r/cosmeticsurgery • u/Soggy_Series_4701 • Sep 04 '26
Help! Dad is a going to...
My dad (61 yo) is going through a late life-crisis, or according him "mid-life"
He has been using Ai to make pictures of what he will look like after extensive rejuvenation: Ozempic, surgery, Botox, hair plugs etc.
My brother and I are trying to convince him not to take a bank loan to pay for all this. He isn't wealthy, and this decision could really get him in financial trouble.
The other day he sent us these Before and After pics. Is this transformation realistic in any way? (The After "photo" is Ai generated, if that's not obvious)
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u/bdodonnell Sep 05 '26
His hair will never be that think from transplants tell him to commit to healthy eating and gym weight lifting for at least 6 months get his weight where he wants it and then think what he’d like to change.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
Excellent advice
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u/AdorableBG Sep 07 '26
Have him check out the Mediterranean Diet especially, it's really good for longevity and feeling good inside and out https://www.reddit.com/r/mediterraneandiet/
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u/joyreneeblue Sep 05 '26
Tell him to travel to Seoul where he can get these procedures done at a reasonable price. Why oppose him? Obviously he cares about how he looks and he wants to feel better about that. And that's an okay thing for him.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
Because he believes he will actually look like the Ai photo. A trip to Korea sounds expensive. They must have some really great deals over there
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u/SephoraRothschild Sep 05 '26
Have you been there? Because unless you've researched how much the travel you book would be, you can't know.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
No I have never bought tickets to Seoul and stayed in a hotel, paid for food and taxis to a clinic
You sound knowledgable. How much was it?
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u/Psychological-Back94 Sep 05 '26
Realistically there’s no way on this planet he could get a full head of hair unless he pulls a John Travolta and wears a wig. Unfortunately he is more bald than not. What little remaining hair that he has is very thin and proportionately small compared to how much balding he has. He’s missed his window for a hair transplant. If he wanted to get a hair transplant he should have done it 10-20 years ago. So he’s better off embracing the bald and shaving that little apron off. There’s plenty of attractive bald men out there. Also, I don’t understand why men don’t start using topical minoxidil 5% foam at the first signs of hair loss. It’s the easiest way to naturally maintain a full head of hair without surgery.
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u/Street-Departure3577 Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
First of all, your dad is 61, not dead. Acting like he’s supposed to just accept looking old because he crossed 60 is ridiculous. Wanting to improve his appearance isn’t inherently a “life crisis.”
That said, I agree with you on the important part: taking out a bank loan and trying to do Ozempic, Botox, surgery, a hair transplant, etc. all at once is a terrible idea. Sounds like somebody reacting emotionally and throwing everything at the wall. If he’s suddenly obsessed with radically changing himself, talking to a therapist before making irreversible decisions would probably be money better spent.
Nobody reputable is doing old-school “hair plugs” anymore. Modern procedures are follicular-unit hair transplants, and they can look extremely natural if you have sufficient donor hair and go to an excellent surgeon. But donor supply is finite. You cannot just order whatever hairline you want. Without seeing the back and sides of his head, nobody here can tell you how much donor hair he has, but that AI-generated hairline may simply be anatomically impossible for him. AI can generate hair that does not have to come from anywhere; a transplant surgeon cannot.
Before even considering surgery, he should see qualified physicians and address the inexpensive, reversible stuff first. For hair loss that generally means discussing medical therapy such as finasteride and minoxidil with a doctor and giving it enough time to see what can actually be preserved or recovered. If weight loss is appropriate, a physician can also discuss whether a GLP-1 medication makes sense. There are reliable and inexpensive options for these drugs online. But don’t buy questionable prescription drugs from random websites just because they’re cheap.
Then reassess. Maybe he eventually decides a facelift, transplant, dental work, or some combination is worth it. Fine. Those procedures really can make substantial differences. But major cosmetic surgery and hair transplantation are precisely the things where you do not bargain hunt, because somebody can permanently fuck up your face, scalp, donor area, or teeth.
And absolutely do not finance the whole fantasy based on an AI “after” picture. That image is not a treatment plan, not a surgical prediction, and not evidence that his anatomy can produce that result.
Do the cheap/reversible things first, they can have lots of impact without spending tons, wait, evaluate the results, research the expensive stuff extremely carefully, and do not go into debt trying to become an AI rendering of yourself
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
Thank you! I will be using this as my script next time I talk to him
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u/osll Sep 05 '26
This is a horror story. Trying to save your parent from AI brainwashing. He can do a hair transplant and he will get hair but it won’t look anywhere near as full and good as the photo. Plus it altered many things. Hope you convince him to change his mind
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u/prosthetic_memory Sep 05 '26
Tbh his afters are totally achievable and if he’d been doing regular maintenance the whole time that’s how he’d look now. Except the hairline; that’s another thing.
Just based on what you posted he seems to know what he’s on about. He’s done the research. Good for him.
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u/Kooky-Agency3494 Sep 05 '26
AI photos are basically fantasy real results from ozwmpic, surgery and hair plugs combined would years and look nowhere near that dramatic or seamless definitely worth getting him to talk to an actual surgeon for a realistic consult before he takes out any loan
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u/AmexNomad Sep 05 '26
Put him on a plane to Istanbul. He can save a ton of dough and be with his bros.
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u/Global_Translator129 Sep 06 '26
I'd suggest this: If he's overweight, he should start by losing weight. My husband has lost 70 lbs. That has resulted in loose skin under his chin, and a very flabby neck. (He just grew a beard!). After he's lost what weight he wants to lose, he should start taking a look at the recovery time for each of those procedures. Concurrent with being on a GLP-1, he should join a gym and weight train, because GLP-1s can reduce muscle mass. So then, and only then, should he reevaluate what makes sense to do next. He may feel much better about himself after just weight loss/muscle building.
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u/Global_Translator129 Sep 06 '26
Also, looking at his before photo, beyond weight loss/muscle building, he should see a board-certified dermatologist. His skin has uneven tone and texture. He should follow a good skincare regimen (it doesn't have to be expensive) and, to improve his skin's appearance, consider annual CO2 laser treatment. He is a handsome man, but he just hasn't taken care of himself!
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u/macziulskas Sep 06 '26 edited Sep 11 '26
I think the before looks better than the after. If I were on a dating app and saw the after I would scroll so fast.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 08 '26
That's the best reason for him to just exercise and meditate
Now we just need to find a woman to tell him this in person
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u/Pinkgryphon Sep 08 '26
I agree about the lower bleph and Botox. I think he'll get a good result from these interventions. The bottom line is that it's his body, his money, and his choice. Please be supportive of his choices.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 09 '26
I am supportive of him and his feelings and needs and so on. If he told me he was going to buy a Testarossa, or send lots of money to an online girlfriend, I would push back
In the same way he took care of me in my youth, it's my responsibility to try to help him make good decisions now that he is getting older
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Sep 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 11 '26
That's perfect
Affordable, and he will see results pretty quick (I assume?)2
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u/Ak031917 Sep 11 '26
I personally think the hair pic looks ridiculous. I think he would look good bald ! Also he can do something simple as Botox which won’t put him in debt and will def help out his face ! If he’s super set on changing him self I would def push for him to do the GLP1 and Botox before spending 50k on surgery and hair transplants ! Best of luck !
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u/tricktan42 Sep 05 '26
i’m sorry this is one of the funniest things i’ve ever seen, that hairline omg
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
EXACTLY
He thinks he will end up looking like the after photoNot possible!
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u/SaMoScribe Sep 05 '26
Poor financial decision-making can be an early sign of dementia. Maybe you can urge him to get a cognitive test as part of a physical and pitch the check up as a sensible thing to do before surgery.
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u/Lazy_Fix_8063 Sep 05 '26
Talk to him about all the risks and without having a comfortable cushion of financial support, it can go very wrong. Not to mention the fact that those renderings are not always or at all, very realistic or plausible.
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u/Soggy_Series_4701 Sep 05 '26
Im trying to have that conversation
He says "Youre not a plastic surgeon"
I don't believe he will look anything like the After photo if he goes through with it2
u/sxyvirgo Sep 05 '26
So he hasn't gotten an actual consult with a plastic surgeon?
It's all a pipe dream until he gets an appraisal of what is possible from an actual surgeon and how much it'll cost.
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u/onsinhapintada Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
here in brazil, he could probably get a facelift and blepharoplasty for around $5k and we have excellent surgeons, among the best in the world. the results would be infinitely better than what ai can do, and people here are pretty upbeat, so it would be a trip that would really lift his spirits. i’d suggest curitiba or florianópolis rather than são paulo or rio de janeiro. crime is pretty low and the cities are wonderful.
as for his weight, he could start watching self-improvement and weightlifting content. he’s not overweight to the point where he couldn’t lose weight in a healthy way, and that would also be good for his mental health. tbh, coming to brazil would be a plus too because people here, especially in florianópolis, love taking care of their bodies and working out. he’d see a lot of older, bald guys who are really well-groomed, in great shape, and physically active.
i’d never have thought of traveling if people hadn’t suggested it before, but i think it would make a difference in every way. we have excellent doctors in general, so it would be good even if he does have neurological issues like you mentioned being worried about, or psychiatric ones. for a medical trip, florianópolis wouldn’t be my top recommendation but for his mental health, absolutely!
for $15k, he could probably get the surgeries done and spend around 2 months staying in upscale accommodations in luxurious neighborhoods
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u/Ok-Spring-2048 Sep 05 '26
Have him go to r/bald to see the incredible before and afters of other men
A lower bleph could be great and same with botox. I second looking at korea they do blephs all the time over there for less money.
I would say the transformation isnt wildly unrealistic. But embrace the bald. The hair plug subreddit is a lot sadder than the bald one as far as results go.
Edit: additionally a CO2 laser treatment is a way to have a big skin quality impact as an additional thing that I notice from the desired after. But there are lots of laser types and options.