Dealing with a Shaved Head

[Ralph kaka]

Hi all,

How did you deal with having a shaved head in terms of people in your life noticing and going to work? I have long hair and am going to get my hair buzzed for an FUE transplant but worried about people noticing even though I am taking a month off on my own to recover. Would love to know of people's experience.

[Melvin- Admin]

Shave your head a month before the surgery so people get used to it. 

[Gatsby]

3 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Shave your head a month before the surgery so people get used to it. 

This ^

[A_4_Archan]

Melvin gave the best idea and i would add one more thing to that..it will not just make other people use to it but even you yourself would get use to it and who knows you may find the look better thn the look with hairs (which happened to me)..

[duckling]

10 hours ago, Ralph kaka said:

Hi all,

How did you deal with having a shaved head in terms of people in your life noticing and going to work? I have long hair and am going to get my hair buzzed for an FUE transplant but worried about people noticing even though I am taking a month off on my own to recover. Would love to know of people's experience.

People will notice one day and ask about it. But then they are busy with their own lives. Only you will keep noticing your scalp and keep thinking about it. So, just relax because you may also get to try so much of short hairstyles which once hair grows you wouldn't. And if they ask reason, maybe tell them it was excessive dandruff or is the summer style you wanted to try.

I have a friend who is going norwood 6 and he got a shaved hairstyle(along with beard style and nice spectacles ) and he looked better than earlier. So sometimes it also suits you.

[StillAlive]

Man, it's hard to believe, but literally NOBODY GIVES A DAMN about your hairstyle except for yourself. HT's are a matter of self-image.

I had long hair for the better part of my life, kept it as long as my balding would allow and then one day showed up at a work meeting with a shaved head, five days post-op. The look got nothing but praise, everybody wished me well on my recovery, I cracked a few good-natured jokes and that was it. I kept attending meetings all through ugly duckling and now that I'm slowly -and hopefully, surely- growing into the transplant, business continues as usual.

The only scenario where I see anyone caring about this, is if your life is wrapped up in Instagram and you are worried about what toxic snobs will say. 

Do it, be strong and proud in your decision and everyone will follow. It's 2023, there is zero stigma attached to getting a well researched HT. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@Ralph kaka,

To be honest, in my opinion the best way to deal with others when it comes to your hair transplant is to be honest. This may sound like a crazy idea and perhaps it’s not something you’re willing to do - but in terms of the people who are regularly in your life including co-workers you see on a regular basis, why not consider just telling them in advance?   Thus, by the time you’ve had your procedure and see them, there won’t be any anxiety related to them finding out.  Also, in my experience, people are a lot less judgmental and more understanding than we picture they will be in our minds.

Of course, if you choose to attempt to conceal that you’ve had something done to the rest of the world especially those you see on a regular basis, you will likely experience a lot of anxiety wondering if somebody is going to say something even if you find a good way to conceal it.  If you can wear a hat like a baseball cap, that is the easiest way to conceal it but even then, people may wonder and even ask why you’re constantly wearing a cap especially if you didn’t before.

Another way to conceal it from people is to avoid them which when it comes to work, the only way to do this would be to take as much time off from work as humanly possible or find a way to work from home/remotely. That’s not possible for a lot of people nor is wearing a baseball cap every day at work.

Other than those things, it’s going to be very difficult to conceal the fact that you had something done up there. People may not guess that you’ve had a hair transplant but they will likely notice that something is different.  

But if you can come up with another good excuse as to why you shaved your head and/or why something just doesn’t look right up there (which then eventually leads to having a much fuller looking head of hair) - we would all like to hear it.  It’s true that some people are oblivious but most people will likely notice something and even ask what’s different about you at some stage during the process. 

So as much as hair transplant patients often look for the perfect method to conceal their procedure to the world, in my experience and opinion, honesty is the best policy and makes things much more comfortable for you as the patient.

And in my opinion, telling them in advance if possible is probably better than waiting for them to ask when your scalp is in a weird state such as immediately after surgery and even the first couple months afterwards.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

Edited April 12, 2023 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

I also happen to agree with the poster who said how nobody really cares about your hairstyle like you do. We are our own worst critics and we feel like everybody’s eyes will be on us when we make some kind of change to our appearance whether it be positive or negative. But the reality is, nobody really cares. A few inquisitive people may ask or bring it up in conversation for the most part they’re not going to care. It has no bearing on their life and thus, it’s not gonna make a difference to them. Anyone I’ve ever told about my hair transplant and has actually been quite fascinated and then within seconds, the fascination ended and the conversation shifted to something completely different - unrelated to me and my appearance.

The reason I’m saying this is it to minimize your concerns or feelings on the matter, but just to show you that while we may spend a lot of time worrying about how other people feel and what they think, most people don’t care and any curiosity others might have goes away quickly once they obtain an answer. So if you tell them ahead of time that you’re getting a hair transplant, people probably won’t even notice by the time they see you with a shaved head.

All the best,

Rahal Hair Transplant