Discussions About Being Bald > To be or not be...Bald

Hair Transplants and Hair Pieces (Toupees)

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Sir Harry:
Hello, forum members

Lately, we have been getting a lot of posts and/or questions from current and former HT clients. I've spoken to Tyler, and with his blessing, I've decided to go ahead and start a new thread (board) for our members who are current and former HT clients to share their stories, questions, or even solutions. There are rules to this board (thread) and they are as follows

1. No attacks or abusive posts toward members with HT. I know that many of the membership here doesn't necessarily agree with getting a HT, however this is not the place to be judgmental. Some sensitivity needs to be shown. (At the end of the day, we all have done something in life that we later had second thoughts about regardless if it relates to hair loss or not.)

2. While this is a place to share stories or even vent, this is not a place to advertise for companies, and spam in any form will not be tolerated

3. Private messaging between members is always allowed, however, this is not a pickup site and once again, avoid being abusive and judgmental. If a member feels he (or she) is being harassed, PM myself or another moderator, and we will address the offending individual(s)

4. Suggestions on methods to help with HT's and the scars they leave behind are always welcome, and any member can post on this board (thread), however, again, rules 1 and 2 will still be enforced here

5. If posting pictures, please try to keep them within the size limitations.

6. Trolling is absolutely forbidden. Sharing links from other forums are okay as long as they are not spam and not trying to promote/sell anything.

Anyone violating the above will be warned via PM, and then openly in the forum. Repeated violation of the above will result in action being taken, including but not limited to, editing and/or deletion of posts and getting banned from the forum

If a moderator feels there was something I missed, feel free to add on

PS: Tyler, is there a way to convert this thread into its own separate board? If you can do this, it will be greatly appreciated, so our members can find it easier.

Mikey_SA:
Thanks for starting this thread Harry. I'm sure it will be valuable for many as time goes on. Having HT scars can make it seem as though there is a serious obstacle to shaving down but scars can be improved a lot these days.

Here is a link to the work I have had done. Admittedly I think the photo's may flatter the end result but it is definitely much improved.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185377-strip-scar-repair-fue-smp.html

Sir Harry:
No problem, Mike. Thanks for sharing the links to your photos. Continued success to you in getting the results you desire on your road to your scar recovery. Everyone is going to deal with the HT scar issue in their own way, but this thread I believe will help each other, even those who are considering HT.

Tyler:
Harry, thanks for creating this thread! Let's see how the thread progresses and if there's a lot of discussion starting I'll create a section for it.

ngasportsfan:
This might get lengthy, but I want to share my story.  I am 50 years old.  I started reading this forum a couple years ago, and would come back and visit from time to time, but I never posted.  I hope by sharing my story, maybe someone else can benefit (and anyone thinking about hair transplants WON’T do it!).  I also hope it provides some therapy for me.  I’m not suicidal or anything near that.  It’s just something that’s bothersome and increases my stress.

When I was 18 I played basketball at a small college in Georgia.  It was then that I heard the first comment about me losing hair.  After a practice and shower, with my hair still wet, one of my teammates pointed and said “Man, you are losing your hair.”  It was devastating.  This was the first I thought about hair loss even though my dad had lost his.  Both of my granddads died with full heads of hair.  I had no inclination I would lose mine.

A couple years later, I was out with a couple of friends and their girlfriends.  We were having a discussion as to why I chose not to have a steady girlfriend at that time.  One of the girls (now my friend’s wife) looked at me and said “You better get a girlfriend because you are losing your hair.”  I had never really had a problem with dating or anything….but, this too devastated me.  I was about 22 then.

About a year later, I decided to get a “weave.”  I don’t know what to call it now, but basically, it was a hair piece sewn into my existing hair.  It was very uncomfortable and required a lot of maintenance.  But, I thought it was better than not having hair.  Shortly thereafter, I met my wife, got married, and started working.  A couple months after marriage I ditched the hairpiece and just went with what I had.

For whatever reason, the whole hair loss thing kept nagging at me.  My wife (27 years now) could care less.  But, it bothered me and I thought hair transplants would take care of everything.  How I wish the information and forums like this were available in the early 90’s.  It is, without any doubt, the worst decision I’ve made in my life.

As years passed, my hair kept falling out, and the transplants became more and more apparent.  This was back in the “round plug” days, so the doll look was evident.  I tried shaving my head around age 30, but the scars on the back of my head were horrid.  In fact, the same friend’s wife commented when she first saw my shaved head, “Oh my God.  What are you going to do about that?”  I eventually let my hair grow back and had some revision work to try to hide what was obvious. 

Shortly thereafter, I decided to shave again and started working on the donor scars.  I had to find a way to do it cheap…I had already spent too much on something that I should have never worried about.  After a lot of research, I bought a derma roller and some Vitamin E oil.  I also experimented with different types of silicon strips.  It did help reduce the scars some. 

Eventually, though, I got tired of shaving and grew my hair back out.  That lasted about a year or so, then I saw a photo of myself.  The plugs just stood out something terrible.  So, I decided to shave again.

I constantly worry about what the back of my head looks like.  I’ve continued to work on the donor scars with the derma roller and recently, Mederma gel.  I can’t tell that the gel helps that much, but I’m supposed to use it for 6 months.  At $25 a tube, that probably won’t happen (I have two teenagers and one in college, so I’m not rolling in money).  I read some studies recently that tested the different gels, and the conclusion was Vaseline and vitamin E oil was just as effective.  I may try that with some silicon strips at night.

I’m hoping that participating in this forum will help ease my stress about the back of my head.  It still worries me.  Not being bald.  I actually like that.  But, the scars…those damn scars just keep worrying me.  The top of my head is OK.  There's some slight pitting if the light hits it just right, but fortunately, the original and subsequent surgery healed pretty well for the type of butchering they did to me.

I had my son snap this photo this morning.  I can look in some mirrors and it looks like this, and then look in others, and it looks a lot worse (IMO anyway).

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