfortunately it didnt go that way. Dr. Rahal, you wanna do a surgery for free?

[Fingers Crossed]

Bleach, I went through the same exact situation as you. I graduated from college (undergraduate) in 2007 and I told myself that I was going to work for about two years and save up for a HT. I start graduate school (physical therapy) this coming fall and I'm taking out loans to pay for the schooling. My thought process was this... with any profession you want to exude confidence and with my current state of hair loss there was NO WAY I would be able to do that. When I worked in the hospital for the past two years, I had to work with patients individually, or converse with patients / family members of that patient; and I always had to deal with drifting eyes towards my hairline, which not only affected my self confidence but my focus as well. I need to be focused at work, and not worry about what my hair looks like, or stress out about whether or not somebody can spot Toppik or Dermmatch in my hair. My hairloss has held me back SOOO many times in my life, personally and professionally. That's why I decided to get my hair transplant when I did. I figured that this would probably be the only time in my life that I would be able to go through this whole HT process. Hopefully it will all pan out in the long run. Good luck at school and with your decision making.

[drmstx]

I have dreams for a second HT if that counts. I start grad school this fall (part-time), so I am not sure when I will be able to squeeze this HT in, leave alone bearing the costs.

 

IMO, if you are younger than 26, wait.

[TheEmperor]

I can tell you young guys that nipping baldness in the bud early will do your personality and self-development good in the long run.

 

If hair loss impacts your confidence, the downward slide may becomes cyclical. You find yourself going out less, socializing less, getting less practice socializing, talking with the ladies less, and not putting yourself out there.

 

When your confidence is low, you generally take less risks, which will stunt your personal development in many areas.

 

I am speaking from personal experience and have seen myself across the spectrum of jovial and social (when young and good looking) to reserved, conservative, and less expressive (as I have gotten older and gone bald).

 

Its not just self confidence, but the way others perceive you. You may have seen the SNL skit, where the attractive guy asks out the girl (is accepted), and the unattractive guy does the exact smae thing, and gets slapped with harassment. Its an exaggeration, but there is a bunch of truth in it. While baldness does not necessarily make a person "unattractive" it may put them in a different social strata, where they appear too old to date women their own age.

 

I am absolutely NOT an advocate of taking out loans for HT, but you ABSOLUTELY must protect your personality from taking a hit because of hairloss. Its a scary realization that girls who were once eating from your hand no longer give you the time of day because of your hairloss. It doesnt happen overnight. Its a gradual process that you must protect yourself against and be vigilant.

[Fingers Crossed]

Well said...you bring up great points Emperor!

[EpilepticSceptic]

Hey Emporer,

 

I looked at your HT blog and was wondering if H & W told you what your donor density (FUs per sq. cm) and hair shaft diameter was in your donor area ? The reason I'm asking is because, looking at your photos, it appears that your entire donor area looks diffused and thin. To me it seems this is why the scar is more detectable than many other patients, and also may have something to do with your less than ideal result.

 

Also, concerning hairloss affecting confidence and social life I would say that for many it can also be a blessing. Why ? Because if you see the glass as half full (instead of half empty) you will actually become a more charismatic and driven person in order to overcome this cosmetic disadvantage handed to you by mother nature. I know this is personally how hairloss affected me, and so now I am likely much more successful than I would have been without hairloss starting in my early 20s. I know many other guys who were clubbing and partying at that time when I was getting an education and planning for my future; and now most of them (15 years later) are balding and working minimum wage jobs whilst I am a successful entrepeneur.

 

I'm only considering a HT now because miraculously I have remained at NW3.5 for nearly 15 years (age 41 now). But I can say with utmost confidence that I probably would have wasted all of my 20s clubbing had I not had the hairloss issue, and by now I might be bagging groceries thinking of the glory days of yore. But instead I've even got chicks in their early 20s who want to date me because I'm not that bad looking, and more importantly have $ and security to offer to them. But if I hadn't had the early hairloss I think I'd almost certainly be a bum by now. I see guys like this all time who still have hair but are now 40, and they are still stuck in trying to be a 20 year old. So much for how retaining your hair in your 20s will make it easier for you to succeed later in life; in many cases the opposite is actually true!

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by labrat69:

Hey Emporer,

 

I looked at your HT blog and was wondering if H & W told you what your donor density (FUs per sq. cm) and hair shaft diameter was in your donor area ? The reason I'm asking is because, looking at your photos, it appears that your entire donor area looks diffused and thin. To me it seems this is why the scar is more detectable than many other patients, and also may have something to do with your less than ideal result.

 

I went for an in person consultation. They never mentioned anything about my donor density. They were very hopeful from the first pics I showed them of the donor, but revised their estimate downward upon seeing me in person. (Although they were still hopeful.) However, they did not say anything about bad donr, only that the hair was between medium and fine. There was no test or measurement of FU /cm2.

 

I can say that the procedure did cause the sides and back to thin some. Figure that there is 10-20% less hair there than before. And there may have been some permanent shock loss.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Thanks brother!

 

Considering where you were pre-HT, I do think your growth yield was not particularly terrible. But I also feel I would not be content with the look of your hair if it was my head. I'd actually rather be completely bald and shave down than have to deal with combing the hair foreward or to the side to disguise the thinning look. If I were you I'd definitely consider a 2nd procedure, but I'd also be a little worried about further thinning (shockloss) in the donor area.

 

Did they say that you have good enough laxity for a 2nd procedure ? If so, then I'd probably do it. It's no suprise you will need a 2nd procedure for better density, because most all advanced Norwoods with decent outcomes have had at least 2, and often 3 to get it right.

 

Are you happier than you were with your overall look before the HT ? How has H & W responded, and does Dr. Wong consider your surgery to be less successful than he expected it to be ?

[TheEmperor]

Are you happier than you were with your overall look before the HT ? How has H & W responded, and does Dr. Wong consider your surgery to be less successful than he expected it to be ?

 

I am happier overall with my look than before the HT, but it did not quite match my expectations in a couple of ways. There is the general realization that Im not as close to where I expected to be, and that donor hair is finite.

 

I am not the kind of person that looks good shaved; if I was, I would not have considered this.

 

I am scheduled for a second procedure in the near future.

[Bleachcola12]

Originally posted by TheEmperor:

Are you happier than you were with your overall look before the HT ? How has H & W responded, and does Dr. Wong consider your surgery to be less successful than he expected it to be ?

 

I am happier overall with my look than before the HT, but it did not quite match my expectations in a couple of ways. There is the general realization that Im not as close to where I expected to be, and that donor hair is finite.

 

I am not the kind of person that looks good shaved; if I was, I would not have considered this.

 

I am scheduled for a second procedure in the near future.

 

Everyone has very good input here,

 

Emperor,

 

Wouldnt it be great if we looked a lot better with a shaved look than with hair? Thatd be like a dream come true

[Coligion]

I'm definitely dreaming, but for round 2. Unfortunately, I have so many variables to consider that keep me hesitant. I'm younger and of thin/athletic build, so my laxity will always be a question. Unfortunately, I feel that I am constantly held back by hair loss. So much so that I feel like my life is on hold until I can get some partial resolution. My first go around was anything from success, so I fear of making matters worse with a second pass. I wish it was a more clear cut process--at least for me--but it's an extremely difficult decision. For those unlucky individuals that go through a painfull first surgery, it makes the second attempt that much harder to endure.

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by Coligion:

I'm definitely dreaming, but for round 2. Unfortunately, I have so many variables to consider that keep me hesitant. I'm younger and of thin/athletic build, so my laxity will always be a question. Unfortunately, I feel that I am constantly held back by hair loss. So much so that I feel like my life is on hold until I can get some partial resolution. My first go around was anything from success, so I fear of making matters worse with a second pass. I wish it was a more clear cut process--at least for me--but it's an extremely difficult decision. For those unlucky individuals that go through a painfull first surgery, it makes the second attempt that much harder to endure.

 

Can you provide details of your first surgery? I can relate to what you are saying regarging #2, because my first procedure did not provide quite the benefit I was expecting, although I would not call it a failure.

 

By posting pics and talking to other members of the forum, I gained some confidence that moving forward with #2 was a good idea.

 

OTH, moving forward may not be in your best interest depending on your loss. Perhaps you did not choose the best doc. Maybe you need a better long term game plan?

 

I think part of the problem of hair loss is that it is relentless and worsens over time, and traditionally, nothing could be done about it.

 

For men who derive their self-esteem by "being in control" (which is a valid strategy in many areas of life), hairloss can be particularly painful.