We could come up with a long list of reasons why people undergo restorative cosmetic procedures. However, the common thread would be self-image.
The same goes for men who opt for hair transplantation surgery. They believe that a bald head or thinning hair makes them less attractive. A notion that has been confirmed through surveys among women in different parts of the world. The majority agree that they find men with a full head of hair more attractive and more approachable. These surveys go further to confirm that men with lots of healthy-looking hair appear younger and more successful. These findings are more than sufficient to persuade men with hair loss challenges to take the hair transplantation option. But what exactly do girls think about it? Would a girl look at you differently if she knew you had had hair transplantation work done? Might you lose a potential partner when she finds out your lush hair was transplanted?
The consensus is that women don’t view men who have undergone hair transplant surgery in a negative light. The majority say they wouldn’t mind dating a man who has had this kind of cosmetic work done. What is interesting is the varying perspectives supporting this general view.
Here are a few.
It is no solution to underlying self-esteem challenges
One perspective given by women surveyed stems from the indisputable fact that hair loss can have a negative effect on a men’s self-esteem. According to a study carried out among European men, published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, 43% of men said that realizing they were losing hair caused concerns about personal attractiveness. 62% agreed that it affected their confidence.
In regard to this, some women hold the opinion that hair transplantation for men is a good idea as long as it is not an attempt to cover other underlying self-esteem challenges and insecurities. In the same way that breast implants cannot conquer a poor self-image in women, hair transplantation will not do much for a man who didn’t inherently feel good about himself even before he started losing hair.
A mental health perspective
The concept of hair loss is in itself quite simple. However, many who have gone through it admit it can be an exceptionally traumatizing experience.
In a Man for Himself editorial, Dr. Scott Alexander, a hair restoration surgeon, explains that hair loss can cause serious emotional trauma. In fact, he spends a lot of time counseling patients on the psychological impact, just to help them understand exactly what they are going through.
According to the Patient, mental health practitioners say they see a surprising number of men who admit that the mental health problems they deal with are directly linked to the distress they feel as a result of hair loss.
It is with this in mind that another school of thought among the ladies says hair transplants surgery for men is perfectly acceptable when hair loss is affecting a man’s mental health.
Courage in admission
A decade ago cosmetic surgery for men was almost unheard of. There has been for a long time, a stigma around these kinds of procedures for men. Society’s expectation is that men should be content with their appearance. A man who is not satisfied with how he looks was perceived as insecure, weak, and inappropriately vain.
Although this stigma is slowly breaking down today, the truth is that it still takes courage for a man to openly admit that he is unhappy with how he looks. It takes even more courage to take steps to do something about it.
Another opinion women have about men who opt for hair transplants is one of respect. They applaud a man who has the courage to admit that he doesn’t look as good as he would like to, and is not ashamed to do what it takes to achieve what he wants and needs.
Final Word
We conclude with the words of New York-based plastic surgeon Dr. Douglas Steinbrech. He says that there has been a normalization and acceptance of men who want to look good. The days of stigma against men who put more than a few seconds of thought into their appearance are quickly fading, and girls have caught on.
