Call the millennials the generation that can never catch a break. Born between 1981 and 1996, its members have dealt with jokes about receiving participation trophies just for showing up, and their appetite for pricey avocado toast. Now for the ultimate indignity, millennial men are going bald. But the generation that’s also known for its spirit of cooperation is coming together to face hair loss head-on (so to speak), and proactively seeking hair restoration solutions that meet its needs. If you’re a millennial man, here is your guide to making the right decision – for both the present and the long term.
Before we begin, let’s state the obvious. Millennials are far from the first generation to battle hair loss. The earliest recorded remedies for baldness date back to ancient Egypt, in the year 1550 B.C.E. Obviously, they were unsuccessful. But if it seems that hair restoration is more important to millennial men than those of previous generations, you’re right!
Why Hair Restoration is More Important to Millennial Men
Several factors account for the reasons hair loss is less acceptable to millennials – with the pervasive use of social media being foremost. Today, your online presence and identity is you! This shift in perception began with Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) profiles and postings, then kicked into high gear when Zoom meetings became the main means of business and social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At about the same time, TikTok became a phenomenon, making everyone an online video star. With your digital persona an important part of your self-image, balding is an especially stinging affront.
Which leads to another leading reason – the fear of aging. Hair loss has an aging effect on even the most youthful face. While the popular mantra is “age is just a number,” most people are more realistic. As our blog post – “Does Hair Loss Hurt Your Career?” – covers, appearances count in our society. While we may believe that people should be judged by their merits, abilities and character, such isn’t always the case. In particular, men who are in the job market – or interested in career advancement – and experiencing hair loss could be wondering if their male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) is harming their chances. The same goes for their social life.
For example, a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University recruited participants to compare photos of men before and after they got a hair transplant. Although they were looking at the same men, participants rated men after they got their hair transplants as more attractive, approachable, and successful.
Moreover, there are indications that men are beginning to experience hair loss at younger ages than any generation before them. However, it has not yet been established if this is a significant trend, or just more noticeable because of increased awareness.
If so, stress could be a contributing factor, considering the numerous personal and societal upheavals that the pandemic created. Poor nutrition may be another factor, as many millennials make fast foods the mainstay of their diet. As our blog post – “How Lifestyle Affects Hair Loss” – covers, hair is sensitive to nutritional imbalances. An inadequate intake of essential vitamins or minerals can impact the hair growth (anagen phase)/rest cycle (telogen phase). For this reason, a junk food diet high in saturated fat, salt and sugar – and low in essential vitamins and nutrients – not only leads to hair follicles being poorly nourished, but increases the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Changing Attitudes Towards Hair Transplants
In previous generations, society judged men who had a hair transplant with some amount of contempt – considering them vain or trying desperately to hold on to youth. Fortunately, public opinion has changed to approval, with the recognition that the desire to enhance one’s appearance is based towards achieving greater self-confidence.
Among millennial men, getting hair restoration treatment or a hair transplant procedure is a standard, acceptable solution to hair loss. Members of this generation have been accustomed to finding a way to meet their goals, rather than just resigning themselves to circumstances – in this case, a future of ever-increasing baldness.
Improved Hair Transplant Procedures
To be fair to your elders, one big reason men of previous generations were reluctant to undergo a hair transplant was because the technology was by today’s standards primitive – typically resulting in an unnatural-looking hairline and pluggy “doll hair” growth patterns. As cringeworthy as the much-ridiculed comb-over was, many men who wanted to conceal their bald spot decided it was preferable to the even odder-looking effect of the day’s usual hair transplant result.
Hair transplant techniques have since greatly evolved, providing the look of natural growth when performed by an experienced, skilled hair restoration surgeon. Dr. Marco Barusco – Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Tempus Hair Restoration – offers the following procedures:
Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) – In this procedure, follicular units (hair grafts) in groupings of one, two or three hairs are individually extracted from the back of the head (donor area) using small circular punch blades instead of a scalpel. The grafts are then transplanted to the thinning or balding areas of the scalp. Once the desired number of grafts are obtained, the donor sites are left to heal without suturing. The resulting scars are not readily visible and are easily concealed even by very short hair.
No-Shave FUE – Developed by Dr. Barusco, the no-shave FUE completely conceals harvested donor sites immediately, allowing you to resume your regular activities with virtually no evidence of the procedure.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) – Also known as the “strip” method, the FUT procedure has undergone refinements over the years so that the only evidence is a pencil-line linear scar easily concealed by hair – even at a shorter length. Although many hair transplant practices encourage patients toward the FUE, there are circumstances in which the FUT will produce the more successful outcome.
Combination FUE and FUT – This technique covers large areas of baldness in a single surgery. Patients with advanced hair loss are typically required to undergo multiple hair transplant procedures to obtain coverage of their entire bald scalp – having to wait one year or more between procedures. This allows patients to achieve their ultimate goal sooner, with one procedure versus many.
Hair Restoration Pitfalls to Avoid
Now, here is where the guidance comes in. Not all hair restoration practices and surgeons are equal. You may know your way around the internet, but your searches might not lead you to the best surgeon – and could even lead you to one who’ll seriously botch your procedure. Others may not prescribe the right course of non-surgical treatment and might be unable to adequately monitor the progression of your hair loss. Previous Tempus Hair Restoration blog posts have alerted consumers to the following pitfalls to watch out for. In case this is your first time visiting our blog, here is a breakdown.
Online Hair Restoration Subscription Services – Purchasing goods and services online is the preferred way of doing business for millennials. But although there are many telehealth companies offering hair restoration medications, finding the right doctor and treatment for your specific hair loss isn’t the same as buying shoes online.
As reported by Natasha Singer and Katie Thomas in their article for The New York Times – Drug Sites Upend Doctor-Patient Relations: ‘It’s Restaurant-Menu Medicine’ – “The sites invert the usual practice of medicine by turning the act of prescribing drugs into a service. Instead of doctors making diagnoses and then suggesting treatments, patients request drugs and physicians serve largely as gatekeepers. Some of these companies operate in a regulatory vacuum that could increase public health risks … And federal and state health laws, written to ensure competent medical care and drug safety, have not kept pace with online services …”
These telehealth companies downplay the fact that even non-surgical treatment is still medical treatment that involves numerous factors a doctor needs to take into account and evaluate. However, as The New York Times’ article points out, these companies “… argue that they are tech platforms, not health providers. The sites connect consumers – and often process their payments – to doctors who may prescribe drugs and pharmacies that can ship the medications.” Their lack of accountability and responsibility to patient health should negate any perceived convenience in ordering prescription treatments with a couple of clicks.
Overseas Black Market Clinics – You’ve probably read about the advantages of traveling to Turkey for a hair transplant at a bargain price, with accommodations at a luxury hotel. However, much of what you read about Turkish hair transplant clinics are a combination of deliberate disinformation produced by the clinics themselves, social media hype and publicity provided by mainstream publications more eager for readers’ eyeballs than presenting the facts. Such clinics put you at risk for permanent disfigurement by a botched procedure performed by non-medical clinic employees who go to their other jobs, like waiting tables or driving taxis, after their shift at the clinic.
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) – the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss treatment and restoration – launched a worldwide campaign designed to raise awareness of the risks of medical tourism for hair transplants. Its Fight the FIGHT (Fraudulent, Illicit and Global Hair Transplants) campaign targets the hair transplant black market, which is built upon fraudulent hair restoration clinics and misleading advertising claims. Please click the links to learn why you should avoid such clinics. Our blog post – “The Dangers of Black Market Hair Transplants in Turkey” – provides additional information.
Robotic Hair Transplant Devices – Robotic assisted devices are promoted by many hair transplant clinics as a quick, foolproof tool for performing the FUE procedure. Instead of the surgeon choosing which hair follicles to harvest from the donor area, a robotic assisted system evaluates the hair and – based on a complex algorithm – chooses the follicles that it identifies as being the best for transplantation. The device then harvests these follicles by means of a computer-controlled robotic arm. Although practices that utilize this device advertise it as the future of hair transplantation, there are limitations, even when used according to medical ethical standards and within the law.
Unfortunately, the nature of such devices leads to the slippery slope of unlicensed, non-medical personnel performing some or all aspects of an FUE hair transplant procedure – which is much more common than you may know. If you’re new to our blog, our post – “Don’t Let a Technician Perform Your Hair Transplant Surgery” – covers this topic in detail. We encourage you to read it, as well as our blog post – “The Truth About Robotic Devices in Hair Transplant Procedures” – for additional information.
A valuable online resource for anyone considering a hair restoration procedure is the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). This is a global non-profit medical association, and the leading authority on hair loss treatment and restoration. With more than 1,000 members throughout 70 countries worldwide, the ISHRS is dedicated to achieving excellence in patient outcomes by promoting the highest standards of medical practice, medical ethics and research in the medical hair restoration industry. The ISHRS offers objective, unbiased information, and does not accept advertising or affiliate links.
The ISHRS website provides free resources for consumers – such as its Find a Doctor database. This is maintained and updated with the name, location, contact information and link to the ISHRS member page of each doctor.
Dr. Marco Barusco – Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Tempus Hair Restoration – is a Fellow of the ISHRS. This is a distinction that is only given to those ISHRS members who achieve certain landmarks on teaching and leadership. Currently, fewer than 10% of the ISHRS members are Fellows.
In conducting research on individual surgeons, the ISHRS recommends learning about the surgeon’s training, credentials and experience in the field of hair restoration. Start this process by visiting the website of each surgeon you’re considering. Our blog post – “Is Your Hair Transplant Surgeon Qualified? What You Need to Know!” – covers this important topic in detail.
For all the millennial men embarking upon their hair restoration journey, we hope we’ve provided helpful information for getting you on the right road! If you participate by choosing your surgeon wisely, you’ll receive a full head of healthy hair as your award!
Ultimately, choose your surgeon based on experience, results and integrity. Dr. Barusco’s long list of accomplishments, his notable artistic ability and his successful surgical team make Tempus Hair Restoration a renowned practice.
We understand that the main concern you may have is cost, which is why we offer financing options that can place this goal within reach.
Contact us to schedule your free virtual consultation. Dr. Barusco conducts every consultation himself, giving you the opportunity to learn your options in the comfort of your home – or any location, on any internet-enabled device.
Dr. Barusco conducts consultations in English, Spanish and Portuguese. For your greater convenience, Tempus Hair Restoration offers a two-night complimentary hotel stay to out-of-town clients who travel 100 miles or more to our Port Orange, Florida, surgical center. No matter how far the distance, we welcome the opportunity to help you on your hair restoration journey!