hair transplant + scalp micropigmentation

[rambo007]

How about combining hair transplant with scalp micropigmentaion? Seems like a good solution for those who are already too far with hairloss and are worried about visual effect of micropigmentation alone. The hair transplant aims to enhance effect of micropigmenation with more real look. What do you guys think, is it gonna look good?

The result that I picture in my mind is head with buzzed hair with no sings of balding. You get framed face and overall good looking with the tradeoff of inability to grow longer hair. Still a big win over a horseshoe.

There is a guy on Polish forum who got a hair transplant in Turkey but the result was not so good, so he did SMP and is happy with that (his donor was a bit exploited from what I understood so he was reluctant go for another hair transplant).

I imagine that with SMP you could transplant more hair and cover donor with micropigmenation. This is what the guy from Polish forum did as he got visible white dots after hair transplant.

If this approach would be visually good there is another benefit. If someone is worried about getting hair transplant due to possibilty of more hairloss that can happen in the future and running out of donor (and the future treatments that everyone is counting on wouldn't be out yet), micropigmentation of remaining bald areas could be a backup plan. So you get a hair transplant, you look good for quite few years, then you either hadn't lose so many hairs and do nothing, or go for another hair transplant, or if you run out of donor you just get SMP, buzz cut your scalp and still look good. So basically a win win.

 

[arfy]

I've heard mixed reports about scalp micropigmentation. Some guys say it doesn't look good, doesn't look right in sunlight, etc. Also, not all providers will be the same quality. And it's not permanent, so your scalp will look different over time.

Read the thread by Fred the Belgian, he was able to successfully do something similar to what you're asking about (shaved look).

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interac...fts-with-Dr-De-Reys-24-Years-Old-NW5-from-DPA

In my opinion, if you want to shave your head, just do it, and save yourself the money. Who cares if you have a "horsehoe" pattern when your head is shaved? You're better off not pretending that you don't have hair loss, in my opinion. You'd never have to worry about looking unnatural, do you need more work done, does anybody notice, what if a lady runs her fingers across your head, etc.

The result that I picture in my mind...

Not good enough. Go visit some micropigmentation studios and see some people in person, and examine them closely.

 

[rambo007]

I know that there are mixed reports about SMP and by itself it's a bit doubtful treatment. The whole point of my post was to point out the possible benefit of combining SMP with hair transplant, as hair transplant could bring natural look.

In my opinion, if you want to shave your head, just do it, and save yourself the money. Who cares if you have a "horsehoe" pattern when your head is shaved? You're better off not pretending that you don't have hair loss

Trust me, there is a world of difference between shaved head with horseshoe and shaved head with hairline and framed face.

 

[arfy]

Only to you, nobody else cares.

 

[rambo007]

Only to you, nobody else cares.

So why are you on this forum? Nobody cares about your hairloss, only you.

 

[arfy]

Sorry to sound a little crabby. Lots of guys look good with shaved heads, with no stubble to frame their face. The actor Jason Statham and singer Rob Halford for example.

Look for the thread by Fred the Belgian for info about FUE and shaving (he has good results).

Who do you recommend for SMP? That's why I'm bumping this thread. I would like to meet guys who had hair transplant and SMP, so I can see the results in person.

 

[arfy]

Oh trust me, they do. That's the difference between being a bald loser and a confident guy who shaves his head by choice.

Of the millions of guys who shave their heads because of hair loss, how many of them get FUE or SMP to create the illusion that they don't have male pattern baldness? I'd guess .001% (a wild guess, I'm terrible at math).

Hair loss is a trait, like red hair, freckles or being short in stature. It isn't a defect, or a curse that ruins your life. Hair loss doesn't prevent you from doing anything in life, the people who say that it does are only using it as an excuse. Other people might think that way, but you don't have to buy into it. Eventually, most guys lose their hair. Only a tiny percentage of guys get hair transplants, and the ones who don't get surgery are NOT "losers". The guys who deal with hair loss gracefully and with courage are better off in the end (in my opinion) than the majority of the guys who resorted to cosmetic surgery.

If guys want to get hair transplants, don't do it out of despair. Despair leads to making bad decisions. In the case of hair loss, things are not that grim.

 

[GoldenMane]

Hair loss is a defect. Early onset male pattern baldness is a genetic disease. Life is harder for men who go bald. They will have less dating options. They will have to work much harder than your average 20 or 30 something who is not balding. Going bald in your early 20s is not normal. Very few men go bald in their early 20s. It's a massive disadvantage and hair loss treatment/surgery does even the odds in the dating game somewhat.

If you are willing to accept less attractive women, a lot more rejection than normal young men, accept that you need to work harder to overcompensate, then by all means accept male pattern baldness. You must make a distinction, there's a very big difference between going bald in your early 20s and going bald in your 30s, 40s or 50s. As you get older, women care less (their looks decline too, and their body clock is ticking, so they can't be so picky). Older women not caring is no consolation to a 23 year old bald kid getting rejected by girls his own age due to his early onset male pattern baldness.

 

[arfy]

(Addressed to Fred)
It's sad that you've internalized all this negativity about hair loss. Also, you don't sound confident. Your post sounds like you are still dealing with a lot of insecurity, just my opinion though. Secure people don't talk about how other people are "losers", especially over something as trivial and out of your control as male pattern baldness. Please don't make me list all the world-leading talents in various fields, who happen to be men with hair loss. Successful people aren't hindered by superficial things like their hair. I don't have all day to make lists of all the successful people, in virtually every field and every walk of life, who are losing their hair - it's pretty much the majority of men. Almost everybody loses hair.

I wonder what job you didn't get hired for, because of baldness?

If a girl rejected you because of hair loss, big deal. If it wasn't that, it would have been something else. It can be hard whether you have hair or not. I know a guy who stopped dating a girl because he didn't like her earlobes (true story, at least that's what he told me, as one of the first reasons). People can be superficial. So what. I see balding guys, and guys who shave their heads, with hot looking women every single day. Hair loss is not a barrier to dating. I'm sincerely and truly sorry that your feelings have been hurt along the way, but that didn't have to be the end of the story. It sucks that you took it so hard.

When I see guys with hair transplants (and they are easy to spot), their insecurity makes me sad (I include myself in this group). Your only saving grace in this discussion is that you did have a good hair transplant result, and you're satisfied so far. Points in your favor. I don't mean to derail this thread, but your statements are way over the top, and need to be addressed. If you hate yourself for having hair loss, that's too bad. You shouldn't be spewing that negativity in an open forum against other guys who need rational and positive support, not a kick in the guts.

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Hair loss is a defect. Early onset male pattern baldness is a genetic disease. Life is harder for men who go bald. They will have less dating options. They will have to work much harder than your average 20 or 30 something who is not balding. Going bald in your early 20s is not normal. Very few men go bald in their early 20s. It's a massive disadvantage and hair loss treatment/surgery does even the odds in the dating game somewhat.

20% of guys in their 20s are losing hair. Hair loss is not considered a disease by medical professionals. That is a fact.

If hair transplant are such a good way to "even the odds in the dating game" then why is everybody so afraid that people will know that you had one? Seems like a contradiction. The issue is that you (we) are SO ashamed of hair loss, that you don't even want people to know that you went in for surgery. Also, maybe things are different for you, but I occasionally hear people joking about transplants. I almost hear anybody joking about baldness. There is still a huge stigma attached to hair transplants, more than there is attached to hair loss. Your posts suggest that transplants are socially acceptable. In my circles, they are not. That's why when Joe Rogan "came out" about getting a transplant, it was considered brave to publicly admit it.

 

[GoldenMane]

20% lf men may be losing hair in their 20s, but of these 20%, how many would be considered bald/balding? I'd wager very few. What proportion of men are severely diffuse thinning NW3Vs at 26 years old (as in my case)? 20% No... 10% No... 5%? No...

How many men have visible horseshoe shaped male pattern baldness at 24 (As in Fred's case)? 20%? Are you joking.

20% Of men under 30 may have some hair loss, but in most cases, this hair loss is very insignificant. The proportion of men suffering from moderate - severe (NW3+) hair loss under the age of 30 is MUCH less than 20% This is the point that is lost on so many people. This isn't normal, age related hair loss. Early onset male pattern baldness is not normal. It puts you at a severe disadvantage in life. One that may be overcome, but please do not pretend that this is normal or that it is not a severe disadvantage...

We really need to distinguish between male pattern baldness and early onset male pattern baldness. There is a MASSIVE difference. The 20% of men losing hair before 30, only a small fraction of that 20% are severely balding (this varies by country and ethnicity) and going bald at 25 is nothing like going bald at 35, 45 or 55. In terms of social and mental impact, there is no comparison.

 

[arfy]

If you lost your hair at 16, that is particularly rough. You have my sympathy. I started losing my hair around 20, and that was very hard to cope with. As a result, I made a bad decision about hair transplant. A clinic used my own insecurity as leverage against me.

I'm not saying that hair loss doesn't suck - of course it sucks. Is it life-wrecking? Only if you allow it to be. Your teenage years must have been hard, but that need not have determined the course of your entire life. Moot point now as you've gone the hair transplant route and are satisfied, but when I see people describe hairloss as a life-wrecking curse, it drives me crazy. There are so many rough things in life, that if hair loss at a young age is the worst thing that happens to you, then thank your lucky stars.

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20% lf men may be losing hair in their 20s, but of these 20%, how many would be considered bald/balding? I'd wager very few. What proportion of men are severely diffuse thinning NW3Vs at 26 years old (as in my case)? 20% No... 10% No... 5%? No...

How many men have visible horseshoe shaped male pattern baldness at 24 (As in Fred's case)? 20%? Are you joking.

20% Of men under 30 may have some hair loss, but in most cases, this hair loss is very insignificant. The proportion of men suffering from moderate - severe (NW3+) hair loss under the age of 30 is MUCH less than 20% This is the point that is lost on so many people. This isn't normal, age related hair loss. Early onset male pattern baldness is not normal. It puts you at a severe disadvantage in life. One that may be overcome, but please do not pretend that this is normal or that it is not a severe disadvantage...

We really need to distinguish between male pattern baldness and early onset male pattern baldness. There is a MASSIVE difference. The 20% of men losing hair before 30, only a small fraction of that 20% are severely balding (this varies by country and ethnicity) and going bald at 25 is nothing like going bald at 35, 45 or 55. In terms of social and mental impact, there is no comparison.

I didn't pull that figure out of thin air, this is what hair transplant doctors report. 20% in their 20's, 30% in their 30s, 40% in their 40s, etc. As you get older, your peers will start losing their hair too. Of course, that doesn't provide any comfort to you, having to deal with it at an early age. However, hair loss is normal at ALL ages. Just like having a big nose is normal. Big noses are not a disease. And of course, plenty of people get rhinoplasty to address it. But nobody refers to big noses as a disease. And by the way, there are all kinds of problems in the cosmetic surgery field in general (not just hair transplants) however the specific issues with hair (in particular, the terrible supply vs. demand issue) that make surgical responses fraught with potential problems. But there are plenty of incompetent rhinoplasty doctors, and forums where patients discuss which doctors are good/bad, I got ripped off by Dr X, who does the best nostrils, who does corrective surgery, how do I do my homework, etc. (it's not just hair where people discuss these topics).

 

[GoldenMane]

There are so many rough things in life, that if hair loss at a young age is the worst thing that happens to you, then thank your lucky stars.

People with cancer say that the worst part is losing their hair, and at least they know it will grow back. Hair loss is one of the worst things that can happen to a young man (in the developed world) short of being maimed in an accident. If you're a young man and there's something worse than hair loss in your life (like you've lost an arm in an accident, contracted a deadly, incurable disease, you're turning into a tree) then you're in that extremely unlucky 0.001%. In the realms of relative normalcy, male pattern baldness is the worst thing that can happen to you that is within the realms of normalcy. Most of us would rather have treatable cancer, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis celiac disease, crohn's disease or any variety of other ailments that are taken more seriously.

I know you didn't pull that figure out of the air, I've seen it too. My point is that of that 20% experiencing male pattern baldness in their 20s, most have a very mild case. Of that 20%, only about 1/4 (5%) or less have severe male pattern baldness before 30. And it varies by country. In Asian countries, it's more like < 1% have severe male pattern baldness under the age of 30, in Western Europe, anecdotally I'd say it's closer to 5%, with 15% having very mild male pattern baldness and the rest having perfect hair. If you are experiencing severe male pattern baldness under the age of 30, you are very unlucky/unfortunate, you lost the genetic lottery, you won't be the only one, but there is a very good chance that you will be the only man under 30 in your office, or in your circle of friends with significant hair loss.

 

[shookwun]

Id wager to say they the 20% in their twenties don't even know they have hair loss, and it doesn't become visible to their 30's.



visible hair loss in your twenties, im going to say less then 5% of men will experience this.

 

[ken1987]

Of the millions of guys who shave their heads because of hair loss, how many of them get FUE or SMP to create the illusion that they don't have male pattern baldness? I'd guess .001% (a wild guess, I'm terrible at math).

Hair loss is a trait, like red hair, freckles or being short in stature. It isn't a defect, or a curse that ruins your life. Hair loss doesn't prevent you from doing anything in life, the people who say that it does are only using it as an excuse. Other people might think that way, but you don't have to buy into it. Eventually, most guys lose their hair. Only a tiny percentage of guys get hair transplants, and the ones who don't get surgery are NOT "losers". The guys who deal with hair loss gracefully and with courage are better off in the end (in my opinion) than the majority of the guys who resorted to cosmetic surgery.

If guys want to get hair transplants, don't do it out of despair. Despair leads to making bad decisions. In the case of hair loss, things are not that grim.

I wish I would have read this back in 2013

 

[F2005]

If you lost your hair at 16, that is particularly rough. You have my sympathy. I started losing my hair around 20, and that was very hard to cope with. As a result, I made a bad decision about hair transplant. A clinic used my own insecurity as leverage against me.

I'm not saying that hair loss doesn't suck - of course it sucks. Is it life-wrecking? Only if you allow it to be. Your teenage years must have been hard, but that need not have determined the course of your entire life. Moot point now as you've gone the hair transplant route and are satisfied, but when I see people describe hairloss as a life-wrecking curse, it drives me crazy. There are so many rough things in life, that if hair loss at a young age is the worst thing that happens to you, then thank your lucky stars.

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I didn't pull that figure out of thin air, this is what hair transplant doctors report. 20% in their 20's, 30% in their 30s, 40% in their 40s, etc. As you get older, your peers will start losing their hair too. Of course, that doesn't provide any comfort to you, having to deal with it at an early age. However, hair loss is normal at ALL ages. Just like having a big nose is normal. Big noses are not a disease. And of course, plenty of people get rhinoplasty to address it. But nobody refers to big noses as a disease. And by the way, there are all kinds of problems in the cosmetic surgery field in general (not just hair transplants) however the specific issues with hair (in particular, the terrible supply vs. demand issue) that make surgical responses fraught with potential problems. But there are plenty of incompetent rhinoplasty doctors, and forums where patients discuss which doctors are good/bad, I got ripped off by Dr X, who does the best nostrils, who does corrective surgery, how do I do my homework, etc. (it's not just hair where people discuss these topics).

Then how come you got 18 hair transplants (as you say) if hair loss is not that bad?

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If you lost your hair at 16, that is particularly rough. You have my sympathy. I started losing my hair around 20, and that was very hard to cope with. As a result, I made a bad decision about hair transplant. A clinic used my own insecurity as leverage against me.

I'm not saying that hair loss doesn't suck - of course it sucks. Is it life-wrecking? Only if you allow it to be. Your teenage years must have been hard, but that need not have determined the course of your entire life. Moot point now as you've gone the hair transplant route and are satisfied, but when I see people describe hairloss as a life-wrecking curse, it drives me crazy. There are so many rough things in life, that if hair loss at a young age is the worst thing that happens to you, then thank your lucky stars.

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I didn't pull that figure out of thin air, this is what hair transplant doctors report. 20% in their 20's, 30% in their 30s, 40% in their 40s, etc. As you get older, your peers will start losing their hair too. Of course, that doesn't provide any comfort to you, having to deal with it at an early age. However, hair loss is normal at ALL ages. Just like having a big nose is normal. Big noses are not a disease. And of course, plenty of people get rhinoplasty to address it. But nobody refers to big noses as a disease. And by the way, there are all kinds of problems in the cosmetic surgery field in general (not just hair transplants) however the specific issues with hair (in particular, the terrible supply vs. demand issue) that make surgical responses fraught with potential problems. But there are plenty of incompetent rhinoplasty doctors, and forums where patients discuss which doctors are good/bad, I got ripped off by Dr X, who does the best nostrils, who does corrective surgery, how do I do my homework, etc. (it's not just hair where people discuss these topics).

My bad. Disregard my previous message. I searched your story and now see the hell that you went through with regards to botched hair transplants. I feel for you man, I reawlly do. I see that you say that hair loss is not a life-wrecking experience. I'm sure that your journey through the botched hair transplants influenced that statement. And that is why I am not getting a hair transplant despite my extreme dissatisfaction with hair loss. Other than the flaws and limitations of any hair transplant, combined with my inability to take finasteride due to side effects, I see plenty of people who have been disfigured by hair transplants who assure us that although hair loss is bad, a botched transplant is 1,000 times worse.

I saw your other posts regarding Dr. Cole and they are very interesting. Frankly, I don't trust a lot of these hair transplant doctors for s**t.

 

[shookwun]

 

[F2005]

Of the millions of guys who shave their heads because of hair loss, how many of them get FUE or SMP to create the illusion that they don't have male pattern baldness? I'd guess .001% (a wild guess, I'm terrible at math).

Hair loss is a trait, like red hair, freckles or being short in stature. It isn't a defect, or a curse that ruins your life. Hair loss doesn't prevent you from doing anything in life, the people who say that it does are only using it as an excuse. Other people might think that way, but you don't have to buy into it. Eventually, most guys lose their hair. Only a tiny percentage of guys get hair transplants, and the ones who don't get surgery are NOT "losers". The guys who deal with hair loss gracefully and with courage are better off in the end (in my opinion) than the majority of the guys who resorted to cosmetic surgery.

If guys want to get hair transplants, don't do it out of despair. Despair leads to making bad decisions. In the case of hair loss, things are not that grim.

Arfy, I majorly agree with you on one of your points yet I majorly disagree with you on another.

I majorly disagree with you in that baldness is in fact a major physical defect that does indeed hinder the goals and aspirations of many men. I've seen time and time again how hair loss has made otherwise handsome men look like fragile shells of themselves. Sometimes I don't even recognize that it is the same person. And baldness really does drastically hinder a man's prospect when attracting women. Baldness is almost universally seen as a negative trait that signifies old age and deteriorated looks. If this wasn't so, then these forums probably wouldn't even exist. Hair loss is not trivial, and it really does influence virtually every aspect of our lives. If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you are motivated and inspired to succeed in life. And unfortunately a bald head does not look good on most men.

The "if it wasn't that, it would be something else" theory is just not true either. Lots of fullheads like to spew this theory all the time. Although I know you are not a fullhead, know your story, and sympathize with you tremendously on it. Hair loss is just such a visible and stigmatized outer blemish that can make or break a person's appearance, and in today's extremely visually-conscious society, an appearance means everything. I know that the "if it wasn't that, it would be something else" does not apply to me at all because there was never anything else in my life that hit me nearly as hard as hair loss.

What I totally and completely agree with you on is the percentage of hair loss sufferers who actually go out and opt for today's limited treatments. It would not even occur to most men to go through the hassle, the drawbacks, and the flaws of getting a hair transplant and head tattooing (the latter of which is just downright laughable in my mind). I hear radio shows and see advertisements where hair transplants are described as some type of mainstream option, or even a "gold standard", which could not be further from the truth. If there was a mainstream option to regrow one's hair, most bald men would literally be coming out of the woodwork to get it. But a hair transplant presents so many flaws: inability to create anything close to a full head of hair, the probable need of multiple transplants, the invasive nature of the surgery, the cost, the likely commitment to finasteride, etc. Therefore, most hair loss sufferers (and I'm talking over 90%) do not even bother with this so-called "gold standard", despite the fact that they probably cannot stand their own hair loss. And don't even get me started on head tattooing, which should be fodder for Saturday Night Live.

I know your points of view are largely influenced by your own botched hair transplants and I sympathize with you on that. I read your story and Dr. Cole's actions make me wanna vomit. I've often heard people who have had failed hair transplants say things like "hair loss is bad, but disfigurement from a bad hair transplant is 1,000 times worse". And that's what is holding me back from getting an hair transplant, despite my despair over my own hair loss. Despite the fact that I am not an ideal candidate (can't take finasteride), with the other terrible flaws of an hair transplant and the nature of the hair transplant industry, I don't want these hair transplant doctors even touching my head.

 

[arfy]

Hair loss hinders you, because you made it into a huge problem in your own mind. Other guys with the exact same amount of hair loss as you are doing all the things you believe that hair loss is stopping you from doing.

Hair doesn't define who people are. If you can change your attitude about hair loss, you'll change the course of your life. I guarantee that everybody's' attitudes about their hair will change by the time they reach middle age, and they'll realize that hair is a whole lot less important than they thought. The question is, will they have learned that lesson too late?

I'm not saying that hair loss doesn't suck. But it's only life-ruining if you decide that it's life-ruining.

Frankly, I don't trust a lot of these hair transplant doctors for s**t.

Most of them don't deserve your trust. It's a very flawed procedure, with definite limitations and drawbacks. And half the doctors seem to be borderline incompetent, and the other half seem to be creeps who are just trying to make a lot of money.

 

[F2005]

Hair loss hinders you, because you made it into a huge problem in your own mind. Other guys with the exact same amount of hair loss as you are doing all the things you believe that hair loss is stopping you from doing.

Hair doesn't define who people are. If you can change your attitude about hair loss, you'll change the course of your life. I guarantee that everybody's' attitudes about their hair will change by the time they reach middle age, and they'll realize that hair is a whole lot less important than they thought. The question is, will they have learned that lesson too late?

I'm not saying that hair loss doesn't suck. But it's only life-ruining if you decide that it's life-ruining.



Most of them don't deserve your trust. It's a very flawed procedure, with definite limitations and drawbacks. And half the doctors seem to be borderline incompetent, and the other half seem to be creeps who are just trying to make a lot of money.

Unfortunately it is not just a problem in my own mind. It's true that certain men do not let hair loss bother them, yet there are plenty of other whose quality of life suffers terribly due to hair loss. I notice this within my own circle of friends. I have one friend who does not let it bother him and is actually married to a beautiful woman. Yet the majority of my friends with hair loss either hide under wigs or hats.

The fact is that hair loss really does cause the deterioration of a person's outer appearance, which is so integral in today's image-conscious society. If a person looks good, they're going to feel good, and if they feel good, they'll have an infinite amount of confidence to approach women and inspiration to be the best person that they can be. Unfortunately I see how it deteriorates my own looks, and this depresses me because my outer looks are a major element in who I am as a person. For instance: the social networking sites. I used to be on them because it's a great place to meet women and interact with friends. But who wants to post photos of themselves on there, knowing that they look much uglier than they did when they had a decent head of hair. As a guy who takes great pride in his outer looks, I sure don't.

But I respect your opinions Arfy, so I guess we'll agree to disagree on this one. But we do agree on the nature of today's hair transplant's and I'm going send you a private message on the subject, if you don't mind.

 

[Deadman1]

One thing I would warn people against is going to a doctor who does both hair transplant and micropigmentation, just as I warn people to stay away from doctors who do both hair transplant using beard grafts and who also do facial laser resurfacing.

A doctor who only does hair transplant might tell you that you aren't a good candidate, but one who does both will try to maximize the amount of money he can get and will do a poor hair transplant, depleting your donor area, and then finish with micropigmentation hoping to get a barley acceptable result for you. It is too tempting to push people to get a half-baked hair transplant when he has the second option of trying to disguise it with miropigmentation.

The same as a hair transplant who uses beard grafts from the face because he then sells you on laser resurfacing to fix the scaring. He has a lot of incentive to do a sloppy job or purposely scar you in order to get you back for laser resurfacing.

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Trust me, there is a world of difference between shaved head with horseshoe and shaved head with hairline and framed face.

I disagree 1000%. To me the most ridiculous thing and biggest waste of money is to get an hair transplant so you can shave your head. The hair frames your face, not the stubble. If you want to pay for an hair transplant to get hair do it, but I would laugh at someone who told me they paid money for an hair transplant and then had a shaved head. Just my opinion.