What do people say about your HT?

[Cant decide]

I have heard many say that once the HT has grown in, most people do not notice you had it done (since it is so gradual) and just say things like "Did you lose weight", etc. I have a hard time believing that if you are a NW 3 or better and you have a HT, that after it grows in, people will not realize something has been done.

 

What type of comments have you all received when your hair finally grew in and how did people react when/if you told them what you had done?

 

Thanks

[Cant decide]

I have heard many say that once the HT has grown in, most people do not notice you had it done (since it is so gradual) and just say things like "Did you lose weight", etc. I have a hard time believing that if you are a NW 3 or better and you have a HT, that after it grows in, people will not realize something has been done.

 

What type of comments have you all received when your hair finally grew in and how did people react when/if you told them what you had done?

 

Thanks

[Yogi's Dad]

Most comments (and I've not heard that many) were along the lines of "are you coloring your hair?"

 

This is an interesting comment, because I've never had grey hairs (instead they fell out )

 

My hair has always been a light brown. My guess is that the comments have been made because the observer is seeing more hair and less scalp - hence more hair (and color) to see.

 

Also these comments are only made by folks who have not seen me in many months.

 

For those who I interact with daily - no comments whatsoever. It has been 10 months since my HT. One beauty of HTs is that the hair grows in very gradually. So, one you interact with frequently would likely not notice. There is no overnight transformation.

 

The same is true with losing, say twenty pounds in 6 months. A frequent contact might not notice anything. But, someone you've not seen in 6 moths would surely notice something has changed.

 

Having said all of this, potential observations/ reactions might vary according to your current NW classification. A "3" HT would probably be less picked up on than a "6" HT. I was a 4a.

[imissthebarber]

Comments I've had have included quite a lot of positive ones like "I like the hair" - I used to shave down. However, I think a lot of people have acted kind of awkward and not known what to say. From a couple of things I've overheard I get the feeling a lot of people have been talking behind my back. I was a NW5.

[TheEmperor]

Let's make no mistake, people who dont know you or are not your friends will gossip and express their opinions or even hostility towards you.

 

It may be dismissed as frivolous.

 

Worst case it looks bad and people will joke.

 

Best case, it makes you look much better, people will be jealous and label you a narcissist.

 

No one talks about this, but bringing a HT into typical corporate america workplace can create problems.

 

Your friends and family will have nothing but positive things to say.

[Cant decide]

No one talks about this, but bringing a HT into typical corporate america workplace can create problems.

 

Can you expand on this??

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by Can't decide:

No one talks about this, but bringing a HT into typical corporate america workplace can create problems.

 

Can you expand on this??

 

Read my post above.

 

Unless you are a low NW, it is unlikely that you will be able to enter the workplace undetected.

 

If you are a high NW, or worse, have a large diffuse loss with remaining hair that is shaved or falls out, there will be NO WAY to hide the procedure.

 

Your scalp will be red and rough for the first 3-6 months until hair starts growing in to hide it, and the growth timelines are differnt for everyone, so it may be 6-9 months before you look respectable.

 

You can either go "full monty" and let everyone see that something has changed, or wear a hat which will draw suspicion.

 

 

Cosmetic surgery is part of mainstream media, but people will gossip and talk about it. Maybe smirk, or look at your hair or not in the eye. Imagine the poor sod who used to joke about your baldness.. . he has to change his whole schtick.

 

I'm a pessimist when it comes to human nature. At a very basic level, you have elevated yourself and this will change the pecking order and ruffle some feathers. Looking back however, I have shave maybe 10 years off my look and get positive responses from many people including young women. So who the fuck cares what your coworkers think, is my attitude. I would say that HT is one of the least vain procedures. . you are not changing your look, only fixing something that has gone wrong. Of course they don't see it that way. . .

[Jojo]

here here, fu*k em, fu*k em all!!! Anyone who's negative is prob just jealous

[Cant decide]

Well said Emperor and Jojo!!!

 

It's strange (and sad) that I am worrying about what people will think if my hair turns out to look good. Good grief, this is why I want it done!!! I just do not want to be ridiculed and thought of as strange.

 

Thanks guys

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by Can't decide:

Well said Emperor and Jojo!!!

 

It's strange (and sad) that I am worrying about what people will think if my hair turns out to look good. Good grief, this is why I want it done!!! I just do not want to be ridiculed and thought of as strange.

 

Thanks guys

 

I'm sory, but against all common sense and reason, there will be those who react negatively, probably due to their own insecurity. You just have to deal with it.

 

I am an advocate of self acceptance, but the reality is that baldness really alters the way people interact with you, perhaps not unlike really strong body odor. There are people who are accustomed to body odor and will not care, but others will find it offensive. Ironically when you take steps to fix the condition, people will ridicule you for that.

[CuriousJungleGeorge]

I think, like any cosmetic procedure, hair transplantation is more about the patient's mentality than about the world's awareness of him. A confident person with a shiny dome is a confident person, and is treated accordingly; it doesn't seem people make fun of a guy "just for being bald," but might pick on one who's obviously uncomfortable with something about himself. Someone with a teen-ager's hairline, on the other hand, might be terribly uneasy about another aspect of himself, and be childishly mocked from there. As much as a person might like to tell himself otherwise, I think, at the end of the day, he doesn't get his hair moved around because he's sure doing so will make him look better, help him get that promotion; if anything, he hopes it will let him walk with the confidence he needs to pursue the promotion.

[TheEmperor]

Originally posted by CuriousJungleGeorge:

I think, like any cosmetic procedure, hair transplantation is more about the patient's mentality than about the world's awareness of him. A confident person with a shiny dome is a confident person, and is treated accordingly; it doesn't seem people make fun of a guy "just for being bald," but might pick on one who's obviously uncomfortable with something about himself. Someone with a teen-ager's hairline, on the other hand, might be terribly uneasy about another aspect of himself, and be childishly mocked from there. As much as a person might like to tell himself otherwise, I think, at the end of the day, he doesn't get his hair moved around because he's sure doing so will make him look better, help him get that promotion; if anything, he hopes it will let him walk with the confidence he needs to pursue the promotion.

 

No, just no. have you had a HT?

 

I guarantee that self confidence did not automatically spring from having hair. In fact, I was (and continue to be self conscious) about my thin hair. It doesnt look "good" by my or anyone else's standards. But just having that representation seems to balance out the look of my face, perhaps make me look younger.

 

Young women are again atracted to me and older women seem more consistently attracted to me. Young guys treat me like their older brother instead of their dad's friend. (They enjoy talking to me instead of trying to get away.) This has NOTHING to do with self confidence.

 

I understand what you have heard or what you think, and I used to agree with this, but it is just not true.

 

Some guys look good bald. They are an exception and dont factor in to this discussion. You may see some bald guys with attractive GFs/wives and its not because of confidence. Its because of wallet, they play the numbers game, or the woman does not care about looks (or some combination.)

 

The short bald man w/ attractive woman will pretend he is confident, but its post-factual; in other words, if he hadnt totally lucked upon the insecure attractive woman, he would be in the dog house.

 

Little known secret about attractive women is that they like to use their looks to control a relationship. What better way than dating "down" with an unattractive man. They know looks will fade, and biologicial clocks are ticking.

[imissthebarber]

I largely agree with Emperor. People react to what they see. Confidence is part of that but the most obvious things they see are physical. Plenty of people react before they have even had a chance to assess your body language or whether you are uneasy etc. A lot of people do react differently depending on whether you have hair.

[Ringo]

Great thread, guys! I have had many reactions from the talking behind my back, to people asking my kids what I did, to old friends I see for the first time in ten or fifteen years saying I haven't changed a bit. If they had seen me 3 years ago, they would NOT have said that. Girls are smiling at me again. That feels great. And this with a pretty thin MHR HT and an artful application of half a can of Toppik. I am now almost three weeks post HT 2 with Dr Feller and back in the perma-hat stage, but I am very excited about what's happening under that hat.

 

Best,

 

Ringo

[Cant decide]

Ringo - After seeing your one year post op pics with MHR, I would have been happy with that! Hard to believe that your head took 2300 more from Dr. Feller but I guess this means you are going to have one great head of hair.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

By the way, I liked your post because it crystallized for me what I already new which is that people are going to talk reguardless of what you do; whether it be about your hairloss, transplant, ugly shirt, car, etc....

 

Thanks