Can a hair transplant really help an alopecia pacient?

Approximately 6 out of 10 men and 1 out of 10 women suffer from hair loss. Consequently, balding is a major concern for many people, and the hair transplant is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure performed on men today.
The way people look like, from their birth until their death, is part of their identity, both in how other people see them and in the way they think about themselves. The psychology of the physical appearance can be devided in two points of view. The first one is “the image from the outside”, the social image of the individual, which implies the way that physical appearance affects inter-personal perceptions and social relations.  The second one is the "image from the inside,” a person’s subjective evaluation from the point of view of his/her own physical traits and aesthetics.  Psychologists use the term “image of the body” - an essential aspect of the identity concept - refering to these personal attitudes and perceptions concerning somebody’s appearance.  A full, comprehensive psychology of physical appearance takes into consideration both points of view, especially because the measures of body image often have a modest correspondence with the reality conceived on a social level.  At first glance, beauty does not guarantee a satisfying body image, nor does banality imply loathing somebody’s appearance.
So, balding is primarily of cosmetic concern. But can a hair transplant help people improve their image about themselves? Although a hair transplant can prove to be a relief for alopecia pacients, the market for hair transplantation is dwarfed by the huge market for products that treat hair loss without surgery. These products include shampoos and other hair-care products, scalp massagers and many more, but they have no proven efficiency except for the ability to temporarily increase the volume of hair, resulting in a denser appearance. Still, up to this day, hair transplantat remains the treatment most patients with hair loss problems choose.

Table of Contents:
Can a hair transplant really help an alopecia pacient?
Social perspectives on hair loss
Bald or Balding Men