Hello, so this is my issue.
I'm posting this to hopefully get some peoples opinions on what i should do.
Just over a year ago i realised my hair was thinning, it had actually been doing so for a good few years, i just wasn't aware. I had always been under the impression i had thin hair and chalked it up to that. When i think about it carefully, it has probably been thinning since i was about 20 at least, i'm 25 now.
Anyway, upon noticing this, and being a very vain person by nature, i started to worry about it and wondered what i could do. I did what most people do in the same predicament, started researching solutions on the internet etc. trying to decide what to do.
In around October time, i actually went for a consultation in Manchester for a Total Cover Plus hair system, as i had been mesmerised by their videos and wanted this instant solution to getting great looking hair.
However i decided against it for the time being, and in January time, decided to start Propecia. But, 3-4 weeks in, which i realise is NO time to assess how it was working, i decided to ditch the medication and go for a hair system.
Apart from some initial problems due to the particular guy in Manchester doing a number on me, when i got sorted it was awesome. The hair looked fantastic and i felt so much better for it. I really was convinced i had done the right thing. I no longer worried about how my hair looked.
However, fast forward about 4 months, I was in a bit of a financial situation because I was being unwise with the turnover of the systems. I was getting a new one every 4 weeks or so, when they can easily last for 8 at least. The last one I had was on for 8 weeks before I took it off, and I could have made it go for another month easy.
So with this happening, I was started to wonder whether I should have kept up with the medication instead, which is of course a cheaper option also. After doing a lot of thinking, I decided to ditch the systems and go back on Propecia.
It is now 8 months since I started taking it again, and I'd like to add I have had no side effects. But, I'm not happy with my hair again, and feel like I'm back at square one when I first started looking into solutions.
Right now, I want to go back down the hair system route because it's the only thing that actually made a difference to my self esteem. Plus, I play in a band, and in a couple of months we're about to do our first major tour, which is in the US, and I just want to look great for that.
I will add at this point, I still have a good amount of hair, and sometimes it does look alright, like under certain lighting or somewhere it is a bit darker, say a bar. But under harsh/bright lights, it's so noticeable and really gets me down. It's clearly thinning and has receded, I feel no amount of time on Propecia will give me the results I want.
A also feel a hair transplant is out of the question because of the massive cost of getting a good one. Hair systems are expensive, but I just don't have access to the funds for a hair transplant, especially with the music stuff, which is a massive expense at the moment too.
So I have posted all this to get some of you to give me your thoughts on it all. I appreciate any feedback you can give. I realise this is a long post, and appreciate it if you have read it all and are willing to give your opinion.
I have enclosed some photos so you can see what I'm dealing with. One from when I first took the hair system off. Another fairly recently under bright lights in the bathroom to show the true nature of my hair loss. Then one from the same time in a more flattering light.
Also, two photos are enclosed where i have used a hair thickening spray, which seems to work wonders when done correctly under the right light, but when you get back into the bright light, it really falls down. You will see this from the photos.
My main concern is the fact the hair on top is still quite thin, I want ideally to wear a longer style, but I just don't have the thickness, plus I hate the way the hairline has receded.
Thanks for your time.