How well do pics translate to real life?

[Whammy]

I saw a poster on another forum mentioning quite intently on how he'd seen over 50 HT's in person, and only 4 he felt were undetectable, and 2 of those were grey/white haired men.

 

There is also that guy on here that states how his pics are misleading, and that his HT isn't as good as it appears in them because the doc is picking the best angles.

 

Makes me nervous, cause sometimes I see results and I'm thinking wow that's great nobody would be able to tell, but now I wonder that perhaps in person those results would look less natural and more thinned out.

 

Many mentioned their HT's are thin when wet as well, someone said you could see an ant crawling on his scalp if it were there. Makes me wonder if you get a HT, and get out of the pool people will see exactly where your HT hair starts and stops... or maybe even in daylight as well.

[Cant decide]

Think of it this way. How many people have you seen where you can definitively say (or even suspect) they have had a HT? I am talking about new techniques of course. I, like many on here, are pretty obessive when it comes to HT and do notice other people's hair. I can honestly say that I have only ever seen about 5 people who I can see had something done and of those 5, all of them had mini/micros done. As for density, it obviously depends on what density the hair was transplanted at, hair charecteristics, etc. I highly doubt that the person you mentioned has only ever seen 4 of 50 HT that were not detectable. If he knew they were HT when he was looking at them then his opinion is skewed anyway. Likely, if he did not know they were HT, he would not have known in most cases.

[Cant decide]

Also, I suggest you look at the many videos posted on H&W website. I believe if photos dont tell the whole story, videos most certainly are about as close to real life as you can get.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Ha ! Ha !

 

So this dude said he has seen 50 HTs in real life ? Well, has he had a HT yet himself then ?

 

If not then he is likely full of sh*t !!!

 

IMO this is a BIG problem with HT forums; you have all these anonymous posters who can say anything they want and make up any lie they want for whatever motive. Some might even be NW7s who know they'll never be a good candidate and they get off on spreading misinformation knowing that they might convince a good candidate to stay among the baldie crowd.

 

Others are repair patients who seem to have an agenda against ANY type of HT, most likely because they got screwed and they hate the thought of somebody with a virgin head getting great work done.

 

Do yourself a favor and (if you are serious) meet in person with several patients from your chosen doc with sinilar characteristics to yours. Then, and ONLY then will you know for sure.

[aaron1234]

Other than the obvious plugs, the only ways I can really spot a transplant (ones I still consider a good transplant) is when the crown is bald and the frontal 2/3rds seem quite dense or when I see someone with see-through hair in the front. You can tell I had a transplant if you look a couple inches away from my scalp combing through the hair... but who does that? Nobody.

[TakingThePlunge]

After my first hair transplant, the density was did not meet my expectations. However, I believe 100% that it was not identifiable as being a hair transplant. I simply looked like a less balding version of my former self. If I had to rely only on the opinions of friends and family, I'd take that with a grain of salt. However, I've been very open with about three different hairstylists who were really blown away. One of these has become my regular stylist and she brags to other balding customers about my results. She literally gushes over how refined and undetectable my transplant is.

 

A couple of weeks ago I wandered in to the salon at an unusual time for me and she just happened to be talking about me to a young balding guy in her chair. She asked me to talk to him so I started discussing the procedure with him. After my haircut, as I was leaving another guy in there asked me if he could talk to me about it too. He was 30 years old and starting to lose his hair. He was likewise very impressed with how undetectable my hair transplant was.

 

Now, 4.5 months after my second, I am already thrilled with how much more dense it looks. I'm very happy and never worry about anyone noticing.

 

In the right hands, your transplant can be undetectable. Just choose your physician wisely!

[EpilepticSceptic]

David,

 

That's really cool man!

 

I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but it seems us 40+ guys are really the best HT candidates for undetectable results. I say for various reasons:

 

1) it is "normal" to have a little thinning and not a wall-of-hair hairline like a guy in his 20s

 

2) we've been in the MPB pit and paid our dues long enough that we are thrilled with a look that a younger guy might find unsatisfactory for his age group

 

3) the limited nature of what HTs can acheive (due to limited grafts) fits perfectly with the 40+ crowd because it might actually look unnatural to suddenly have a 15 year old kid's hairline again !!! Peeps would spot it as artificial just because your body and face looked much older!

[aaron1234]

EpilecticSceptic,

 

It seems that you think 40+ would be better candidates because they have lower expectations. Is that right? I think you are correct in that older men would be more fine with a receded hairline then a 25 year old. Still, HT's can still help those who are in their 20's'-30's (like me!), it is just that they are not quite used to being bald yet so they expect more. That's a generalization, but probably an accurate one.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Aaron,

 

What I really meant was that if you are 40+ -- and the people you associate with know that -- then to have some crown thinning and a non-perfect hairline is considered more "normal" in our society. So if the issue is truly undetectability, and you are the type who really doesn't want anybody to know (due to being perceived as vain, superficial, etc.), then your chances are significantly higher of being able to pull this off as a 40+ year old HT patient today.

 

I agree that modern URFUT HTs are helping alot of 20-30 year olds as well -- mostly the ones who have already undergone severe loss and therefore can have realistic expectations. On the other hand, many of the young guys I see frontloading the hairline with mega-sessions around here I think will eventually be in a real tough spot for maintaining the "illusion" of undetectability in everyday public life.

 

For those who head to very advanced Norwood levels down the line the chances of detectability will increase exponentially as a result of mismanagement of grafts in their youth.

[aaron1234]

ah, ok I follow you.