The recession has caused patient volume at cosmetic-surgery facilities to fall by a third, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. With money so tight, it's hard for many people to contemplate spending thousands of dollars on face-lifts or boob jobs.
But when I attended an open house at the New Hair Institute in Century City last weekend, I found a waiting room full of guys who were willing to spend as much as $20,000 apiece to restore what nature was taking away.
In many cases, the motivation is vanity or self-esteem. But increasingly these days, another incentive for men to undergo hair-transplant surgery is a desire to be more competitive in a challenging job market.
"Society discriminates against bald people," said Dr. William Rassman, who runs the New Hair Institute. "If you have two people coming in for a job, and one of them is partly bald, you'll think that the one with hair has more youth and vitality."
In response to my skeptical look, he added: "Many full-headed people have a hard time understanding the problems of balding people."
I heard that a lot in speaking with the two dozen or so guys at the open house, especially when I'd point out that a shiny scalp hadn't hurt the likes of Bruce Willis or Charles Barkley. Some of the men agreed to let me use their full names. Others wanted only their first names used.
"You can't understand," said David, a 39-year-old UPS driver, making me uncomfortable with the way he kept checking out the top of my head. "You have a full head of hair."
He said a more youthful appearance would definitely improve his chances if he had to start looking for work -- which he hopes won't happen any time soon, but you never know with the way things are.
"I wouldn't feel intimidated if I had to compete with someone younger," David said. "A full head of hair makes all the difference."
With hair-transplant surgery, healthy hair is removed from the back of the scalp and replanted up top. Sometimes it grows in nice and evenly. Other times, you have to grow it long where it takes root and settle for a comb over.
And other times, judging from some websites out there, things can go very wrong and you're worse off than when you began. Potential patients will want to shop around carefully.
Rahul Gupta, 28, works as a mechanical engineer for a company he'd rather not name. ("We do a lot of defense work," he explained.) Like David, he's mindful of how a hirsute appearance can influence one's career prospects.
