Background: male in 20's, hair loss since age 15. Mostly very diffuse. Hairline maybe a NW1.5-NW2. Slow progression, mostly just more and more diffuse over the years, hairline has been stable.

I can get away with Prothik, but I still get comments like "did you lighten your hair?", "what's that in your hair?", etc. It does not look all that natural, but it does not necessarily look like I have thin hair either.

That said, I'm getting sick of it. The mess, the brown dust everywhere, the crap on my hands, always wondering if anyone notices, knowing I don't look as good as I could, etc.

I've always figured my hair loss was at least somewhat attributed to several health conditions I face: low cortisol, hypothyroidism, and B12/iron deficiencies. I've finally found a doctor that I think can treat me properly and will begin treatment in the next few weeks. If I was going to regain thickness, it would take at least 6 months.

I'm torn. I'm almost at the breaking point of putting up with concealers, and I have no idea if I can regain anything with thyroid/etc. treatment. I'm almost ready to order a piece and drive up to Debbie in Maine and just be done with it.

On the other hand, I have two concerns: 1. I won't be able to see regrowth, 2. I don't want to do any damage to the follicles if there is a potential of regrowth.

Definitely conflicted here.

Hi Rashton,
I'd ask your doctor for his opinion. Since you've identified 3 medical conditions he maybe able to correct them and get your body back in balance. I'd ask him what you can realistically expect from treatment and how long it will take. Once you have his opinion you can make a decision from there.
Regards,
John

Good advice, and I am seeing him soon.

Any input on my two concerns?

rashton83 Wrote:It does not look all that natural, but it does not necessarily look like I have thin hair either.

I think that it is something of a judgment call. Wearing hair is more of a pain and more expensive and perhaps more embarrassing to explain to new girlfriends. On the other hand, they can look much better than a ton of concealers, if you put in the effort and practice to get things right.

Definitely do the switch before you have a hard time making concealers actually conceal well. If do the switch before your hair looks thin, and you have good side hair, you can use a higher density hairpiece, which is easier to maintain.

I don't know, is it really more of a pain?

- I get crap all over my pillow and sheets. When I go to hotels or stay at friends, I either have to bring my own pillowcase or sleep very carefully.
- The brown flakes get all over the shower and are very hard to scrub off. The shower base gets brown as well. I think the cleaning lady gets frustrated with it! (and has no idea what it's from)
- The brown film is all over the bathroom and the hallway I apply it on. I'm going to have to have my carpet cleaned, and the bathroom is always covered in the stuff.
- I spend a good 15-20 minutes EVERY morning making sure I have it on right and to go through the procedure.
- I inevitably touch my hair now and then, getting the brown crap all over my steering wheel, keyboard at work, etc.

Yes, Prothik is a lifesaver, because it is 100x better than doing nothing short of shaving, but it's a pain.

I imagine pieces are a pain. But it seems like a good half hour or hour once a week with a little maintenance here and there is all it needs. I like the "set it and forget it" aspect of it. If done right, it's also very hard to detect. The style I will go for will not expose the hairline. More of a freestyle look.

Again, the only thing holding me back is the prospects of regrowth from my treatments.

I'd much rather have a woman know I'm sporting a quality piece than having to worry about getting brown junk all over her nice sheets and pillows and stuff.