From a Bad Hair Transplant To a Good Hair Piece - Getting On With Life: Nick’s Story

September 13, 2008 by The Bald Truth 

My story begins about 15 years ago when I was only 19 years old. I first noticed I was losing some hair when my girlfriend at the time delicately told me that I should buy some Rogaine before I go completely bald like my father. I asked her what she meant by completely bald and she took me into the bathroom and give me a hand mirror and said to look at the bald spot growing on the top of my head. Talk about a kick in the nuts!  She then went on to inform me that she didn’t sign up for this and that I should do something about it.

I wanted to kick her ass to the curb right there and then, but since I was now a newly balding guy I thought I would never be able to get a another girlfriend if I lost this one. As my hair loss got worse I could tell that my girlfriend was becoming less into me. She left me within a year and ended up screwing my cousin who had the mane of a god at this time.

This threw me over the ege so I decided to do something about it and had a hair transplant. This was the worst mistake of my life. The doctor suggested that I have 100 PLUGS placed in my hair line and that this will give me my hair back. I paid $2500 for the hair transplant and ended up looking like Joe Biden in the early days. I would say that this doctor almost put me into a metal institution, and had no remorse when I went back to show him what he had done to me. He said that it looked as expected and that I would need some more grafts to finish the job.

Now I was never told this when I paid him the first time. He told me that I would look great and that I would never have to worry about my hair loss again and that he has helped many young men in my position.

I lived my twenties looking like a freak of nature. Everywhere that I went without a hat people would stare at my head. I once got up the nerve to ask a girl from work out on a date and as I was asking her she was looking directly at my hairline, needless to say she politely turned me down.

I felt forced to undergo corrective surgeries that were all failures. My head looks like a road mark of scars and bumps with little plugs of hair sprouting out of it. The more money I spent the worse it got. It seemed like a never ending nightmare.

If it were not for the support of my family and a couple of close friends I do not know if I would be here today.  There were times that I wanted to just end it all. I would get drunk alone in my room and think about ways to do it.  I want the hair transplant doctors who may be reading this to know that if you ever did this type of disfiguring surgery on anyone in your past, that you might have destroyed a life. I want you to think about this and understand what you have done to another human being.

Thank God for my mother, she suggested that I try a hair piece and that her hair dresser also did hair replacement for men.  At first the idea of wearing a wig depressed me even more but what choice did have?
The women was very caring and had me try on a stock unit that she was going to return because the color was not right for one of her customers. The color matched mine so I let her put it on. She did her thing and taped it on my head. She began cutting and styling it and for the first time in 5 years I felt like myself again. It looked like real hair and it looked like my hair. I mean I knew it was a wig but for the first time in such a long time I felt I was looking like a normal looking guy in the mirror. It was surreal at first.

That experience has changed my life. From that day I’ve been wearing hair pieces. If had my choice I would probably just shave my head since there are times that dealing with hair pieces is a pain, but I have no choice since I was so badly disfigured, but this story has a happy ending.

Wearing a hair piece allowed me to get on with my life. About 2 months after I started to wear one I met my wife. She had no idea that I was wearing a hairpiece until I told her. That was not an easy conversation, but I had to tell her if I ever wanted to be intimate with her. She told me that she didn’t like me for my hair and that she would never have known anyways. I still believe that if it were not for the hair piece that I would never have met the love of my life, advanced in my career or have 2 beautiful daughters.

I think about the doctor who disfigured me back then and wonder how many other young men he did this too.

I’ve had a very difficult road up until this point, but I do enjoy my life. I would much prefer not to have hair glued to my head, but I guess there are worse things.

Nick

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Hair Loss and Hair Transplant Forum

Comments

4 Responses to “From a Bad Hair Transplant To a Good Hair Piece - Getting On With Life: Nick’s Story”

  1. Benjamin on September 27th, 2008 1:00 pm

    Nick,
    I appreciate reading your story. I too had a hair transplant, now 22 years ago (1986). For a few years I was happy with what I had done, but after about 3 years I realized what a terrible mistake I had made, and have gone through periods of severe depression as a result. I did get through it but still have times that it affects my state of mind. Fortunately found a wonderfull wife and that helps me get through, but that decsion will affect me the rest of my like.
    When I was young I used to be jealeous of men with a full head of hair, and I had a receding hairline in my early 20’s. Now that I am older, I see men with shaved heads and which I could be like them.
    I have never tried a hair peice, but am at a point where I either need to shave the transplants, and expose them, use a hair piece to make it look more natural, or god forbid, another transplant, which is what got me into this mess.

  2. N L on October 13th, 2008 12:08 pm

    Hey Nick,

    I really appreciated reading your article. Hearing you honestly discuss how the whole process has affected your life has shed a lot of light on a subject that I don\’t even like to think about. I\’ve still got my hair, but in recent years I have noticed a significant thinning. I am to the point where the idea of losing it completely is not far fetched and it is really freaking me out. I was going to look into Bosley\’s Hair Institute, but I have to say reading your article has definitely left me doubting that choice. Wearing a wig is also something I was thinking about looking into and since you are so happy with yours I was going to ask if you would be willing to share the contact information of the woman who provided you with it.
    Thank you again for sharing your story.

  3. Tee Jay on October 13th, 2008 8:53 pm

    Hey NL,

    For what it’s worth, I had a transplant at the big clinic name you mentioned above, with mediocre results (at best), but more accurately less-than-average results. I certainly was not one of their poster boy candidates. But, I had another transplant with an IAHRS surgeoun, who fixed me up beautifully. So, if you ever have any thoughts of a transplant, do it right from the very beginning — stick with the IAHRS.

    Tee Jay

  4. Hayden on March 8th, 2010 5:07 am

    Hey NL,

    I had a “strip method” transplant in my 20’s (44) now and I had about 1000 micrographs. The doc was completely upfront me about the results and that I would need another 1000 down the road. Time went by and the spot in the back of my head was getting larger and larger until one day I just shaved my head. I have a very large scar in the back of my head that almost goes ear - to - ear. I hate it but I just push through with my life. I get a lot of odd stares and I wonder if it has an adverse affect on my professional life. I just said screw it but it does bother the hell out of me. I’m very active and don’t think a system would work for me. I would never recommend a hair transplant to anyone. My vanity and stupidity really messed me up. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in this BUT it was our choice and I accept responsibility for my stupid decision. Cheers.

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