Monkey's Ass Syndrome

[bezane]

This topic, I think is worthy of discussion and little is posted regarding some alternative approaches. I hope Joe and Gorp will weigh in as I think it's an extension of their hard or soft hairline debate.

 

Before there were perfectionists like Hasson, Wong, Shapiro etc., back in the late eighties and nineties, some of the better transplant surgeons never liked to tackle the hairline. Instead they started with the crown and subsequently worked forward in what I call the balding transplant.

 

We often look face to face with ourselves in the mirror and dread the fact that our hairline is fading. For most of us advanced or potentially advanced Norwood 4's and up, we shed from the crown as well, and probably as rapidly or faster than the front.

 

I know Hasson is on this with his sessions sometimes sweeping the full spectrum,, as well as anyone I've ever seen. Not always possible though due to donor problems like elasticity.

 

Years back, I think Pat made a statement about someone like Travolta or the like, in this day and age not having to look like they have a "monkey's ass" on the back of their head. That struck a chord to my soul and my mirror shots starting flinching at the massive loss at the crown. To me, a guy looks worse with full frontal coverage and the monkey's ass on the back, than a full crown and bald/balding in the front.

 

With the skill of many surgeons and the patterns they're called on to remedy, I think many newbies would be best served to go "back to front" in their approach. It just looks better. Our view is frontal. The world is 360. And while we may want that frontal badly, fashion-wise, it'll look better as we gradually work toward a hairline.

 

Of course proper planning in regards to donor volume is necessary but that's easy. You still need to be in the hands of the best surgeon. And of course the surgeons have all but forgotten to suggest such an approach because 99 out of 100, it's not what we want.

 

I was shocked when some guys at work were busting each other's balls about hair and included me in the "bald" and "comb over" and "landing pad" jokes. After all, I had this new found beautiful hairline and from the front it looked bushy. How could it be? From a stylistic vantage point, at 360, it didn't really look good. Great transplant though. Undetectable. But classic "monkey's ass." I picked up the phone to expedite my crown work.

 

You see, do you paint your car first or make the engine run?

 

I think Gorp's HT looks awesome. He looks natural. I think my front (same doc) blows him away. Not by look but by volume. But his hair looked better as a whole (mine is filled in now and is great). I think a guy with "monkey's ass syndrome" looks worse by far than full back and balding/bald front.

 

Please everyone. Weigh in on this. I think it's a major point of consideration. I have a friend in Beverly Hills that went back to front and after his first crown session he looked good. Then better and better. Me on the other hand looked "good....from the front." But kind of funny from the back. This transplant thing is about the end result but I think with proper planning and some testing you can look good from the outset.

[bezane]

This topic, I think is worthy of discussion and little is posted regarding some alternative approaches. I hope Joe and Gorp will weigh in as I think it's an extension of their hard or soft hairline debate.

 

Before there were perfectionists like Hasson, Wong, Shapiro etc., back in the late eighties and nineties, some of the better transplant surgeons never liked to tackle the hairline. Instead they started with the crown and subsequently worked forward in what I call the balding transplant.

 

We often look face to face with ourselves in the mirror and dread the fact that our hairline is fading. For most of us advanced or potentially advanced Norwood 4's and up, we shed from the crown as well, and probably as rapidly or faster than the front.

 

I know Hasson is on this with his sessions sometimes sweeping the full spectrum,, as well as anyone I've ever seen. Not always possible though due to donor problems like elasticity.

 

Years back, I think Pat made a statement about someone like Travolta or the like, in this day and age not having to look like they have a "monkey's ass" on the back of their head. That struck a chord to my soul and my mirror shots starting flinching at the massive loss at the crown. To me, a guy looks worse with full frontal coverage and the monkey's ass on the back, than a full crown and bald/balding in the front.

 

With the skill of many surgeons and the patterns they're called on to remedy, I think many newbies would be best served to go "back to front" in their approach. It just looks better. Our view is frontal. The world is 360. And while we may want that frontal badly, fashion-wise, it'll look better as we gradually work toward a hairline.

 

Of course proper planning in regards to donor volume is necessary but that's easy. You still need to be in the hands of the best surgeon. And of course the surgeons have all but forgotten to suggest such an approach because 99 out of 100, it's not what we want.

 

I was shocked when some guys at work were busting each other's balls about hair and included me in the "bald" and "comb over" and "landing pad" jokes. After all, I had this new found beautiful hairline and from the front it looked bushy. How could it be? From a stylistic vantage point, at 360, it didn't really look good. Great transplant though. Undetectable. But classic "monkey's ass." I picked up the phone to expedite my crown work.

 

You see, do you paint your car first or make the engine run?

 

I think Gorp's HT looks awesome. He looks natural. I think my front (same doc) blows him away. Not by look but by volume. But his hair looked better as a whole (mine is filled in now and is great). I think a guy with "monkey's ass syndrome" looks worse by far than full back and balding/bald front.

 

Please everyone. Weigh in on this. I think it's a major point of consideration. I have a friend in Beverly Hills that went back to front and after his first crown session he looked good. Then better and better. Me on the other hand looked "good....from the front." But kind of funny from the back. This transplant thing is about the end result but I think with proper planning and some testing you can look good from the outset.

[pushing 40]

I agree, though a matter of perspective, crown balding with hair in the front sometimes looks worse. In fact, when I first starting fussing about this whole balding thing, my wife commented that "at least you're not balding in the back". I was surprised by this because I had thought to myself I'd rather have all in the front and none in the back . She said no, uh uh, absolutely not. Strange really. What is the difference?

 

Btw, when I read "monkey ass", I thought this would be a thread about motorcycles; that's what we say we have after riding all day!

[bezane]

yeah Pushing 40, I've had that monkey's ass as well. A hell of a lot more fun than "monkey's ass syndrome" of the head.

 

Just to add one other point though, it's a hell of lot easier to cover up bad surgery in the back than across your forehead. So your second surgery, being more informed, should be easier to rectify "mistakes." Of course you should start with the best, but this forum exists because most of us have not.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Interesting discussion...

 

But it is clearly a subjective topic.

 

the bottom line IMO, is ANYONE with any amount of hair loss will be poked fun of...just as even the chubby person as opposed to the really fat person will be picked on for being overweight.

 

Jokes are made just as much about the receeding hairline as it is about the bald spot in the back, so it seems.

 

IMO, I still would prefer a thicker head of hair from the front and a bald spot in the back than the reverse, since the hairline frames the face.

 

Of course, we'd all prefer a full head of hair over any hair loss, but this is not really possible for those higher on the norwood scale.

 

I have come pretty close to restoring a full head of hair being a NW6. I don't formally have a bald spot anymore, but clearly it is thinner in some areas than others.

 

Ultimately, this is why I feel that a full coverage approach for the LONG TERM is better than dense packing the frontal or back half.

 

Of course, sometimes in order to meet the long term goal, the front half or back half will be done first since very seldomly can one meet their goals in a single session.

 

But a lot of it is a matter of preference which is why it's SO important that a patient know their goals, and a formal plan is developed between doctor and patient in order how to best meet those goals.

 

Just my thoughts...

 

Bill

[Guest]

Interesting, I thought I would immediately say front first.

And I did have my front done first, and I would again.

Probably because it is the most dramatic change to your looks, where as you won't notice a change if you do the crown first.

 

Now I hate the monkeys ass!

The problem with balding in the crown is that I

think it gives you an older man image.

 

With just a receeding hairline, you can still be preceived as being young if you dont have a monkeys ass.

 

That why I will be going back to get the monkeys ass off my back!

[Aquarius]

So Pat coined the "monkeys ass" thing? Is he trying to steal my job? GRRRR.

[nobuzz4me]

A lot depends on how much donor hair you have and how you wish to style your hair.

 

If you style back to front then filling the crown is a good idea, if you comb it straight back then a fuller front is better.

 

Of course you need to grow it out some to give that illusion of coverage. A lot of patients may not have enough donor to attack the crown or I am sure we all would.

 

I do agree it looks better to have a thinner overall coverage than the "monk" look.

 

Another point is this type of MPB progression you have maybe different than others. Some have diffuse thinning all over right from the start and some like me receded in the front first than the crown started to thin slowly over a period of twenty years.

 

Good discussion!

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

Hard to say because balding is a unique process with so many different factors.. With me, Dr. True started with the front and, then more front/mid and a bit of crown.. Lastly, crown/mid & little front.. I think it is like building a house

 

Build the infastructure first , then fill in..

 

The amount of donor hair is a huge factor in this.

[bezane]

yeah mrjb. Building a house. Exactly. And my point may have not been thoroughly clear. It's "the process" that's the point. I think you can achieve a more natural and easing road to glory, by moving....back to front.

 

We put much emphasis on a photo. "What does the hairline look like. In an airport, bus terminal or shopping at Macy's, People see the BALDSPOT!!!!! "It's 360 man."

 

And another point. Managed stress. It was traumatic, forget about dramatic, having someone slice open my forehead. Every moment of my life was spent under a hat, like a disguise. Just being self-conscious about the hairline. All the time.

 

I beseech doctors to comment here on the possibility of gradually bringing a hairline to its splendor. And it's simply only a portion of the craft to do the transplants. It's also designing a timeline. What it will look like and when. What are the stops along the way? Nice, acceptable crown after 14 months. Minimally obvious. A mid-scalp session that will take you to two years. Then the front. And regardless of what one might think about a three year, 30K investment. Most of the HT community has been way off in being part of a comprehensive plan.

 

I say jamming the front with nothing in the back is an obvious sign. It's not natural. And just because you want to believe that starting with the front is best, well, consider the fact that sometime I feel like damn Edward Scissorhands. Maybe you do too. Kind of an experiment. But we have to go on with our lives. Try to be social. Try to be fathers and try to do our jobs. The investment alone merits this. I bet none of us can come up with one "clinic" as Joe calls it, that offers imaging, counseling or both. It's always our choice. And that may be to our detriment.

[calvinmd]

I think half the problem with the "monkey's ass" look is that nobody wants to build-in for it with any amount of temple recession in front.

 

Everyone wants a NW#2 (or even lower!) in the front. But when I look at the world, I hardly ever see that kind of nice hairline in nature on a head that also has a bare crown.

 

It looks so much more natural to leave the temples recessed and get the crown lightly covered. Sporting a perfect NW#2 hairline with a bare crown is a "psyche-out" appearance. It signals "no-MPB" in front, but presents major MPB in the back.

 

 

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