Alternatives To A Hair System While Trying To Grow Hair Back? Hair Integration System Maybe?

[Hair2019]

I have longer hair that is receeding at the hairline and thinning on top, so I recently got my first partial hair system (I used to use hair loss fibres/concealer powder until my hair loss got worse).

I am soon going to get a custom longer partial system, however I have been thinking that in the long run it might be better to try and grow my hair back, by taking supplements, changing diet, using things like Rogaine etc.

First of all, I want to know if it's even possible to regrow a thick head of hair for a guy with longer hair (I want to achieve something along the lines of Johnny Depp's slightly wavy mid to long haired look about 10 to 12 inches in length). I still have long hair at the back and sides, just not on top as I have currently had to shave it to wear the hair system.

The second question is what to do in the meantime while my hair grows back. Obviously I have to live my life as normal, so I cannot walk round with a big bald patch while I wait for it to grow back. If I am growing my hair back, I will not be able to wear a hair system that is attached with tape or adhesive as this needs a shaved scalp.

So I am thinking that the solution in the meantime might be some sort of wig or hair system that is attached in a way that still allow the hair underneath it to grow back. As hair grows at about half an inch per month, it will take me nearly 2 years to get the length I want. I have seen hair integration systems, which are a hair system with a mesh that is attached to your head, which allows you to pull your own hair through it and integrate it with your natural hair. I am thinking that something like this could work as it would allow me to have hair while I grow my real hair back.

I am wondering what peoples' thoughts on this is, and whether it is going to be possible. If not, I will just have to wear a partial hair system for the rest of my life.

 

[Noah]

Hi Hair 2019

On your first question - is it possible for you to regrow? - I don't think any of us are in a position to say. Obviously I wish you well in the endeavour, and I think it will become pretty obvious within a few months whether it's going to work or not. It depends on why you lost the hair in the first place. If it is because you had ill-health or an unhealthy lifestyle, then switching to a healthier one may reverse the trend. If it is just male pattern baldness, then it likely won't. The conventional view of meds like Finasteride and Minoxidil is that they can help you retain the hair you have, but they rarely lead to regrowth of hair you have already lost. But some people do seem to get regrowth. Of course, there is a whole forum elsewhere dedicated to that possibility.

On the second question, I would not recommend a hair integration system. They have to be professionally fitted, there is a lot of stress on your natural hair involved in pulling it through the holes in the mesh, and the end-result is pretty detectable, and continually shifting as your natural hair grows out. I think they are a silly idea, at least for men. The better solution is a clip-on system, attached with hairpiece tape at the hairline (in front of your natural growth) and by clips the rest of the way around. These have their shortcomings too - they can be a bit uncomfortable, the clips are fairly detectable if anyone runs their hands through your hair, and they can cause traction alopecia in the long term. But in the short to medium term they will allow you to see whether you can regrow your biohair to the degree you want while still maintaining a decent appearance. When you are at home in private you can take the hairpiece off and give the new hairs plenty of breathing space, and you can sleep bald (or hopefully not bald!).

Noah