What does a bald head signify to you? If you’re like many men, going bald may cause you to feel like you’re losing much more than your hair – like your confidence, virility, and masculinity are going with it. The idea that aging and a loss of masculinity go together is a common one among men, which is why hair loss is so fraught. Even for those men who give little thought to their hair on a day-to-day basis – well, when it begins falling out, it can bring with it a cruel and confidence-crushing spotlight.
There’s no wrong or right way to feel about balding, just as there’s no wrong or right way to feel about other features of your body, and if you don’t feel like yourself without a full head of hair, it’s okay to do something about it. From classical treatments like Rogaine to more invasive hair transplants, social media is even helping to normalize male hair loss treatments, so it’s easy to find company on your journey.
Choosing a Treatment
As noted above, there are a variety of ways men can address hair loss, with varying degrees of effectiveness and at different price points. Over-the-counter treatments may add thickness to existing hair to increase coverage, for example, and are quite affordable, but typically don’t do much to address the root of the problem. They also cease to be effective for men who have lost a larger amount of hair. Others choose “hair systems” – what might otherwise be called a toupee or a wig – but live with the anxiety that it will be revealed as such.
For men with significant hair loss today, the most popular treatment is an intensive procedure known as a follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplant. Though expensive and somewhat time consuming depending on the extent of your hair loss, this outpatient procedure creates the most natural looking head of hair because it really is your own hair.
Finding a Provider
How easily you can find a provider for an FUE hair transplant and the pricing of the procedure will vary depending on where you live. The best hair transplant prices in New York City are likely to be higher than they might be in another part of the country, where rent prices are lower, but the practitioner is also likely to be more experienced and more skilled. Many providers also offer financing options.
Though it is technically considered a minor, outpatient procedure, FUE hair transplants are performed by surgeons who use what’s known as a micropunch to remove individual hair follicles with minimal scarring. They then reimplant these follicles in other areas of the scalp, where they take root and begin to grow.
Choosing to undergo FUE hair transplantation should be something you do because it will increase your confidence or make you feel happier about your appearance, not because you think other people will think less of you because you’ve lost your hair. In reality, many people view bald men as more attractive and masculine than their counterparts who sport a thick head of hair. There’s no accounting for individual preferences, and in this case, the only person whose preferences matter is you.
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This content is sponsored by Larry Alton.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
