Im 19, New And Need Some Advice On Wearing Systems

[AnxiousAndy]

Hey all, if you read the general hair loss discussion boards you will know who i am. Pretty much ive been on propecia for almost 7 weeks and my hairline is being destroyed. Started treatment at like NW2.2 now i am NW2.5 ( pics confirm this )
My own dad doesn't even believe me despite me being balder than he is now

As you probably can tell its extremely depressing being so young and so bald at this age so i want to go the system route.
The questions i have for those kind enough to answer are:

1. Is it possible to make an accurate template without shaving my head? ( i have length and can still cover my recession to a degree )

2. If i have a specific hairstyle for the system how would i explain this to the people selling me the product?

3. I want to go for a full cap with a fringe to avoid dealing with regular cut ins but would this make it more obvious i was wearing?

4. How long on average does it take upon order to arrive?

5. How long do your systems last personally?

Thats all i can think of. No way could i cope without hair during my 20s. Hell I'll even tell people im wearing if it looks good. Nobody should have to be bald in their early 20s. I just want to be like all my friends. Oh how i envy them..
Thanks for reading

 

[Baldingat188]

I think Propecia could be working but I have heard it is very slow. If you aren't getting any sides I think you should stick with it ( at least for a year or so).

are you trying rogaine and nizoral as well?

I am also balding at a young age and will look into a hair peice once I am bald , but in the meantime some of the medications can buy some time for good responders. nw2 isn't bald enough for a hairpiece because your hair will grow underneath it and make it hard to keep the system on.

 

[Noah]

Hi Andy - quick answers below:

1. Is it possible to make an accurate template without shaving my head? ( i have length and can still cover my recession to a degree )

Sure - just slick your hair down with water or hairgel. No one shaves their hair to make a first template. The template doesn't have to be accurate to the last millimetre, certainly for lace pieces. There is quite a lot of stretch in the lace.

2. If i have a specific hairstyle for the system how would i explain this to the people selling me the product?

Easiest is just to send a photo to the supplier and tell them that is what you are aiming for. The variables you can specify include density (number of hairs per square inch), parting, crown swirl, and ventilation (the direction in which the hair is knotted to the base - e.g. freestyle, spiked up, flatback, brushback, forward etc).

3. I want to go for a full cap with a fringe to avoid dealing with regular cut ins but would this make it more obvious i was wearing?

Full caps do tend to look more wiggy than normal toppers, because the temples, sideburns and nape of the neck are harder to reproduce with a hairpiece. You are limited to certain styles to deal with that - basically medium length or long shaggy styles. Anything sharp or short is out with a full cap,

4. How long on average does it take upon order to arrive?

Obviously it depends where you and your supplier are, but usually around a week for a stock unit, 6-8 weeks for a custom piece.

5. How long do your systems last personally?

About 4 months on average.

 

[AnxiousAndy]

I think Propecia could be working but I have heard it is very slow. If you aren't getting any sides I think you should stick with it ( at least for a year or so).

are you trying rogaine and nizoral as well?

I am also balding at a young age and will look into a hair peice once I am bald , but in the meantime some of the medications can buy some time for good responders. nw2 isn't bald enough for a hairpiece because your hair will grow underneath it and make it hard to keep the system on.

What makes you think its working for me if im already a bit below baseline? I would like to know.

Hi Andy - quick answers below:

1. Is it possible to make an accurate template without shaving my head? ( i have length and can still cover my recession to a degree )

Sure - just slick your hair down with water or hairgel. No one shaves their hair to make a first template. The template doesn't have to be accurate to the last millimetre, certainly for lace pieces. There is quite a lot of stretch in the lace.

2. If i have a specific hairstyle for the system how would i explain this to the people selling me the product?

Easiest is just to send a photo to the supplier and tell them that is what you are aiming for. The variables you can specify include density (number of hairs per square inch), parting, crown swirl, and ventilation (the direction in which the hair is knotted to the base - e.g. freestyle, spiked up, flatback, brushback, forward etc).

3. I want to go for a full cap with a fringe to avoid dealing with regular cut ins but would this make it more obvious i was wearing?

Full caps do tend to look more wiggy than normal toppers, because the temples, sideburns and nape of the neck are harder to reproduce with a hairpiece. You are limited to certain styles to deal with that - basically medium length or long shaggy styles. Anything sharp or short is out with a full cap,

4. How long on average does it take upon order to arrive?

Obviously it depends where you and your supplier are, but usually around a week for a stock unit, 6-8 weeks for a custom piece.

5. How long do your systems last personally?

About 4 months on average.

Thank you Noah for answering my questions! Do you think this hairstyle would work with a full cap? Or would it need to be longer?

http://www.coolmenhairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/Hairstyles-For-Men-With-Bangs-11.jpg

 

[Noah]

Hi Andy

The problem areas are the sideburns and the area above, and the neck at the back. Although this is a very bulky haircut, it looks like it tapers to thin areas above the sideburns, like an Eton crop. That would be difficult to do with a hairpiece alone (i.e. if your head to completely shaved) but an alternative would be for you to keep your natural sideburns and a little patch of hair above, and attach the system above. Of course you would look rather odd without the system on, but people will not see that.

We can't see how it looks at the back of the neck, so I can't comment on that.

I have an alternative suggestion for you. You say that you are considering going for a full cap "to avoid dealing with regular cut-ins". I assume you mean to avoid having to get your remaining natural hair cut. (Cut-ins are something different - that is when you get a new hair system cut down from factory length so that it blends in with your remaining sidehair. Normally there is only ever one cut-in per system). But lots of guys who wear a system (including me, mostly) cut their remaining natural hair themselves with a vacuum hair-cutter. Particularly with the current fashionable undercut styles, that remaining natural hair is normally kept very short anyway, with all the volume of the hairstyle coming from the system hair which is added on top. You might consider whether that would work for you. It would give you a lot more flexibility to create a modern fashionable style than relying on a full cap.