I'm setting up this interim blog to document my hair transplant next week, and the experience before/during/after. If you discover this early enough, you can watch it yourself: Monday, Aug. 17, 2009... it's being done in Boca Raton, Florida by a leading physician in the field. If you'd like to watch part of it live, Alan (fallofautumndistro) will be MCing a 30-minute session from 12:30-1:00 at this blogv.com location. I'm writing my book about online-video marketing (likely publishing with Wiley) and Alan has written "YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Chart." More importantly, Alan is savvy with the whole live-broadcast thing, and it intimidates me (unlike getting a hair transplant live for the world).
If anything changes regarding timing, look for this post, or check Twitter for updates.
A few Q&A about this:
Are you serious, dude? You're always pranking, so I don't know if this is real.
Yes! It's real. I broadcasted my anaphylactic fit via online video, and my doctor's visit when I thought I was pregnant (turns out, thanks to a comment from a viewer on this video, I discovered I really needed a spinal fusion. It's not a HIPAA violation if the when the patient consents, silly. So why not share a hair transplant with the world?
Which one are you? Vain or insecure?
A lot of people feel like treating hair loss (via Propecia, Rogaine, lotions & potions, or hair transplantation) is a sign of insecurity or vanity. Often they'll say "you don't need to treat your hair loss... you look fine the way you are." But that's little consolation to someone bothered by hair loss. In a recent online survey conducted by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), 59.8 percent of people who were asked whether they would rather have more hair, more money or more friends chose more hair. By comparison, only 26.2 percent of respondents chose more money and 13.9 percent said they would rather have more friends! My research revealed that many guys would give up most of their favorite electronics for it.
Does this have anything to do with your former role as Propecia's Marketing Director?
Nope. This is completely unrelated to Merck. Not Merck sponsored, not compensated by Merck, not Merck reviewed, and not designed to annoy Merck. But darnit, it's the first time in 3 years I can talk freely about hairloss without worrying about attorneys or the FDA! Weeeeee. As a Propecia Marketing Director (a role I left this summer to pursue online-video marketing full time) I did learn a lot about hair loss, and met some of the best hair-transplant physicians in the country. One caught my interest. He's Dr. Alan Bauman (www.baumanmedical.com) and has his own YouTube channel, where he showcases his regular media appearances on NBC, ABC and CBS. I approached him because he came well recommended by colleagues at Merck, and I felt an instant rapport. He reminds me of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris). Other hair-transplant physicians turn me off because they're clearly in it for the money and gave me willies. Dr. Bauman is not paying me to promote this experience, but generously offered me a transplant for less than he normally charges. Had he not been interested, I might have approached Dr. William Rassman, who runs a really nice blog about hairloss, but I didn't know him as well. More likely, I'd rationalize my concern into submission. Hair Club for Men and Bosley are better known hair-transplant "brands," but I trust and like Bauman.
By getting a hair transplant, are you implying Propecia doesn't work?
Nope. Propecia worked for me, both helping me grow hair on my crown (top/vertex) and slow down hair-loss progression (see Norwood Hamilton scale for typical male-pattern hair loss progression). I believe I also grew some hair on my forehead, even though it's not "indicated" for that. If you're concerned about hair loss you really need to take Propecia before you start losing hair (talk to your doctor first, blah, blah, blah). So hopefully some of my video viewers who are 20 will learn the easy way. I would look dramatically different, I believe, had I started in my mid 20s or 30s and kept taking Propecia daily. Check out "Terry and Perry," identical twins from the Propecia television ads you may recall years ago (see video window at this page on Propecia.com). It's worth noting that Propecia's best advocates are, it might surprise you, hair transplant physicians. They typically urge their patients to treat with Propecia to help the new hairs and prevent additional hairloss (which would looks silly, since the donor hairs from the back of the head will otherwise outlive the forehead). A good hair-transplant physician helps the patient understand what to expect while taking Propecia, and how important it is not to stop. I tried Rogaine for a few months, but it made my hair sticky and rubbing it on my scalp was always a depressing reminder of my baldin head. I may go back on Rogaine after the transplant.
What? You want plugs?
Common reaction. Because we've all seen "hair plugs" that look like a doll, most people think that today's hair transplants are ridiculous looking. News flash. Plugs are the ancient method, and now individual hair follicles are extracted from the back of the head and placed individually on the forehead or other site (I'm getting an FUE- more on that later). So the people who have had recent hair transplants are invisible to you. A YouTube friend asked me if I'd know if I saw someone with a hair transplant, and I said no. He smiled and pointed to his head. And the actors, newscasters, athletes on television and film? It's a small industry... I know who they are, and I wish they'd just acknowledge it!
Why are you getting a hair transplant?
I have two agendas. First, duh, I would like to have hair and look younger. My brother (7 years older and 20 years wiser) has an xtreme receding hairline. But he's a priest dwelling higher on Maslow's Heirchy of Needs than I. Second, I'm hoping to help break the taboo around treating hairloss. My research while at Merck of men with "male pattern hair loss" (MPHL) gave me a deep appreciation for how a portion of the 40-million MPHL men are deeply bothered by hair loss. No kidding- some people see hair as their identity, and are very depressed losing it. The national hair loss society (ISHRS) has some nice statistics on hair loss transplantation (nearly 100K people had one in the US in 2008). But here's the amazing thing. I knew of many celebrities that have had transplants but don't discuss it. Now that's vanity.
Why is it okay for guys to talk about "erectile dysfunction" bot not hair loss?
That's a question that confounded me during my 3 years marketing Propecia. Pfizer and Bob Dole used big bucks and TV to create ED as a socially acceptable condition, but I also think people are okay "admitting" they're treating ED because it's code for "I'm still getting some action." But mention treating your hair loss and you're either vain or insecure. The cause of a flaccid wiener could be medical or psychological, but there's no disputing that hair loss is genetic (not caused by wearing hats, butthead) and can be medically treated.
So this is a public service effort?
Of course that's not my only goal. I wear the old "Nalts" hat because I'm bothered by my Burt-like forehead, and I wouldn't get a hair transplant just for fun or as a cause-marketing alone. But I do hope by treating my hairloss in public I might do -- albeit on a smaller scale (social media not television) -- what Bob Dole did for erectile dysfunction (ED). It became okay to treat, and I believe hair loss should be the same. It always confounded me that a celebrity wouldn't boast proudly about a hair transplant like many do when they treat with Botox. Are they afraid of ridicule?
Are bald people losers?
While it's true that society has a stigma about balding men (look no further than your choice of television or film), I have a lot of respect for people who age with dignity. They focus inward and don't worry about their appearance. "God made so many perfect heads, and the rest he covered with hair." In my marketing Propecia, I was very careful not to suggest people should be concerned about hair loss. Rather, IF YOU ALREADY ARE, then you shouldn't be embarrassed or afraid to treat it... right? I expect a lot of comments on my videos from men who are balding, and feel like me promoting treatment is an insult to their being "one with baldness." To each his own.
What does your wife think about this?
Oprah got a standing ovation on her show when she said "I'd love my man the way he is." That's admirable. But so is being supportive when a spouse wants to take reasonable means to improve his or her health or appearance. Jo (wifeofnalts) would never urge me to treat hairloss, and like many spouses felt obliged to "talk me out of it." I'd probably do the same thing if she considered plastic surgery, botox or a boob job. It would be my way of telling her (and I'm sincere on this) that her outward appearance is not as important to me as her inner happiness. But if it made her happy I would support it.
Dude- this is unnatural. Are you mental?
There was a part of me that considered how odd it is to combat the natural progression of aging. And when I saw Joan Rivers on her recent "Roast" or Michael Jackson's face in recent tributes, I was reminded how sad it is when people fight aging so hard they look unnatural and frightening. Anything in moderation. If you see me looking like Dick Clark in 30 years then I've gone off the deep end. In the meanwhile, however, hair loss is a pain. It's a sad but true reality (as evidenced in research you're welcome to Google) that people with hair are more likely to get a job, make friends, be a leader, and the list goes on. That's not something that will soon change.
How much does a hair transplant cost?
I probably would have gotten a hair transplant years ago, but when you're in debt and not saving enough for the kids' college, it doesn't seem fair to shell out $5,000-$20,000 for myself. Hair transplant prices vary, but ultimately the profession price competes on a "per graft" (unique hair) charge. Rassman (who wrote "Hairloss and Replacement for Dummies,") quotes $3,000-$10,000. It's not for everyone, and I certainly wouldn't shop by price. Many men get multiple transplants over time.
What's next?
This blog is an interim one. I'll post about the journey... answer questions. Try to keep from annoying those regular viewers and readers who don't give a hoot about hair. And hopefully reach, via this blog, some new people who do.
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