Hair loss treatment

A hair system can be any type of supplemental hair in the form of a full wig, hairpiece, toupee, hair extension or a weave, which replaces your own missing hair. Hair systems are for many hair loss sufferers the only existing option to replace the lost hair and to regain the former appearance of a full head of hair. The quality and the price of hair systems depend on a variety of factors, such as the type of hair used, the production process used to weave the wig, the foundation of the hair system and how it is attached to the scalp.

The origin of hair is the first thing most prospective buyers will ask about. Both artificial and natural hair can be used. The natural hair can be of human or animal origin. Some hair systems blend human hair with animal hair to save on cost. The human hair can be of Asian origin (the least expensive option), Indian origin or European origin (the most expensive option). Asian and Indian hair must be usually bleached, which makes it brittle and less durable. Considering the harvesting methods, virgin hair is the most expensive and hair gained from hairbrushes and combs the least expensive option. Human hair requires more care than artificial hair but it looks more authentic, lasts longer and is more comfortable to wear. Its downside is its higher cost and the fact that it can lose its colour when exposed to direct sun for long hours or break, as normal human hair does.

As far as the manufacturing process is concerned, hair systems can be hand-tied or machine-tied. Hand-tied wigs can be also custom made, which happens to be the most expensive alternative. The foundation of a hair system can be either a polymer or a mesh. The polymer foundation is a more affordable but also a less comfortable option. A mesh structure breathes better than polymer structures and is therefore more comfortable to wear but, besides being more expensive, it is also a less durable alternative and more difficult to maintain. Mesh is suitable for creating authentic-looking hairlines, so many wigs combine both technologies, mesh for the hairline and the polymer structure for the inside of the wig.

The technique of fixing a wig to your scalp and blending it with your existing hair is an extremely important factor. There are semi-permanently attached hair systems that are either glued to your scalp or woven into your remaining hair and these can only be removed in a hair salon once every five or six weeks for cleaning and maintenance. These systems cling tightly to your scalp but can be unhealthy and uncomfortable to wear after a couple of weeks of use. The temporarily-attached hair systems use double-sided sticky tape or clips to fix the hairpiece to your scalp and existing hair. They can be removed and cleaned any time you like but can also be easily and unexpectedly removed, leading to embarrassing situations.

The final determining factor when deciding on buying a suitable hair system is the price. Any hair system happens to be temporary in nature, it will not last for ever like hair transplants do. Nevertheless, it can be quite expensive. Hair transplants can cost as much as ten thousand dollars or more. Although you can get a wig for a few hundred dollars, the more authentic looking pieces cost a few thousand dollars and require regular maintenance costing a couple of hundred dollars a month. Besides that, you have to buy at least two identical pieces, one to wear while the other is being maintained by your hair salon. Though not cheap, hair systems are often the only option to replace the lost hair for many alopecia areata patients, as well as a large percentage of female hair loss sufferers. 

The two main methods of non-surgical hair replacement today involve the use of hair systems and hair loss concealers. Various types of hair systems such as full wigs, hairpieces, hair extensions, toupees and weaves can look extremely authentic and have been used for ages to cover bald spots and typically with good rates of success. Their main weaknesses are high maintenance costs and, in some situations, the discomfort of wearing them. Hair loss concealers and hair thickeners on the other hand have been around for a shorter period of time and have often been looked down upon for being incapable of withstanding adverse external conditions and for appearing unnatural. This does not seem to be true any longer as many of them have greatly improved recently, both in terms of their authentic appearance and their resistance.

There are three types of hair loss concealers: those that simply paint your scalp to match your hair colour, then there are hair thickeners that thicken your hair by coating and penetrating the hair and trapping moisture and volume-building proteins inside the hair shaft and, lastly, there are bald spot concealers that apply microfibers that cling to your hair like branches to the trunk of a tree, increasing the hair density. Some products combine two of the aforementioned approaches and paint your scalp and thicken your hair at the same time. All of these products come in various forms, such as a powder, cream or a spray. Hair loss concealers do not contain any ingredients that would combat hair loss but some of them allow you to continue with a topical hair loss treatment such as minoxidil.

Microfiber-based hair loss concealers can be typically applied in as little as 30 seconds versus a minimum of five minutes needed for hair thickeners. However, microfibers are less water-resistant and it is quite difficult to apply them precisely and, therefore, they are not too good for creating an authentic-looking frontal hairline. Their greatest advantage is that they are unrecognisable in your hair, even with a very close inspection. Hair thickeners, mainly those that also colour your scalp, are extremely water-resistant and excellent for frontal hairlines but they take longer to apply. They cover your scalp with a layer of colouring substance, which makes it difficult to effectively apply any topical hair loss treatment. Their greatest weakness in comparison to microfibers is that in direct sunlight it can become visible to the sharp eye that the scalp has been painted.

The common complaint about all products used for concealing hair loss is the limited choice of available shades. Some hair loss sufferers use a combination of two products simultaneously to overcome the weaknesses of individual products and to achieve the most authentic shade and appearance. Most often a combination of a hair thickener and a micro fibrous concealer is used. The results of such combinations are typically very satisfactory. If you want to try any such combinations, make sure that you apply the scalp-painting, hair loss thickener first and then use the microfibers to hide the remaining imperfections. There are many different products in all three categories of hair loss concealers and you may want to test several of them in order to identify those that best match you hair colour and style of application.

The current medical options for reversing hair loss in people suffering from hereditary forms of hair loss are limited to relatively few products which are most effective in the early stages of baldness. Once you have lost a substantial portion of hair due to hereditary factors or an accident, such as a burn, the only remaining option is to replace the missing hair. Your options can be either of a temporary nature, such as the use of hair pieces and hair loss concealers, or a permanent surgical solution. Hair transplantation happens to be the most effective way of surgical hair replacement and the only permanent solution that offers satisfactory results.

Hair transplantation consists in transplanting your own hair follicles from the back of your scalp to the frontal, balding area. The main limiting factor of hair transplantation is the shortage of donor hair and, therefore, many patients do not make a good candidate. The suitable hair transplant candidate should have a high hair density in the back of the scalp, his hair should be wavy and thick, his scalp flexible and the contrast between the colour of his hair and scalp should not be too great, and he must be in good physical condition. Women usually suffer from a diffuse form of hair loss and thus do not make very good hair transplant candidates. Hair transplantation also cannot be performed on patients suffering from unpredictable forms of hair loss such as alopecia areata.

Given the shortage of donor hair, the hair transplant surgeon must be able to utilise the little hair he can use to create the optical illusion of a full head of hair. This represents the biggest risk in hair transplantation, as it can happen that the patient does not like the final result. Although you can usually arrange for another hair transplant session, some damage can be irreparable. Other risks and side effects occurring during and after hair transplant surgery include excessive bleeding and scarring, the lengthy healing of wounds, the transaction and eventual death of many implanted hair follicles, post transplant shock hair loss, which, though temporary, can affect your newly-implanted hair as well the hair in the donor area, scalp tension and numbness and the further progression of hair loss after surgery, which can lead to unnatural patterns of baldness. In one recent study, which analysed the experiences of 425 hair transplant patients who had undergone 533 hair transplant procedures in total, it was determined that about 5% of the patients experienced complications either during or after surgery.

Hair transplants can cost around ten thousand dollars, depending on the technique used, the location and reputation of the clinic, the extent of hair loss and the number of hair transplant sessions needed to achieve the eventual effect. However, sometimes it is impossible to estimate the final cost, which represents another risk you take when deciding on hair transplantation. Given the pain, time and cost involved, it pays to educate oneself prior to signing up for hair transplant surgery. The hair transplant industry is a fast-growing business and the quality and affordability of hair surgeries are improving, so do not let anybody push you into hasty uninformed decisions.

Having unrealistic expectations is the first and foremost mistake. This will always lead to frustrations, no matter how good or bad the treatment was. No matter what the marketers of any hair loss product say, do not believe that you can recover all of your lost hair. Most treatments only enable you to slow down the balding process or, in better instances, to keep the existing hair. The best possible result you can expect from any treatment is to regrow the hair you have lost in the previous three years. But this is only possible if you start treating your condition at an early stage. This brings us to the second most common mistake many hair loss sufferers make - denying their hair loss and beginning to treat their condition only after they have already developed a bald patch. The later you start treating the baldness, the less chances you have of regrowing lost hair. In order to regrow hair you must have fine miniaturised hair left in your bald area. This baby hair is often called peach fuzz. Once your hair follicles have died and there is no hair left, no miracle can rejuvenate them.

Many hair loss sufferers, as they start working on their research, get scared reading about the potential negative side effects of proven medicinal treatments and opt for allegedly safer alternative treatments. Marketers of natural, hair loss remedies tend to exaggerate the harmful side effects of Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) in order to lure you into buying their product. The chances that you will lose your sex drive from finasteride or grow additional facial hair because of minoxidil are statistically under 1%. You should first try the proven medicinal treatments and only if you have experienced negative side effects or no positive improvement try some alternative therapy. Starting with unproven products right away deprives you of the opportunity to test some of the best remedies available out there. If you start treating your condition with an alternative remedy, the likelihood you pick the one that works well for you is close to zero. Thus, you are almost certainly wasting time while the hair loss continues to advance. And do not believe that all natural, hair loss treatments are safe. That is not true either.

Another frequent mistake is to use multiple treatments simultaneously. If you feel like trying different things, do not try them all at the same time. Any treatment requires a minimum of four months to kick in and you should give it at least six months to deliver results. Please note that overdosing will not speed up or improve results.

And lastly, do not overreact to sudden increase in shedding. Shedding is common to almost any hair loss treatment. If you start a new treatment such as Rogaine, you will first have to shed the old hair. Rogaine works by stimulating hair follicles, resulting in increasing the thickness of your miniaturised hair. But this will not happen overnight. First, the old thin fibber must be shed and then the hair follicles rearrange themselves in order to start producing thicker hair. Therefore, the first sign that the treatment is working is accelerated hair loss.