Kevin,
without being sarcastic or unpleasant in any way, you have answered your question by saying that the amount of concealer is now becoming obvious to people --you`ll have no choice in the end due to continued thinning, but to either shave the top and leave it like that, or, wear a hair piece. You have an ideal time coming up to make the transition --your holidays/time off/ change-of-job. Locate a stylist immediately, and make the appointment. While you obviously wouldn`t attempt to style your own piece [I certainly wouldn`t anyway] to a properly trained stylist, doing a hair piece cut -in should really be no more tricky than any person coming into the salon with long hair and asking for it to be shortened/styled. I just `chanced`a local salon --I arrived in to the girl who owns it, showed her the system [so she`d have an idea of what it might entail ] and asked her if she`d `chance`it --told her that if she made a complete pigs- ear of it, I wouldn`t complain [it was a stock unit I had obtained while waiting on the custom unit to arrive] as I knew the 2nd unit wouldn`t be too long more in transit. To be fair, she agreed to try it and I was happy with it --when the custom unit came, she did even better with that one, and I am due another new unit any day now ,so back to her again.I can understand anyone who has never worn before having misgivings, but if you only look at the negatives on your mind as opposed to the positive possibilities of wearing, well you`ll never make the transition. Place the unit on your head, as near as possible to where it will be bonded, mark your scalp all around the perimeter, with a dark eyebrow pencil, and that`s the area that needs to be shaved --doesn`t need to be razored --just an electric hair cutters will do. If the hair on the system is very long,tie it up loosely `` out of the way`` so you can see the outline of the base better, and where exactly it`s sitting on your head. If your system is all -lace, you will have to use some adhesive all around the perimeter, to hold it in place for the stylist He/she might be able to help you with that on the day, in the salon. Maybe you could ask for a private booth/room [even their own little kitchen area would do just so you have privacy] I suggest you could just shave the required area at home [using 2 mirrors to help] and then just pop on a baseball cap for your trip to the salon. Bring your adhesive and brush with you, plus a little cling-film to cover the brush -head when you`re finished, so you can take it home to be cleaned without it sticking to everything! No matter how [ possibly] bad the stylist did the cut -in, it would still have to be better than what you`re describing now! In any case, you`d be able to ``do something`` with it to make up for any flaws in styling, using gels/products, rather than using all these concealers on practically non-existent hair ! If you can`t find a stylist near you, search the forum and find the nearest one in England ----you may have to travel, but it will be worth it,as you will be going to a stylist who has experience. I used to travel form Cork to Dublin to a salon for systems/styling --a distance of 160 miles. If you can`t locate one, consider getting a flight to Cork and you can go to my stylist --can pick you up / put you up overnight if necessary --am only 20 minutes from the airport, but you really shouldn`t need to go to that bother --there have to be good experienced stylists in the UK. Regrads, Paul.