December 1 2005, 3:46 pm PT | Posted in: Age + Hair Products + Hair Transplantation
I have recently turned 21 years old, and have been out of school last semester saving for some kind of solution to get my hair back. I have visited Bosley and Hair Club for Men (HCFM). Bosley was very cordial and did not pressure me or get me to sign a contract during my consultation or anything. They answered my questions at the time and left me with info and the consultant’s card. HCFM on the other hand views me more as a walking dollar sign rather than someone with a concern. I visited them 3 weeks ago and I still get calls from the consultant or salesman, I should say 2 to 3 times a day. I walked in, watched a tape, and then he told me I was too young for transplant surgery and he recommended the all new “Bio Matrix Transplant”. Within minutes he hustled me into signing a 3500 dollar contract. I called the next day and cancelled after reading more about it. Its basically a wig, which disgusts me. Anyways, then I met with him again to talk to him about EXT Extreme Hair Therapy. He said it was the same price as the Bio Matrix thing, which I think is a lie because I can’t imagine vitamins, shampoos, and monoxidil can cost over 3000 dollars for a years supply!!! It is my firm belief that he works on commission, and that is why my voicemail has 10 messages on it right now.
I tell you all that to say this: I need a good doctor to speak with to give me honest answers and someone who can give me the best route to go with this thing. I go to you because I read from this site and see how much knowledge you have and know you are trying to help and educate people, and I appreciate that.
My hair loss started probably at age 17 or so. I have no “bald” spots but my hair is thin on top now and would like to get it back to the way it was. I believe doing something now will help since it is still early. People can see through to my scalp. I used to spike the front of my hair and now I comb it forward and cut it short to try to hide the thining. Is hair transplantation out of the question, is hairgenesis an option, and perhaps is HCFM’s EXT an option? Please give any help you can as I am looking to act now with whatever solution necessary. Also if you can direct me to a good ethical doctor in my area that would be awesome!!! I will supply before and after pics in another email another day when I have access to a computer. I am typing this on my sidekick2. I am also curious about your thoughts on procerin. Looks like a good product. Thank you for your time and I appreciate what you are doing on this site!!
I have heard horror stories about hair salesmen in the past and yours is, unfortunately, very typical. Commission sales are the driving force for the free enterprise system we live with. Car salesmen also get to me in a similar way, so I hate buying a car just because I do not want to deal with the saleman. I absoletely believe that salesmen should not be turning men into victims and certainly salesmen have no place, absolutely no place, in a medical practice.
Take a look at my post yesterday titled The Truth About Cheap Hair Transplants, for it goes into the entire process of shopping for hair restoration. Also, see the post on Hair Club for Men from earlier today. As you are aware, you need a good doctor, but to be more specific, you need one who can map out your scalp and give you a good diagnosis. Young men often can reverse genetic hair loss by using Propecia. Go to the ISHRS site to find a good doctor in your area.
We generally do not like to transplant young men, but according to your pictures (thank you for granting me permission to post them), the pattern you show is classic male patterned genetic hair loss. Your scalp needs to be mapped out for miniaturization. If you do have genetic hair loss, this is best treated with Propecia first. Allow the drug 8 months to have a good chance to reverse or at least stop the hair loss. With a good doctor managing you and understanding where you are coming from, a hair transplant is possible if you do not respond to Propecia, but you must have a good assessment of your donor supply and your final pattern should be estimated prior to considering a hair transplant. Also, the issue of your maturity, your financial ability to follow the process, and a worst case look at your Master Plan must be commanded by you in advance of such decisions. I would love to get to meet with you, so if you plan on a trip to California on a discounted airline, you might be surprised at what you will learn and find it of great value for the trip. The consultation is free.
Oh, and in regards to Procerin, please see my previous comments here.
Good luck.
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Balding Forum
Stay away from Bosley!! The WORST!!
Wow, I’m glad to see that I am not the only one who seemed very pressured by HCFM. I started balding about 3 years ago and now I am 29. I went to HCFM a couple of years ago to see if they could get rid of a scar on the back of my head. I also knew I was thinning near the back of my head, I wanted to do something about that as well. Well I watched the video and all and the first thing they told me was that they do not do surgery so they could do nothing about the scar. They did however say that they could do something about my hair loss. They too reccommended the Extreme Hair Therapy treatment which they qouted me about $2700 for a year’s supply. I was willing to try it until I heard the price, I think that is entirely too much.
The lady told me if I don’t do anything then I will be bald. They seemed eager to get me to buy the shampoo stuff and I felt a little pressured, I walked out without doing anything. I really want to do something about my thinning hair, because now it seems to be spreading and it is becoming depressing. But I do not want to pay $2700 for some shampoo and even worse what if I did pay that money and it ended up not working. Like the original poster, I am not really bald in any area of my head, its just that the problem areas have lots of tiny hairs.
I hope there is something else that will help me that doesn’t cost $3000. That is ridiculous.
HCFM, wow, yes, they are a rip off, take it from me. I went to them when I was 28, I am now 46, and looking back, if I could do it all over again, I would have shaved my head. I paid $3,000 for the “system” then every 4-6 weeks was another $80-100 for servicing, tip, travel and parking, it was usually a wasted day. Talk about attitudes, you are at there mercy when having a service done, because sometimes I would walk out of there with it on crooked, or bad color, whatever, but dont complain, because next time around they will really get you. It cost them approximately $80-100 for them to make your “system”, how do I know this, my wife is a licensed cosmotologist, we eventually contacted a wholesaler and I now get them for about $200.00, better quality too. But again, I am trapped, for the life of me I cannot get myself to stop wearing them because I would be found out after all these years of hiding, even my grown kids dont know, it’s a horrible life to live, hopefully one day I can get past this mental block. So, do not buy any system, either get the plugs or shave it now and let it go. If I would have shaved my head back then, which would have been difficult, I would have a fuller, better life today, it is a lot harder to hide than it is to be who I really am, and a lot less expensive. If this helps one person, that would make me happy, good luck to you all.
WOW, looking back at this page over a year and a half later and am now really impressed with propecia after viewing the photos from over a year and a half ago. I didnt think it had worked really until i saw these before pictures in this blog.
Quick update: I am set to have my hair transplant surgery for the frontal cortex on July 9th. I have spoken to Jack Fisher MD here in Nashville and am very excited. I will be 23 this October and am excited to pickup my social life without thinking about my hair. I will be adding rogaine to my regimen now that i have seen propecia’s results. I will br fixing the frontal region, but I want more density in the crown area. Not where i want it. Hopefully rogaine will fix that and with the combination of propecia and rogaine, i can get my crown where i want it.
Hair Club Sucks!
I feel like steve and his quote ” I am trapped, for the life of me I cannot get myself to stop wearing them because I would be found out after all these years of hiding, it’s a horrible life to live, hopefully one day I can get past this mental block”
100%
I’v been at hair club, started at age 22.
Now I’m 33.
But recently, A tec. stopped working there & for the last 3 weeks I’v been going to see her & she does everything they do for like $250.00 less than them. I was broke every single month cuz of them. All they think of is $$$$ I figured it out myself after awhile, How nieve can a person bem I really thought they cared and were sympathetic towards me. I know it’s all a scam NOW.
They always said I was not a client for a hair transplant.
Funny, I believed them, because of the front they were pulling on me, “Oh you look so good” ,maybe I’ll contact Ford modeling & you can do some modeling now .”
They would say shit like that, then when I’d get homw & someone else say my “hair cut” they’d say the hairdresser did a shitty job.
Well hair club has been callin and callin, I will never talk to them again. Lucky my contract was up. So I just never went back. The lady who did my hair there now does it on the side for me for considerably LESS.
I hate that place
Kindest regards to all, none of you are alone in this.
Has anyone tried MCH extreme hair therapy? I take propecia but am not happy about spending a grand a YEAR! and the side affects are not worth it.
It is money world, nothing is free. I really don’t mind to spend money for my hair regrow, even if it cost me more than $30,000. I am fine with it, as long as it can really help me regrow hair.
sir am eng coll student.. first only little hair went oof from my top head….. now more hairs hav fallen.. i can see more spaces & gaps in my head… if this continues , i ll b balled within 5 months…. my hair fall period was about 1 yr sir.. i want immediate treament.. bt i suffer a lot my thinking about my life.. ll tis stress? i used to scrab my head out of dandruff..giv me immediate measure.. can i take minoxidil sir.. i took it for 1 month ….& stopped it sir… wat can i do now sir?