Good afternoon everyone !
I am 26. I have got a Norwood 2 recession on both sides of my hairline + a global loss of density everywhere.
I have always had my hair long (8 inches), and I know that I can't live without my long hair.
With this alopecia, it has now become very difficult to have them long, because my hair loss is irregular, and my hairline is now awful, leaving me some "blank" areas.
I am now hesitating beween hair transplant and wearing a full cap.
That's why I need your help, wearers, because I have already tried to wear a hairpiece (not from toplace) a few months ago, and I was not very happy with the result. I tried twice, from two different companies (again, not toplace)
Not happy for these reasons :

- My hair are ASH brown, and the hairpieces received had a reddish effect I did not like.
- My hair are STRAIGHT, even when they are wet. The hairpieces received had a wave everytime I washed it.
- My hair are very thin, and I like it. The hairpieces received had way too thick hair. The result was bulky, even with extra-light density.

My question is : Can I expect something different with toplace ?
I mean, is the fantastic result obtained by actors in their movies reserved to Hollywood, or is it possible, with care and experience, to get this same bliss ?

Here is, for example, the kind of hair and hairstyle I used to have :

http://tranchesdecine.files.wordpress.co...0irqqg.jpg

I guess it's a full cap done for the movie (tell me if I'm wrong). Do you think that this result can be achieved with a swiss lace full cap, or maybe a very thin skin full cap ?
Actually I read on this forum, some of you said that thin skin had a less bulky effect than lace. Would it be a great solution for long hair wearers ?
Thank you very much for your help. Your advices are much appreciated. (and sorry for my English, I am from France).

Salut,
Je crois que la longueur des cheveux peut déterminer quelle sorte de matériau de base que vous pouvez utiliser, car il doit être suffisamment résistant pour supporter le poids de la chevelure. C'est quelque chose que vous auriez besoin de confirmer avec le fournisseur.

Hi longhair, You can have anything you want really [ not being flippant with you! ] --- it sounds like the specifications were way off with the systems you got... I wouldn`t touch hair-transplants, for many reasons [cost, possible scarring, and a host of other reasons] One of the advantages of Fullcaps is there are no issues around blending-in with growing hair in terms of density and colour.....also, over time, as the hair oxidises from sun-exposure and washing, the colour changes [lightens] at a uniform rate all over ..it can be re-coloured uniformly when you want. You can also specify you want straight hair.
You could send in one of the ` old` systems to demonstrate the density, which you say is / was too high..... you could specify something like ` I want a system which is half as dense as this ` ---John will then know what would be best to order for you.....different hair vendors use different density-scales, so a 50% density with one supplier, might be equivalent to a 70% density from another ! If you want to wear long hair, I suggest Swiss lace might be just a bit too ` light` / delicate to carry long hair, though with a ` light` density as you say you require, you may just be able to get away with it ...... I wear French lace as it`s a bit more robust and to be honest the ` difference` in how it feels on the head and also to touch is pretty much negligible . I know some guys can and do wear Swisslace fullcaps with no issue... Im` just pointing out that a French lace might last you longer....the temple area can be subject to more ` stress` from removals for cleaning and Swiss might tend to fray / tear ----- French lace can be better in that area alone...you could get a combination of Swiss and French !
Can`t advise you on a skin system as I`ve not worn it on a Fullcap.
You can also use the ` translate` tab on the Homepage here to read the forum / these replies in your native language...kind regards !

Thank you Hersute and Paul for your replies.
I think that somebody already told me that thin skin is not the best material to use for long hair. Too delicate. But, in the photo section of toplace, we can see a woman wearing very long hair with a thin skin.. So.. if some thin skin wearers could give me their advices about it, it would be great!

Paul, about the density, I think that it was pretty good on the hairpieces I received. It showed some scalp. What I definitely want !
The problem is that it was still bulky... Because the hair itself is way too thick.
THAT is, actually, THE main problem for me. If my hair texture (very thin) was available for hairpieces/full cap, I would have already jumped to it, and would be a wearer I think.

Please note that about the hairpieces I bought, it was NOT Remy hair, but processed Indian hair, that is supposed to be THINNER than Remy. That's why I'm a bit depressed. Toplace offer Remy hair, so the hair received would be even thicker than my bad experience.. :/ Could you confirm that ?

Then, maybe I'm a bit too harsh with myself because when I see some actors wearing long hairs for movies, most of the time it's just fantastic. Are they using fantastic extremely thin European hair or something ? Or do you think that moviemakers and hairpieces seller just have got the same supplier ?

---

Just to give you an idea, my hair texture is thin like Sawyer in Lost. (He is NOT wearing)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J...ropped.jpg

If I could get this result (low density, very thin hair, very matted look, not excessively shiny hair) with a full cap, I would really really love to wear and it would definitely change my life (as it is now affecting my social life...)

We all see what look like very impressive systems in movies or on TV.
But you have to remember that
1) these systems only have to last for the duration of filming
2) Lots of lighting and prosthesis make-up is applied that probably aids their authenticity, but wouldn't be acceptable in normal life.

Indeed, that's right, I understand that.
And that's why wearing long hair is totally different than wearing a hairpiece with short hair that make the perfect illusion with the right style / wet look or whatever.

Wearing long hair may be a pain. If there are some long hair wearers here (men or women), the share of your experience would be much appreciated, because it seems to be a pretty "rare" case.


____________

Just to clarify a point :

Do some of you have a piece that stays really straight when they are wet / when you wash it ? I insist about really "straight" because that's what I asked when I ordered from the 2 companies and each time it was waving. (and I needed to straighten it, a real pain)

Hi again longhair.. you can specify smaller-diameter hair .... many wearers find the ` normal` hair is a little too ` big` in diameter to match their own hair .....it`s an important specification to have if you need that ` smaller` hair...... I`ve been in touch wit ha person who recently got such a system from John and he`s very pleased with that particular aspect so you should have no worries there.
Many companies claim to use a particular ` type` of hair and in fact you end up getting over-processed Chinese hair which looks fine on a Chinese head but not on a Caucasian ! It`s bigger in diameter and tends to be very hard to work with for most people as it`s very straight.... I know you require straight hair, but most people want some type of ` wave` in it....
I`d still send in the old system to John so he can see the density you like ..... if you`re just going for a topper, he can send the system off to the factory and they`ll use it as a template from which to make your new system , however if you`re going Fullcap, you`ll also need to send a template....my advice is if/ when you make a template, do NOT send it off the day after making it ....wait a few days because they often shrink / change shape and you can can imagine the problems that would cause you when your finished system arrives !!! It`s often necessary to add more material to a fullcap template a day or two after making it, and you may also need to trim it slightly, so do bear that in mind !

- My hair are ASH brown, and the hairpieces received had a reddish effect I did not like.
- My hair are STRAIGHT, even when they are wet. The hairpieces received had a wave everytime I washed it.
- My hair are very thin, and I like it. The hairpieces received had way too thick hair. The result was bulky, even with extra-light density.


These are the EXACT reasons I went with a full cap! I LOVE it, it has made me a confident and carefree wearer.

I no longer worry about the wind, the color, the blend, the density, etc. The only issue I have is this: I leave 1/4 to 1/2" of hair on the temples, sides and back. This completely hides the edge of the base and show naturally growing hair. I fear and dread the day I get caught not wearing like a medical event or something because it looks really bad just having that edge of hair around my head!