Today, I'm seven days post-op from my hair transplant with Dr. Wong of Hasson and Wong. Here follows a brief bit of history about me and the path I traveled to my hair transplant on May 1 in Vancouver, British Columbia. I have read the board for many months, but this is my first post. Want to thank everyone on the board for sharing their personal experiences and other information regarding hair transplantation. Much appreciated. Here's my hair loss and hair transplant story. Hope you enjoy it.

I'm 40 years old and probably started loosing my hair when I was 28. Not a lot at first. I didn't realize I was loosing my hair until my mom mentioned something to me one day after I returned home from working in Japan for three years. I thought she was just screwing with me, but in short order I realize she wasn't.
In 1999, my hair loss had progressed to the point that I was definitely not happy about my appearance. But what to do? I had heard about Rogaine and Propecia, but I really didn't want to use any type of drugs to stop hair loss or possibly help it grow back, so that wasn't an option for me. I had heard about hair transplants, but didn't have any real knowledge about it. Plus, I couldn't see myself having surgery to improve my appearance. I figured I'd just be a man about the whole thing and except it. And the whole idea of wearing a hairpiece, wig, or getting a weave was totally out of the question. I had seen plenty of these things on men's heads and I thought it looked worst than being bald.

Well, one day after a round of golf in the summer of 1999, I came home and crashed on the couch. When I woke up, I started itching my balding crown area. While doing this an informerical came on the tube. The advertisement was for the Hair Club for Men. Oddly enough, I watched the whole thing. I really thought these guys looked great. What's that phrase, "Never say never." Within a month, I was sporting a full head of hair. Damn, look at that "handsome" man over there. LOL. To be honest, I though it looked pretty good, most of the time. And it did fool many people, especially the girls that I started meeting and dating as a result of having a full head of hair. But I was never completely comfortable with it and as any one knows who has worn one, they are a pain in the ass. After about two year, I said enough is enough and decided I wanted to get rid of it. Well, easier said than done.

As I stated previously, while toting my new locks around, I started meeting some nice girls, all Asians I might add because I'm an Asiaholic, but that's for another board. I eventually started dating a beautiful Chinese-America girl who ended up becoming my girlfriend. The "rug" fooled her completely. She didn't know the real deal until the first time we, well you know, slipped between the sheets together. Everything was moving along fine that evening until she started to grab my nice full head of hair. Needless to say, it was an odd situation. Here we are in the heat of passion and I have to stop to tell her not to pull too hard on my beautiful head of hair. Sorry, but I had to share that experience with you. It's quite funny now for both of us. Anyway, she liked the hair piece and didn't mind it one bit. When I brought up the idea of getting rid of it, she was totally against it. I eventually convinced her I had to get rid of the rug though, but it wasn't an easy task. Why? What a rhetorical question. Girls like men with hair, period.

When I finally said goodbye to the "hairy beast", I was a happy camper, at least for a while. After I had the hair removed, I shaved my head. My girlfriend hated that look and quite frankly, I did too, even though the shaved head look is envogue.

My hair finally grew back in, what little I had left of it, and it looked, well, like hell. When I started my hair transplant research I found out I was rated about a 5 on the hair loss scale. If I had only been born a hotel, a 5 star rating....

Up until that point in my life, I had not given the idea of a hair transplant much of a thought. But when I looked in the mirror, I wasn't happy with what I saw and as you probably guessed, my girlfriend wasn't either. One night as we are watching Survivor, she mentioned the idea of a hair transplant. "What did you say," I replied. Again, I'm reminded of that most wonderful phrase, "Never say never," because that's what I told her. The whole idea of having my scalp cut open to better my appearance seemed, well ridiculous, and to pay someone a nice chuck of change to do such a thing was absolutely, again, ridiculous.

Women have power, as the saying goes, and they can be quite persuasive at times. Don't get me wrong, I'm a man and I do my own thing (you know where I'm coming from right) and I would have probably ended up getting a hair transplant without my girlfriend's encouragement, but it would have taken me much longer to do it had it not been for her. So, I must give her credit; She got me interested enough, read as persuaded me and throw the concept of sex in there too, to at least research the issue. At first the research was a complete attempt on my part to pacify her. I figured after she looked at my balding skull for a few months she would come to love my shiny little noggin. WRONG!

So let's refresh our memories here: Never say never, girls like hair, and women have power, remember the concept of sex. Oh yeah, and that old cliché, you can't live with them and you can't live without them, Doh!!! Also and pardon, the pun, Hair today, and gone tomorrow.

I'll tell you up front that after I completed my research into the topic of hair transplantation, I saw four different doctors. By the way, and this is a significant point for me in the totality of my story, I live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Like many other balding souls, my first consultation with a doctor about a hair transplant was with a doctor from the Bosley Group in Philly. Can't remember the name of the doctor with whom I spoke, but he was very nice and addressed all my questions and I must admit I was quite impressed with the whole set-up at the Bosley office. I actually went as far as scheduling a date for surgery with them. I was a happy camper, well, until I happened upon this site. That's when I realized that Bosley wasn't for me for a number of reasons. For a 1500 hair procedure I was quoted a price of just over $12,000 smacks. This site was a god send for me. Like many others who found this site, I became a bit of an addict for the "drug" of information regarding hair transplantation.

After reading about everything on this site and some reading on the baldtruth site, I made appointments with three other doctors. These doctors were Dr. Vogel (Baltimore, MD); Dr. Wong (Vancouver, BC), and finally Dr. Shapiro, we all know where he resides thanks to Pat. Anyway, I saw all of these doctors and was impressed with all of them. For guy or gals in the Baltimore area who want a good transplant, but aren't willing to travel, I do recommend Dr. Vogel, even though I didn't select him. He has a good reputation, great facilities and staff. He does not do hair transplant exclusively, but a major part of his plastic surgery business, around 45-50 percent, is devoted to hair transplant. I wasn't put off by that myself, but since this was my first transplant, I wanted to get as much hair as I possible could and he was only willing to do around 1500 hairs. If I remember correctly, and I think I have, the cost for that amount was about $6,000.

Again, for those not wishing to traveling too far and who may be looking for smaller graft sessions in the DC/Baltimore area, I don't think you can go wrong, if you selected Dr. Vogel as your surgeon. By the way, if you are interested, I was classified as about a 5 on the hair loss scale thing. Also, while I was at Dr. Vogel's office, I saw two of his patients, one who just finished a procedure, ironically from Seattle, and the other from the local area who came back for a check-up. Both were happy with Dr. Vogel and each told me that he came highly recommended. After seeing Dr. Vogel, and I told him I was going to see Dr. Wong and Dr. Shapiro during my visit with him, I flew to Vancouver for a consultation with Dr. Wong. Here's the story behind why I flew up to see him for a consultation at my cost by the way.

First, I had read many positive things about Hasson and Wong on this site so I was really impressed. But I must tell you, I was a little skeptical about all the positive information regarding Hasson and Wong and for that matter Dr. Shapiro. Why? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that anyone, read as an operative of any doctor, could be writing all this positive stuff to put asses in chairs for financial benefit. But after reading everything and then talking to Mike, the main man out of Hasson and Wong's Seattle office, I decided to go up for a visit. Mike tried to get me to book a date for surgery without a prior visit like some other guys have done, but I told him point blank there was no way in hell that I would do that. Anyone who was going to have the good pleasure to slice my scalp open was going to get a good once over my by me. So I made the appointment for the consultation and flew up on an overnight trip.

Like Arfy has said several times on this site, if you were looking for a heart surgeon you would look for the best, so I figured my head was worth the price of a ticket, hotel and eats to go to Vancouver. Plus, I've been to Vancouver before and it is a beautiful place, so this just gave me the chance to go back, albeit for a short period of time. Visit with Dr. Wong went great. I spent about one hour with him talking about hair transplantation and personal issues. I saw tons of photos of past work and had already been given connect numbers for past patients from Mike. Why did I see Dr. Wong instead of Dr. Hasson? Two reasons.

My girlfriend is Chinese-American and is a microbiologist and works with a wide variety of doctors, and in her opinion, Asian doctors have better hands than Caucasian doctors. Is this really true? Hell if I know. I even told Dr. Wong that and he laughed and said race had nothing to do with the skill of a surgeon. He is probably right, but that was one of the reasons why I chose to see Dr. Wong. The other reason and I'll state the main reason why I picked Dr. Wong over Dr. Hasson was due to Jotronic's website and experience with Dr. Wong. It is really hard to put into words, and as you can see I have no problem rattling on here, but Jotronic's experience did something to me and I just felt like Dr. Wong was the right choice for me.

After meeting Dr. Wong, he sold himself. When I flew home I still had a consultation with Dr. Shapiro scheduled, but I sort of knew somehow that Dr. Wong would be the doctor for me. I made the trip to see Dr. Shapiro and again was very impressed with him, his staff, and facilities, but Dr. Wong in the end was the doctor with whom I felt the most comfortable. Also, to be quite frank, I didn't give a damn about my girlfriend's desire to see me have surgery by an Asian doctor. I love her, but it was going to be my ass and scalp on the line and not her's so don't even think that I picked Dr. Wong because of her desire to see me use an Asian doctor. She was indeed the key motivating force behind me getting a hair transplant but nothing else, period.

I scheduled my hair transplant surgery for May 1. Hasson and Wong paid for my flight and picked up the tab for two nights at the Grandville Island Hotel for my girlfriend and me, nice place by the way, and just a stones throw away from the office. Dr. Wong and I agreed to be aggressive and to get as many FU's as possible and he thought he could probably harvest around 3000 hairs, safely. After all he was dealing with virgin territory and my scalp had plenty of laxity.

I won't bore you with a repeat of the day of the surgery type stuff. I'll just conclude my story by saying that I arrive at 6:15am and left around 3:45pm with just over 2900 new hairs grafted into my 40 year old scalp. I don't remember the total number of grafts; I do remember I had 723 single hair grafts place in the front portion of my head to create my new hairline and these 723 grafts extended back a couple inches. Total cost for the 2900+ hair procedure (think it was 2914) was almost $9,600, this cost includes the $120 for the Graft Cyte spray and the 6 or 7% GST tax, which only applied to the balance after surgery and did not apply to the $500 deposit.

Until that day, I had never had any type of surgery , so I was definitely concerned, but everything went well. Very minor pain, if you want to call it that, from the injections to deaden everything. Taking the donor strip out was pain free. Dr. Wong has a great staff by the way. Watched a couple flicks during the procedure, Pulp Fiction (saw before but one of my favorites) while Dr. Wong and his lovely staff got "medieval on my ass." LOL. Anyway, I have nothing but positive words for Dr. Wong and as you would expect, I highly recommend him. I did purchase the Graft Cyte spray and I also recommend it as others have.

My girlfriend will be yanking the staples out my noggin Friday night after I down several glasses of wine (might as well do a little self medicating for the procedure), so with that and after four more pictures are taken on my roll of film, I will post a few pics for everyone's viewing pleasure. I have to say that I feel great about my decision and I also feel great physically. I love rubbing my hand against the top of my new hair. It feels great. I can only imagine what it is going to feel like to shampoo my new hair after in growing in well in the next 8-12 months.

It is day seven post-op and almost all my scabs are gone. I have had minimal swelling. At first, in the center of my forehead, then to the sides and a little in my nose area, but not too much. By the way, Dr. Wong shaved all the hair on top of my head and crown area since I was doing such a large procedure. I'm glad I allowed him to do it too. So far, I show no signs of shock-loss, which is a big issue for very one. Of course, it is early and I may still have to deal with shock-loss. Time will tell. Dr. Wong told me he would be very surprised if I had any because it was my first procedure and the amount of laxity in my scalp before surgery was quite significant.

By the way, I'm now taking Proscar. Started taking that after seeing Dr. Wong for my consultation about a month before my surgery.

Unlike most of the guys on this board, I have been totally up front about my hair transplant with all my friends, family, and colleagues. It is the only way to go in my opinion. If these people can't be supportive about my decision to improve my appearance, I frankly don't give a damn, so I don't care whether they agree with my decision or not. I have not returned to work yet and will be off the rest of the week so I can relax.

Well, I'm sure I've written more than I should. But if anyone has any questions, please feel free to post something to the board, or email me at bartus79@hotmail.com. To prove I'm not a Hasson and Wong hack, if you really want to talk to me, you can call my cell phone number, which has a DC area code to prove the point that I live here and not in the Seattle/Vancouver area. Here's the number: 202-255-9877. Have at it. If you call me, great, but please call between 10:00-11:00 pm east coast time.

If I don't answer (which is most likely since I don't use my cell phone too much and it is normally off at night), just leave your name and number and I will call you back in a day or two in the early evening, on your dime of course. If you want to call me back after I call you collect, that will be fine with me. For those out there seriously thinking about a hair transplant, I'll use the Nike slogan to motivate you, "Just Do It." Of course, I caveat that by saying get a good doctor, one with a good reputation and one with whom you feel comfortable.

One finally public remark. Jotronic, your website and experience really paved the way for me to select Dr. Wong as my hair transplant surgeon. You have a great site and you and others like you need to be commended. Thanks so much. Also, thanks to all other Hasson and Wong patients who posted their experience. All of them were important to me. Thank you all. I love the internet. Information is power.

Best Wishes To All,
Allen

P.S. Early SuperBowl prediction: Dolphins Beat Redskins, 28-27. Ricky Williams plunges over the goal line with seconds remaining to seal the victory. Ok, I'm biased. What can I say. Good luck to everyone's team this upcoming season.

Hi Augustart
I'm glad you are happy so far. But I really am baffled when I read that guys are willing to have cosmetic surgery, but not willing to take any medications like Propecia. I know you are on Proscar now. If guys would start on Propecia earlier, and not wait until they had major hair loss, they might be able to skip the surgery altogether.

Also, you said "girls like hair". This is true. They also like guys who are comfortable with themselves, and guys who are natural. Bottom line, if a guy gets a HT with "girls" in mind, he is probably making a mistake.

Again, I'm truly glad you're happy. I particularly admire that you flew cross-country because you wanted to use a specific doc. I think more guys should follow your example.

Keep us posted and "speedy healing" to you.

Augustart, I was very impressed with your honesty and the completeness of your story. You remind me of another HT Vet who post here...humor really helps the story move across my mental image of the the person. I think you played it smart with the indepth research and making the trips to face to face with different surgeons. Since you made the plunge with Proscar/Propecia you have given yourself an additional insurance policy for future fallout and enhanced thickening of existing hair.

I had 5 mini/micro HT procedures in the late 80's and early 90's by a surgeon that did an excellent job with microscopically prepared small mini/micro grafts. I was fortunate enough to be able to locate several prior clients of the Doc who allowed me to check their heads out up close and personal! I had a 1500 plus FUT performed to soften my hairline on January 21st of this year. This website and the great folks that post here allowed me to talk to patients and see actual photos and combine that info with in-person interviews with with several recommended surgeons and a few that were not. Pat was nice enough to email me personally and give his opinion and that is first class treatment in my book.

I have talked in great length with several H&W clients that seem to have gotten great results and couldn't be happier! I truly think your testomony is proof positive of the correct approach to researching and going the extra mile to get the best possible result. Good Job!!!

In closing, I have to agree with your honest and real life wisdom regarding women and what they like. We cannot deny the reality of asthetics...I mean, I want to be loved for who I am, but I also know that all 5 senses, personality and mental capacity play a part in how we fall in love. I have had 6 HT procedures and spent 30 years training with weights and in the Martial Arts, in order to not look my chronological age of 46. I did it because it made me feel good, helped me as a Marine and to land great jobs in Law Enforcement. I also wanted the ladies to take that all important second look!!! If given an opportunity, I always knew I could let them get to know who I really am inside. Besides, I am a firm beleiver in making the most of our wonderful advances in technology to increase my happiness and the happiness of my lifemate. Good Growth!!! Jebster

Hi Jebster
Please state the name of your doctor who you say dissected Minigrafts with a microscope?

Maybe you are confusing "magnification" with a microscope?

Any old doctor can divide grafts with magnification. It might enlarge the view "3 times". Very few doctors use microscopes, they enlarge the view up to 10-20 times.

Please clarify your statement? I am unaware of any Mingraft doctors using microscopes.

jebster said "I had 5 mini/micro HT procedures in the late 80's and early 90's by a surgeon that did an excellent job with microscopically prepared small mini/micro grafts. "

Taking the medication even now was difficult for me, but I know it is necessary due to the investment that I have made. If I were a typical person, taking drugs wouldn't be a problem/issue for me. I carry a lot of baggage with me today regarding using/abusing drugs, legal and illegal. So for me it isn't as easy as you might think. No point in going into the details, but I do agree a guy is better off taking this medication early on if possible.

You make an excellent point about girls and getting a hair transplant for the right reasons. I'll admit it took me quite some time before I arrived at the point where I can honestly say I decided to do it for me and not for her. But she was an important factor in the whole process nonetheless.

I have enjoyed reading your posts and have learned much about HT from you experiences as I'm sure many others have as well. Much appreciated.

Take care,
Allen

Appreciate your post. It's kind of funny how I have become friends with my mirror again. I love looking at all the grafts standing tall all over my head. I can only imagine how I'm going to act when I finally have some real growth. Looking forward to Xmas this year, 8 months away. May be I'll buy myself a new mirror for the bathroom and put it to good use. LOL.

By the way, I have several Marine friends. I'm active duty Air Force. I hit 20 years of service in July. I have a few more years to go before I get out though.

Take care,
Allen

Allen,
Good God man, you could give someone a complex! Wow, what a great story and what a great compliment. Like I told you and the hordes of others that have personally written to me from my site...I built it for guys just like you. You knew you wanted to take the plunge but you just weren't sure if the hype was true and what to expect immediately post-op, relatively speaking, instead of just a "before & after" shot.
I've meant to email you in the past couple of days because your last email to me said that you were taking the plunge but I guess I know how it turned out.
Your post reminds me of my personal elation after I had my HT with Dr. Wong. Also, I'm glad you stuck tight to the Graphcyte spray regimen. I swear that stuff works wonders. My scabs were gone in six days flat.
Well, now that you've done it you are entering the worst phase of all. WAITING! I personally am now seven weeks post-op and I have been, as you all know, buzzing my head and lately I've buzzed it down to a #1. Hehe, I can't have Futzyhead outdoing me:) I just had it done again yesterday and I do have some good news to report. I am already getting some growth. How do I know it just isn't regrowth after shock loss? Because it is in my new hairline where there wasn't hair before but that is for another post and I'll add pics to my site soon.
It's good to hear that Doc Wong said you have excellent elasticity as I do too. I was told a week post-op that my scalp was already more elastic than a virgin scalp which I guess is also good to minimize shock loss,( anyone know about this?), and allows for more work than on others without the same elasticity. Because of my situation Doc Wong was able to remove both previous scars that were rather far apart.
Well, again, congratulations and what a great post. Hang in their, don't scratch and be patient.

Jotronic

Jon,

I also had my prcedure 6 1/2 weeks ago by Dr. Hasson and I'm also starting to see some new hair grow. I shave my head at #1 1/2 and although you can see a line where the scar is, the scar itself is not to noticable from a distance. Just wondering how your scar looks.
I'm in the market for a digital camera so i plan to post some picks this month. Right now I've been taking pictures with a regular camera.

Also, when you talk about elasticity, what exactly does that mean and how can you tell if your own skin has good elasticity?

Thanks,
So Far So Good

When you post your pics, don't forget to include some of the asian beauty! Stand by for an email.

My FU HT results w/ Dr. Wolf
http://www.geocities.com/agent_x208/MyHTResults.html

Nice to hear from you. Last night my girlfriend took my staples out. I was really expecting a little pain from this act, but I don't feel like it was really painful. More like a quick and very minor sting with a very slight warming sensation. I did have one staple that didn't want to come out and that one kind of hurt. Aside from that the staple removal process was a piece of cake. I ended up with 38 staples. It feels good to have those babes out. I self- medicated myself for the procedure with a nice bottle of wine.

I'm getting my hair cut down today and I'm looking forward to that. Now I'm just waiting to start shedding, so the new stuff can start to grow. I had pretty much the same experience as you regarding the scabs. By the night of day six, almost all the scabs were gone. The graftcyte spray was very helpful, but like you I started lightly brushing the top of my new hair grafts and the scab started flying off.

During the return trip home to the DC area, my girlfriend and I had seats by a woman, probably last 30s. I'm one of those types who always strikes up a conversation with the person that I'm sitting beside. Well, I start a conversation with the women, normal chit chat. She asked us why we went to Vancouver. Not one to lie, I told her that I went up for a hair transplant. She was very interested in the whole process. She asked if she could she the work. I wasn't planning on taking off my Hasson and Wong issued hat, but I figured what the hell. She was quite impressed with what she saw. I guess a kid across the aisle from us was too because he said, "Dad look at that man's head." LOL. The lady told me her husband was bald/balding. I gave her Dr. Wong's name and told her to check out Hasson and Wong's website. Who knows?

Anyway, I told Dr. Wong about your site and he seemed very pleased. I have two or three pictures left to take. I'm going to shot those today after I get my hair cut so I can show my scar. My girlfriend said it was very difficult to see the scar even now. She really likes the work Dr. Wong has done and she is very impressed with how clean the incision was made. Well, I need to run. Take care and I'll be posting pictures soon.

Allen, now 10 days post-op

P.S. So far no sign of shock loss in the donor area, of course it is still early, but I'm hopeful that I won't have to worry too much about that. Time will tell, though.

Why do you believe that hair transplants are probably a mistake if someone is having it done with girls in mind? I'm curious about your thinking on this.

Is there something I'm missing? Here is a bit of my thinking.

There certainly are no "health" reasons for hair transplantion. It's not like obesity, which can adversely affect your health in addition to affecting your appearance. Hair transplants are about your appearance. They are cosmetic

Baldness may affect how women see you initially - a superficial basis for judgment, sure, but it's a powerful reality. Maybe baldness has an economic component. Maybe in business you have a leg-up if you have hair, but I know of no proof of that. One person said something about "doing it for yourself,." But what does that really mean? I see this idea of "doing it for yourself" as very nebulous. I think you could do it to be more attractive to women, which is ultimately doing it for yourself.

Honestly, I think doing it for women was my biggest reason. People are partly attracted to one another initially because of appearance. Yes, you then need the personality and character to sustain a woman's interest. But at first, looks can be a consideration. I admit, if I was the most confident man in the world, I might not have done it. But, I don't feel like I made a mistake. I'm happy about my hair transplant. I'm planning to have a second procedure and expect to be even more pleased. I've gotten plenty of compliments on my improved appearance, which pleases me. I don't particularly feel more confident, but I'm definitely getting more attention from younger women, as well as older women. I look younger.

I applaud those guys who don't feel a strong desire to get an HT, as well as the guys who shave their heads - that's great!

Anyway, I really am interested in your thoughts on this. Obviously, there is a great deal of distress about baldness out there and I'm curious about why there is so much distress. I think hairloss bothered me less than it bothered many guys, but after I became single again last year, it started to bother me a great deal. What was in your mind when you had surgery? If you did it for yourself, what did you hope to gain?

Anyone else - please weigh in with your own thoughts.

This is an interesting question. A better question might be "why not?". In additional to the risks (low is they may be) and cost, the only reason I can think of NOT to do it would be if you think it will be the answer to everything. If a guy can't get a date or a job, there are reasons other than his lack of hair why this is so, and these things will not be changed with better hair. On the other hand, improving your appearance DOES matter - if it gives you more self-confidence and makes you feel better about yourself, as this affects EVERYTHING you do! Now, if we were all handsome, rich movie stars (i.e. Bruce Willis) with unlimited self-confidence, I guess we could all just shave our heads and be happy, right? For those of us who are not one of those handsome, rich, self-confident guys, we like to get that little extra edge that a HT gives us.

I think I did it because I perfered having hair, first of all. But really it was to give myself every advantage possible in this world. Although I have a successful job and a great girlfriend (nothing to really complain about in life), I sometimes felt insecure. It's no secret, statistics show that better looking poeple have a better chance at succeeding in life.
So, being 26 years old and have the money and oppurtunity I figured it's now or never and I'll be happier. It's been 6 1/2 weeks andthe new hair has started to grow and I'm extremely happy and relieved.

However, I gotta give kudos to those more secure men out there that don't mind being bald. I wish I could be that secure and save $6000.

I'm 28 and I've been fighting a receding hairline since 22. For a guy in his 20s, hair loss sucks.
The REALITY is that most women in their 20s will definitely form part of their initial judgment of you on your hair. Yes, this is superficial, but let's face the inescapable and true fact: what women are initially attracted to in a man is different than what matters to them long term. Yes, I'd agree that #1 attractive force is still self-confidence, but in my experience, self confidence plus hair just plain sells better to women in their 20s than just good old self confidence.
I love to go out with friends and meet new people and do fun things socially. I find when I wear a cap, I generally have a much, much better time at attracting women. Okay, okay, you may say "aha, you wearing the cap gives you the self confidence you need to impress/attract women." Okay, yes knowing I look good (IMO) helps. But things like women approaching me to talk or flirt never happens sans cap. I know, what a joke!
I will be wearing a cap and talking to a woman I've been introduced to or met, and I sware on occasions I've taken off the cap, the WHOLE attitude of the conversation changes. It is so shocking, I can hardly describe. I mean come on, do I have to pull out the "frog and prince" analogy? Unfortunately, it seems to fit.
With a cap, women all say they can't believe I'm 28 and most say they think I'm 20-22. Man, that feels great to hear. But sans cap, well, they might as well talk to someone else.
Sometimes I really do feel that this is a cruel stunt, but heh, I know how to "dress" when I go out. That's one reason why I think HT is for me. I don't want to deceive people, and shaving my head completely and growing a goatee or wearing earrings, well, that's not me either (I've tried it, and it's a fraud). I'm not a badass, I'm just a normal guy. So I have to consider HT. At least get educated.
HT to me may help me reveal to other people an IMAGE that truly represents who I am and want to be: young, vibrant, ambitious, and not afraid to live.
So sure, I'd like to do HT for me, for women, for whatever and whoever. It is an opportunity to represent who I'd like to be thought of when people see me. I guess that is the bottom line for me.

Thanks for all who created and input to this forum. The recommendations are invaluable.

to Vocor
It's a problem that young women prefer guys with hair. My experience is that it matters less in your 30s and even less in your 40s, if that helps at all.

There is one big issue with your post though. A good HT will plan for the future, and will not give you a 20 year-old's hairline, because that will look strange when you are in your 50s. I know it can be hard to think that far ahead. But I know many ethical doctors will resist giving guys a low hairline just to satisfy them for the short-term. Besides the issue of having too low of a hairline as an older man, there is the issue of limited donor hair. The lower your hairline, the larger the potential area you will need to cover with grafts eventually. I know that with drugs like Propecia there is some hope that you won't become become completely bald. But a responsible doctor will plan with the "worst case scenario" in mind, so you don't get stuck later with a "ronald reagan hairline" and a huge bald area behind it, that you can't cover with grafts. This has been discussed before, so I won't drag it out. But the correct hairline in a transplant will be mature and recessed. Look at Pat's hairline in the "My Recovery Story" part of this site. Pat was an excellent candidate for surgery: over Norwood 3 level of baldness, with a well-defined bald area. I'm sure Pat would have enjoyed having an even lower hairline, but that would have been a mistake. Pat's doctor (Shapiro) is considered one of the best (if not the best) when it it comes to hairlines. Use Pat as an example of a good candidate with a great HT hairline.

So the question is really, will it make a difference to these 20 year old women, if you remove your ballcap and have a mature recessed hairline. I don't know the answer to that. But I caution you against getting a low hairline put in now, as it can be a recipe for future disaster.

Also, in everyone in general...If you are self-concious about your hair loss, there is no gaurantee you won't feel self-concious about having a hair transplant! Many guys become obsessed about being "spotted" as a HT, having to constantly check their hair, arrange it "just so", etc. Getting a HT does not always mean the end of worrying about your hair! Just the opposite sometimes. As many of us know, getting "only" microscopically-dissected FU grafts means that your transplant will look natural, "no matter which way the wind blows".

As far as getting a HT to make yourself more attractive to women...I think the most important things are to pick a world-class doctor, to be a great candidate for surgery (and not every balding guy is!), and to be satisfied having a bald crown and "a lttle coverage" (realistic expectations). After that it's less important what motivates you. Looking better to attract a partner, is kind of a "given".

I agree with most of what has been said; however, further comment is needed for clarification on one thought! First, the question remains...can a Norwood 3 to 6 recieve a thoroughly satisfactory and sufficient HT. I strongly suggest that you read " THE PATIENT'S GUIDE TO HAIR RESTORATION" BY DR RASSMAN AND BERNSTEIN, NHI. I did not have any of my 6 HT procedures performed by NHI, however, I sent for NHI's marketing package and received free of charge their book. It has been my greatest resource on informative HT choices! According to the good surgeons and my own experiences...one can achieve an excellent HT that will cover the hairline and the crown! The book comprehensively deals with the needed ingredients (hair density, color, donor area, artistry, support, (ie, Rogaine, Proscar)money, realistic goals and patience etc, to get the disired results. Better yet, just like this website and others, it gives you countless photos of folks that have accomplished all their goals!! Honestly, if you have what is considered the minimum reqiurements...you can overcome baldness.

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE BALL CAP OR SHAVING YOUR HEAD...FIND OUT IF YOU ARE A GOOD CANIDATE AND GET ON MINOXIDIL AND PROSCAR. THEN, HAVE THE PROCEDURES AND IF YOU USE PROTHIK OR TOPPIK, YOU CAN THROW AWAY THE HATS!!!! But, before you surrender to a permanent bald spot...check out the Bernstein/Rassman book...and every other source and then go for it!!!! After 6 HT and 13 years...I am glad I did! Jebster

That was some great feedback.
I guess personally I don't need a "20-year old" hairline, just a better one. I don't have to attract 20-year olds to be happy.
The key is as was stated in the feedback, find a great doctor who does a great job and get a consultation. And see what the pros there say. This isn't like those "mega HT firms", who obviously are going for money over quality at some point. This can't be a random shot, it has to be a bull's eye. The only way I can hope to ensure that is research and going to an excellent HT surgeon.
That is what is so great about this site and forum! Now I feel that I don't have to go to a "mega HT firm" and risk them screwing things up. I can go to the best and hear what they have to say.
I would rather do whatever else then rush in and get a bad transplant, I believe. With a top doctor's blessing, I do believe HT will give me the desired results I seek. I guess we'll see.
I'll end up going to Hasson&Wong, Harris, or Shapiro. It involves a little travel, but if this is a permanent solution to something, then it is worth it.
Thanks again for the feedback and open and frank discussion.

I tell you guys - it was such a relief when I found this site. I'm 30 y/o but started losing
handfuls of hair when I was about 17 and it didnt
slow down . Unfortunately there was no proscar or
propecia then. Ever since then I have been so
devastated and unwillinging to shave my head because I just dont like the appearance. I first
went to a procedure in New Jersey that put sutures
in your scalp and they attached a hairpiece. I was stupid and believed anything. Ended up ripping
half my scalp and leaving huge scars. Then went
to a regular hairpiece that requires monthly
maintenance. I dont like doing it but I feel I have to do something. About 8 years ago I began
hair transplants in Washington . In college I
couldnt afford many but hair loss was devastating
and I was determined to at least feel like I was doing something about it. I couldnt keep a relationship (still cant) because my self esteem
is so low . Since then I have had about 5000 grafts done but unfortunately have not had enough
hair to provide good coverage so I'm right back
where I started. I've spent probably close to
$40,000 over 10 years on my (lack of hair) . MOst recently I decided my best option is to try
and just perfect the hairline with hair transplants and use the hair piece behind the
transplanted hairline so it would have a natural look . I have only a limited # of grafts remaining so I decided I would use them wisely.
This was done on May 6 ,2002 by Joe Greco in Tampa and I am hoping this will offer me some sense of satifaction. For those who have extensive loss this is a good alternative
and you dont have to spend unwasted dollars and use grafts in areas that you wont benefit (I mean
the Norwood 6-7 cases mostly. ) I'm at work so I've had to rush through this but it just feels
good to know there are others that have experienced the same emotions from hair loss as I.
I wish that I could somehow accept it and not let
in run my life but I cant seem to let it go until
I acheive some sense of satisfaction. I can
certainly relate to Augustart and his perceptions
with women. Sound exactly like what I would write.
Gotta get back to work but again its great to see
all the comments you guys have .

Greg D.

I too am a client of Joe Greco. I am 46 y.o. and had 5 mini/micro graft procedures done in the late 80's and early 90's. I had my first HT at age 33. I was probably a Norwood 4...I can't be sure because I didn't really know the norwood scale at the time. I just know that I was starting to really loose my hair fast. I have had approximately 3000 grafs. Rogaine slowed my hair loss enough and eventually stopped it in it's tracks. This past January 21st, I had a 1500 plus FUT by Joe Greco. Today is 4 months post op and I have had great results. I have been on 5% minoxidil for years and use Proscar also. I have had surprisingly great early growth and have a fantastic start on my improved hairline and increased thickening in the crown area as well. I correspond with several of Joe's patients that are at 12 and 9 months post op and their pics are very impressive as well.

I am sure of one thing in regard to your procedure with Joe....whatever he could do or could be done , he did it for you. I know that his work with his charity organization "Hair Angels" that works with severely burned victims, convinced me that he cares enough to try and get it right!!

I pray that the peace of mind that you seek and deserve will come to you with this last procedure. I hope if possible you will use Proscar and 5% minoxidil to help preserve hair you have if you are not already using it. I was really shocked at how well the combination of the two drugs worked to actually thicken my existing hair and new grafts. Good luck Brother! Jebster