More men are deciding to take steps to halt their receding hair lines, writes Theresa Judge
The idea of starting to go bald at 35 did not appeal to Shay Dempsey. The owner/manager of fashion hair salon Zoo, perhaps not surprisingly, was more concerned than most men at the thought of losing his hair. And unlike the vast majority, he decided to get a hair transplant.
"I love to have hair and to play with it," he says, running his fingers through well-conditioned shiny black locks. "I didn't want to have to wake up every morning and shave it."
As he talks, his staff are washing, cutting, colouring, discussing and sweeping up hair - a difficult environment for anyone trying to forget about a receding hair line.
He felt his image was important given the business he was in. "There's no doubt that it is ageing. It can add 10 years to you - I have seen 21 year olds who look 35. So I thought if I don't do something about it now I could look like Phil Collins - that's a scary thought."
Mr Dempsey was among the first 100 patients to have hair transplant surgery at the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin. Dr Maurice Collins, an ear, nose and throat surgeon for more than 20 years, started carrying out the procedure last August and stresses that the work he is doing is up to the highest international standards.
"I want people to know that they don't have to go abroad anymore to get the very best treatment available, carried out by a qualified surgeon," he says.
There have been, and continue to be, horror stories associated with hair transplants and Dr Collins points out the pitfalls of going to what he terms "commercial clinics".
"It is a medical problem and, for a medical problem, you should see a doctor, not a salesman," he says. He encourages people not to make up their mind during the first consultation but to go home and think about it.
He describes the procedure as "a modern hair transplant", which becomes undetectable because of the precision with which it is performed.
He has no shortage of clients, in fact there is a waiting list - a reflection perhaps of how appearance is becoming more important to men. Dr Collins rejects any suggestion that his clients are vain and says it is to do with confidence and self-esteem. He makes the comparison of people getting corrective work on their teeth or eye laser surgery so as not to have to wear glasses.
"If a man says he is receding and doesn't like the ageing it brings, and feels his confidence and self-esteem will be helped by doing it, then I think it is better that I do it rather than somebody who is not qualified," he says.
The chairman of the Men's Health Forum in Ireland, Mr Noel Richardson, says that, while it is generally good for men to take an interest in their appearance and that in fact "looking well impacts in a very positive way on men's emotional and mental well-being", he is concerned about the very narrowly defined image of masculinity that is emerging.
He says he has concerns about the "proliferation of cosmetic-type products and services that are now on the market for men".
The image being sold is the male body beautiful, a muscular body-builder type shape that is "infeasible for the vast majority of men just as most women are never going to be size 10".
A full-time researcher in men's health with the South Eastern Health Board, he says there is no doubt that hair loss can be traumatic for some men.
"But it is going to impact more strongly if the messages we are getting all the time is about the body beautiful and fitting into that very narrow definition of masculinity," he says.
A broader, more balanced and holistic view of masculinity, taking into account physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being is what is required, he says.
"A man is not going to be as bothered by hair loss if he feels strong in himself, emotionally strong and has a good support network," he says.
Mr Dempsey doesn't look like someone with a confidence problem. His point of view is that he has a business to front and he wants to project a certain image.
"I can't be going around here with a shiny top," he laughs.
His wife agreed that, if he didn't like the idea of going bald, he should do something about it.
He says he's been struck by the number of men who've asked him about the procedure, who would consider getting it done. He also feels it was worth the €10,000 he paid for the first session and says he will need a second session, which will cost about €7,000.
For the would-be customer, Dr Collins's rooms are reassuringly high-tech and plush. Because the procedure can take quite a few hours, entertainment is provided. In front of the padded, reclining patient's chair is a large-screen home entertainment centre with a choice of DVDs, CDs etc.
Meanwhile, behind the patient's back is the area where up to four nurse/technicians carry out the painstaking work, under microscopes, of preparing the hair for transplant.
Dr Collins emphasises the use of microscopes and the procedure used to dissect out each individual hair follicle from a one-centimetre-wide strip of hair-bearing skin that is removed from the back of the person's head. This careful separation of each individual follicle with the use of a microscope, he says, "does not happen in the commercial clinics", but not to use this procedure means the hair is just "chopped".
The strip removed from the back of the head, incidentally, is not missed as the two edges can simply be sewn together. This strip comes from the section of the head which is unaffected by the hormone that causes baldness and is therefore permanent hair. Some "donor hair" is always left in case a further transplant is needed.
Once the hair follicles have been prepared, the job of inserting them into the head is also a bit of an art form. From anonymous pictures on his computer of the heads of previous patients, Dr Collins shows that hair is placed so as to make the pattern of new growth look natural. Once hairs are inserted they have to be rotated so as to ensure they will lie properly. The hair that is transplanted will fall out and a new hair will grow from the root within three months and will continue growing for the life of the patient.
He says some men would need up to 1,500 grafts in total, usually done over two sessions. Most of his patients "are not concerned about the financial end of this", but for those curious about the cost, he says the average person will spend €5,000 per session, but for some it can be up to €15,000 although this is very rare.
It is not uncommon to need two sessions, and in rare cases more than two are required. It depends on a number of factors including the degree of hair loss, what the client wants and the amount of donor hair available.
Dr Collins says he has met patients with unrealistic expectations and has had to turn a small number of people away because of this. He tells people what is technically possible, pointing out that there can never be enough donor hair to get back a full head of hair. However, it is possible to get the illusion of fullness.
"By the time a person notices their hair is thinning, they have already lost 50 per cent," he says, so he sets about reversing that and it can start to look quite full again once some of the hair is replaced.
Dr Collins stresses that he has been training in the techniques he uses for the past five years and has travelled abroad to work with leading practitioners in the US and Europe. The clinic's nurses have also been trained in cutting techniques and the best available equipment is used.
But people should beware that there is no regulation of cosmetic surgery in Ireland. A person doing such surgery does not have to be a trained surgeon. Dr Collins says the results of poorly performed transplants can be horrendous and some people have come to him to try to get previous jobs "corrected".