“Doctor, I am Concerned Someone Will Notice My Hair Transplant?”

I have heard these words many times throughout my hair-transplant consultations, usually leading to the next sentence, “Please make my result as conservative as possible.” That sounds intuitively appealing but it is really not the right answer. I totally understand the issue with one’s fear that a result will be spotted out, especially since hair restoration is such a private issue for most men and many women. However, let me allay your fears and address the issue through a couple of important points.

First, I can say that I have had the baldest men have a full hair transplant and the only thing other people notice is that they look better but simply can’t put their finger on it. Let me present a couple of real-life stories. A very bald gentleman who has sported a beard for the past 15 years had the comment after his hair transplant, “Your new beard looks great. It really makes you look so much younger.” Of course, there was no change to his beard, which he always had. Another very bald man (Norwood V) received so many complements that he looked better but wanted to know what his new diet was or what he was doing to make himself look so healthy.

That brings me to the second point. If I don’t “frame the face” you won’t look better. I cannot put a wisp of hair way up high and think that that would be worth your money. Understand that the hairline has to be low enough that no one will look up toward your area of baldness (something I call “elevator eyes”) but not so low that it looks unnatural. Don’t worry, I truly know how to design a seamless hairline that looks appropriate for your age (and that will age well for you) and fits your face, degree of recession (and projected future recession), your gender, hairstyle, ethnicity, etc. If you want to address this with me during the consultation, I will probably repeat my stories that I have told above but also help you understand that you are not alone in this sentiment and that you need not worry about it.

Dr Samuel Lam is a board certified hair-transplant surgeon in Dallas, TX. To schedule a consultation please call 972-312-8105, or visit Dr Lam’s hair transplant forum to ask him a question.