Hi there,

I am on my 40's, have been losing my hair for almost 15 yrs. now.
For the past 3 years I am using Toppik which has been working great for me, however since my hair loss continues and I am now a well advanced NW5 Toppik is not effective anymore specially on the hairline... the fibbers clearly show on my scalp??¦ and there is not enough hair left to cover them.

So now it is time for the system, I knew I will end up wearing one and tried to delay it as much as I could but no more... there is no way I will shave my head since it doesn't suit my face and looks.

The advantage of the system would be ppl. wont notice a radical change since they are used to see me with 'full hair' wearing toppik...

My main concerns about wearing a system are:
1. How realistic and undetectable can they be? is it possible to get a low density and high hairline level that would suit a 40+ yr. old normal hair look?
2. How does it feels wearing the system day and nite? Do you feel it all the time on your head? How do you manage to sleep with it?
3. How much maintenance on a daily basis does it require? Say I have to get ready in the morning, is the hair a mess and I have to spend hours fixing it?

Would appreciate your comments....

I'm no expert about hair pieces but I believe that they can look undetectable and can be made age appropriate on the hairline.

Also bear in mind that this is a hair transplant forum so you are most likely to get advice saying that HT is the way to go. if you even start considering a HT make sure you do absolutely loads of research to be sure you understand what can be expected and the risks. With a HT there is no way back but with a hair piece you can always take it off.

MY OPINION ONLY!!!

Dont do it! Technology has not come far enough with hair systems yet for any of them to look real. You would get far more stares wearing a toupee as opposed to shaving. I know you say you dont look good with a shaved head, but A) have you tried it? and if you did B) how long did you try it for?. The reason I ask is that I didnt think Id look good with a shaved head so I went and had a HT. After it didnt grow in it was either shave my head or deal with the balding look. I shaved my head and while at first I didnt like it I got used to it after a while and my only concern was the scar.

I tried a hair system for one day. Not only did it look aweful, but it itched and it felt like I was wearing a hat. Needless to say I had it taken off the next day. My suggestion... Try shaving your hair down to a half inch first, get used to that and then slowly take more and more off with each haircut after. Good luck!!

Bald,
I have been wearing a system for a few years and just ditched it for a transplant. I would highly recommend against getting one. They are a big pain in the a$$ as far as maintenance. First they have to shave your head and they glue it to your skin. You can imagine the smell that permeates from trapped oil and sweat under your system. You then go get it reattached every 4 weeks. You also have to change tape on the front of the system about every 4 days or else the glue melts into the lace of the system and looks horrid. Next you will get stares from some people. Most wont recognize it, but some will inevitably so whats the point of even having one?

Plus I always wondered, what are the long term effects of having medical grade glue on your scalp for years at a time? I doubt any long term studies were made on that.

A good hair system looks 100% undetectable - and I MEAN 100%!

I have been wearing hairpieces with lace bases for years. They allow air and water to reach the scalp. I shower and shampoo while wearing my hairpiece and that eliminates perspiration and scalp oil - no odor whatsoever. If a hair system has an odor, it's probably because the base is a solid material like ThinSkin, which doesn't allow the skin to breathe or allow air and water to reach the scalp.

Attaching and removing does require a bit of time and care. If you use tapes, it takes about 5 - 10 minutes to attach and about 5 minutes to remove. If you use liquid adhesive, plan on 20 - 30 minutes to attach and 30 minutes to clean up - but you only need to do it once every 5 - 14 days.

To try a hairpiece for one day (or even one week) makes no sense - it takes time to get used to it, but once you're used to it, you won't even know it's there.

Attached Images

Mike4a.jpg (86.8 KB, 241 views)

Ooops, forgot to mention this: open the attachment in my last message if you want to see how natural a hair system can look.

Beemark, Can you provide a few more pic's. It's hard to believe that this is a hairpiece. The fact that you didnt provide info on where you got the hair piece is good because it doesnt make it seem you are here to promote, but still doesnt quite convince me. If this is real please do forgive me but most people can spot a hair piece a mile a way

The all lace systems are better as far as appearance, but are still detectable in my opinion. Google image search "John Travolta hairpiece" and you'll see what I mean. Im sure he has access to the best available

That pic is actually a buddy of mine. I used his pic because my own is kind of blurry. I tried to attach 2 more pics of him and one of me. If they don't show up, I'll post them one at a time.

Attached Images

Bob1.jpg (23.5 KB, 214 views)

Here's another...

Attached Images

MM2.jpg (12.8 KB, 202 views)