Screw it, I am definitely going the hair system route now

[Boondock]

I've pretty much run out of options for treating this now, so I'm finally committing to this option.

I've sent off a hair sample now. I'm going to try a stock in my own time and privacy, then get a template sent off for a proper piece. Expect to be using in 6 months.

I'm happy to take a couple of hours out of my life every week to stop feeling cack about baldness all the time.

 

[Fender89]

fair play man. My girlfriend said i'm not alowed to wear a wig once my hairloss gets worse otherwise i would definitly consider one. I play live music so looking my best would help. I guess i'm lucky that she even kisses my little baldspot so lol. but yeah I would love to get a hairpeice with a perfect hairline. would really make my looks double.

good luck man

 

[Boondock]

I suppose there are good sides and bad sides for your situation!

For me, I haven't had a girlfriend since hair loss properly hit. It's a mixture of how much it dented my looks, and how my it affected me psychologically. People think the latter is something you can change, but for me I have not found it easy.

I'm not really set upon it for life at this stage, but I can say I'm definitely going to try it now. I want to at least give this a shot.

 

[Vox]

I've pretty much run out of options for treating this now..

Any chance to post some photo showing you current situation?

 

[Boondock]

Any chance to post some photo showing you current situation?

I will get something up later today.

 

[Nene]

Are you going with toplace?

 

[Boondock]

Probably BA to start with. I'm taking it slowly, however, and not starting for another couple of months.

 

[Shma]

Will you continue to use treatments Boondock? Or are you giving up on those entirely?

I'd like to know this too.

 

[Boondock]

Will you continue to use treatments Boondock? Or are you giving up on those entirely?

I'd like to know this too.

Sorry, forgot to respond on that point.

At first I will be using a front partial piece, only covering where my hair is receded (i.e. bald). I will continue treating for this period on the remaining areas, if nothing else because I will be in 'trial mode' for the wig.

If I settle down with a hair piece for several months, I may then stop treatments. Depending on how far my recession continues, I would eventually need to swap from a front partial (covering first few inches) to a topper (covering whole non-horseshoe area on top). When this happens, applying daily treatments topically would be too much hassle for absolutely no gain.

 

[Boondock]

OK, recent status pics below. My current plan is to try a medium density front partial piece, perhaps while toppiking the back if needs be (it's not so bad in normal light).

Eventually I will need to do a full piece, but hopefully I will only embark on that once I've got confident enough in the hair system route from the front partial route. The front partial offers the security of not needing to shave to the bone to get started.

EDIT: too late

 

[Ori83]

Thats one f*****g weird pattern DHT takes on your head... :shock:

anyway, although you have a mature hairline, the frontal looks kinda thick (could be wrong due to the angle) are you 24 yo? if so, you might be a good candidate for a hair transplant in a few years, granted the donor will stay thick as it shows here.... PERSONALLY i wouldn't go with a piece if i was you, its not *that* bad (yet..), id try to maintain save for some work by one of the top surgeons.

 

[Boondock]

Hey mate,

Most of the weirdness is down to the camera flash. The top is thin, but not visibly so. The front is the only aesthetic problem now (no real bald spot). I'm 23/y/o, btw.

I agree with most of your premises, but the conclusions I draw are the opposite.

My viewpoint is that the fact that my hair is not too bad is precisely why I should give a hair piece a go. If it works for me, I can pull off the transition pretty flawlessly with my situation.

Maintaining isn't an option, and based on my minituarization I'm headed for at least NW5. This means a hair transplant will result in a sub-par outcome with current technology.

I'm not ruling it out, but I think it'd be remiss of me not to give the wig route a try.

 

[Ori83]

Oh, dont get me wrong , if you think a piece will have a positive impact, go for it! and dont give a f*** what anyone thinks, i might give it a try too if girls "allowed" to wear high hills, get boob jobs, wear 9 different types of makeup and what not - wearing wig is a fair game for us.

btw, although i never tried, bare in mind that it will takes some adjustment period, so if its not 100% perfect at start - do not despair, people say it takes time to get it down to perfection. (check this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJgSiwDd ... re=related was on Sandovalusa's thread)

 

[Boondock]

Cheers man. I love that video. It was the first vid to really make me consider this as an option.

I intend to give the system a good chance. I am fortunate in that I'm spending 6 months abroad next year (probably), and this will give me a good chance to get cracking with a system with some time out from life here.

As I've said elsewhere, I compare a wig more to getting a tooth knocked out and replacing it. I'm not enhancing my old look just trying to get something I used to have back. I was a decent looking guy with hair and even if there's only a 10% chance of this route working for me, I'd rather try it than resign myself to the shave or a several year wait for a hair transplant.

 

[Obsidian]

At your stage of loss (NW2.5-3V) I still think a hair system is going a little too extreme. I would personally go the concealer route such as Toppik/Nanogen/Dermatch and grow your hair out a little bit. I think the concealer situation is a lot more economical than right now with the maintenance and upkeep of a partial piece.

 

[Boondock]

At your stage of loss (NW2.5-3V) I still think a hair system is going a little too extreme. I would personally go the concealer route such as Toppik/Nanogen/Dermatch and grow your hair out a little bit. I think the concealer situation is a lot more economical than right now with the maintenance and upkeep of a partial piece.

I'm using concealers this autumn, but I want to give systems a try for the long-term aspect. At the end of the day I have aggressive loss, and will need to find a long-term solution soon. Concealers can't do that for me, unless I turn into one of the guys who spends 45-minutes a day on concealers, which makes it even more effort than a hair system.

 

[Cassin]

Personally I don't want to bother with concealers

 

[Boondock]

I think concealers can be OK in the right circumstances, but for some people they mean:

- 30 minutes-a-day prep
- hair looks strange
- expensive
- rub off on pillows
- girls running hair through hands = mess
- can't go swimming

etc etc

There comes a point where they become more hassle than pieces.

 

[Boondock]

yeh but can you apply products with a wig on?

With a front partial, yes. It covers only the receded area.

If I go for a topper, I'll have to ditch the topicals. They don't seem to be doing much for me as it is, though.

 

[Boondock]

minoxidil and nizoral aint gonna do sh*t without an anti androgen if you have got aggressive male pattern baldness.

I think you are way to young to quit lookin for something that works for you.

Also you are gonna have to spend tons of cash transitioning when you could be using it experimenting with different products.


just my opinion!

Of course topicals won't do much, that's why I'm planning to transition to a topper over the long haul. I've made it plain that a front partial is a temporary measure, while I adjust, which allows me to reverse the decision if I wish (no need to shave the whole scalp). I'm easing my way into it.

I've tried finasteride and had problems with that which I've been over. I gave it a very good trial (more than one, in fact).

I'm not sure what else there is to try. Besides finateride, I've tried (among other things):
- saw palmetto
- spironolactone
- zix
- minoxidil
- nizoral
- Toco-8
- the nutritional approach
- Fluridil
- Prox-N

Many of these have been taken simultaneously. None made any real difference (I thought the fluridil/Prox-N combo did, but apparently not).

The only thing left to try is RU, which has many problems of its own.

hair transplants are obviously not for me at this stage.

I have also tried the shaved look already. It didn't work at all.

See what I'm saying? I haven't reached this decision lightly.