I've had a transplant but I'm looking at getting a System

[melbournelad]

Good morning from the comfort of my bed. Damn food poisoning.

I have been on medications. No result! I did have a shaved head when I was in the military but you know, you can't look like a skinhead and get away with it forever. Besides I have a six inch transplant scar in the back of my head.

Haven't actually heard back from anyone!

 

[melbwest]

i see, well i guess that complicates things!

i hope you hear back from them soon.

bad curry or bad chinese?

 

[melbournelad]

No complications. Just makes the path clearer.

Yeh I'll have to make some calls I think. Should be interesting. WTF do I ask them?

Bad Greek!

 

[melbwest]

..

hey lad,

how you getting on?

heard from anyone about a system?

no more greek then eh?

 

[melbournelad]

Hi

I've ordered two systems from Toplace.

I did hear back from one mob. $160 dollars. A bit steep but we'll see. Hopefully they don't try to sell me any sh*t.

No more greek.

Back to packing...moving house soon!

 

[undercoverdom]

James Kennedy... A lie? Do you think I have nothing better to do than to falsely lie about rugs? TONS of people have had them and got rid of them from all the hassles. Did I mention them coming off? You dont worry ? Probably one of those guys that still think noone can tell, or work for one of the companies. iF piece looks bad just once, people will notice and talk. Human nature. You think people want to worryabout that? Melbournelad, If you have a ton of time and money it can look ok, and it takes alot of work to maintain. Because you must realize, dont you want it to look perfect all the time? You can swim in it sure, but you can swim in a three piece suit as well...it will end up ruining the system or youll be replacing them every couple months.$$$ Check out other sites and listen to guys who have worn them. Most will tell you the same thing. Dont take my word for it. If another transplant is an option, or hair cloning in the future, thats a better route. For some its the only option, buts its not a great one from a mantinence standpoint. It has its ups and downs. But I guess you have to wear one for a few years to really get what I mean. Did I mention traction alopecia? Thats a nice suprice.
I dont mean to sound negative, but their is a solution somewhere. Be patient and youll find it
TS

I'm new to this fourm..I've been wearing a system for years...most times it looks good but "trapsource" mentioned it is a BIG hassle, expensive and their are times it does look fake. It's even more of an issue if you are active partly b/c your head does get very hot and itchy. With a system on you cant even scratch it :roll: . In fact one guy out right asked me and now I've caught a few of his buddies staring at my head (like people used to do when I was thinning :evil: ). I dont think I am going to going to the transplant route. I want to lose a bit more weight and will probably go the crome-dome route. It is in fashion..

 

[jake1980]

undercoverdom
can i ask were you buy your systems from.... and how much you pay..

 

[trapsource]

Hey undercoverdom, thats what I mean, just takes one time for you to notice people staring and that it. You worry all the time. Some guys dont care if people think they wear a piece but thats what happened to me. Not a good way to live. We think people dont notice, but its the same when you see some people wear spandex and say " wow, that person should NOT be wearing that!" The other person probably thinks everythin g is cool. The shaved head look takes time to get used to but your life will be less hassle.

 

[undercoverdom]

undercoverdom
can i ask were you buy your systems from.... and how much you pay..

Hey Jake,
I got mine locally..$500 but chances are IF I go with another one I will go with one from Topplace or Hairdirect. Probably HD b/c I want them to measure me - I dont think I will do it right

Hey undercoverdom, thats what I mean, just takes one time for you to notice people staring and that it. You worry all the time. Some guys dont care if people think they wear a piece but thats what happened to me. Not a good way to live. We think people dont notice, but its the same when you see some people wear spandex and say " wow, that person should NOT be wearing that!" The other person probably thinks everythin g is cool. The shaved head look takes time to get used to but your life will be less hassle.

Hey Trapsource...yeah it just takes courage of which I havent worked up yet...I mean I believe when the system looks good I look better but I am starting wondering if the hassles are worth it. I see your in Canada? I am from Toronto but in Virginia at the moment. I will be returning to Toronto in about 4 - 6 months..

 

[jake1980]

undercoverdom
i wear a system from toplace caled ilace its very good i have a 55% density and under say light you can see the scalp so it looks real as dont expect to see scalp on a hair system .. what density is your system.
the shave look would not suit me at all when i take my system off to claen it i look 10 years older ..yet a lot of guys look good with the shave look . but not me.

 

[Goingat20]

hows everything going melbournelad?
Whats the latets

 

[melbournelad]

Hi

Sorry I haven't updated but here's whats happened:

I got my order in and went in and had the transformation done. I
decieded I would do most of the leg work but let a professional cut the
things in. I' not that DIY but I know plenty of wearers that are.

First things first, it looks the business. I have a longer style and the
colour is dark brown. The place that did my 'attachment and cut in' were
no fuss, straight down the line. No f*****g around, which I appreciate.

One thing that took me back was how quickly and easily the fuzz that was
my transplant was shaved off and gone. $15000 worth of f*****g around
was gone in about a second. Do the math there.

The 'bashed ferret' is on there and it's solid. It doesn't want to move,
I cannot feel it and it is pretty much undetectable. To detect it you
would have to grab and pull and even then I'm not sure it will come off.
My missus could not pull the thing off my head. To detect it you have to
be right up against it and even then it's hard to see whats going on.

The style itself is long. I wear it up or down. Neat or messy. Hair line
on the front exposed, covered full or partially, whatever. Don't get me
wrong, out of the box, I thought sh*t this really is a wig. They looked
flat, straight and you could not see through them at all for the density
of the hair. Like you see on old style wigs like my father had. One it
was on, cut and styled, you couldn't tell where my hair stopped and
began and where the wig was. I had to dig to feel the seam of where the
lace started. Even then it wasn't entirely clear.

I do the maintenence stuff myself. That is taking it off, cleaning and
regluing it. I found the ladies that did my attachment originally just
use way too much glue. I wore the thing for two weeks straight and by
the end, the oil your head puts out turns the glue all shitty. So off it
came, cleaned it up and back on again.

This maintenence thing is the downside. You have to set aside a good one
to two hours. The first time I did this off and on job it took me almost
five hours. I fucked it up big time. Got the old glue on my head all
through the piece, i cleaned the piece on the mirror and the glue
wouldnt come off and also the glue did not want to come off my head no
matter how much solvent went onto it.

Having said that, the maintenence downside is an upside when put against
concealer wearing. I recalled today I haven't had to scrub toppik junk
off the bottom of my shower since switching. I don't worry about getting
my third day toppik wear wet in the shower or whatever. I wash my hair
and the bashed ferret all at once. I'm not particularly nice to the
ferret in anyway. It gets treated like my real hair does. It gets the
same product as my real hair does. I don't have destroyed towels and
pillow cases by Toppik nor do I stockpile an unusual amount of hairspray
anymore. I also do not look like I have run m head through the dirt.

Yes for all those uninitiated you use solvent to get the pieces off your
head and to clean your scalp. If this sounds a bit wierd, I guesss maybe
it is. Sounds a bit extreme? Maybe, but that citrus cleaner smells so
nice. Does it hurt or sting your scalp? No. Is long term glue and
solvent use on your scalp going to harm it? Probably (unproven), but how
long are you going to live hiding because you have an issue with how
you're going to look? For the record my skin is super sensitive and I
truly have no problem, either with the glues they use or the solvents.
No red or anything.

I really think you gotta come to this party with a real attitude.
Instead of putting energies into thinking you'll get caught out and all
that crap I read, instead put it to good use in how you wear, making
sure its maintained well, making smart, informed decisions about your
wearing and most importantly getting on with life's business. The hair
doesn't wear you.

Has it changed my life, no not really but I feel it may do for others.
If your hairloss bums you that much then this will be a breath of fresh
air providing you have your game tight. If you don't want to do the hard
yards then you don't really deserve the rewards anyway and I would not
be putting yourself solely in the hands of any hair clinic and turning a
blind eye to the fact your wearing. That is a recipe for disaster.

Does it look good? Yes it does! Is it better than concealers? Damn
straight. Is it for everybody? I don't think so.

I am very happy with the decision I've made this time round.

 

[Goingat20]

Thanks for the detailed post mate. Glad things are going well for you. I was wondering if you could pm me with the place you got yours done as im thinking of doing it myself. Cheers

 

[hairissuesnCA]

Comments for melbournelad

Hey melbournelad,

My story mirrors yours almost exactly. I too am the same age...diffuse thinning on top, receding/destroyed hairline and visibly thinning crown.

I cannot begin to tell you how much it has destroyed my life, and is currently impeding my career. I too use Toppik as an attempt to conceal my loss and it is beginning to look ridiculous (not to mention the utter mess it creates in my bathroom). By the way, I apply it every morning, and it takes about 1-1.5 hours to apply/style before work. With it my hair looks like $#iT...however my density on top and especially in front is too low to do without.

I feel that hairloss does play a huge role in our careers...especially for a young guy just entering the workforce w/t heaps of competition. I went to college in east cost, US and moved to OC(southern Cal) 6 months ago to take up an engineering position. I believe even more so in this culture, that looks play a huge part in creating a positive first-time impression. I just do not feel that I should be dealing with this at this point in my career/life, and am utterly moved to cowardice the few times I venture outside to bars/restaurants and view others looking good. By the way(no kidding), I very seldom do notice buys with thinning/bald heads in this area. It is uttery depressing to me seeing all these 50ish, paunchy guys with more hair than me at 16. Sorry for the negativity...

To make the story short, I have opted to go through with the hairsystem route. I ordered a freestyle, all Swiss-lace system from coolpiece...after having the template designed at a local hair replacement clinic in LA. I get the impression that they are legit, since they did not hassle me with sales once, even though they make their own pieces. The piece came in about a month ago..I had the stylist in LA look at it, check color matching, place it on my head, and even wet it down and mock-style it. I was pretty impressed, and I kid you not, I looked so much better even with the thing just lying on my scalp.

Anyways, my judgment day is coming up in less than ten days, when I will take a Friday off work to have the system glued and cut-in, with Saturday available for any last minute adjustments...

Melbournelad(or anyone else reading this), should I opt for all glue or tape around sides/back with glue at lace front? I will probably wear the unit for two weeks, and then go back to the salon to have it cleaned, styled until I get the hang of things. I want the unit to look and feel as undetectable as possible. I do plan on spending the necessary time for maintenance. Will my scalp get itchy in the coming summer's heat.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys...

 

[melbournelad]

Hi CA

Sounds like they are good if they weren't trying to rope you in.

I think it' a good path as long as your always learning about upkeep and how to wear and putting in the effort. But the effort put into this will be far better than the 1.5 hours a day you put into the Toppik job.

I do think you need to address the personal issues that go with the hair loss. I don't think gluing it on and making it look real is the only issue wearers face otherwise we wouldn't be doing it and indeed wouldn't be on a forum like this.

I'm only a four month wearer so my experience in actual wearing is limited but I do know (especially with me, a Brit in Australia, quite active and oily) that you need to read up a lot and try out quite a few glues to see how they work for you. They're all going to give you grip but its a matter of how long they're going to stay good. Some for me are two days but the current stuff is last six or seven days before I'll have it off and clean it up.

Everyone's different so what works for me may not work for you. I know its a dick answer but it is the answer. Get a few smaller size of a range of products and see how they go for you. Read others experiences, think about your own and make your own mind up.

Get used to the idea you will spend a lot of time (and perhaps $) getting it right for you in the first few months. If wearing starts to piss you off, step back and think what you're not doing right and how you can make it better.

Once you're there everything will be second nature and so will be wearing.

Another thing, find a forum of support. Don't just have your hair glued on and forget about it. Be active because when something goes pear shaped (like the weather or a steamed up woman tries to pull on your hair, ou'll know your sh*t is tight and you won't have a thing to worry about.

 

[hairissuesnCA]

Thanks for the info melbournelad...

The salon I visited mentioned that they sell all products inc. glue and tape. The reason I asked about the glue is because the stylist mentioned that some clients like to have their unit "bonded" to their scalps...meaning that they cover the entire area with glue and then press the unit onto the area. I would think this might cause some hygiene issues :shock:

I think tape would be the reasonable option to start out with...it seems like it would be easier to manage for a newbie, until I get the hang of things and can do the bonding myself? Also, with the glue bonding method, why can't I just place glue around the perimeter of the unit, instead of the entire shaved area? The unit would be more breathable then...

I'm sure that you've heard this often, but will the unit come off in a strong headwind? I will be taking a boating trip pretty soon (deep sea fishing) after was wondering if I need to take some precaution with this matter. Also the stylist mentioned that the unit might fade quickly in direct sunlight?? This would be a bummer since I plan on frequenting the beach this summer and would prefer not to wear a hat. I have dark black hair.

It seems that we have a similar level of hairloss. I have very thick hair on the sides and back (stylist mentioned greater than 100% density), thus I am unsure why she recommended 80%, which I increased to 90% on top, and 80% at front and crown. I have read warnings in the past where too high density makes the unit look "wiggy," but I think with my thick density on the sides and back and age, I could opt for a higher density (100%) on top with my second piece. What would you recommend?

Thanks man...

 

[trapsource]

Too much density will make it look too thick. I have thick hair as well and from previous pictures, the thicker it is the more people might detect something.
It will definately fade in the sunlight, or in the pool. It will dry out and start to look ratty very quickly. You must take care of it at all times, condition it, and keep it out of the sun(if you can). Reason being it will last you longer. Unless you have the money to buy a new piece every 2 months, in that case you can do whatever you want. Youll get that hang of it as time goes on

 

[melbournelad]

Yep I bond mine completely all over with glue. No different to tape really after all the tape is just glue anyway. I'd ge the names of the glues they supply and read up on them. Not to say they stock crap but I still have no idea what my place put on my head but its nothing I have bought in my trails (and honestly it wasn't very good and very messy to get off.

The glue is easy to work with. I apply the major area, let it dry. I pin up the long hair on sides and front with those big alligator hair clips chicks use, stick it down then do the front, use a comb to press it down and then alcahol wipe any excess that's forward of the lace. It's a piece of piss. 8 minutes max.

I'm not going to make any claims about just having the strip either side, front and back but I know my bond has withstood some serious Melbourne wind. Last time was day 8 of a bond and it wasn't going anywhere.

The best thing about the day I got my unit in was feeling the wind on your scalp! No sh*t, after years of using toppik and sealing it in I hadn't felt the wind on my scalp in a long time and when I did it felt and still does feel really cool and that's with more glue than I would put on now. It really does breath regardless and the hair you do have grows thorugh both the glue and the lace. Right now I can feel little bristles through my hair.

There's lots of factors to think about, colour, thickness of sides, your skin, eye color etc. but 80% (if its working with the same scale as my provider, Toplace) is a sh*t load of hair. Mine's 65% and 67% and I have pretty thick sides, especially now they have grown out a lot more. You wana be sure about that density.

A big part of the illusion is showing your scalp and moving away from the beaten gopher look. Most of my hair line is exposed, a semi-part down the centre and the crown area. Mine's pretty thick there so it's not as exposed as I'd like but its there. It's actually the lace but you can't see it at all. It does some no sh*t disappearing act when it hits your skin. You may lose that edge with an 80% unit if its super thick.

The hair colour sure does fade but so does your own hair colour. If you're changing your hair colour when you get your piece then there shouldn't be an issue. I went darker and the colour in my real hair has changed lots more than my real hair. Anyway the piece has lost colour (it's four months old now) but it's not like its drastically changed from dark brown to white or anything. Besides if you're using product (which you must) it all blends in nicely anyways.

You treat this hair no differently to your real hair. Perhaps a little nicer than you would your real hair when washing it etc. but otherwise no different. It's cheaper to swap out the unit (they don't cost a lot when you think about it, especially when compared to medications, lotions, Toppik and everything else), then spending all the $ to get an extra month out of the unit.

You do have to condition and so forth, but you have to do that to your real hair anyway. My stuck on hair is much more healthier, managable and healthier (not dried out) than my real hair. My real hair is a bastard, wavy, noticeably more course. The unit is reasonably straight and good to go in a matter of seconds sometimes.

I wouldn't be avoiding anything I can think of. Assuming you got your game down, you'd be sh*t out of luck if this thing came off and perhaps require a skin graft.

I do not look after my hair or baby it anywhere near as much as I did in the Toppik days. You know, chosing the tram seat that isn't near an open window, avoiding water at all costs etc. etc. There is just no comparison there. Any other suggestion is bullshit. Perhap its a reason right there to have an all over bond in that if it did snag (like mine did working under a house), a section of it will not want to leave your head and there'd be limited leverage for it to want to come off.

If I were you I'd have my next unit well ordered NOW.

 

[hairissuesnCA]

Getting the system glued and cut-in for the first time in 2 days. Gotta admit, I have a few butterflies...

I have thin hair on top and crown that I cover with Toppik. Looks reasonably thick after application, but very messy/dirty and cannot style. I am definitely looking forward to being able to style my hair once again with product.

Melbournelad, did you're hair look significantly different after system, or just fuller and easier to style?? Will co-workers/friends be able to tell, or just assume I have actually spent time cleaning/styling my hair (which I spend over 1 hour trying to do anyway :-x )

Thankx

 

[melbournelad]

Getting the system glued and cut-in for the first time in 2 days. Gotta admit, I have a few butterflies...

I have thin hair on top and crown that I cover with Toppik. Looks reasonably thick after application, but very messy/dirty and cannot style. I am definitely looking forward to being able to style my hair once again with product.

Melbournelad, did you're hair look significantly different after system, or just fuller and easier to style?? Will co-workers/friends be able to tell, or just assume I have actually spent time cleaning/styling my hair (which I spend over 1 hour trying to do anyway :-x )

Thankx

Mine did look a lot different. Just take it conservatively is my suggestion if you're worried.