Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by sallylwess on February 16, 2017 at 1:38pm

I got one when I could no longer feel comfortable about the appearance of my hair. I also have a high forehead anyway, and I hated that the shiny spot was visible and that one could see the red inflammation on the hairline.  I probably could have used other solutions, but I bought a topper.  It gave me confidence and made me less unsure of myself in public.  Since I have been a social and confident person all of my life, the change in my ability to feel comfortable in public was the issue I addressed before it took hold of me and became a bigger problem. 

Permalink Reply by Jacqui on February 16, 2017 at 5:00pm

Hey Minter thanks for posting this question as I too have been musing about it.  I don't have a hair helper yet but am thankfully there is such a thing out there for us to access!!

I think I am "too close" to my hair loss.  Every morning I seem to wake up and give my forehead a good study under the bright light of the heat lamp which of course does me no favours.  Like you I see thinning as well.  I am pretty sure the people I interact with everyday aren't doing the same thing or are even aware it's going on for me ;)

So I intend to ask my sister or a close friend to be honest with me and tell me when they think it is noticeable.  

Reading your post though I kind of feel you are ready now, or to at least look into it some more.  What could it hurt?  It might be the best decision you made as you go through your day not actually thinking about it constantly?  And the days you do feel confident you don't have to put it on?  Just my thoughts....

Permalink Reply by Minter on February 17, 2017 at 7:52pm

Sally, Jacq, thanks for sharing- I am finding it hard to convince myself that I need hair, it is such a big step and an expensive step.  But going for a consultation costs nothing and I will learn a lot, so it can't hurt I guess.  

Sally, I feel the same as you do I think- I just don't feel myself anymore, my hair was always thin, but it was thick thin hair if that makes sense, there was a lot of it! 

Jacq, I do the same as you, every morning while getting ready I stare intently  at my hair and then spray all sorts of products on it to make it look like there is more then there is and stare at it again to see how it looks, it helps a bit, as long as I am not under a light or in the sun or if it is windy :-(  

I am always looking at other women's hair, looking to see if they have thinning or hair loss, looking to see if they are wearing helper hair, just looking all the time- when I see women with noticeably thinning/receding/balding hair- I often wonder, why did they not get "helper hair" are they confident enough that it doesn't bother them, or they just can't be bothered, or for some reason they cannot wear a wig or any sort of extra hair, or do they think it is isn't noticeable to other people? I can't believe that I have gotten to this point in my life that I am obsessing over my hair and now other people's hair and obsessing if should get hair or not! 

So I guess that is why I am asking how the rest of you feel about when or if you would get helper hair-

Permalink Reply by turtles on March 28, 2017 at 8:06pm

I do the same thing about looking at women's hair and wondering how it doesn't seem to bother them! Maybe it does bother them and they just do what I try to do- not think about it so much. Windy days are a killer. Do you have someone that locally does the hair helper? I don't know anyone here in Ky that does this.

Permalink Reply by LoriO on February 18, 2017 at 11:19am

I just recently went to a place that does real hair toppers that are semi permanent. They are custom made and stick them to the top of your head.  The woman helping me showed me hers and honestly i could not tell she was wearing a hairpiece.  I would have never known if I'd just seen her on the street.

But, the cost.  Est was $4500 (x 2) a year (they recommend you purchase two) and then $125 a month.  I just can't justify that cost.  

I also had very fine hair, but a lot of it so I know exactly what you mean.  I have lost about an inch and a half of hairline and it's still going.  My hair meant a lot to me and I put a lot of time and effort in to making it look good everyday, styling it just right and everything.  But, I'm at the point where I feel like I just need to stop thinking about it.  I'm leaning towards just shaving it very short and forgetting about it.

When I put the sample hairpiece she showed me on my head I couldn't imagine ever being comfortable wearing it.  I might change my mind but that's where I am right now.  

  

Permalink Reply by sallylwess on February 18, 2017 at 5:45pm

That does seem very expensive.  My two toppers were $1150 each.  The first one was human hair. The second is synthetic.  I think it is always best to really shop around.  Why is there a monthly charge?  I think you can go to Lucinda Ellery for that cost. 

I'm not comfortable with the idea of having something attached to my head all of the time.  I would worry about being able to care for my scalp.

Permalink Reply by LoriO on February 18, 2017 at 9:03pm

I tried the kind that clipped in too, and those were around $750.  the monthly charge was for removing the topper, cleaning it, cleaning and styling the regular hair and then sticking it back on.  I didn't like the idea of it being attached to my hair either.

Permalink Reply by Minter on February 19, 2017 at 9:51am

Wow, that is a huge amount of money LoriO, and if it is so good at that price-why do you have to buy two!

It sounds like you and I are more or less at the same place with our hair, being thick/fine and just about 2 inches gone and also still going- I can also see definite thinning about another inch in from the hairline when I lift up my hair, great.  There are also days that I just want to forget about my hair and cut it short-short, I love short hair, but I've had it that short in the past and it does me no favors looks wise and with my new egg shaped forehead- there is no way I would look even better now with super short hair!

I felt the same way about a topper when the girl put it on my head- couldn't imagine wearing it, it didn't feel bad at all, it was a lot lighter then I thought it would be, but it just looked weird and basically the girl made no effort to make me even want to consider using a topper & this is place that has good reviews/reputation, maybe I just got her on an "off day" :-/ anyway that was the end of any thoughts for clip in toppers -

Just want to say again, I am so, so grateful for this forum- you all are great sharing your thoughts and experiences- makes this stupid FFA so much easier to deal with, thank you!

Permalink Reply by CurlyK on February 19, 2017 at 8:35pm

After 3 years of trying every over the counter product to address my thinning and receding hair, I decided to get a medical diagnosis in July 2016. Once I had a diagnosis of FFA and learned there is no cure for it...and sobbed for several days...I decided taking medicine was not for me and started to look at hair options. I found a great resource in Custom Hair Tampa Bay (Florida). It took ten weeks before my custom piece was ready. It's a semi permanent piece that is bonded to my scalp. I had two days of major melt down because as I said on here before, having hair after not having it for so long was just as traumatic. After 3 cuts to the hair piece it looked much more like me. The piece cost me 1600 USD and I go to Custom Hair every five weeks where, for 75 USD, the piece is removed, cleaned of the glue, my scalp and remaining hair is washed, then the piece is reapplied. I am SO happy now that I went this route. I am so used to my hair piece now that most of the time I don't even feel it on my head. I wash and condition it every 3-4 days in the shower and put some curl cream in it and let it dry on its own. So easy! My self confidence has gone up tremendously as I get compliments on my hair all the time now. No more daily anxiety over who can see my shiny scalp or worrying on windy days. Hope this is of help!

Permalink Reply by Minter on February 20, 2017 at 8:28am

CurlyK, your happiness at getting your hair piece is very easy to see in your reply!  Other then the initial cost, $75 a month isn't too very bad at all, no more or less really then going in for a regular haircut/color at the salon- it is good to hear that you are are so comfortable with your hair now that you don't even really notice it.  That is one of the big things I am worried about, that I will find it very uncomfortable, I don't even like to wear a hat on my head as I find it itchy-so this is a big concern!

Permalink Reply by lynetter on February 20, 2017 at 3:18pm

This is a very interesting question and one that I struggle with as well. I have lost most of my eyebrows, all hair on my legs and arms and almost an inch in some areas on my forehead and also the back of my hairline as well. I was diagnosed with FFA two years ago and have seen two different dermatologists. My latest seems to think I have two types of alopecia because of the hair loss in the back as well, but I am not sure about this at all. I can cover the frontal area with bangs, though they are thinning and the back doesn't show at all unless I have my hair up, which I no longer do now. So I am also in a quandary. When I no longer can cover in the front and I have hair loss at my nape moving up-maybe I should just shave my whole head and be done with it! Has anyone with FFA gone to this extreme? I'm just not sure I can face a mirror with hair only in the middle of my head! Just wondering if anyone else has hair loss all along the hairline with FFA or do I really have two different types of alopecia? I'm thinking I'm overthinking all of this, but like y'all, I keep a watchful eye on the front and the back of my hairline.

Permalink Reply by Mima4ever on April 3, 2017 at 4:09pm

Yes my derm said losing eyebrows totally is sign of FFA. Every hair stylist should be on the alert for these things. Mine just kept saying different ways to fix that didn't work. We sound like identical hairlosing profiles. And my scalp is still actively inflamed. Have injections. I also have had scalp psoriasis in back since a teenager.

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