Guys, this thread is gold to me because I researched this matter for months, and gives me an opportunity to condensate my thoughts. Forgive the long post.

To me, hair systems are the way to go. Rich or not, it doesn't matter. Celebrities themselves, who are not exactly stripped for cash, use hair systems:



Were I rich I would, perhaps, have a stock of hair systems to last a lifetime and a personal stylist on retainer so I won't have to bother with styling my hair myself. But that would just be affluenza-induced laziness, not incompetence. Applying and styling your own hair system is not altogether difficult once you get the hang of it.

I considered a transplant, did my research, talked with people who had one and/or considered one, online and offline, and concluded that as it stands, it's too much of a crap shot. Those pictures you see on the websites, the "befores" and "afters", they are their best results. What would be the point of showing botched transplants? They have a business to run.

Just troll the forums for information and you'll see that the reality of hair transplant is a far cry from the miracle they tout it to be. Sometimes what they say verges on false advertising, like guaranteeing a complete restoration of the hair, or at least leading people to believe that that it's even remotely possible. Guaranteeing anything in this specific case is pure bull. You can luck out or not.

Sure, the technology has been making great strides. But in my opinion the risk/cost is not worth it. Yes, I've heard from people satisfied with their results (the jury is still out on the long term results, though). But I also I've heard too many horror stories - visible scars, follicles not taking root leaving quite noticeable spots, or simply unsatisfactory results. Also, hair transplants are not permanent. You'll still lose your hair with time. You're just delaying the inevitable, for a pretty penny and moderate-to-considerable discomfort.

A hair system has nothing to do with your scalp situation or genetics; it is as simple as it gets. It doesn't matter how fast or often you lose your hair. It's fast, undetectable - if done right - and relatively cheap. You don't have to have invasive surgery, and the results are immediate - no surprises whatsoever. You decide to get one, you make a template (or have one made for you by a professional), you style it (or you get a professional cut-in) and what you see is what you get. In real time too! Once you're satisfied, you simply send the cut-and-styled hair system in and get it duplicated. Enjoy your new mane.

And, especially, what you pay is what you get - unlike hair transplants, where the results are visible after months and until then, you'll never be sure whether the whole thing has indeed been successful or not. And if it hasn't been, good luck getting your money back. And perhaps a healthy scalp. And, again, it's not permanent anyway.

Nowadays the lace is undetectable (honestly, I've met people recently with hair systems during my research - they had to convince me that hair was not theirs) and the glues/tapes are so strong the hairpiece won't even come off if you pull it - in fact, I've recently read the story of a boy affected by trichotillomania (long story short: a form of OCD involving a compulsive urge to pull out one's own hair, causing noticeable hair loss) who's been "cured"...with a hair system.

You can read the story here.

And here's a very relevant quote:

Quote:"Because of the glue in the hair system, he couldn't pull his hair out and he retrained his brain to focus on things other than pulling his hair," his mother said.

So yeah, that's right. Someone who pulled his own hair compulsively had to retrain his brain because, simply put, the hair system was stronger than his natural hair. Go figure.

Oh, what else? You can get it fitted as your baldness progresses (or go for a full cap and the heck with it), you can adjust the density as you wish, you can change length, color, position - in short, hair systems give you total freedom of choice and you can literally change your hair at will.

And, by the way, being rich has nothing to do with it. For the cost of a complete hair transplant you can afford about TEN YEARS of hair systems. And I can also break it down for you.

Let's suppose that you're not completely bald and you have a bald or sparse crown area and/or a mangy frontal area/high hairline.

According to this interactive calculator, covering those areas (1, 4,5,6,7) with a fullness of around 35, you'll need around 3500 grafts.

The average cost of a graft being $5, that's $17,500. Add all the ancillary costs such as the consultations, the staff, the painkillers, traveling if you do it "offshore", and all those things and we can probably round it up to at least $19,000.

Now, if a hairpiece lasts 3 months on average (I know - it depends on many factors, some may last even 6 months, some 2, just a ballpark figure) you need about 5 hairpieces per year. Let's say 6, just to stay on the safe side and account for whatever imponderables may crop up. That's about $1,200/year.

Let's add another $500 for all the appurtenances you need - tape, glue, you name it. Now we are at $1,700/year. In 10 years, that's $17,000. That's around $141 per month. Not exactly chump change, but definitely not something for millionaires.

And in 10 years, rest assured, a good chunk of transplanted hair would fall off anyhow.

Just my two cents. Again, sorry for the long post. I'd appreciate comments.