My Hair Journey with Photos

[PanamaJimmy]

If I were a Hair Transplant Surgeon I'd definitely rename myself Harry, so I could say to my clients, "Hi, I'm Harry, and soon you will be too." HAIR! It's one of those things you take for granted when you're a kid, and ideally, it's something you shouldn't have to think too much about, especially as a man.

 

But one dark day after taking an extra close look at the shower drain (holy cussword, is that my hair?), and an extra long mirror inspection (OMG, it's really happening), you have to own up to the situation: "I'm LOSING my bleeping hair!" This is not a good day. You envision yourself in the near future looking, and maybe acting, like George Costanza. Guys, you know what I mean. Then, depending on your social situation, level of vanity, career aspirations, self confidence, and rate of hair loss, there is a corresponding rate of stress, dread, and for some, a pathetic state of miserable acceptance.

 

However, blessed be the children of the Internet age, because all of you here on this forum with at least a healthy amount of donor hair left are very very lucky. The ones before us, and not too long before, I might add, with barbaric butchered hair plugs, were very very unlucky. The whole sordid beginning of this industry still looms in the public psyche like an especially bad B-grade horror flick. Thank God for progress in technology!

 

For me, my hair loss was initially quite minimal and slow, and it took a good 14 years for me to finally do something about it. One thing I knew, is that I would never resort to "the comb-over", a toupee, or any other desperate act that would scream, "Hey, look at me, I'm losing my Hair!" I was 26, living in crazy Caracas, and I was able to buy some Snake Oil Concoction at the Pharmacist (you don't need prescriptions for much there). I rubbed this on my head religiously for about a year before it became apparent I was just a sucker throwing my money away.

 

I sulked, and prayed my hair would thin into a nice looking crow's peak or something distinguished, maybe like a Duke. But NO, I gradually started noticing an uneven gap emerging like a snake's two prong tongue. Lovely. This was quite depressing, and as a last resort I shaved my head. Instead of looking like a cool athlete, or a tough guy, however, I think I resembled a very large baby or possibly a very pale monk.

 

About this time I became acquainted with a guy who you might be familiar with. He lost a great deal more hair than I ever did, before Dr. Shapiro helped him get it back, and in the process, started a very successful Forum by and for Hair Loss Patients!!

"There is hope!", I remember thinking, as I learned about the vast improvements in the industry and started popping propecia daily (Finasteride actually, much cheaper). And hey, if she can buy perfect breasts, why can't I have perfect hair again?! Why not indeed, and so I plunked down a sum well worth every penny to my local Coalition Doctor, Dr. Glenn Charles, in lovely Boca Raton, the epicenter and cultural capital of Vanity. Dr. Charles was great from start to finish and I highly recommend him, although he wouldn't let me borrow his Ferrari convertible to show off my new hair!

 

"Daddy, that's a horrible rash on your head!", pointed out my 7 yr old daughter; the only one to see under my baseball cap for the short 2 weeks post-op period. Then the waiting game started, and yes, it took some faith, because at one point in the process it actually looks worse due to shock loss and having all the older hairs thin out to feed blood to the newer guys fighting hard to grow strong.

 

But, then one day someone you know says, "Hey, you been working out?" or "Did you lose weight?" or "Damn, you look younger for some reason. Vitamins?". For me, I reveled in the fact that I looked much better and much younger, but nobody, not even my parents, guessed I had grown a new hairline! I know for some of you that were very advanced on the Norwood scale, it took more than one transplant, more time, and the results were much more profound, and it still astounds me when I see candidates' before photos that were nearly bald with a beautiful head of hair after their dedication to the process! It truly is a remarkable feat to get your hair back; to reclaim what is rightfully yours! Those Damn Genes!

 

I'd say between 8 months to 1 year after hair restoration surgery things really filled in, and I saw better results than I dreamed were possible. Now it is two years later and to be honest, I just don't think about it that much anymore, unless I see an old photo. Then, I have to smile and count myself lucky to be living in an age where this is even possible. I'm sure over the coming decades in our lifetime we will see amazing advances in the hair restoration industry :-)

 

 

 

[Bill - Seemiller]

Jimmy,

 

Thanks for coming aboard and sharing your personal story and hair restoration journey with us. It's honestly amazing how much younger you look with hair. And having met you at the annual ISHRS 2008 scientific meeting in Montreal, I can confirm how natural and dense your hair looks in person.

 

Like you, the shaved head look wasn't for me. In fact, I felt I looked pretty ridiculous with it, but I certainly wasn't going to do a comb-over. And while hair replacement systems are a viable option for some, it was never appealing to me.

 

Be thankful you were able to meet your hair restoration goals in one procedure. Some, like me required multiple procedures. But despite the long journey I went through, I'm so glad I did given all the hair and additional confidence my journey has given me.

 

I look forward to your continued involvement here.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[fritz68]

Great story and great transformation! In the before photos you look peeved off and lacking confidence. In the afters the opposite. Fantastic result. Congratulations.

[Blake Bloxham]

PanamaJimmy,

 

Thank you for sharing your story! I think it's been my favorite description of the journey I've read thus far (I must admit, I laughed at the computer screen during the "large baby or a very pale monk" line). Your results look excellent, and you obviously made a wise decision seeing Dr. Charles. Congratulations on your transplant success.

[PanamaJimmy]

All,

 

Thank you for the compliments :-)

 

Bill, same to you when we met in Montreal, as I would have never known otherwise that you were a former hair loss sufferer.

 

I am impressed by the level of commitment and time it takes for those who need multiple sessions, because even with just one session the waiting is no fun! Reminds me, in a weird way, what is was like waiting for puberty: "Hey, I think there's some hair coming there!"

 

Panama Jimmy