Hair Transplant: Will People Look Down On Me?
Q:
Hey Doctor Mohebi,
I was wondering, I’m thinking about getting a hair transplant, but I’m afraid of telling my future wife and female friends that I’ve had a hair restoration. I know men may not care that much, but if I’m dating someone and eventually I tell them I’ve gotten a hair transplant, I fear that they may get turned off.
I kind of look at it like plastic surgery. I know when I meet women who has undergone a nose job, I kind of feel strange about it and think maybe that person was not happy with their looks.
To be honest, it turns me off.
So, my question is: from your experience with patients, do they keep it a secret from others or do they not mind telling people?
A:
Today, we have capabilities we did not have 50 years ago. As a young soccer lover, I used to have the disadvantage of wearing glasses. It was very difficult for me to stay competitive in succer team without wearing my glasses. Every now and then, I use contact lenses to be able to put aside my glasses. I am planning to get a LASIK procedure for that as well.
If I undergo a LASIK procedure, does it make me an insecure person. Not at all. I call it using all your resources to look your best.
We do have technology that we did not have 10 years ago. I say: why not use it? A lot of people are doing it, and nobody cares if these peoples’ hair is native hair or transplanted. The point: they are not bald any more and they can be as competitive as their non bald rivals in life.
One time, I met a very beautiful woman at a party and I ended up having a conversation with her. When I told her I do hair transplants, she told me a story about someone who proposed to her and she rejected him. She said the man was bald. But I’m not saying because he was bald that he got rejected, but because he did not do anything about it. I know the argument can be made that what the woman did is sad and superficial but, hey, looks do play a part in initial courtship, whether we would like to admit it or not. And it was her prerogative to make that decision.
My point is: Be yourself and do whatever makes your heart happy. No matter what you do with your life, there are going to be people who may not like it. It should not influence your decisions.
