If I couldn't wear a hat, I didn't take the job.....

[SoccerBoy]

Anyone else live like that for a while?

 

Just had my 2nd hair transplant, so i'm hoping after the results are fully apparent, I won't live like that anymore.

 

The "shame" and stigma of being bald was irrationally worse to me than just lowering my standards for jobs and only applying to positions where I knew I could wear a hat (i.e. library assistant in college, tour guide, etc.).

[trapps99]

For a while?? Ive been for a LONG number of years, so i know how you feel..

Even after a transplant your a liitle worried when its not as thick as youwant it so the hat usually is on then too for a while. Im SURE its ruined more than a few work-related oppourtunities for guys that cant get over that ' WITHOUT THE HAT ISSUE."

[Spanker]

Been there

[wb280]

I personally did not go through that much anxiety but i had my own fair share of depressive moments. I shun the sea side, and after a good old basketball game, in which my mates are all bathing, i would not wash the hair as i had toppik on. Remember concealers had to be applied on dry hair only. You know, such things, just make u not the same person like u truly are. Thats sad. I goto even sneak out of my apartment into my car to retrieve something and run back. Totally behaving like a thief. I felt damn pathetic. Hence the determination to get something done. Great thread starter pal, i am with u on this one mate. lets all finish what we have started with and hopefully all of us can see light at the end of the tunnel!

[RCWest]

This was me. I also avoided going anywhere that involved not wearing a hat.

[HighTopFade]

I've almost been to that point but, to me, it was pretty pointless. Now matter how much I hide it - it's there. And it hurts me regardless.

[djames]

sadly i lost my mother this week and have the funeral to attend next friday and im only 3 months post op, ive been wearing a hat constantly for a long time before and after the op. I cant really wear a hat at a funeral in church so have the dilema of just going as it is and revealing or dermatching/nanogen cover which im not sure will look right. another example of how it affects daily life in social and as you say in jobs.

 

regards

djames

[wb280]

james, i am sorry to hear of that. Thats a tough decision i must say.. but i think there is no reason for u to skip the funeral. Nothing beats that. No hats in church? I thought i used to see many ladies in their 50s in their black frocks...

[mr_powers]

lol wore my hat everyday for years, if friends came to my house id put my cap on , if someone knocked on the door id put my cap on, if my cap was off i was in the house with curtains closed, went to shops in a cap , went to work in a cap, i swear i got the biggest cap collection in the world, if i went to a party id have a cap, been 3 days now , ive shaved my head, my ht didnt work, no more caps, im letting go. thankfully with age i know look damn good with a shaved head. good luck guys, i know how it feels and i was there for a very very very long time

[wb280]

mr powers! Its really tough to just say screw it, shave it and go out proudly. I wished i can attain nirvana like u did

[YouOnlyLiveOnce]

Djames- I was faced with this same issue about 2 weeks ago @ 2 months post op. I tell you, it was tough. There was about 300 in attendance. Usually I'm very outgoing and love to chat, but on that day I avoided talking to anyone, unfortunately there were a few girls from HS that I had seen in a while and they seeemed to find their way to talk to me. I didn't notice anyone staring at my head but I was very uncomfortable the entire time.

 

Mr_powers. I tried the shaved head look and it just wasn't the look for me. I wish I could pull it off so I never had to worry about loss another day in my life. My hair gives me a 180 in appearance.

[rws]

I have a reliance on concealers rather than hats, as I have used Toppik to thicken up the appearance of my hair for years. It's worked well as my thinning isn't too widespread, but it's the same as 'hat avoidance' really.

 

I'm always conscious of it, worried it doesn't look natural - terrified of standing under too bright a light, or sitting in too well-lit a spot in a restaurant etc. Annoying how it tends to rule your life like that.

[ziggy00]

People don't realize how much hair loss can affect a person. Little things like playing a basketball game, like wb280 said, can really be a struggle when dealing with hair loss.