Jennifer Matthews: For 41-year-old Tom Geissler bald was not beautiful. He likened it to an airport runway.

Tom Geissler: A landing strip, well, just running right down the middle.

Jennifer Matthews: So Tom took a gamble and secretly had a hair transplant. He didn't tell his friends -- not even his wife.

Lisa Geissler: He came in with bandages and a hat and ice packs. It looked like he had been in a fight. The first one was rough, he looked little scary.

Jennifer Matthews: The first one was a traditional transplant with an ear-to-ear incision like this.

James Harris: This is about eight or nine inches long.

Jennifer Matthews: However, with his next transplant, Doctor James Harris used a method he developed called the safe system.

James Harris: It's virtually pain-free. This is minimally invasive hair transplantation surgery.

Jennifer Matthews: Doctor Harris himself has had a traditional transplant. Now, with the "safe system," he plucks follicles from the scalp in two strokes. No sutures, no scars. No costly team of technicians. The process is so much easier, Harris says the price will likely drop.

James Harris: The demand will be there, and the more surgeons that are doing it, that will drive the price down as well.

Jennifer Matthews: No more obvious plugs but a more natural look. Leaving old friends wondering.

Tom Geissler: One of them actually kind of tipped my head forward. He said, 'Boy, you seem to be doing okay.' So he didn't notice.

Jennifer Matthews: Even Tom's hairdresser doesn't know for sure. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.