I respect bald men, truly bald men…those that are Class 9’s and beyond and don’t let it affect them — because looking and being bald is their hair style. They live with it, don’t let it affect their personality because they don’t have the choice to re-grow their hair naturally and permanently with hair restoration. But what I can’t understand is the amount of guys who shave their heads, sport the bald style, and all too cover up their recession or thinning areas.
I was arguing about this with my friend Robert the other day – a 44 year old, progressing Class 5. He suffers from heavy hair loss in the temples and crown, and instead of doing something about it, he shaves his head. Honestly, it doesn’t suit his personality or looks. It makes him look like a wanna-be, trendy guy – and furthermore, his head is now completely shiny which even his family has commented on how it looks awkward and doesn’t suit his laid-back persona.
Because she knows full well that I used to be bald and that I re-grew my own hair with MHR, Robert’s wife asked me to talk with him about considering hair transplantation. After volleying for at least 30 minutes about how he’s fine with his hair now, and how he thinks he looks even younger with a shaved head, he disclosed that he was really bothered by the fact that he was losing his hair…however he didn’t want to be perceived as a guy that was vain…and that cared that he was losing his hair. I recall this feeling all too well. It’s a sort of Hair Loss Catch 22. As a guy who was watching his hair collect in the shower drain day after day, I knew my confidence was dissipating with each look in the mirror. However I also felt like it was un-masculine to let it be known that I got a hair transplant procedure because that would broadcast the fact that underneath all the muscles and machismo, I was actually vain and concerned about my appearance.
When I reiterated to Robert that the hair grows in very slowly and then after 9 months the transplanted hair is completely undetectable, he started to get it. This transition period actually works incredibly in our favor. It’s not like one day we’re bald and the next day we’re like a gorilla. The re-growth period happens in a slow progression (yes, just like when you’re losing) so the results occur naturally and unnoticeably – although don’t be surprised when people take extra long looks and think you’ve lost weight, gone on vacation, etc. etc.
I remember the feeling of losing my hair and feeling like “I can live with it”. But the honest answer was that I could not. Believe me, I studied bald guys and I just couldn’t imagine myself with no hair or a shiny shaved head. That thought was with me all the time until I made the decision to talk to the guys at MHR. Back then I felt bad, out of shape, constantly looking in the mirror to check if my hair loss has stopped or become even worse. But I was fooling myself – just like Robert was fooling himself. The result of our long conversation was that he subsequently made an appointment to visit with the Director of Patient Education and the Doctor at our local MHR office. He now knows why he is losing his hair, how much progression he will experience, and how much he can re-grow with only one procedure. He and his wife have talked it over and he has made an appointment in July to get a hair transplant from MHR. Obviously, he is stoked. And what’s awesome for me is to hear that his feelings of excitement are genuine – unlike his feelings when he tried to explain that he like the way he felt with a shaved head. Guys, if you think you’re saving yourself by shaving your head, you’re only drawing more attention to your hair loss and you’re doing nothing to stop the progression.