Percentage of HT's that Use Concealers?

[JeffC45]

As someone who has an FUT HT procedure planned in the next several months, I'm a little concerned about the number of people I see on this forum who refer to issues they have with "concealers."

 

While I'm sure that some people can pull these off, the few times I've seen someone wearing concealer (basically, spray paint) on their heads, I thought it looked utterly absurd. In fact, I once was out with someone who was clearly wearing concealer on his head and I, literally, could not stop staring at it. This particular person looked so completely ridiculous to me that I could not believe someone would even dream of leaving the house with it on their head.

 

Like I said, I'm sure some people can pull it off, but my impression of "concealers" is very, very bad.

 

Now, I'm very concerned. Is it basically expected that you should wear some kind of concealer on your head after you get an HT? What percentage of people require a concealer to go along with their HT? If this is basically the norm, I would seriously reconsider the whole procedure.

[BaldPatient2]

As someone who has an FUT HT procedure planned in the next several months, I'm a little concerned about the number of people I see on this forum who refer to issues they have with "concealers."

 

While I'm sure that some people can pull these off, the few times I've seen someone wearing concealer (basically, spray paint) on their heads, I thought it looked utterly absurd. In fact, I once was out with someone who was clearly wearing concealer on his head and I, literally, could not stop staring at it. This particular person looked so completely ridiculous to me that I could not believe someone would even dream of leaving the house with it on their head.

 

Like I said, I'm sure some people can pull it off, but my impression of "concealers" is very, very bad.

 

Now, I'm very concerned. Is it basically expected that you should wear some kind of concealer on your head after you get an HT? What percentage of people require a concealer to go along with their HT? If this is basically the norm, I would seriously reconsider the whole procedure.

I'm still waiting for the final results of my third surgery. I'm 6.5 months post third surgery and my scalp still shows underneath the transplanted hair, so I'm still dependent on Toppik to cover my scalp. I had three surgeries with two different surgeons , the second surgeon is one of the top recommended in this forum. I had a consultation with the first surgeon after my second surgery complaining that my scalp still shows under transplanted hair and he told me that's normal for hair transplant to show scalp because a HT will never restore my teenager hair. I will wait another 5 months for the final results if there's no improvement I would feel scammed because I didn't know that I would need to use Toppik after HT.

[Wwiizzkkiidd24]

I think it all depends on density that your surgeon implants the grafts at. like the above post states you won't get your teenage hair back but you will get an illusion (depending on how you style your hair) of full coverage. if all the characteristics are in your favour ie calibre of hair, skin to hair contrast waivy curly hair etc etc.. that creates more illusion of hair as well.

[Al - Moderator]

the few times I've seen someone wearing concealer (basically, spray paint) on their heads, I thought it looked utterly absurd. In fact, I once was out with someone who was clearly wearing concealer on his head and I, literally, could not stop staring at it. This particular person looked so completely ridiculous to me that I could not believe someone would even dream of leaving the house with it on their head.

 

JeffC45,

I totally agree with you. While I have tried putting on several different concealers over the years to see what it looks like, I have never gone out of the house with any concealer on and I don't think I ever would. I would be too afraid of someone noticing that I have it on. To me that is more embarrassing than just being bald or thinning. I feel the same way about hair pieces (I've worn one years back and was sick to my stomach every time I went anywhere) and even SMP (scalp micropigmentation).

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Jeff,

 

Like a few others stated, the density of a transplant does depend on a lot of different -- and personalized -- factors. For what it is worth, however, I see many patients during consultations who tell me that their hair transplant "goal" is to stop wearing concealer -- for some of the reasons you listed above.

 

Most are very pleased to tell me that they've finally "kicked" the concealers when the results grow in.

[BadBeat]

If you use concealers correctly, it should be virtually undetectable unless somebody really knew what they were looking for and they were looking up close. I have a lot of guy friends who would blow me up if they detected and never once have they ever said anything.

[Al - Moderator]

If you use concealers correctly, it should be virtually undetectable unless somebody really knew what they were looking for and they were looking up close. I have a lot of guy friends who would blow me up if they detected and never once have they ever said anything.

 

OK, but doesn't it worry you that someone might notice? Don't you worry about a woman putting her hands through your hair and getting some of the stuff on her hands? Don't you worry that it doesn't look the same in different lighting than it does in your bathroom?

 

I was never interested in being fake. I feel like I'm lying and it just eats at me. I can't do it. I can't let a woman think this is who I am when it's really not. That's just me I guess.

[BaldPatient2]

OK, but doesn't it worry you that someone might notice? Don't you worry about a woman putting her hands through your hair and getting some of the stuff on her hands?

If you use a spray after putting fibers, the fibers will stick to your hair and won't get in her hands

[JeffC45]

If you use a spray after putting fibers, the fibers will stick to your hair and won't get in her hands

 

This whole world of concealers is pretty new to me, so I'm not entirely sure how they work. However, I do believe these "fibers" are what I saw on the head of the person to whom I referred earlier. I'm assuming this person must have had extensive loss throughout his crown and vortex, which is why he must have used the concealers because his native (or transplanted, I couldn't tell) hair probably left much of his scalp exposed.

 

In any case it was these "fibers" that looked so bizarre. Almost like he had thin hair covering a layer of black felt on his scalp. His scalp looked like the top of Mickey Mouse's head. I felt bad for the guy, and certainly didn't stare so that could notice, but I was seated behind him at an event and was fascinated. It looked insane and drew way more attention than if he just had a thinning head of hair.

 

Like I said, I'm sure there are some types of hair loss that it looks fine on and totally works. Perhaps this guy just had way too extensive a case of hair loss to effectively use it.

[mahhong]

I haven't had a HT but have used concealers consistently for the last 4 or 5 years. Unfortunately my hairloss is getting to the point where the concealer is having diminishing returns! I'm going to have to consider a HT at some point in the near future.

 

With that having been said, I don't think anybody has ever noticed I use concealer. You have to remember that most people have never heard of it or wouldn't be looking for it. As long as your hair looks fairly convincing at a glance it will probably fool most people.

 

Less is definitely more. If you cake it on, well, it'll look like thick clumps in your hair (but I mean really cake it on). But it can do a great job if you have a decent amount of hair and you're just looking to enhance the illusion of density.

 

It does limit your options in terms of things like a girl running her fingers through your hair or being able to get your head soaking wet and stuff like that. In some ways it is "fake" but all cosmetics is to some degree. Granted a HT is real hair, but it's still effectively an artificial construct.

 

Like Jeff said, the main issue with concealers is getting overly reliant on them. If you continue to lose more hair you're likely to keep using more and more concealer until eventually you're just pouring fibres onto bald scalp and that can look pretty horrid - you do need some native or transplanted hair for it to work. I think I'm still just about getting away with it but in the not-too-distant future I'm either going to have to get a HT or shave down - I'm just about approaching that see-saw moment in the next year or two!

[BaldPatient2]

I haven't had a HT but have used concealers consistently for the last 4 or 5 years. Unfortunately my hairloss is getting to the point where the concealer is having diminishing returns! I'm going to have to consider a HT at some point in the near future.

 

With that having been said, I don't think anybody has ever noticed I use concealer. You have to remember that most people have never heard of it or wouldn't be looking for it. As long as your hair looks fairly convincing at a glance it will probably fool most people.

 

Less is definitely more. If you cake it on, well, it'll look like thick clumps in your hair (but I mean really cake it on). But it can do a great job if you have a decent amount of hair and you're just looking to enhance the illusion of density.

 

It does limit your options in terms of things like a girl running her fingers through your hair or being able to get your head soaking wet and stuff like that. In some ways it is "fake" but all cosmetics is to some degree. Granted a HT is real hair, but it's still effectively an artificial construct.

 

Like Jeff said, the main issue with concealers is getting overly reliant on them. If you continue to lose more hair you're likely to keep using more and more concealer until eventually you're just pouring fibres onto bald scalp and that can look pretty horrid - you do need some native or transplanted hair for it to work. I think I'm still just about getting away with it but in the not-too-distant future I'm either going to have to get a HT or shave down - I'm just about approaching that see-saw moment in the next year or two!

Would you be happy with a low density HT with a see through scalp but that would give enough hairs to continue with concealers ?

[BadBeat]

OK, but doesn't it worry you that someone might notice? Don't you worry about a woman putting her hands through your hair and getting some of the stuff on her hands? Don't you worry that it doesn't look the same in different lighting than it does in your bathroom?

 

I was never interested in being fake. I feel like I'm lying and it just eats at me. I can't do it. I can't let a woman think this is who I am when it's really not. That's just me I guess.

 

The way I put it on if somebody rubbed their hands through my hair they would have a hard time seeing anything on their hands. Less is more, as another poster said. I am also married and my wife knows that I use it so I don't have to worry about telling a girl if I was in the dating world.

 

That being said, I totally understand where you are coming from. There is an element of feeling "fake" but really how is it that much different than a woman putting on makeup? I've had 2 HT's and my hair is decent but I like to add some concealer to cover my crown thinning and to add a bit of density to the front.

[andy_+_+]

How many grafts have you had BaldPatient 2?

[BaldPatient2]

How many grafts have you had BaldPatient 2?

 

Almost 7000 ( 6900 grafts). in three procedures with two different recommended surgeons in this forum

[mahhong]

Would you be happy with a low density HT with a see through scalp but that would give enough hairs to continue with concealers ?

 

That's a tough one and there's a few things to bear in mind.

 

Firstly, you'd still need at least a semi-decent density to give the concealer something to cling on to. I don't know what that density would be exactly in terms of grafts per cm2, but it would probably be at least around 25-30g/cm2 to really be able to create the illusion of density (and higher ideally). I think concealers can do a great job of increasing the aesthetic look of HTs in terms of fullness, but I wouldn't like to plan an HT entirely around needing to use lots of concealer to make it work.

 

Secondly, concealers work pretty well in the mid-scalp and crown, particularly the crown where they can really help to create the illusion of density and even out the look of your hair. They're not quite so effective on the hairline though. If your hairline is sparse and you're trying to pour lots of concealer into it it can clump up and rest on the scalp and just be very visible unless you're careful. This is where I'm beginning to notice a problem for myself - the mid-scalp and to a lesser extent the crown still look pretty solid with concealer, but the hairline has to be handled with care because mine has receded pretty badly and is very thin in the front cm2 or so. If you're receding or have a sparse hairline, concealer will not be able to create the look of hair where there isn't really any.

 

But certainly concealers can really do a good job enhancing the visual quality of a decent HT, and they can make the slightly lower density HTs look fuller and reveal less scalp. I would still think you had to plan a HT to work by itself and just use concealers to add a bit of extra impressiveness though, rather than looking to get a low density HT you absolutely need to use concealer with. Otherwise every time it rains, every time someone or something touches your hair, every time you go to bed, you'll just be worried the illusion has been revealed. When I started using concealers it was great because they just made a decent head of hair look good, and if they washed out in the rain or someone ruffled my hair a bit or I forgot to put it in it wasn't a big deal. Now they're probably making a fairly poor head of hair look decent, and I'm more conscious of needing to use them and have them nearby. It's not a huge deal most of the time, but if I'd spent a lot of money on one or more HTs and was still really worried about how my hair looked every time it was windy or rainy or I rubbed my head against the back of a car seat or something, I'd feel disappointed.

 

Ideally they're (almost quite literally) the icing on the cake - if you're absolutely reliant on them just to look half-decent even after a few HTs, those HTs were probably not worthwhile.

[Al - Moderator]

This has become an interesting thread on concealers. I think for me I always had a thinning area that was too large and too thin to ever really make it work. If I only had a thinning crown that wasn't so huge I probably could have gotten away with using a concealer without it being noticeable. I think if I had enough hair for it, though, that I probably would simply do without it anyway as a bit of thinness wouldn't concern me enough to use it.

[Shampoo]

Don't you worry about a woman putting her hands through your hair and getting some of the stuff on her hands? I was never interested in being fake.I can't do it. I can't let a woman think this is who I am when it's really not. That's just me I guess.

 

When that very same woman running her hands thru your hair uses make-up herself? You are "not interested in being fake" but do you date women that wear makeup? Is it "fake" when the vast majority of women put on make-up every day before work or before you pick them up for a date? I've always found it kind of ironic that the "fairer sex" are the ones that feel the need to cover their faces in war-paint make-up and bling jewelry. Certainly if you do not wish to wear concealer or fibers like Nanogen you shouldn't do it, but to slight those that do seems rather odd, when really we all in some ways try to cover our liabilities and expose our strengths.

[voxman]

There are guys that are careful with their appearance and there are guys that are fooling themselves. I once had an acquaintance who must have spent 2 hours in front of the mirror every day doing the comb-over, swoop down, spray hair on, hair spray helmet thing. And even a man with no eyes would have detected this mess on his head. And it would still make him want to gouge out what was left.

 

I don't use concealers, I never did - even as my hair was escaping from it's home. And I also didn't wear hats or attempt a comb over - I just adopted a healthy attitude and when the time, station, and my finances were right I opted for a HT - but had I not, I would have just moved on as is.

 

I think too often we focus on the top of our heads when we need more quality time inside of them.

[BaldPatient2]

That's a tough one and there's a few things to bear in mind.

 

Firstly, you'd still need at least a semi-decent density to give the concealer something to cling on to. I don't know what that density would be exactly in terms of grafts per cm2, but it would probably be at least around 25-30g/cm2 to really be able to create the illusion of density (and higher ideally). I think concealers can do a great job of increasing the aesthetic look of HTs in terms of fullness, but I wouldn't like to plan an HT entirely around needing to use lots of concealer to make it work.

 

Secondly, concealers work pretty well in the mid-scalp and crown, particularly the crown where they can really help to create the illusion of density and even out the look of your hair. They're not quite so effective on the hairline though. If your hairline is sparse and you're trying to pour lots of concealer into it it can clump up and rest on the scalp and just be very visible unless you're careful. This is where I'm beginning to notice a problem for myself - the mid-scalp and to a lesser extent the crown still look pretty solid with concealer, but the hairline has to be handled with care because mine has receded pretty badly and is very thin in the front cm2 or so. If you're receding or have a sparse hairline, concealer will not be able to create the look of hair where there isn't really any.

 

But certainly concealers can really do a good job enhancing the visual quality of a decent HT, and they can make the slightly lower density HTs look fuller and reveal less scalp. I would still think you had to plan a HT to work by itself and just use concealers to add a bit of extra impressiveness though, rather than looking to get a low density HT you absolutely need to use concealer with. Otherwise every time it rains, every time someone or something touches your hair, every time you go to bed, you'll just be worried the illusion has been revealed. When I started using concealers it was great because they just made a decent head of hair look good, and if they washed out in the rain or someone ruffled my hair a bit or I forgot to put it in it wasn't a big deal. Now they're probably making a fairly poor head of hair look decent, and I'm more conscious of needing to use them and have them nearby. It's not a huge deal most of the time, but if I'd spent a lot of money on one or more HTs and was still really worried about how my hair looked every time it was windy or rainy or I rubbed my head against the back of a car seat or something, I'd feel disappointed.

 

Ideally they're (almost quite literally) the icing on the cake - if you're absolutely reliant on them just to look half-decent even after a few HTs, those HTs were probably not worthwhile.

Thanks. I was wondering what's the point of having a HT if you continue using concealers or whether using them means the HT was a failure

[BaldPatient2]

When that very same woman running her hands thru your hair uses make-up herself? You are "not interested in being fake" but do you date women that wear makeup? Is it "fake" when the vast majority of women put on make-up every day before work or before you pick them up for a date? I've always found it kind of ironic that the "fairer sex" are the ones that feel the need to cover their faces in war-paint make-up and bling jewelry. Certainly if you do not wish to wear concealer or fibers like Nanogen you shouldn't do it, but to slight those that do seems rather odd, when really we all in some ways try to cover our liabilities and expose our strengths.

For example women with fake boobs are a turn off for me, I would prefer small natural boobs rather than enhanced fake ones

[mahhong]

Thanks. I was wondering what's the point of having a HT if you continue using concealers or whether using them means the HT was a failure

 

The general consensus is always that a HT should stand on its own without needing any extra procedures or cosmetics to work. For example, if you're going to need 2 or 3 procedures to truly reach your goals (if you have advanced balding, for example), doctors will generally tend to do one procedures that focuses on perhaps the hairline and some of the mid-scalp, then a second procedure that focuses on the crown and maybe adds a bit of density to the first procedure, then maybe (if you have the donor) a third procedure that increases the overall density and addresses any refinements needed. Each one would work on its own though - the first procedure might address the frontal third or half to create an acceptably dense hairline and mid-scalp, the second to address the crown and complete coverage etc.

 

What a doctor wouldn't likely do, for example, is do a first procedure that covers your entire balding head with just 15 or 20g/cm2, and then do a second pass that doubles that density. The reason for this is that the first procedure wouldn't be acceptable by itself. The first rule of medicine/surgery is "do no harm" and most hair transplant doctors will only do a procedure they know will likely look cosmetically acceptable first time around - rather than planning an irregular or sub-par procedure in the hope you'll come back for a second or third procedure.

 

Basically, it's an extremely long way of saying a procedure should look at least half decent by itself. Using concealer to improve a HT's look is fine, but needing concealer to make a HT work isn't, and a good doctor probably wouldn't agree to do a really low density case that needed a lot of extra help to look half decent (unless he/she was sure the patient was crystal clear on the realities, perhaps).

 

Plus, you do need decent density to make concealers work. I don't know what "density" my native hair is at now but I reckon it might average somewhere between the equivalent of 20-30g/cm2 (less at the hairline probably) and I'm probably just about getting away with concealer now - just. But if I ever got a transplant I'd likely be wanting at least 40-45g/cm2 at the hairline and maybe 30-40g/cm2 in the mid-scalp and crown to really make the concealer work properly.

 

Also, there's scalp micropigmentation nowadays. I think a decent HT or two with SMP will achieve your goals more effectively than a HT and concealer. SMP sort of works like concealer, at least in the way it reduces the contrast between scalp and hair. You could in theory combine all three and possibly reap even greater results, though I don't know how that would look as I'm not sure I've ever seen it before.

Edited July 14, 2016 by mahhong

[Paulygon]

Like Jeff said, the main issue with concealers is getting overly reliant on them. If you continue to lose more hair you're likely to keep using more and more concealer until eventually you're just pouring fibres onto bald scalp and that can look pretty horrid -

 

This!!

 

My HT doc prefers I get adequate coverage to the point I don't need concealers.. but with concealers I am more confident that pictures will turn out great. I'm afraid the flash will brighten up my scalp in photos, but the dark concealers (toppik) will ensure that my scalp doesn't show in photos.

 

I have been in the situation (prior to first HT) where I was putting in concealer to create a hairline that had long gone away.. I think everyone noticed it but I was in denial. I remember an interviewer basically just stared at my hairline the whole time (the hairline which was created almost completely out of Toppik :eek:)!

[BaldPatient2]

 

What a doctor wouldn't likely do, for example, is do a first procedure that covers your entire balding head with just 15 or 20g/cm2, and then do a second pass that doubles that density. The reason for this is that the first procedure wouldn't be acceptable by itself. The first rule of medicine/surgery is "do no harm" and most hair transplant doctors will only do a procedure they know will likely look cosmetically acceptable first time around - rather than planning an irregular or sub-par procedure in the hope you'll come back for a second or third procedure.

 

 

.

Actually this is exactly what happened to me with Dr Gillespie in Calgary. The first procedure looked natural but the low density made it look cosmetically unacceptable , so when I came back to check the results, he told me "You need a second procedure to achieve density"and the second procedure didn't achieve acceptable density without using concealers but then he said" Yes it's very normal for a hair transplant to show scalp".

[mahhong]

Actually this is exactly what happened to me with Dr Gillespie in Calgary. The first procedure looked natural but the low density made it look cosmetically unacceptable , so when I came back to check the results, he told me "You need a second procedure to achieve density"and the second procedure didn't achieve acceptable density without using concealers but then he said" Yes it's very normal for a hair transplant to show scalp".

 

Sorry to hear it didn't quite work out the first time!

 

It is fairly normal for a hair transplant to show some scalp - particularly towards the crown and the crown itself. If you have fairly advanced balding (NW5 or 6) and get a HT the density is probably never going to be that high, particularly in the crown area. Concealers can really help there, if you're trying to go for the full look. SMP could also be useful in some circumstances. And of course future procedures if you have the donor and the goals are realistic.

 

It's all to do with managing expectations and realities, I guess. It's never easy to know exactly how a result should turn out but it should be up to a doctor to manage a patient's expectations and make sure he or she can achieve their goals (and that their goals are realistic). The expectations of a 60 year old NW6 are likely to be quite different to a 30 year old NW3, but ultimately both must accept the limitations of any HT they can get and plan appropriately.

 

I'd be quite happy continuing to use concealers if I got a HT or two and was still a little conscious about density. In an ideal world I'd love to get a HT that took my hair back up to "decent" and use concealers to make it look good again - I'm realistic about what HTs can achieve but I wouldn't be happy with a thin smattering of hair I needed to cake concealer over day in/day out.

[Shampoo]

I will agree that concealers like Nanogen are very addictive because they work so well!

 

I don't believe it is always an either/or hair-transplant=no concealer.

 

Each patient is different, each patient has different economical factors, each patient is in a different age bracket, each patient has certain density and donor hair availability.

 

So yes in an ideal situation a post-op healed patient may not need concealer any longer, but there are many situations where a patient after a successful hair transplant may still decide to use various amounts of concealer.

 

I have a close friend that has limited funds, he got a transplant and got his front done, but he still has a small area in his crown that is thinning bald. He is very happy with his transplant...his front looks great, but he also sprinkles a few shakes of Nanogen on his crown before he leaves the house and he is totally "good to go" and it is totally undetectable...he looks great and ten years younger.