Are hair pieces & hair systems REALLY that bad?

[kenz9]

I'm at around a Norwood III-IV and am 25. I really wouldn't mind being bald at 40-50, but not in my 20's

So with that being said, I want to take the plunge. There aren't really any 'established' places besides Farrell and Hair Club for Men --- which I heard were nightmares. Now I have a few questions and would appreciate COMPLETE honesty:

1) First and foremost, does it suck? In other words, are you CONSTANTLY thinking about it? I knew the glue/tape is supposedly very secure, but surely you've thought of it falling off, has it ever happened to you? Is it really a huge hassle?

2) What do you do, if you're like me, and you're super-active and sweat a lot. I mean if I go for a workout at the gym, does it "ruin" the piece of I sweat a lot? Can't I just shower and not have to remove, change, alter it?

3) How do you deal with your friends/roommates/SO's? Do they know, do some know, do any know? If I live with three roommates, is it inevitable they know?

4) This might be the hardest question to answer or the easier one and that is...is it worth it? Is there any advantage of a piece (besides cost) over a surgury?

5) What would you recommend a beginner do or start?

***Last question only applies to the younger guys***

6) How did you guys in your 20s (30s even) deal with it?


Thanks again guys, I really appreciate your help with and am GLAD I found people who can relate to this.

 

[goingon24]

24 yr old here, im still sewing my own to fill in the side temples/lower my hairline and ill be glad to let you know my experience when its done.

It's taking a lot longer than it should since im a newbie and have to go really slow to make sure I don't screw up alot + front hairline is most noticeable.

 

[TDK]

I know how you feel about losings your hair young, I'm 27 now and have been losing my hair since 17. Up till recentI've just shaved my head which for the most part I like but it just gets boring after about 9 years. So I started to look in to hair systems and as of one week ago I started wearing. I wish I had more experience to share with you but I'll let you know what I learned so far....

1. It's very secure, I mean you can't rip it off if you wanted to. To remove you use some thing call lace release. So no I'm not worried about it falling off.

2. To answer your question if sweating a lot will ruin it I'll have to wait and see. Its only been a week but I can say it looks the same as it did a week ago and I just shower like it's my real hair. I just make sure I use a good conditioner to keep the hair drying out. ( I hear that can be a problem with real hair pieces )

3. Do people know? Well most of my friends knew that I shaved my head because I was balding, so after I grew my hair out and put on a system my friends wanted to know how my hair had no sign of hair loss.
I don't care to say it's not my real hair, but I know most people don't feel the same way I do. Bottom line is if you go from no hair to a full head of hair people will want to know how you did it.

4. Is worth it? So far for me it has been worth it, I mean I didn't feel like I had anything to lose other then a little money. It's safe and reversible and I think a hair systems can achieve a better looking head of hair then surgery (at least what I've seen).

5. As for where to start...... read as much as you can about them. And look in to different company's that offer systems a couple that I hear good things about are northwest lace, toplace, and hairpiecewarehouse (I got mine from hairpiece warehouse)

Lastly since I'm sure you would like to know all cons I've found so far here they are.(I'm sure some of these can be fix as you become more experienced.)

Feel. In some parts I can feel the edge of the lace when I run my fingers in my hair.

They won't last forever. From what I hear they last about 3-5 months.

Cost. You really should think about what you will be spending on them over a year. You can get a great looking system for around $159-$399 a unit so its not bad but can add up.

Getting it cut in. For me I did all the work myself so it was a learning experience, It went well but I can see where I could have done better. So make sure you think about who's going to cut your hair.

I hope this helps.

 

[kenz9]

TDK hope you see this, just wanted to know, where do you get your unit from and where did you learn how to cut it?

 

[TDK]

I got the unit at hairpiecewarehouse.com its a swiss lace base with medium density. (note next time I think I'll try mid light. It just seems a little thick) As for cutting I just took a chance and cut it myself so there are blending mistakes but I'm happy with it. The first picture is with the hair dry and the next to is when its wet.

 

[Winstonage]

You asked for the perspective of young guys, well I am 61, but I have been wearing since I an 25. When I started, the pieces were bad, but today they are awesome. You can wear with any life style. I work out and sweat like an animal, no problems. I drive a convertible, don't even think about my hair. Here are the keys, find a good online supplier. I use Northwest Lace, quality pieces, great customer service. Others to consider are, Toplace, Hats Off Hair, Cool Piece, and Hair Piece Warehouse. All are reputable. Toplace and Northwest Lace have forums, great places to learn from other hair wearers. Get a good cut in. Experiment with glues and tapes. Body chemistry can determine which ones will work for you. Use a daily leave in conditioner. There is a leaning curve, but it is not rocket science, you can do it yourself and achieve a great result. I have run the gamut from salons, to Hair Club, and for the last 3 years I have bought on line, and do it myself. I now have better looking hair, and have saved a ton of money. Even at 61, I want to look my best, I look 10 years younger(I do keep fit) with hair, and it gives me a lot more confidence. Do you research, I lurked on forums for 6 months learning as much as I could about buying online and doing it myself.

Good luck, and TDK your hair looks awesome!

 

[Fanjeera]

When will they become cheaper?

 

[Winstonage]

When will they become cheaper?

You can buy online for between $200-$250 for a good piece.

 

[kelan]

I got the unit at hairpiecewarehouse.com its a swiss lace base with medium density. (note next time I think I'll try mid light. It just seems a little thick) As for cutting I just took a chance and cut it myself so there are blending mistakes but I'm happy with it. The first picture is with the hair dry and the next to is when its wet.
View attachment 19756View attachment 19757View attachment 19758

Wow! Probably one of the most convincing photos I have ever seen! Thanks for the uploads!

- - - Updated - - -

I got the unit at hairpiecewarehouse.com its a swiss lace base with medium density. (note next time I think I'll try mid light. It just seems a little thick) As for cutting I just took a chance and cut it myself so there are blending mistakes but I'm happy with it. The first picture is with the hair dry and the next to is when its wet.
View attachment 19756View attachment 19757View attachment 19758

If possible could you upload a picture of the back of the head? The reason I ask, is that I feel that the circular swirl/whorl on the back of the head is probably one of the hardest areas to camouflage the new hair into the remaining hair.

Also how did you make sure that the new hair would match your own hair? (Did you dye everything after it arrived?)

 

[Jag_man]

Does look really great! I'm considering this route myself. Thanks for the pics! Interested to know your experiences thus far?

 

[baller88]

1. It's a mixed result. You'll have better hair than you've ever had but it took me a year to get completely used to. If you have it bonded like I do then it's impossible to fall off — if you get your hair caught in a drill then it's more likely that you'll get scalped before the system comes off (srs)!


2. I get mine taken off, cleaned and put back on every 2 weeks but I know someone that works out every day that does his every week. Sweating doesn't really ruin it, it just means more frequent re-bonding.


3. I've had 2 hair transplants in the past, of which my friends know about so at the moment they think my current hair is from the past hair transplant's. Nobody has to know, my current GF doesn't know (to the best of my knowledge anyway haha). I'll also mention that before I got my hair system I wore hats for 2 months (basically the waiting period for a system) to make suddenly having full hair not so odd.


4. I've had 2 hair transplant's and I can say that hair systems are the only REAL long term solution. Nobody tells you that going the hair transplant route means requiring 'top-ups' every year or so, how you'll never really have full hair and that one day you will no longer be suitable for further hair transplants due to lack of donor hair. I hate how people say "when I'm 50 I don't mind being bald" as if we all die or completely let ourselves go in our 50's —where I live it's pretty common for 50 year olds to still have a full head of hair.


5. Start off at a local expensive over-priced hair replacement club. Seriously, they are needed both for physical AND mental purposes. Later on you can venture out to look for more economical options.


6. Hair loss is a life detour that you've been chosen to endure; it's up to you to either flow with it, or do something about it.

 

[tochung]

i really wonder, how does it feel like with a toupee on your scalp? Will you feel very hot and stuffy?

 

[ravid4]

Hi TK is this a stock peice

 

[swingline747]

4. I've had 2 hair transplant's and I can say that hair systems are the only REAL long term solution. Nobody tells you that going the hair transplant route means requiring 'top-ups' every year or so, how you'll never really have full hair and that one day you will no longer be suitable for further hair transplants due to lack of donor hair. I hate how people say "when I'm 50 I don't mind being bald" as if we all die or completely let ourselves go in our 50's —where I live it's pretty common for 50 year olds to still have a full head of hair.

So do you regret your hair transplant? I was in the final stages of setting up (Im 34) and I have been second guessing myself for this same very reason.

Could you eventually go body to scalp for a fuller denser hair transplant look?

 

[armani231]

Hi Guys. I work for a company that manufactures everything from wigs, extensions, to mens hair replacement. I am not going to disclose what company, because I am not here to push any products. I just wanted to say that there are so many posts about Propecia and Minoxidil and a whole host of regimens to treat hairloss, but so little mention of hair systems. As you can see on TDK, so many advancements have been made (and are constantly being made) to make systems look so much more natural and easy to care for. I really feel that after you have tried all the topicals and pills and are still not satisfied with the result, the next step should be to get a good consult on a hairpiece BEFORE getting a hair transplant. You can always ditch the hairpiece and decide to get the transplant, but you can't ditch a bad transplant!!!! I have seen many guys who have had transplants and never got the look of full hair they really wanted, only to end up going the hair system route to achieve the look they wanted. Of course, they spent a whole lot of money on the transplants already!!!! There is a stigma that is hard to shake about guys wearing "toupee"s or a "rug" but that is merely because of all the bad ones that are out there. Many people are concerned with intimacy and what a girl will think if a guy is wearing a piece. My opinion is that any guy who looks great and feels confident will be attractive! WOuld you guys disregard a girl for having silicone breasts and hair extensions? Probably not!!!! Its the same for guys. We all just want to look our best and feel good. if a "piece" looks natural and is cut nicely, it will be undetectable! Again, you owe it to yourself to visit a local hair replacement company and get the right information. Go in on a day when you can see actual clients with their systems on so that you can see for yourself in person what they look like on living people, not just pictures. I think you will be surprised. I hope this helps. And remember, like plastic surgery, you only notice the BAD ones!!! the GOOD ones go undetected!!!!!

 

[M1sty]

Hey guys,

Don't post much on these boards but check time to time in hopes of a solution to this problem so I can put my mind at ease about my hairloss future and get on with more important things.

I'm not keen on taking finasteride or minoxidil. Due to sides and being gyno prone, I Currently wash my hair 2-3 x week with nizoral and not looking to do much more besides Maybe trying RU early next gear.

I don't mind the idea of having a hair system and fixing it once/twice a week/fortnight as long as I can still do everything I love! (Swimming, working out, outdoor activities).

I feel this is one of the best threads I've read and gives hope for the future. Thanks to the guys who contributed . esp baller and armani.

Ps has anyone tried a system scuba diving? Or am i going to have to experiment myself?

 

[Noah]

Fred, you have to be careful about generalising too much from your father's experience. My guess is he is wearing a rather heavy thick traditional monofilament toupee which he buys from a hairpiece salon. He may also get it maintained by his salon on a monthly basis. He probably wears his piece for a year or more before he gets a new one. He may take it off when he goes to bed. Lots of men in our fathers' generation wear similar hairpieces in that way. That was what was available to the man in the street when he started wearing, and many of them stick to what they know, because they don't have the time or the appetite to experiment. These traditional hairpieces have the virtue of being very hard-wearing, although not very realistic. Tell me if I'm getting it all wrong here.


We men of the internet generation wear hairpieces a different way. The fine fragile lace hairpieces which were only available to Hollywood actors in the 60's and 70's are now as cheap as chips thanks to low cost Asian labor, and you can buy a really excellent quality custom lace piece anonymously over the Web for around $200 - 300 dollars. They don't last anything like as long as the old monofilament toupees, but that doesn't matter because they are so cheap that they can be treated as disposable. If you have a decent professional job can have a new one every month so your hair always looks fresh. And that means that you can swim in them. So what if the color fades or the hair dries out? - you just chuck it away and get a new one. There is so much information being shared without embarrassment on anonymous hairpiece forums that young guys who wear today don't need salons to maintain their hairpieces, because they are more knowledgable than the salons. And there is a whole new range of specialist glues and tapes, so that you can do pretty much whatever you like while wearing a hairpiece without any fear of it coming off or becoming detectable. I have scuba dived in my piece, and also water skied and bungee jumped and trekked in the desert, all without problems.

 

[Noah]

I'm in no way criticising your father. I'm glad he has found something that works for him. I'm just saying that what your father wears is not the lightest, most undetectable, or even the cheapest that is available now, so it is not right to generalise that his experience applies to all hairpiece wearers today.

The fine all-lace pieces that I wear now are probably lighter in weight than my real hair was when I had it. The base is a fine open-textured breathable mesh which is virtually weightless too. Then I have a few grams of tape or glue. That is why there is no problem trekking in it in the desert. People with their own real hair don't have a problem trekking in the desert, so why would I?

I think most people who wear a piece have previously tried meds (no effect and/or bad side effects), shaving (ugly-shaped head, look like a thug) and concealer (eventually ran out of hair for them to stick too). I would take issue with you, though, on the proposition that you should only try a hair piece after you have tried and failed with transplants. In my experience, with some exceptions of course, transplants are expensive and very very rarely give a cosmetically satisfactory result over the medium term, but you are taking a significant risk that you will look worse than when you started. At least with a piece if you don't like it you can throw it away and you're no worse off. There are quite a few people who wish the same were true of transplants.

 

[Benjamin36]

The thing that freaks me out about hair systems and pieces is the possibility of someone finding out and having people making jokes behind my back. My brother worked with a guy for years and maybe about a year ago he was looking at the guy's head from the back and noticed something unusual. Sure enough, he figured out that he was wearing a hair system/wig and he had been doing so for years without anyone noticing. From just that one time of something happening with the blending of his own hair into the wig or system, it allowed everyone at his work to figure it out. Now they all make jokes about him under their breath.

 

[Noah]

Well I would agree that that is a concern. Not many people want their insecurities and artifices on show. But the same concerns affect people who use concealers or have a transplant - will the surgeon be sufficiently discreet that the people in the office won't know they have had one? What will the new hot date make of her black pillows in the morning?