Looking To Get In The Hair System Game

[FinePhotograph]

Hey guys,

I'm 20 M, norwood 2 (you can see pics of me in old threads I made). Although my hair looks nice right now and you might call me a mentally ill fullhead, I know I don't have much time left. I'm far too young to get any transplantation done, and Finasteride is coming with gyno sides which won't go away even when I crash my estrogen with something like Aromasin, so I've realized that's probably not the way for me. Being optimistic and holding out for the cure in 2020 (lol), but I need to start exploring other options when my hair loss gets bad (NW3+) which could really happen any time.

I'd like to wear a hair system some time in the future, but I want to do extensive research. Could I get a comprehensive guide, or at least some links so I can start doing research for when I need to pull the trigger? I'm sorry if this is a useless post, I just don't really see a pinned thread/sticky or anything.

 

[HairSystemGuy]

Use the search feature, it's your best friend.

 

[FinePhotograph]

Use the search feature, it's your best friend.

I'll do that. Sorry for cluttering the forums.

 

[HairSystemGuy]

I'll do that. Sorry for cluttering the forums.

Don't worry I likely did the same

 

[deg_dilemma]

Check out HairExperience on YouTube - he's awesome.

 

[Noah]

Curtis (the guy at Hair Experience) also sells an on-line guide to buying and looking after a system. I haven't bought it myself, so I can't say anything about it, but he seems a pretty genuine guy.

But I just looked at your pictures. You have a ton of hair. You would be mad to think of a system.

 

[FinePhotograph]

Curtis (the guy at Hair Experience) also sells an on-line guide to buying and looking after a system. I haven't bought it myself, so I can't say anything about it, but he seems a pretty genuine guy.

But I just looked at your pictures. You have a ton of hair. You would be mad to think of a system.

Hey Noah,

I see you're a bit of an authority on systems around here, thanks for replying to my thread.

I do have a lot of hair, but I am pretty sure I'm going to lose it all (perhaps not all, but an amount that will be rather unacceptable) at some point in my twenties. I've tried Propecia, and I've been hit with tingling nipples, the one side effect that most people say is not a good one to push through. I also had bloods done yesterday and Propecia seems to have crashed (lowered) my estrogen, something that its not supposed to do (it usually raises estrogen). Frankly, Propecia seems to be a hormonal nightmare for someone like me, and I really don't want to deal with it. For me it's mostly mental: the loss of hair isn't as much a concern as is the potential loss of hair. That's what keeps me up at night. And I think the fact that systems exist give me hope at the end of the day. I can have a perfect hair without f*****g up my body. I'll probably give Propecia one more chance (I'll wait for about a month to make sure it clears my system) and try again, this time without a lowered dose, just instead with the normal amount that most people take, and try to push through.

 

[Noah]

I had problems with meds too, so I know what that feels like, and I definitely wouldn't suggest you just ignore any warning signs. Some of the effects are irreversible on some people, so it's a lottery. Tread warily.

By all means get all the information you like about systems, and then you know you have a reliable fallback position which will definitely give you a good look. You just don't need one yet.

 

[BaldBearded]

Going to agree with Noah on this one, you DON'T NEED A HAIR SYSTEM!

 

[deg_dilemma]

I would imagine that every guy here understands the anxiety you're feeling. You're in good company here.

I used to have a really thick lovely set of hair in my teens and into my mid 20s. I remember at age 16 going for a haircut and the barber broke his comb trying to comb through my hair!

But of course the shedding started and it was depressing. I used to count my lost hairs every day, and in some ways, mourn them. Fortunately because I had so much hair to begin with, my hair didn't really look thin 'til my early 30s. First I used Minoxidil. I added Propecia soon after, which probably ruined my mental state permanently (I've never quite been "with it" since then). Then stopped those and used concealers like Dermatch and Fibres, which got me through another 8 years (though in hindsight I should have stopped these after just 4 or 5 years). I researched hair transplants and met doctors, and sadly came to the conclusion it wouldn't work for me. Then came the system; it really was the last resort, but wow a life changing one.

A lot of guys go through this same logical process. So give yourself time, and remember that hair systems will always be available when/if you eventually need them. You might never need a system, you might decide you're happy in the way you grow to look. Heck you might meet the woman of your dreams and she might love a bald head on you

Don't commit to a system too early, in age terms and hair loss terms, because it is a huge commitment. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to have a hair system when you have no other choice, but there is a right time for everything. It's great that you're here asking for advice and doing your research, but go away and enjoy your life (and your real hair) for now... come back when the time is right, and you can learn all about systems in just a few days.

 

[FinePhotograph]

I would imagine that every guy here understands the anxiety you're feeling. You're in good company here.

I used to have a really thick lovely set of hair in my teens and into my mid 20s. I remember at age 16 going for a haircut and the barber broke his comb trying to comb through my hair!

But of course the shedding started and it was depressing. I used to count my lost hairs every day, and in some ways, mourn them. Fortunately because I had so much hair to begin with, my hair didn't really look thin 'til my early 30s. First I used Minoxidil. I added Propecia soon after, which probably ruined my mental state permanently (I've never quite been "with it" since then). Then stopped those and used concealers like Dermatch and Fibres, which got me through another 8 years (though in hindsight I should have stopped these after just 4 or 5 years). I researched hair transplants and met doctors, and sadly came to the conclusion it wouldn't work for me. Then came the system; it really was the last resort, but wow a life changing one.

A lot of guys go through this same logical process. So give yourself time, and remember that hair systems will always be available when/if you eventually need them. You might never need a system, you might decide you're happy in the way you grow to look. Heck you might meet the woman of your dreams and she might love a bald head on you

Don't commit to a system too early, in age terms and hair loss terms, because it is a huge commitment. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to have a hair system when you have no other choice, but there is a right time for everything. It's great that you're here asking for advice and doing your research, but go away and enjoy your life (and your real hair) for now... come back when the time is right, and you can learn all about systems in just a few days.

Hey deg, thanks for replying. I'm sure like many other posters on this forum (the forum as a whole, not the hair systems section) I have some pent up neuroticism/self-image issues that come out in the form of my hair loss. I'll come back when the time is right and do my research I guess, it's just kind of upsetting that I had issues with the meds (whether they were figments of my own hyperactive imagination, or real, I'm not sure).

Re your use of concealers/toppik, do you regret using them in hindsight? More specifically, if you could've jumped straight on a system (granted, eight years ago systems were probably not nearly as good), would you have started using them?

 

[deg_dilemma]

Hey FP. With regards to the concealers, I waited until my crown was thinning before I started using them - Dermmatch first, which worked great for a year or 2. Then after further general thinning I needed Dermmatch+Fibres. Then after another year or so, I changed to using a black spray + Fibres. It just got a bit too desperate by that point . 8 years I did that sh1t.

So to answer your question, I definitely don't regret using concealers because they got me through years of covering up my baldness... and trust me I had almost no hair on the crown by the end of it. But I was so relieved and happy to discover hair systems after that. I should have started systems in 2015 when I did loads of research on them, but I only started this year. One of the problems was (and still is) the lack of salons in/around UK (London) that help newbies.

Just take it in stages, and keep in mind that the hair system is your final option.

You have loads of hair, so don't worry just yet. You could get to 30 or 35 before you need a system. Hard to believe but it could happen. At 20 I thought I'd be bald by 25, but I got to 30-something.

 

[JayNoob]

Hey FP. With regards to the concealers, I waited until my crown was thinning before I started using them - Dermmatch first, which worked great for a year or 2. Then after further general thinning I needed Dermmatch+Fibres. Then after another year or so, I changed to using a black spray + Fibres. It just got a bit too desperate by that point . 8 years I did that sh1t.

So to answer your question, I definitely don't regret using concealers because they got me through years of covering up my baldness... and trust me I had almost no hair on the crown by the end of it. But I was so relieved and happy to discover hair systems after that. I should have started systems in 2015 when I did loads of research on them, but I only started this year. One of the problems was (and still is) the lack of salons in/around UK (London) that help newbies.

Just take it in stages, and keep in mind that the hair system is your final option.

You have loads of hair, so don't worry just yet. You could get to 30 or 35 before you need a system. Hard to believe but it could happen. At 20 I thought I'd be bald by 25, but I got to 30-something.

On the Derrmatch do you ever get irritation and do you wash it out everyday? I started using Dermmatch about a year ago and there's certain spots where it builds up and I do a clean wash every 2 weeks, but usually I clean the clumps as my sweat builds up. It's becoming tedious and I'm sure with the amount of sweating I do a system could be a nightmare should I go that route.

 

[deg_dilemma]

HI Jay. I don't use dermmatch now because I have a hair system, but when I did use it, no I didn't have any irritation. I used to keep it on for a max of 2 / 3 days before washing out. Dermmatch was the base and then I'd put fibres on top.

It's almost impossible to be active when you're wearing concealers like Dermatch and fibres. With a hair system, you can do almost anything, so long as you maintain it right.