Being in the industry for over 15 years, I have assisted thousands of patients with their hair loss matters. Whether it’s been a very young man in his teens being taunted by his classmates about his premature early hair loss, a 30-year old female patient distraught that she’s losing her thick, beautiful hair or a middle-aged man who wants to look his best, there are an unlimited number of reasons why patients pursue hair restoration.
One of my first patients was a 17 year old who we’ll name “Charlie” from Sarasota, Florida. He came in for a consultation with his mother wearing an over used baseball cap that one could tell he’d never take off. When we sat down for his consultation, he would stare straight down to the ground due to his low self-esteem caused by his hair loss. As our conversation progressed, little by little he started looking up until he was able to look into my eyes during conversation. I took the time to explain the different medical therapies available to help him slow down his hair loss process, being that he was too young for hair transplant surgery. His emotional distress obviously had an affect on his mother as well. Both affected by the effects of genetic alopecia, which is inherited by a family member/s as far back as three generations.
Then there was “Sofia” who was visiting her sister (who lived in Naples, Florida) from her native Iran. Now in her late 20s, this patient had a male hair loss pattern informally know as a “shoe horn,” with hair loss in the front/top/crown areas…with hair only in the sides and lower back. This type of hair loss pattern was crushing to this young lady, being that no one wanted to be her friend and much less have a boyfriend. She had 2 unsuccessful hair transplants in her country and traveled to the US in hopes of finding a solution. It was confirmed that she was no longer a candidate for hair transplant surgery due to her advanced pattern of hair loss and diminished donor hair in the back of the head. Her consultation was very emotional, to say the least.
Finally there was Tony from Weston, Florida. A successful salesman in his own right, Tony had inherited his hair loss from his father, who also inherited his hair loss from his father. After years in the sales industry, Tony was laid off and was in search of a new job. Competing against younger candidates, Tony felt he needed to look his best in order to avoid any discrimination from possible job candidacies. After doing a great deal of research, he was ready to move forward and restore his hair in order to look his age and younger.
As different as the above 3 stories are, they all have a common core of patients wanting to control the way they look instead of having to deal with what nature had in store for them. Through effective medical therapy options and an experienced hair restoration surgeon, patients are able to take control of their hair loss and regain their hair. Instead of wallowing about their frustrating situations, patient should take action by consulting with a hair specialist in order to learn and take the right steps needed to take accurate control of the situation.
So you may be wondering what became of the above-mentioned patients. “Charlie” stayed on therapy until it was apparent that his hair loss was too aggressive at such a young age to consider hair transplant surgery. He shaved his head after a few years and actually likes his new clean, shaved look. “Sofia” was referred to a hair salon specialist who fitted her with a hair system. She has since married and is living happily in the US…making new friends as well! Finally, Tony was able to get his hair restored through hair transplantation. He was hired as a sales supervisor for a medical equipment company. He is very happy with his results and looking younger than his age.
The most important responsibility for any professional in the hair restoration industry is to guide each patient down a specific, successful path. This direction, as you can see above, can be different for each patient depending on his or her special situation. However, overcoming hair loss begins by the patient calling for a consultation in order to be guided correctly.