'Age Appropriate' - Whats that?

[Sparky]

Just watch Perfect Storm. Tom Hanks's genetics cant take credit for the fact that he isnt bald by the way.

[TC17]

To get back to what MTD wanted, in my opinion, George Clooney's hair is great now, and would look great on an 85 year old.

[stamos]

Originally posted by MikeTheDane:

Originally posted by Sparky:

That is Clooneys natural hair, I read an article saying that he shaved his hair into that shape when he was on ER, hes done it on several films aswell, you can see the hairline shadow on The Perfect Storm, where it has been shaved off, it looks like beard stuble but on his hairline.

 

The plot thickens..

 

[Megatron]

I'll repeat my point.

 

If you're loosing your hair and you think a HT will give you hair like George Clooney / Brad Pitt / Johnny Depp....you've got unrealistic expectations.

 

Sure, someone in their mid-twenties may be able to pull off a youthful looking HT. But, what about in 20, 30, 40 years?

 

I just don't see how anyone with MPB could successfully sustain a densely packed, low hairline over the course of their lifetime.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Emporer,

 

You sound as though you are dissillusioned and unhappy with your HT from Dr. Wong. Am I correct in assuming that ?

 

If so, did you expect to be able to get more coverage and a better, more broad hairline to frame your face better ?

 

I noticed that you had a total of 6500 grafts also. Are you now maxed out at that figure, or do you have any more laxity for a 3rd surgery ? Also, do you have "fine" or "ultra fine" caliber hair ?

 

I looked at your photos and it does indeed seem that there is a noticable difference from where you were. You must have been at least a NW5, correct ? I know it must be personally frustrating if you feel there is not much of a noticable cosmetic difference, but instead just "more hair" than before.

 

I agree that having more net hair means absolutely nothing really; what matters is how the face is framed to bring out the best symmetry in your features. Being "less bald" will likely not mean much of anything to the average layman's perception of you.

 

 

Originally posted by TheEmperor:

Originally posted by Megatron:

 

 

Personally, if you have MPB I think you should be aiming for a Tom Hanks look as opposed to the Hollywood hunks like Clooney, Pitt and Depp. I happen to disagree with Emperor. I think a higher, hairline is more desireable in most guys over 35.

 

It can look natural on a man who is in his 50s. But Tom Hanks hairline makes him look older than he is. If he lowered his hairline, he would look alot better.

 

That is the point I was making. Its possible to make an advanced NW "not bald", but unless the hairline is (say) within .5cm of where the original one was, the original face framing, the face proportions will still be out of whack.

 

And this is why baldness looks bad on some men, because it draws their features out of proportion. Not having hair is secondary.

[MikeTheDane]

Originally posted by Megatron:

I'll repeat my point.

 

If you're loosing your hair and you think a HT will give you hair like George Clooney / Brad Pitt / Johnny Depp....you've got unrealistic expectations.

 

Sure, someone in their mid-twenties may be able to pull off a youthful looking HT. But, what about in 20, 30, 40 years?

 

I just don't see how anyone with MPB could successfully sustain a densely packed, low hairline over the course of their lifetime.

 

Let's say a 60 year old NW3 with a full crown and course hair, dense donor area, on who is taking meds and have been experiencing no hair loss for the past 3-4 years.

 

I believe that such a person would be able to pull it off.

[Sparse]

Originally posted by labrat69:

I think the "illusion" of Depp's hair could be acheivable for a NW4 that would likely not advance much further, but only after about 10,000 grafts. So the patient would have to have good donor density, great laxity, be older than 40, and have very stable hairloss. Who knows, Depps hair might not look that full in real life either.

 

But I've seen H & W patients that were not past NW4 acheive a head of hair that looks that good -- but only after a major # of grafts. A photo that LondonLad posted recently looks to be on the same level as Depp's hair.

 

Clooney and Pitt I doubt anybody but a NW2-3 could get there with HT. But who needs THAT much hair to look good anyway ?

 

Labrat: You wouldn't happen to have a link to London Lad's latest pic(s) would you? I've seen his impressive result after HT#1 (7700 grafts, or something like that), but would love to see what 11k+ grafts look like!

[hrvoje14]

sure, clooney's hair makes him look younger (and more attractive) than he is (even though it's grey) but how many people have hair like that at 48? i don't think i know a single guy, personally... he is a freak of nature that way... would i want such a low hairline? frankly, no! i don't think it would suit my face... i'd kill for his density, though... alec baldwin is another guy with crazily good hair... but these are such exceptions... if you look around you, such zero-recession hairlines practically draw attention to themselves precisely because they are SO rare...

 

btw, forget clooney, i have it on good authority that pitt has had temple work done...

 

and as for that judge's hairline - The Caveman Cometh... thanks but no thanks! give me Anderson Cooper's hairline any ole time...

[jbbreese]

this please

[hrvoje14]

my point is - it's not necessarily about being 'age-appropriate', but also (and perhaps more importantly) about being 'face-appropriate'... i think...

 

think of women and boob jobs - no size suits every frame... irrespective of age... (then again, imagine Pamela Anderson at 90 years old - how would that strike you? hehe...)

[EpilepticSceptic]

Labrat: You wouldn't happen to have a link to London Lad's latest pic(s) would you? I've seen his impressive result after HT#1 (7700 grafts, or something like that), but would love to see what 11k+ grafts look like!

 

Here's 2 photos LondonLad posted in August 2009 on HLH. In the first photo he is 23 years old, and in the 2nd photo he is 33. He had over 11,000 grafts with big H up in Vancouver. In his 33 year old photo he looks more like 23, and in his 23 year old photo -- well, I'll let you guys fill in the blanks.

 

Anybody who says the "illusion" of Depps or Clooney's hair is not acheivable with the RIGHT CANDIDATE and the BEST HT SURGEON on the planet doesn't know what they are talking about IMO !! This dude was basically a full NW 6, and now he looks more like a NW 1/2. HT is a numbers game -- if you got the numbers, then you CAN get your hair back in the RIGHT HANDS!!

[EpilepticSceptic]

LondonLad photo # 2 -- age 33 post HT

[EpilepticSceptic]

BTW, I am about as far from being gay as one could possibly be -- but I MUST SAY that I truly think LondonLad looks more handsome in that 33 year old pic than Clooney or Depp. Both of those actors would look like complete dweebs who'd be lucky to score a 65 year old 300 lb. hag if they had the hairloss that Londonlad had when he was only 23. It just goes to show you the DRAMATIC difference proper facial framing makes in many people's overall appearence.

 

Oh yeah, and I'd take the Jason Statham cueball look ANY DAY over that freakish caveman looking judge Napolitano. I actually think that man would look even better completely bald than he does with that ridiculous teenage NW -1.0 hairline !!

[Julius]

I actually think that man would look even better completely bald than he does with that ridiculous teenage NW -1.0 hairline !!

 

I totally agree

[Megatron]

Originally posted by labrat69:

Anybody who says the "illusion" of Depps or Clooney's hair is not acheivable with the RIGHT CANDIDATE and the BEST HT SURGEON on the planet doesn't know what they are talking about IMO !! This dude was basically a full NW 6, and now he looks more like a NW 1/2. HT is a numbers game -- if you got the numbers, then you CAN get your hair back in the RIGHT HANDS!!

 

well now I'm confused...the "illussion" isn't the real thing now is it? freaks of nature like George Clooney must have close to 100 / cm2 density with a really thick diameter.

 

I don't think you can dense pack much greater than 60 cm2 with near a 100% yield and if you try to do that over the entire scalp you'll run out of donor hair.

 

the math just doesn't work. of all people, I thought you'd agree with the statement that people with George Clooney expectations need to check themselves before going for a HT.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Megatron,

 

IMO the "illusion" IS the real thing (whatever that means), because hair in and of itself is completely meaningless. It's what the hair DOES that really matters; you know, framing the face and stopping light from reflecting on the scalp.

 

I always try and think of this stuff from the laymen's perspective instead of "hair obsessed" balding people tirelessly researching HTs on internet forums. Nobody in real life gives a rats ass about things like 100 cm sq. density as opposed to 60 cm sq.

 

If the face is framed nicely and the person doesn't look like he is obviously balding, then there are MANY examples of 60 cm sq. density guys who look a million times better than 100 cm sq. freaks of nature -- because they have better facial features, and maybe nicer looking hair texture as well.

 

That's why I had to post that picture of londonlad. To me that dude looks absoultely terrific, and he could pass for a 25 year old club goer with that hair style. No hot chick in the club is going to inquire about his hair density and compare it to Clooney. She's just going to see a good looking dude who to her eyes has a full head of hair and no balding problems.

 

To folks like me that is ALL THAT MATTERS !!! How are those unrealistic expectations ?

[Sparse]

Labrat: Thanks for the London Lad pics. Un-freaking-believable.

 

I've been more than satisfied with the transformation Dr. H. has achieved with my 5566 grafts last summer, but after seeing what another 5000 grafts can do . . . it's enough to give a guy a serious case of hair greed! (Then again, as a happily married 46-year-old, it's hard to justify plunking down another $20k just to go from "good" to "ridiculously, off-the-scale good".)

[Sparse]

Ok, Labrat, here's a picky question: Are there any pics of London Lad in profile? From the frontal pic it looks like his temple points might still be pretty receded . . . I wonder if it looks odd on close inspection to have a NW1 look on top but temple points more consistent with a NW4-6?

[EpilepticSceptic]

Sparse,

 

You need to check out his blog on HLH. I can't find the link right now, but go there and do an author search under "london_lad"

 

In his blog you'll see MANY photos of the hair pulled back, bright sunlight, etc. The bottom line is that the dude has had a MAJOR transformtion that IMO is worth $10,000,000 if one had the money !! If you were a mega rich NW6 bald guy, then 10 mil for a result like that shouldn't be a concern. That's my thinking, that you cant put a price tag on some of the transformations you see coming from H & W.

 

Shuffle is another one that blows my mind. these are guys who had MAJOR baldness way worse than me. I'm looking to get 4-5K grafts myself which should do me some serious justice!

 

BTW Sparse, man your hair looks AWESOME in those JAnuary pics !! I don't think you need any more grafts from the look of things. How about a new photo update with the hairline pulled back ?

[Sparse]

Thanks, Labrat. I'll try to post updated pics soon . . . had a bad haircut right after those January pics were posted, so now I've grown it out pretty long again and need to find someone to cut and style it appropriately before I post an update!

 

My wife wants me to go super-short (e.g., a #2 guard), while my teenage daughter thinks my current look - longish hair with surfer bangs in the front - makes me look much younger. Any advice?

[MikeTheDane]

Seems I caused quiet a stir - Good! These things should come out in the open.

 

London lad was lucky though. He could afford two mega sessions from H&W, and he (must have had) freakish good donor density.

[mahhong]

I agree with the comments about Judge Napolitano. Let's face it; all of us here and hair obsessed and see every strand as pretty much a blessing. In many ways Napolitano represents something of a false 'holy grail' to a lot of balding people; absolutely zero hairloss.

 

What is really important is how good your hair looks on you. Napolitano has a lot of hair but fundamentally it looks silly on him. I'm sure he could improve on it with some styling but I actually think he's a rare case of genuinely having too much hair! That probably sounds like a bad joke to us, but I think it is possible!

 

Clooney looks good but because he has good hair, not because he has thick hair. Guys like him or Christian Bale use what they've got (which is admittedly a lot) to the best advantage.

 

There are plenty of good looking guys with less than stellar hairlines though. Jude Law, Josh Lucas, Andy Roddick, Christian Slater. And then there are extreme examples of good looking guys with massive hairloss: Jason Statham, Billy Zane etc.

 

All of these guys have one thing in common; they've found a style that works for them. Most of them have also combined that with good dress sense, a decent-to-good physique and some general grooming. They've discovered what looks good on them and made the most of it.

 

That's why LondonLad looks good. He was actually not a bad looking guy when he was totally bald and that was primarily because he shaved his hair and looks like he looks after himself. If he'd left his hair 4 inches long and all over the place and had a 3 week beard and 20 extra pounds he'd look damn awful!

 

That's the thing with hair restoration I think; it has to be part of a general plan to look good. Napolitano has great hair but generally dresses and grooms pretty badly and it shows. Any girl on this planet, virtually, would take a totally bald Billy Zane over a suited, booted and ridiculously thick-haired Napolitano.

 

Overall I think an HT is only going to be truly beneficial to your overall appearance if you look like you care. I see plenty of guys with a full head of hair who look terrible and plenty of cue-ball bald men who look brilliant. LondonLad clearly doesn't have the hair density of say a Clooney, but would most people notice? And would most people care? Nah! He looks good and somebody who didn't know anything about him would almost definitely never say "great looking guy but shame about hair density!".

 

I guess we're always a complete package, whether we like it or not. If a HT is going to benefit you overall great, but if you're going to be overweight and unkempt and think a HT is going to eradicate the other problems then you're in trouble!

 

Incidentally playing Devil's Advocate here but George Clooney might still have had an HT even if he did have hair "stubble" on the hairline. If he just had some touch-up work to the temples/hairline it could have just been grafts showing through at an early stage? I think overall this is pretty unlikely but not impossible.

[Megatron]

labrat - I don't disagree with most of the things you say, but the illusion of a HT cannot be compared to the real thing. first off, no one can have 60/cm2 covering their entire scalp. Instead, they get something between 30-50 / cm2 over most of the scalp. this has it's limitations when styling, swimming, under direct light etc...

[EpilepticSceptic]

mahhong,

 

great post and I couldn't have expressed my thoughts on HT any better than this. Hair by itself is utterly meaningless. Chicks aren't going to be pulling a densometer out of their purse to check your hair density and see if it matches Clooney's or Pitt's. If it looks nicely groomed and frames your face well, then there are MANY chicks who would actually prefer a NW2 over a NW1 any day if he has a better body, face, charisma, and personality -- PERIOD !!!

 

I have had a receeding hairline for many years but the hairloss never bothered me until I lost enough of the hairline to not have my face framed anymore. Once you can no longer acheive any kind of hairstyle (except a combover)that is when hairloss becomes a depressing issue.

 

I honestly believe that alot of the "hair obsessed" folks on these boards are probably not good HT candidates because they'll never feel like they have enough. I see so many NW 2s on here that are suicidal that their temples are receeding. If your hair is everything you've got then you are in pretty serious trouble IMO thinking a HT will solve all of your insecurity self-image issues.

[Julius]

Another important factor to consider besides age appropriateness is race appropriateness i.e. Nordics have higher hairlines than Mediterraneans. So Judge Napolitano's hair is not too absurd for someone with his background.