hair transplant
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Obviously it is your call, but consider the length of time that the transplants will last and the cost. Personally I wouldn't go there, but that is just my opinion.
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I got a few years on you, but I never minded my hair falling out.
I just buzz my head with a zero guard once a week.
I've saved some serious cash not paying for haircuts.
I just buzz my head with a zero guard once a week.
I've saved some serious cash not paying for haircuts.
My son-in-law raided his retirement account in order to have a hair transplant. The post-op meds were also brutally expensive, so he skipped them. He did not have a good outcome. If he tries to sue over the bad outcome, he will probably not win since the company will argue that he did not comply with the post-op regimen. Now, he's got no hair AND no retirement fund! Genius!
You can get a very nice outcome with a transplant, assuming it's done properly. If you have a particular doc or clinic in mind, check out pics of their results from previous patients - especially the hairlines. The hairline is where your doc needs to be need an artist as well as a technician. The hairline needs to be irregular - or staggered - so that it doesn't look like a doll's "straight across" hairline.
If other men in your family have extreme hair loss, keep in mind that if and when you lose more hair, you'll need additional surgery to fill in the new bald areas and you MAY not have enough remaining donor hair to do the job properly.
A hairpiece can be an excellent alternative. Forget about those hideous "barber shop" hairpieces that you can spot a mile away. Today's state-of-the-art hairpieces (now called "hair systems") look extremely natural and, when done right, are essentially undetectable - even to touch.
If other men in your family have extreme hair loss, keep in mind that if and when you lose more hair, you'll need additional surgery to fill in the new bald areas and you MAY not have enough remaining donor hair to do the job properly.
A hairpiece can be an excellent alternative. Forget about those hideous "barber shop" hairpieces that you can spot a mile away. Today's state-of-the-art hairpieces (now called "hair systems") look extremely natural and, when done right, are essentially undetectable - even to touch.
Go natural.
Clip it short and move on with your life. Unless, of course, you have an oddly shaped head, then maybe you want to keep that dome covered. This is coming from a person who's been bald since he was about 21 years old. People seem to respect a bald man who accepts the fact that he's bald.
+1
Balding is natural and fighting it is a losing battle. I invested in some good clippers and I just buzz my head every now and again. NBD.
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If you enjoy wet shaving, then embrace the bald and join us over in the Head Shaver's Check-In. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/259639-Head-Shaver-s-Check-In
I started shaving mine at 30 due to severe recession. I really enjoy the smooth look and feel.
I started shaving mine at 30 due to severe recession. I really enjoy the smooth look and feel.
If God wants you to have hair, you will have hair. Just shave what is left. Use more blades, soaps, and razors. A good excuse to buy more.
My dad started a comb over at 18 I'm told. He still tries it with a few strands, and it's always looked ridiculous. My kids made fun of it too, behind his back. I always swore I'd just shave it if it came to that. Probably not an issue, but when I noticed a bit of thinning on top, I started to be concerned if I could follow through with my intent.
Guys with hair don't understand your position (myself included), but when I spot a wig, it never looks right and I think less of the man wearing it. Same for dying hair or beards. I carry my salt and pepper hair and crow's feet with pride. I've earned them. I'm ok with showing some age.
Guys with hair don't understand your position (myself included), but when I spot a wig, it never looks right and I think less of the man wearing it. Same for dying hair or beards. I carry my salt and pepper hair and crow's feet with pride. I've earned them. I'm ok with showing some age.
I was 26 when it started. I was able to hide it for a while...but by 28 it was quite noticeable. Once some light hearted ribbing started, I peeled it like an onion. I like it better that way! More to shave!
I can't remember the guy's name, but a few years back a guest on the Howard Stern Show was talking about his woes with hair transplantation. He got a transplant that didn't work so well. His biggest regret was that, with the scars from the procedure, now he can't even shave his head. He said if he'd had it to do over, he would have skipped the operation and gone straight to shaving it, since that look would be preferable to the botched job he got. Something to think about.
I started showing obvious signs of hair loss at age 20. In my mid-twenties, I briefly considered a hair transplant when I was looking at pictures of my 18-year-old self, lamenting the loss of what was once a great head of hair. I did everything else: Rogaine, Propecia, expensive haircuts designed to minimize the appearance of thinning. Just before I turned 30, I finally said "screw it" and started doing the "barely there buzz" with a clipper. I've never regretted it. It's just part of who I am now.
For what it's worth, GQ feels the same way.
I started showing obvious signs of hair loss at age 20. In my mid-twenties, I briefly considered a hair transplant when I was looking at pictures of my 18-year-old self, lamenting the loss of what was once a great head of hair. I did everything else: Rogaine, Propecia, expensive haircuts designed to minimize the appearance of thinning. Just before I turned 30, I finally said "screw it" and started doing the "barely there buzz" with a clipper. I've never regretted it. It's just part of who I am now.
For what it's worth, GQ feels the same way.
I'd try minoxidil (rogaine) and finasteride before I'd try surgery. It just makes sense, especially because finasteride can even reverse the process. The side effects are mostly in men that take large doses for prostate problems, not hair loss.
The surgery just seems like it would have too many drawbacks (I would worry about scarring and losing that donor hair). I know people who pretty much need it (transsexuals that are on hormones that have receding hairlines), but in most cases its a bad idea because the underlying condition won't go away without changing hormones.
I don't have baldness per se in the family but my mom's side had thinning hair (in the men and women). I have tried minoxidil in the past to try to keep up my hairline (long story why I was so keen on this in the first place) but I currently use a shampoo called Thicker Fuller Hair. It definitely makes my hair grow faster and, when I used it religiously, it slows down the thinning (as compared to someone like my brother who basically just doesn't give a crap). I also take saw palmetto every day. If the problem were more severe I'd definitely look into finasteride.
The surgery just seems like it would have too many drawbacks (I would worry about scarring and losing that donor hair). I know people who pretty much need it (transsexuals that are on hormones that have receding hairlines), but in most cases its a bad idea because the underlying condition won't go away without changing hormones.
I don't have baldness per se in the family but my mom's side had thinning hair (in the men and women). I have tried minoxidil in the past to try to keep up my hairline (long story why I was so keen on this in the first place) but I currently use a shampoo called Thicker Fuller Hair. It definitely makes my hair grow faster and, when I used it religiously, it slows down the thinning (as compared to someone like my brother who basically just doesn't give a crap). I also take saw palmetto every day. If the problem were more severe I'd definitely look into finasteride.
Embrace the hair loss and own it. Either buzz what you have short or shave it. The usually ineffective attempts to hide it are far worse than the hair loss itself in my opinion. If what other people think is an issue for you then most people will respect you more for owning/accepting it than for trying hide and cover it up.
I remember back when Star Trek The Next Generation came out and was a hit Patrick Stewart received a ton of positive press for making baldness attractive. He was being labeled as a sex symbol for owning it.
I remember back when Star Trek The Next Generation came out and was a hit Patrick Stewart received a ton of positive press for making baldness attractive. He was being labeled as a sex symbol for owning it.
Finasteride (Propecia) can only reverse effects in follicles that aren't dead yet. Male pattern baldness happens when dihydrotestosterone (DHT) attacks hair follicles. The follicles respond by producing hair that is increasingly thin, until the follicles eventually cease working altogether, at which point they are effectively dead. Propecia works by blocking the production of DHT (it technically blocks the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT). If taken when the follicles are merely thinning, but still "alive," they can recover. Once they are dead, nothing brings them back. To have the best chances of success with Propecia, one must begin taking it at the very first signs of thinning.
Given that OP is in his thirties, and says the top of his head is almost entirely bald, I would be very surprised if at least some of those follicles weren't already past the point of being saved. Likely the best he could hope for at this point with the medication is preserving whatever he has left.
Words to live by. Indeed, words I live by.
I do a comb-over with my ear hair.
