Non Surgical Hair Replacement vs Surgical vs Shaved Head

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In my opinion, hair systems are easy to detect and generally look fake. This is because, among other things, it is not natural to see a 40 year old man with a full head of highly dense hair.

Hair systems also have high maintenance costs, can be uncomfortable to wear, and may actually make hair loss worse by causing traction alopecia.

Despite your common sense assertion that drugs such as Propecia don't really work very well, my experience has been positive. I started taking propecia 7 months ago, and my bald spot has completely disappeared. Don't get me wrong, the density isn't 100%, but I have gone from a nw3 situation to a nw2 situation. I also have a bunch of new hairs on my hairline, and visibly higher density throughout my hair.

I don't really know that much about hair transplants except to say that well done transplants are impressive, and much more natural looking than hair systems.

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Hi River,
You only notice a bad hair system--not the good ones. There are a lot of bad systems out there but the good ones are truly undetectable. The lace bases just disappear on the scalp and the hair looks like it's growing right out of your scalp. You can't tell it's a hair system. You are right about traction alopecia. Attaching with clips causes stress on your existing hair and results in traction alopecia. Toplace does not recommend attaching with clips--only glue or tape. And you're also right about high maintenance costs. Hair Club wants everyone to sign a contract for monthly maintenance and this can run into several hundred dollars each month. But there's nothing magical about maintenance. Learn to do it yourself and save a bundle. The cost of supplies (tape, glue and lace remover/91% rubbing alcohol) is nominal and learing to do your own maintenance is quick and easy.
Regards,
John
Toplace

Hi Lizard, I've taken the liberty of writing after reading your comments about hair pieces. May I take a moment to share with you?
I had three excellent hair transplant in the early 90's. My crown is thinning pretty badly and shaving my head is not an option because of extensive scarring. Keeping it the way it is looks bad. I thought of having scar repair surgery.
I was reading a journal article written by one of the HT physicians who is very respected and highly regarded in the field for his speciality work. He refers to a case study of a man with extensive HT scarring (like mine) for whom scar repair is not an option.
Among the physician's recommendations is a hair piece. When I realized that I might be in the same position, this the daylights out of scared me. I would appreciate your feedback. What advice can you give, and if it came down to getting a hair piece, how would I know who is the best to have it done with? (travel is no problem).
Thank you for any help you can offer. regards,
Lorne

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Lizard is right--the hairline is key. If not done properly you get the 'doll's hair' effect. And if you get a French lace base or Super Fine Swiss lace base (state of the art bases) they virtually disappear on the scalp. This allows you so show some scalp and this provides the realism that everyone wants. Some companies still use the old-fashioned fine mono bases which are thicker and do not disappear on the scalp--avoid these. Go with a French lace base or a Super Fine Swiss lace base and the hair will look just like it's growing out of your scalp.
Regards,
John
TopLace

Hello Lizard and John,
A short note to say many thanks for your informative responses. I really appreciated you taking the time to share your feedback. Very helpful. Keep up the good work.
best,
Lorne

I agree with that some guys will have no other option than to wear a hair piece without shaving there heads.

I wore a hair piece when I was just 23! It cost a few £thousand and it was not a cheap one. This was a long time ago around 1995. I would have thought things have come a long way since but this one was aweful... having to re-glue my hair on felt so humiliating.

The company I went to was called HDC (Hair Design Clinic) I just want to warn anyone from London UK to stear clear of them.. they are very clever at marketing this hair piece, making this sound fabulous calling it 'liquid skin' but the actual quality is extremely poor.

I am certain there are some extremely good places around but this isnt one I would recommend.

I wish you all the best guys...I'm sure there are many well known actors and actresses out there that wear one and we have never even realised it.

John Travolta is one I can think of.

For me though, I wasnt comfortable in mine and was fortunate to have a very successfull ht that I feel I am ME again for the 1st time in over a decade. I have dealt with both sides of the coin on this and I know how it feels like to go through emotionaly, so I wish you all the best with your own decisions.

Take care ;)

After wasting much of my savings on laser crap, I am now back in the position to think about what I’m going to do next about my hair. Do $200 hair pieces really look as good as the ones actors like John Travolta use? How much does the maintenance cost per month and will people be able to tell up close?