Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => To be or not be...Bald => Topic started by: rfn on July 13, 2012, 12:24:25 PM
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Hi Folks
I started a thread in the introductions forum a while back, which touched upon this issue.
Have you ever considered some form of surgery to change the shape of your skull? I have a big 'ol dent in my left parietal bone after hitting my head against a pickup truck a couple of years ago. This is the biggest reason why I haven't shaved it all off yet, even though I am steadily losing more and more hair. I've given serious consideration to having it repaired. I've spoken to a couple of plastic surgeons, and I'm considering seeing a neurosurgeon as well to get another opinion before I do anything. The plastic surgeons have had all sorts of recommendations, including cutting my scalp open and filling it up with methyl methacrylate (which leaves a scar) and taking fat from elsewhere in my body and injecting it into my scalp.
I'm just curious as to whether anyone else over here has ever been in the same boat, and if so, which option you went with.
Cheers,
rfn
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Hey there rfn!
The fat tissue transplant has pros and cons. If something wrong happens the body will easily resorb the fat tissue. The con: during the transplant part of the fat tissue might die so after the procedure you will see an improvement but it won't be just as expected.
The PMMA (Polymer Methyl Methacrylate) is used in orthopedic surgery to fix and remodel bones and has some potential side effects, though I'm not very well documented about this list of side effects.
Please keep in mind that any doctor/physician/medical staff represents a higher authority than me.
Long story short: don't fix it if it's not broken.
IMO if the the only reason you are considering such a surgery is for an esthetical purpose then think again.
Further more, any surgery implies some risks, pain and some recovery time. Are you sure you're ok with that?
First try to see if a shave or a short buzz will make the dent more visible or it will just put it in a better light. Think of it like part of your personal charisma and not something that must be fixed.
If you would see the dent on someone else would you still think it should have been surgically corrected?
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Andrei: sounds like you know you know what you're talking about!
Rfn: Do you have a picture, perhaps? It may be less noticeable then you might think, and on top of that most people probably won't notice (most people are worrying about their own appearance).
There are quite a few bald heads out there with bumps, ridges, etc. If you don't have a picture, can you shave it and post one? Even with a 0 guard or something? It will grow back.
Good luck...and keep us informed!
Edit: I have a small bump/indent in my head...and can be self conscious about it. It's probably all in my head, though. I doubt it makes a different to anyone else.
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Uh no Dude. Why would you subject yourself tounnecessary surgery. I've got so many scars and v alleys on my head I look like a modern day Frankenstien. Earned every one of them.... wouldn't leave home without them ;).
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I gotta agree that you are probably much more concerned about "disfigurement" (as you might term it) versus a small "imperfection" as others might classify.
Easy for me to write, but I think it would be best it you can come to terms with it and integrate it into your being. It could even be an ice-breaker in conversations. My septum piercing has initiated some of the greatest conversations with people I otherwise wouldn't have had contact with.
It's all a matter of accepting yourself and not worrying about what others think.
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@Mikekoz13: I bet you have a great story for each and every one of those scars.
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Thanks for the tips guys.
Here's an old photo of the dent. It's not the end of the world, but I'm as much of a perfectionist as one can get. I'm fairly uncomfortable with having a visibly asymmetric skull. If I had a cool story to go with it, maybe I could make it work. But the extent of the story is that I'm a clumsy bugger. :/O
All in all, I think that a small scar will be a decent trade-off. Fat re-absorption is one of my biggest concerns with fat injections - I don't want to spend a lot of money, only to have the effect disappear a couple of months down the line.
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Based on the photo, to be it's not a big deal. I've seen worse. And I wonder if being shaved it will be less noticeable because you don't have the color variations of the hair to define it.
I'm not you, but as an outsider I don't think it's worthy of a lot of energy being concerned about.
Would it have to be shaved for surgery? Probably ... and if so, perhaps you want to shave now. You could use the medical consultation as justification in case anyone cares. And if you shave now you can get some other opinions - and see how you feel living the Sly life for a while.
I think that's probably the route I'd take.
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@Mikekoz13: I bet you have a great story for each and every one of those scars.
Every one of them Andrei. I did a lot of stupid stuff as a kid.
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rfn....Hey, man, I understand your concerns about your dent (which looking at your photo) is nothing to be alarmed about. I wish that there was some magic pills that could make all of the imperfections on our bald heads go away...but there isn't. Conversely, some of our "imperfections" is the things that make us unique. I had two surgeries in December and April to remove cysts and scar tissue, and you can see the scars if you stand up close. Just ask the many guys who have had hair transplants and they will tell you that even with the shaved head the scars left behind does not bother them....If you want to go for this surgery, I wish you well, but getting the desired result isn't guaranteed. Most people won't even notice or care about your dent....Good luck and take care!
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rfn ... your post was stuck in my brain today. I work in the tourism industry and today was outside for about 6 hours and had the opportunity to see thousands of people, which included a couple hundred bald guys (MPB and BBC, all ages).
Because of your post I studied them more carefully than I normally would - many of them had imperfections. None were horrific. And clearly none of the guys were concerned or trying to hide under a hat.
Just reinforces my original feeling that you are worrying a huge amount over something which no one else is going to care about.
I hope you'll consider going sly for 30 days before further consideration of surgery. I think you'll be surprised how easy it is and how good you feel.
Wishing you only the best.
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Well said, FG!
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Thanks for the tips guys.
Here's an old photo of the dent. It's not the end of the world, but I'm as much of a perfectionist as one can get. I'm fairly uncomfortable with having a visibly asymmetric skull. If I had a cool story to go with it, maybe I could make it work. But the extent of the story is that I'm a clumsy bugger. :/O
All in all, I think that a small scar will be a decent trade-off. Fat re-absorption is one of my biggest concerns with fat injections - I don't want to spend a lot of money, only to have the effect disappear a couple of months down the line.
I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be seeing. I don't see anything wrong. Would you be wiling to shave your head and take another shot?
Like the others have said, I don't think it's anything to worry about. No one has a perfectly shaped head. We all have bumps, bruises, and scars.
I, myself, have two to four scars on my head, and I have a little bump/ridge where the two bones meet in the head. I have a slight imperfection that I am blowing up in my head. I think you're doing the same thing. You're fine...no surgery needed.
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rfn ... your post was stuck in my brain today. I work in the tourism industry and today was outside for about 6 hours and had the opportunity to see thousands of people, which included a couple hundred bald guys (MPB and BBC, all ages).
Because of your post I studied them more carefully than I normally would - many of them had imperfections. None were horrific. And clearly none of the guys were concerned or trying to hide under a hat.
Just reinforces my original feeling that you are worrying a huge amount over something which no one else is going to care about.
I hope you'll consider going sly for 30 days before further consideration of surgery. I think you'll be surprised how easy it is and how good you feel.
Wishing you only the best.
FrontierGuy, thanks a lot for this awesome post. I often find myself staring at sly guys' heads, and like you said, none of them are perfect. It's just my own perfectionistic tendencies messing with my head (literally).
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I've consulted a neurosurgeon, and as such, I've decided to revive this post.
The first thing he said, after running his fingers over my head, is that I broke my skull. He sent me for a CT scan. The results showed that the inner layer of my skull is intact (fully healed, it seems) and that I suffered slight soft tissue damage to my left parietal lobe, but nothing that requires brain surgery. The surgeon explained that he could open the area and fill it up, but it could leave substantial scars and he wouldn't recommend it. He said that a plastic/reconstructive surgeon might have other techniques to fix it.
Not only is there a dent, but the area around it is slightly raised as well. So the top of my head is raised on the left side, while it immediately starts sloping down on the right side. Whenever I look at it, I feel horrible - it just feels so bloody unfair. I had a nice head shape before I started balding. Sadly, I then smashed it in in an unfortunate mishap a couple of years before baldness set in. Other guys either have hair, or a nice, generally symmetrical head. It feels like the universe screwed me over so that I have neither. I realise that I should let it go, and that there are people who are worse off. I started accepting it and wearing a short buzz cut, but one of the other bald guys at work recently made a comment about my lumpy head. I'm one of the youngest guys on my team, and one of the few suffering from noticeable male pattern baldness. The other guys like to joke about it, and I normally go along with them, but at the end of the day, I don't really find it amusing. The lumpy head comment hit me hard. I think I have slight OCD, and apart from the sharp stinging pains I sometimes get around my dent (the surgeon said that it might be due to a nerve), my raised, dented head has a psychological effect - with reference to OCD, it's like being forced to stare at a skew painting hanging on a wall - with my hands tied behind my back so that I can't do anything about it. I find it severely depressing.
My medical insurance won't cover cosmetic surgery, but the neurosurgeon said that he should be able to convince them to cover a cranioplasty, since it is a result of an injury, and not purely a cosmetic procedure. I want to schedule an appointment with a reconstructive surgeon to see what he can manage. Hopefully he'll be able to convince my insurance to pay for a cranioplasty.
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RFN, I see this is causing you a certain amount of pain, and for that I'm sorry.
Have you ever actually tried shaving your head to see just how noticeable the dent is? Why I ask: it seems to me that in the photo you posted of the side of your head, what was making it slightly noticeable was your hair. Your hair was mostly likely cut to the same length throughout the dent area. Because of the dent, you're ending up with a highlight/shadow effect. If you were shaved, that would be gone. It might well be quite difficult to make out the dent in that case. I have a crease on the left top part of my head that runs from front to back (kind of like a side part). If I grow my hair out for a week, the stubble actually makes it more noticeable than it is when I'm completely sly.
Having said that, I'd also like to point out that the only people inclined to notice small imperfections on sly guys' heads are those that have a reason to. I'm sure someone like you might see me on the street and immediately notice my crease. But 99.9% of people wouldn't--all they'd see was a guy with a shaved head. I think it's important to realize that the vast majority of people that see you are not nearly as aware of your dent as you might imagine.
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I figured I'd post a follow-up for anyone with a similar issue.
I went to visit a plastic/reconstructive surgeon the other day. He looked at my head, and he gave me three options - 1.) Fat injections (but he said that he'll struggle to find enough fat on me - I'm skinny); 2.) Artificial fillers; 3.) Surgery.
The issue with options 1 and 2 is that my body will reabsorb the fat/filler, which means that the results could be inconsistent. It also means that I'll have to go back again and again, which means that it'll be expensive in terms of maintenance. Finally, it only fixes half the issue, because the raised bone around the dent will still be there - personally, I despise the top and left views of my skull. The view from the right is awesome though - that side of my skull is, as far as skulls go, pretty great.
Just like the neurosurgeon, the plastic surgeon advised me against surgery. He said that it'll leave a conspicuous scar, which might look worse that the dent. It is, however, the only way to completely fix the dent and the lumps around. It looks like there's no easy way to win the battle against a broken skull. It seems that the universe has a wicked sense of humour.
For now, I've started throwing money at Mr. Minoxidil. I've got my fingers crossed that it'll work.
P.S. For the record, does anyone here have cranioplasty scars on their bald heads? How noticeable are they, compared to the picture of my dent that I posted earlier in this thread?
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Fat re-absorption is one of my biggest concerns with fat injections - I don't want to spend a lot of money, only to have the effect disappear a couple of months down the line.
And yet you will thrown your money away on Minoxidil?
When the medication is discontinued, the hair loss will return to normal rate within 30 to 60 days. {1} (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil#History)
Minoxidil stimulates hair follicles and growth, but does not reduce DHT or the enzyme responsible for its accumulation around the hair follicle, 5-alpha reductase, which is the primary mediator of male pattern baldness in genetically susceptible individuals. Therefore, when treatment is stopped, the DHT has its expected effect of shrinking and ultimately destroying the genetically predisposed hair follicles. {2} (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoxidil#Application)
Sorry to hear that you've decide to go that route.
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And yet you will thrown your money away on Minoxidil?
You make a valid point SlyBear, but on the other hand, the price of a single fat injection can buy me four years worth of Minoxidil. It's not ideal, but after weighing up my options, it seems like my best bet.
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Are you in any pain as a result of the dent? If you're not, I (like everyone else) suggest the money you spend on Minoxidil could be better spent elsewhere.
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welcome dude, it's all been said, but for my part, my noggin has an odd shape, I think I have a large head, but as previously said, most guys you see shaved have in perfections, very few have the perfect shaped head, I was a little self conscious at first, but the 30 day rule put pay to that, I rock the sly look, you'll rock the sly look, and my brothers all rock the sly look, good luck which ever route you decide on, we'll all be here whatever...
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Are you in any pain as a result of the dent?
It doesn't cause excruciating pain, but it does have an almost-permanent discomfort associated with it, and my headaches tend to centre around that area. The isn't anything, to my knowledge, that can be done about the headache pain, although I vaguely recall reading about similar cases where patients stopped experiencing discomfort after having head-injuries repaired, even though the repairs were only cosmetic.
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hey rfn ! Glad to see you back at SBG ! My head is terribly flat in back but head transplants not the answer - haha ! You look totally cool with facial hair and smile ... so don't worry about the head shape, etc. Afterall, that is what makes you unique ! My only headaches come from too much Rum + Dr. Pepper (haha) and appreciate your ordeals. Enjoy life ! Buzz it, Shave it, be happy !
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If you ever have a few weeks of vacation this summer, why not shave it all and wear a cap? And you progressively take your cap off from time to time - when you enter a house, a store...
You would probably become aware that people don't pay much attention to the shape of your skull. You just need to be conscious that you are not the center of the world and very few people take care of what your skull looks like. And it is in no way definite : you can let your hair grow again if you are not comfortable with baldness.
A few months ago, I had very short hair and did not like my flat skull at the back of my head. So I hesitated to shave myself. But I tried and I think my flatness is LESS visible without hair. By now, I am pretty sure no one ever noticed that flatness.
Try to keep confident.
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If you ever have a few weeks of vacation this summer, why not shave it all and wear a cap? And you progressively take your cap off from time to time - when you enter a house, a store...
You would probably become aware that people don't pay much attention to the shape of your skull. You just need to be conscious that you are not the center of the world and very few people take care of what your skull looks like. And it is in no way definite : you can let your hair grow again if you are not comfortable with baldness.
A few months ago, I had very short hair and did not like my flat skull at the back of my head. So I hesitated to shave myself. But I tried and I think my flatness is LESS visible without hair. By now, I am pretty sure no one ever noticed that flatness.
Try to keep confident.
Thanks Focus, this is a nice idea. If I'm lucky enough to be able to take a couple of weeks of vacation sometime during the year, I might actually try this.
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I second that.
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Hi rfn
I'm going through exactly the same thing. I've got a dent like yours, and as you described, it results in your skull sloping to one side.
I also totally relate with what you are saying. Going bald is one thing but having a uneven skull profile can really make the whole thing a lot worse. Plus there is age too. Going bald when you are still trying to look good for the ladies is quite different from losing your hair later on.
So I think looking at skull surgery is understandable. I've even thought of it myself. The way I see it is if you were born bad at maths, does that mean you are simply going to "accept" it as it is and move on, or are you going to do something about it? Work hard, take action and kick butt till you are aces at the subject? What you decide to do, comes down to you and whether you feel it is necessary. For example if you aspired to become an engineer then becoming aces at maths would be a requirement, but if you aspired to become an English teacher perhaps it wouldn't matter.
If I was in your position I would shave it first to check it out, it might not be that bad. From your skull picture it actually doesn't look too bad, I don't think it will be that noticeable if I was looking at you from the front, or from the side. From the back, maybe. How quickly does your hair grow? Could you give it a shave on Friday? Then let it grow till Monday?
The other thing I would say is you do have some pros. You aren't too bad looking, plus with the facial hair you could draw attention away from any head shape flaws. I think your facial features would suit the full sly look.
Lastly attractiveness is subjective and has changed throughout history. Just look at what attractive women looked like hundreds of years ago, larger around the waist and pale as can be! Believe it or not in the UK it is attractive for women to have huge gaps in their front teeth. Young girls even want to alter their teeth so they can have gaps too, I know ridiculous! People like Patrick Stewart who was considered ugly in his early career because of baldness is now attractive? What??? So perhaps by wearing your dent well you could lead to a trend where young men want surgery to have dents in their head? That might be the new style.
Below I've included my picture so you can get some idea of what your dent will look like. Mine is more on top of my skull, and it's noticeable looking at me directly, when I look down and also from the back. It doesn't look too bad, but in real life it really is quite obvious so don't have unrealistic expectations.