(11-05-2011, 05:13 AM)MattNH Wrote: Glad I never used concealer & thickener stuff, looks so false doesn't it? Reminds me of an iron filing/magnet trick where you get them to stand up on end. Regards

Well, to be honest Ive used nanogen for almost a year and all I get from my friends is amazement at how much my hair has thickened back up (I tell them I use Minoxidil). I even had a compliment on how good it looks by the owner of a hair club I visited when I was doing my research. I walked into his office and sat down with him and he asked what I was after (I think he thought I was after laser comb) and I pulled out a photo of my my hair with no nanogens on and his jaw dropped and he had to say how good my consealer looked. Obviously we then had a laugh about how consealer looks bad in rain etc but as a band aid it works and it is great for creating an illusion that your hair is coming back. I am "lucky" that I have diffuse balding, so my hairline has not receded at all, its just gone very very thin from the fringe to the crown in one go so I still have a thin fringe etc so it works for me. For a norwood receding front line and crown its no good as the hair isnt there to thicken so I get your point in that respect.

Toppik is fab, I guess if your thnning a lot or have very short hair the chances that it looks odd are higher, I have long hair and its top stuff.

Ok guys, i attached another pic that I think illustrate the hairline better. As you can see one side is extremely receeded. I use toppik on the other side of my hair, as the coverage is a bit more sparse on that side. i drew a line to show where my original hairline was. So, my options are to shave off the hair in the middle and do a partial that will cover the front half of my head. Or I can get on proprecia. The thing with using proprecia is that it might help to make my existing hair fuller but my hairline is so receded that I will still be having to do my "comb-over" where i try to brush my hair to cover as much of my forehead as possible. What do you guys think?

Hey drew ...

Just food for thought ... I believe Propecia is less helpful for the hair at the front ... more the crown (true of minoxidil, too)... and there are common side effects ... so as I weigh the risk/benefit, I might prefer the idea of wearing, were I in your shoes. That's easy to say for me, having already gone through the initial adjustment to wearing (shaving, etc.), ... that might feel like a big decision for you at this point. I get it.

FYI ... I have heard of guys using two triangle shaped partials for the recession areas. No personal experience w/ this, but have heard it suggested. It might not be worth the hassle, but I wonder if it might be a good first try at wearing something, with almost no commitment ... you could cut them yourself out of the front of a stock, since you look to have a common color ... maybe a 1B with a little gray. I can't tell from the pic if that center section of hair is dense enough to try this. But if it is, it would allow you to have some of your own hairline in the front center ...

This might seem convoluted, but I'd be thinking of trying it if I had your hair. Worst case, you'd be out a couple hundred for a stock and some supplies, and avoid the commitment of shaving the whole front of your head. Then you'd also have a better idea of attaching, removing, etc. to see if wearing would be for you.

Just a thought ... or ten

FB

I think I`d consider following furball`s suggestion...at worst you`ll be out a few hundred [small beer in terms of what those drugs will cost]...your centre bit still seems ok albeit that it`s hard to distinguish if you have concealers on it , but the general wisdom is to hold on to as much of what you`ve got for as long as possible. Another guy had 2 triangular partials he was wearing a while back and they looked fine....if you`re `unsure`/wary of cutting a stock, simply make 2 triangular-shaped cardboard cut-outs of the area to be covered... mark the `front` `back` and `top`bit [where it`ll meet your `island`] and which is left temple and which is right ..send them to Debbie ,and John can send her a stock and she`ll trim 2 `bits` out of the stock . Might be worth a thought....she can send you a few supplies too in with the partials......some knot-sealer applied to both will help avoid fraying-in of the lace after it`s been trimmed. I think furball is right in the color-- 1b is `off`black [looks a little brown in strong natural light] and even if it looks very dark when you get it, once it`s been shampooed 2 or 3 times etc. the color will `lift`...anyway, any possible color-difference can be disguised by using a styling product like `Brylcreem`--- it certainly would be worth a thought..... Paul.
ps...Debbie could also trim/style the hair, so it would be ready to wear on delivery, to save you going to a stylist... bear in mind, stocks are freestyle, so I`d only apply knot sealer after about 10 days of wearing/ `training`the hair into whatever direction you normally wear it.

I was contemplating doing the two triangle pieces but I was just wondering if that would make it harder to maintain a good attachment since there is a very little area to be bonded down. I can see those two pieces coming loose much easier than a bigger partial piece. there might also be an issue trying to style those two triangle pieces with the existing hairline which may be difficult. But then again if I give it a shot it might be better then my current situation

The only thing you can do drew is try it, thats the only way you'll know, its not expensive and could be great at least after tying you'll know.

As for propecia I've been taking it for 6 months and haven't really noticed much but they say you need to take it for a year before you can see if you are responding or not. At 23 its a bit young, consulting with your doctor might be a good idea.

I also tried Minox for 10 months, didnt notice anything apart from getting a really nasty infection but that could well be because I didnt wash it out, as I do a cover up job its impossible for me to wash it out everyday.

I probably should add minox now I'm on fin but I'm afraid of the infection coming back.

If your contemplating a HT later on in life then you really need to be on fin as if you have quite aggressive hairloss at such a young age you may not have enough donor to cover your loss.

Like most things there are advantages and dissadvantages to everything.

Good luck to you though.

And whatever path you take make sure you research it....alot.

The glues/tapes hold systems in place fine with just a perimeter bond, or even a partial-perimeter bond like I do, so in the case of a small triangular piece, you could do an `all-over`bond using glue and there`s no reason why that would come loose at all....the size of the piece itself should have no bearing on the type of hold you get--that`s down to what glue you use and how your body physiology `gets on` with it..... I honestly would have serious reservations of using those new drugs etc....but that`s just me....the price of them apart from the possible health issues would put me right off. Paul.

Thing is paul there are side effects for every drug, plenty of people take aspirin everyday but if you look at possible side affects they can be really nasty but because its a hairloss drug people seem to concentrate solely on the possible negative affects. The % of people who suffer sides are small (like most drugs) but uou should be aware of them before taking them. But the mind is a powerful thing if you obsess about side affects it will increase your chances of getting them.....the mind can play tricks.

(11-07-2011, 04:55 AM)drew100 Wrote: I was contemplating doing the two triangle pieces but I was just wondering if that would make it harder to maintain a good attachment since there is a very little area to be bonded down. I can see those two pieces coming loose much easier than a bigger partial piece. there might also be an issue trying to style those two triangle pieces with the existing hairline which may be difficult. But then again if I give it a shot it might be better then my current situation

Well, I'm with Paul on the drugs and the worry about bonding ...

Bonding those pieces will not be harder, or less secure, than any other attachment of any size ...

I'd investigate all you can about Propecia ... it may not help the front, the side effects are not rare, can last even after discontinued use ... and if you have to stop taking it due to side effects or cost, all the hair you kept will fall out ... pretty much all at once.

Your point about styling difficulty is valid ... it is possible you could have some challenges with the front hairline if you plan to expose all of it ... maybe some discontinuity between the front of the partials and your own hairline, but this is speculation. With a comb forward style, bangs/fringe, or a parting w/ only part of the hairline exposed, you should find more than one style that is workable.

I'm not sure how dense your front middle section is. If it's mostly concealer in the photos, then this solution might not work. If the middle's OK, I think I'd try placing the front of the partials farther back than the red line in your photo. In other words, leave some recession. Get as much mileage as you can out that front section of your own hair. I might try a center part, hair to the sides, camouflaging the front of the partials a bit ...

I guess I'm getting into too detailed speculation ... anyway, it seems worth a try. Let us know how you make out !

FB