Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => General Discussion => Topic started by: futureboy on November 27, 2014, 02:12:07 PM
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Hey guys,
I've been bald/balding since I was about 20, and I'm now 33. Yeah, it sucks, you do get over it, but there's always a little part of me that just wishes I had that hair on the top of my head back. There's that little bit of confidence you wish you had when going up to talk to a girl. Hell, I have a girlfriend now and she says she likes me just the way I am, and she doesn't understand why a man would want to get restored hair. She even finds it incredibly unsexy.... I disagree. She just doesn't understand.
Anyway, occasionally I google to see if hair cloning or other procedures have been perfected. It's always been "five years away" and now I have started to accept it may simply never happen, so I'll stop searching. However, today I stumbled upon a hair "restoration" company called "Good Look Ink". They basically tattoo hair onto your head where it's missing, but it actually looks pretty good, is permanent, is done in under 6-12 hours, and costs between $500-5,000 depending on how much "hair" they restore.
I was a bit skeptical but then I looked at the videos and before/after and it definitely is impressive at a distance. I don't know how it looks up close, but all of the reviews are VERY positive.
I'm considering doing this but I was curious if anyone else has done it? I hate that lack of hair is a reason for me lacking confidence in myself, and as I said before my girlfriend thinks it's unsexy that lack of hair makes me insecure, but you know what, she has no idea what she is talking about and I guarantee you if she started balding she would be fracking terrified. What's more important is how this makes ME feel. If I can spend $5,000 on a Friday and by Monday morning have what looks like a very thin but complete head of hair, just imagine how much more confident I would feel... almost instantly.
It does sound really great but I can't see anyone talking about it here. Any thoughts?
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First off, keep in mind that your hair, the lack thereof, does not make you who you are. Your personality and how you act do that. Now to answer you question.
Personally, I wouldn't do it for the following reasons:
1) You may not like the result of you may have an allergic reaction to the ink.
And tattoos are far more expensive, painful and time consuming to get rid of than to obtain.
Are you sure you want to risk the financial loss?
2) Assuming you're currently suffering from just partial hair loss, you'll have to keep having the
tattoo enlarged to keep up with future hair loss. That brings up the possibility that the ink used
in future tattoos won't completel match that used in previous tattoos.
3) People are going to see such a tattoo as exactly that, a tattoo. And, most likely, also as a
desperate attempt to hang on to something that no longer exists.
In short, my humble opinion is to THINK ABOUT IT A LOT before you before you actually do it. Either way, good luck. I hope everything works out for you.
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Welcome to SBG!
Hell, I have a girlfriend now and she says she likes me just the way I am, and she doesn't understand why a man would want to get restored hair. She even finds it incredibly unsexy.... I disagree. She just doesn't understand.
Hmmm, personally I'd say she's not the one who's not understanding.
and as I said before my girlfriend thinks it's unsexy that lack of hair makes me insecure, but you know what, she has no idea what she is talking about
She knows exactly how she feels. And just because you feel otherwise, doesn't in any way invalidate her feelings or make her wrong.
And personally, I agree with her. Confidence is sexy. Freaking out about something as silly as hair is not.
It does sound really great but I can't see anyone talking about it here.
We do have at least one member who has had it done, and seems to be happy with the result. Personally, I would not even think of it, but that's me.
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I agree. The answer from me is NO on all counts.
However it is your decision.
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Unless you have some severe scarring on your scalp, I think there are more cons than pros to it. You will have to keep your head virtually shaved to no-guard constantly, you run the risk of it smearing, and you have to keep going back to keep it fresh...Is it worth the trouble?
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Funny you should mention this (will tell you why below).
I would never do it. I haves seen a couple of guys with this and it stands out worse than a cheap toupe"!
One guy in my church had it done and then, when the remaining hair on the side of his head turned gray, (and the tattooed hair did not), it now looks ridiculous.
And it is funny that you should bring this up. last night I was out at a bar and a guy walked in with a swagger that shouted; "I really think that I am a big sexy ladies man", but he had a hair tattoo job. I kid you not, patrons in the bar actually started laughing at the guy's tattooed hair!
Again, I would never do this. But you should do whatever makes you feel good.
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I think you guys are right.... the biggest concern I have is the changing color of the real hair I still have. I was born a ginger but at my current age that remaining head hair has turned into a more brownish appearance, more is the pity, although when I grow my beard out you can see the ginger (along with the white/gray, presumably from stress).
I agree that confidence is everything but I'm starting to think my confidence is so damn low because I started balding at such an early age. And have you noticed that while it's super offensive to insult anyone's gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion, it is apparently forever open season on bald guys.
Nobody cares to insult bald guys. "Hey baldie" is totally acceptable, but just imagine if someone had say "hey {{insert gender/race/sexual orientation slur}}"... you'd be fired from your job.
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I'll approach your questions this way. I'm BBC, bald by choice. I have a full head of hair, but I really like the bald look, so I shave my head daily or almost daily. It's a really good look. Feels nice each morning. It's a popular hairstyle these days.
Bald is about attitude.
Just hang around this site for awhile. Read the comments. Read all of the 'why didn't I do it sooner' comments. And shaving your head is less permanent than a tattoo. If you don't like it, you can grow (at least part of it back).
Good to have you hear. This is the right place to discuss balding issues. Good guys here. They shoot straight.
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Thanks guys. I've only been here for a day but you all seem like some really great guys and quite encouraging. I'll hang around and reconsider the "good look ink" idea.
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It does seem to look a little strange. If you're willing to go all out, I think straight up head tattoos look cool on the right people. I wouldn't have the balls to do it!
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Hey, first time poster. I'm considering this treatment as well. I figured I'd chime in because this forum seems to be a pretty stand up, honest group.
I'm 30 and a NW7. I battled hair loss for a few years with toppic but lost the war and have been sly for awhile now. I feel pretty good about myself and am rocking the look just fine. I do feel like loosing my hair has really affected my looks in a negative way though. During the toppic days having an illusion of a hair had a huge difference on my overall appearance.
I've been checking out hair loss forums for awhile and have never came across a hair loss cure or procedure that has received very high reviews. Most produce inconsistent results and I've never been convinced any one solution would work for me. Then I stumbled upon the scalp micro pigmentation.
I dismissed the idea at first because the thought of tattooing your head seemed far fetched. I couldn't help but watch a few videos and soon the idea really intrigued me. One company has a forum for their customers to post diaries of the process. About 90% of the people who get the treatment are doing back flips they're so happy with it. There are a lot of testimonials, it almost seems to be too good to be true.
I still haven't seen it in person (at least I don't think I have) and would never do something like this without seeing it in real life on multiple different people. Most companies that offer the procedure will have open houses where it can be viewed before making any commitment, so I defiantly plan on doing that at some point.
I've been searching for awhile online and there is hardly any bad reviews for the procedure. Everyone seems to love it. The only negative feedback is from people who have never seen it and are just bad mouthing it because they think it as crazy. It seems that if you go to a repeatable company and do your research than there is a good chance it will have a very positive impact on your life. That is of course, if hair loss is having a negative impact in the first place.
Most people preach the "acceptance" argument when it comes to dealing with hair loss. I feel as if that line of thinking is cornered in the fact that there is / was no viable cure or solution. Therefor, if there is no cure / solution, any sane person would eventually have to just accept it. But if say tomorrow someone released a pill that cost $10 and cured hair loss forever, with no side effects... no one would ever tell you again to just "accept" hair loss.. they'd tell you to go take that pill and be on with it.
When discussing hair loss with a friend of mine he told me to just accept that that's who I am. Just so happened that he had lost one of his front teeth about three months prior. I said to him, what about when you lost your tooth, why didn't you just accept that that was now who you are? Instead, he went to the dentist and got a fake tooth put in. His procedure was purely a cosmetic one, yet some reason that's perfectly acceptable in our society and no one would ever tell him to accept it or try to talk him out of it.
Someone above mentioned they've seen two people who looked strange with it. That may be true, I'm not sure as I was not there with you. But I do want to say that I've seen a lot of people with white hair get it done, some people well into there 60's and it looked great on all of them. Since the ink fades over time it seems to mimic the greying process for someone who experiences that. It is well documented that touch ups are needed after the initial set of treatments, every 5 or so years. If say you grey in that time then for your next touch up they would adjust the pigments to match your hair at its current state. Plus when hair is shaved down it is not as much of a problem. It sounds like the guy you saw was trying to keep his hair long when he shouldn't have. The other dude trying to say he was a ladies man, sounded like a douche regardless of his hair. Someone like that would probably go into a micropigmentation office and, against the advice of all the practitioners, get a super sharp hairline that didn't suit him in the first place. Of course I'm just speculating.
As it is for me now, being a NW7, I'm going to have to shave every other day. Unless I just let myself go. I've tried to see what growth looks like and anything after a week I just look like a fool. So currently, i'm stuck a sly guy no matter what. If this micropigmentation process really is undetectable and I already have to shave every other day, than it seems like a really good option.
I just want to say I'm not here to promote the good look ink company. Not that I have anything against them, i've seen that they do some good work, but I wouldn't likely go with them if I do end up getting it done. For one they are too far away from me ,and with them they do the whole procedure in one sitting which is a bit nerve racking to me. Most of the other companies spread out the treatment over 3 or so sessions. They usually start of conservative then make adjustments in the following treatments to refine and perfect the look.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give my take.
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A couple thoughts in no particular order:
1: Where I work, you would get fired (or at least disciplined) for saying "Hey baldy!" at someone. Although it was not always the case, we now have a policy against calling attention to a person's appearance. Perhaps more companies will follow suit.
2: A relative of mine always wanted me to get a hair transplant. A certain country miusic singer ( I can't remember his name) got one, and this relative said "he looks so good on TV". Bah! With the right makeup and lighting, they can make the Phantom of the Opera "look good on TV".
3: To paraphrase UK Prime Minister David Cameron: "You may not like your hairline, but that won't be forever. You may not like your hair color, but that also won't be forever. But, if you tattoo your scalp, that will be forever".
It is your choice. Choose wisely.
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There are some problems with tattooing dots onto the top of your head;
1. You will then have to always shave your head, growing it out won't be an option. Not shaving and the remaining hair will grow out, the dots wont it will look like you just shaved the top of your head. imagine being on a camping trip you cant shave, your beard and side hair grow out on your head but the dots on top don't.
2. It will not grow or have stubble anyone that rubs their hand over it will feel just your smooth head day or night unchanging.
3 the sides of my head has no shadow as most my hair is white now when I shave you cant see where hair is so it would be an odd look for me to have dots on top my head
4. At some point you may not want to have the shadow look but no way to remove it once done.
There is nothing wrong with a man being bald and on many it is a good look. Just say no to hair dots.
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one other thing that would make me hesitate to do this is the way that styles change.
Right now the shaved head with the definite hairline is considered a good look. Thus, a lot of guys are getting the dots to imitate that look. But what happens when this look goes out of style? I mean, in the 70's and early 80's we all thought that Mullets looked good! The guys who are naturally bald can never get that natural look back because their head is all covered in dots!
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I hear what you guys are saying. Doing this sort of treatment defiantly entails a commitment to shaving. That's kind of a scary thought, one hair cut for the rest of my life. But, as I mentioned before, being a NW7 I'm already stuck with one hair cut for the rest of my life, a horseshoe. If I let my hair grow out past a week it looks pretty sloppy. Anything past a month, forget about it, I look like Krusty the Clown. In order to look my best, even if I don't do any sort of treatment, I need to shave every other day. I figure most of the sly guys, who are so because of MPB, can relate to that. This treatment is meant to improve the current situation that I'm already in.
Shaving every other day could prove to be difficult, but with a little planning ahead, I'm sure most any scenario could be handled without much issue. All in all, the maintenance for this sort of hair style is much less than virtually any other hair style in the world. Basically 5 minutes every other day and you never have to worry about your hair again.
From what I have seen, white hair is not an issue at all. Nor is very light hair that is invisible when you shave. If anything people in these situations have the best results of all. In cases like that the recipient will have the treatment over the whole head and have basically no blending issues.
I'm a graphic designer and used to be involved in videography, so I'm very aware that hollywood and photoshop can make anything look amazing when viewing a pic or video. When considering this treatment, if all I ever saw were ads or testimonials provided solely by the company offering the service, then I would be very leery indeed. The only reason I am considering this treatment is because of the 100's of testimonials provided by the recipients themselves, through unbiased diaries shared online. I've seen people from every walk of life get this treatment, and I'll be honest it pretty much looks great on everyone. Its not just good looking, athletic guys being shown.. its your every day person.. old, young, fat, skinny, ugly, good looking, whatever the case; having illusion of hair just seems to improve everyone's situation.
As I mentioned, in most cases the procedure is spaced out over 3 or so treatments spanning about a month. It seems that that can be a difficult time to endure, due to an unfinished look during the process and perfecting it over the course of all 3 sessions. But in just about every case it always turns out great by the end. Like I said 90% of people are doing back flips they are so happy. The people who aren't doing back flips, still say its a massive improvement and that they are still happy that they had it done. I've only seen 1 or 2 bad examples and those weren't necessarily due to the faults of the treatment, but human error or unreal expectations / demands.
The treatment doesn't even have to be permeant if you are unhappy with the results. Laser removal is an option and I have seen evidence that it works. I have also seen evidence that a laser removal can cause issues as well, so it should only be considered as a last resort.
Everyone knows the saying... if you are happy with a product or service you'll tell 1 person. If you are mad or dissatisfied about a product or service you will tell 10 people. I've been searching online for awhile now and can not find many dissatisfied customers. Everyone seems to love it! If this treatment turned out bad for someone, in the mental state most hair loss sufferers are in, you know that they would be voicing their opinion on all of the hair loss forms around. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
For a man who has hair and decides to shave, it is a pretty stylish look now a days. But I don't think its the same for a man with MPB who has to shave because of it. The two hair "styles" are perceived by those viewing them to be different, even if it is subconscious.
I still don't know if this procedure is for me. On one hand I can see myself getting on just fine with life as a regular old NW7. On the other hand I can see this procedure sparking a huge change in my lifestyle. Ive been trying to factor all the pros and cons. I'll be weighing out both sides heavily and will hopefully see it in person soon. There are risks involved but there seems to be a very high success rate.
If anyone has had this procedure done by a reputable scalp micropigmentation company I'd love to hear some feedback.
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I am amazed that no one replied to you. You make good and reasonable arguments. O0
I too am considering this.... Feed back from people who had it.
Those who aren't interested in it shouldn't bother to comment. People always push what they do and what they choose to make themselves right and stroke their own eGos. :/O
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I am amazed that no one replied to you. You make good and reasonable arguments. O0
I too am considering this.... Feed back from people who had it.
Those who aren't interested in it shouldn't bother to comment. People always push what they do and what they choose to make themselves right and stroke their own eGos. :/O
I do believe on his first post he asked for thoughts on this topic , meaning pro and con.
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There's no way to look natural with the micropigmentation
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There is really no right or wrong answer here. As someone who underwent the procedure three years ago, I did it because I was having issues with scars. If I had to do it over again (which wasn't a cost-effective option at that time), I probably would have just had the scar areas done and left the top alone. The key is to shop around and ask questions if you go through this. Also, unlike regular tattoos, SMP only goes into the first layer of the epidermis and on average, you have to do three sessions, possibly more. Further, your body chemicals will start to break down the SMP job usually in the range of 8-12 years in which case you must decide to either let it fade out or to go in for a touchup job which on average may be 1/2 the cost of the original procedure. Many of our members, some who post a lot and others not so much, underwent hair transplants, and after the scarring just went ahead and shaved their heads after all. SMP is a good option to cover some scars and most guys who get it done were shaving almost every day anyway. Yes, I was one of those who frowned upon SMP, but after trying all kinds of stuff to cover surgical scars, I took the SMP route and am happy with my results. On the other side of the coin, several guys are getting their hair lasered to achieve a uniform hairless look. All in all, this is in no way to be an attack, but we have to respect the decisions of everyone here. SMP, if you do research right and go to a provider who has your interest at heart more than his or her wallet, can be a success and something you can have for a decade or longer. Sorry for the long post, but as someone who had it done, I just wanted to post a point of view from the other side.
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I had it done to conceal extensive and ugly, obvious hair transplant scarring 5 years ago. My avatar is me just after the final procedure at HIS Hair in 2013, only company doing it then successfully. Freed me to finally shave smooth and love it still today. Do need a bit of a touch up on scarred areas which I will do over the winter. I did my whole head for an even look but maybe didnt need to. But now no one knows how stupid and insecure I once was and it has made a huge difference in my life and self confidence and success. I now sport a shaved head with stubble beard and feel great. BUT if you dont have transplant scars I wouldn't advocate it. Just be confidently bald and have gratitude you didnt scar up your whole head. If you do your whole head keep it a light shade, dont try to go low to make a hairline only a 10 year old would have.
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My perspective is a little different I have male pattern baldness I've chose so I've chosen to shave my head for now and I'm 55 ran from this for over three decades as mine started thinning when I was about 20 as well I've worn some great Hair Systems they Oculus hair stylist have even started to cut them before they realize it they weren't my natural hair, recently I have thought about purchasing a business that does Scout pigmentation how can I very seriously even for myself, but I don't think I'm willing to make that commitment just due to the process of aging and not being sure how it's going to look in the future, as the skin on the head does change as age. The reason I opted not to buy the business is that I think as we lose our hair we do become desperate for Solutions, or at least I did and I don't want to give someone a permanent solution that they later decide was the wrong choice and maybe they can't afford to have the tattooed lasered off. Ultimately it is your decision I've seen a lot of these testimonials it does look great and if there's ever cure for baldness you know how your hair would just grow in with the tattoo on your scalp and no one would ever know the difference as some people do use it to fill in thinning areas just to make them darker the right color so they're less noticeable. I do wish you the best of luck and regardless of what decision you make it's yours, but you might even really look at a hair system because they are great ones out there that would really amaze you. I would also recommend shaving your head doing for 30 days checking out your real confidence finding out some things about yourself and then make your hair choice. I am all about choice good luck and keep us posted
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Just thought I'd weigh in a bit more bluntly, as is my nature. The problem as I see it, and I'm genuinely trying to help, is that your own mindset is completely wrong.
The problem is inside not outside. I started balding in my teens but I always expected to and accepted it. I can't say I always like it but at the end of the day it's my conscious decision how I respond to it. I can be bitter about it and let the simple lack of hair affect my confidence or I can own it, accept myself for who I am and move on. I've done the latter. I also have bigger problems in life to be worried about than a lack of bloody hair...mortgage, work stress, sports injuries, paying for kids college.
In other words, accept it, move on and be happy in your own skin. Good luck baldy bro.