Sly since 2009…still struggling with my hair transplant scar

[IllinoisBaldy]

Greetings from Illinois fellow SBGs.  My name is Joe and I’m writing to you from the Chicagoland area.  I first noticed I was losing my hair when I was only 16 years old… receding hairline with diffuse thinning.  This was in the early 90’s and Sly was not common otherwise I may have given it a shot.  By the time I was 19, aggressive hair loss had turned my once thick hair, thin and wispy and I fell for the worst scam any man could…a hair transplant.   By the time I turned 24/25, I lost all native hair on top of my head, leaving me only with the big plugs…think doll’s head hair.  I wore a hat almost 24/7 for quite some time.  In 2009, I decided to do something about the plugs and I had them removed.  I shaved my head in October 2009 and I felt liberated!  I then worked with a dermatologist in 2009 / 2010 to smooth the recipient area and donor scar with Fraxel laser.  I also had some laser hair removal sessions to get the few remaining transplanted hair. 

While I love being bald I still struggle with my hair transplant scar and what it signifies…my insecurities at a much younger age.  I would never grow what little is left of my hair to cover the scar but I find myself wearing a hat a lot to hide the scar…nowhere near as much as I used to but more than I would like.  I’ve told family and some friends how I got the scar.  Very few people have asked about it but, when they have, I have been unable to say how I got it out of embarrassment.   I believe this is holding me back in some ways. 

To all the fencers and lurkers especially the youngsters…please do not go down the same road I did when I was young, naïve, and desperate.  I can assure you that hair transplants are not the answer to hairloss as MPB is an unrelenting process.  Even though the transplanted hair may look good initially, it will not as you lose more hair making the plugs obvious.  Shave your head and allow yourself time to get used to your new look.  I promise… you will not look back.  Live your life scar-free.   I can’t express how much better my life has become since I went Sly…even with the scar.

Special thanks to SBG member marty22 for providing his email address on another forum and offering insight on ways to get out of the mess I was in.

I hope to contribute to this great forum.

Joe

[chgobuzzbald]

Email me if you would. I have also been doing some scar revision. thanks

[Sir Harry]

Welcome and thank you for sharing your story...No one can say more about the evils of HT more than someone who has done it...Good luck and I hope that your treatments for your scar go well.

[Paul the Headblader]

hey and welcome.
thanks for sharing your experience

[lordpeich]

Welcome.

[marty22]

glad 2 hear all is moving along.....you're welcome

[Vash]

Welcome aboard. sir!

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Welcome--great attitude with an important message.  You can be a valuable asset to this site for those guys who are being victimized by the HT Butchers. 

[baldjoeg]

Welcome Joe. Thanks for sharing your story. You have a great looking dome. Good luck on your scar issue.

[Baldstu]

Welcome and thanks I hope you find the right answers to the scarring

[DCdome]

Hey Joe,

Welcome.  Glad you found us.

Thanks for sharing your story.  It will be of real help to young guys contemplating transplants.

BTW, you look great with the bald dome and the blond babe.

[BaldHDbiker]

Welcome aboard and enjoy. 

[IllinoisBaldy]

Thanks everyone...glad to be here.

[buddha]

While I love being bald I still struggle with my hair transplant scar and what it signifies…my insecurities at a much younger age.  I would never grow what little is left of my hair to cover the scar but I find myself wearing a hat a lot to hide the scar…nowhere near as much as I used to but more than I would like.  I’ve told family and some friends how I got the scar.  Very few people have asked about it but, when they have, I have been unable to say how I got it out of embarrassment.   I believe this is holding me back in some ways. 

This one paragraph says for me why you might consider talking about the scar in spite of feeling embarrassed about how it got there. We all are subject to the fear campaigns launched by just about every advertiser going. The ad agencies are way ahead of us in terms of knowing how to utilize the human psyche and this is how they make money. They have no regard for after-effects and how a person's life might be negatively impacted by the result of their campaigns.
Your scar makes you a qualified teacher. You have "been there-done that" and the wisdom of that is the thing that might help other young men to make a decision not to walk into a HT "clinic". Your scar sets you apart and might be the thing that would bring a young man consider asking the question before committing to the HT. And, in my opinion, there is no one better to ask than you. Try to get past the embarrassment of how the scar came to be and just be honest. You see the world differently today in the terms of this forum because of your experience and the scar is your diploma.
We grow up in a society in which money is the mark of a person's success and form carries greater importance than function. Teachers like you can start to reverse that trend from the ground up. Welcome to the forum.

[wpruitt]

Welcome Joe