Several months back I had my 7th PRP treatment by Dr. Joseph Greco in Clearwater, Florida – I made a ridiculously long video when I was at the hotel about my reasons for continuing my PRP even though I now wear wigs full time. So I’m here today giving you a MUCH shorter video update along with including a little history of PRP as it pertains to hair loss. A couple months ago I had seen a segment about PRP on television that I believe accidently gave credit to the wrong doctor, and I like to give credit where credit is due, so the history is below for everyone who is curious 🙂
I often wonder when I get my eyebrows waxed, if the person doing them knows I’m wearing a wig. I can feel that they sometimes glide over the side of head with their hands, and they are also in very close proximity to my hairline and partline etc. Well, I decided to wonder no more and just come out with it, “It’s a Wig!”
Hello, Ladies! As some of you now, I recently transitioned from a 3/4 cap topper to a full wig. I’ve had lots of questions about that and why I decided to stop bonding and so I figured I better post something! I have LOTS of reasons for trying something new with my hair and so far, I am VERY happy with my decision.
One of the most important reasons for trying out a full wig which I can remove whenever I want to is that my hair seems to be growing back again. Obviously, I want to give it a chance. Right now, it’s growing like weeds. I am however, extremely prone to major seasonal shedding in the spring so we will see how that goes. I just moved to a much more temperate climate though, where it is much warmer all year. And my hair, like the rest of me, has always loved warm weather. So, I am hoping that without a major weather change with the seasons that maybe, HOPEFULLY, I can escape the seasonal shed/. This wasnt my reason for moving, but it sure could have been! 🙂
Also, since starting with bonding in June, I found myself missing out on two of my favorite hobbies – water sports and motorcycle riding. I actually never tried swimming with the bonded topper (and I have a huge mental block against it) and I really did not like bike riding with it as the helmet affected the bond at my hairline. I really felt like i was giving up alot last summer with not being able to do all of the things that I love and especially now that I live somewhere where these activities are available to me year round, then bonding wasn’t enough for me. if I’m going to go to the expense and hassle of wearing hair, I wanted my whole life back. not my life minus 2 things that I LOVE, which are two things that I like to do with my family. All of us suffered last summer with me not swimming or riding. [click to continue…]
A reader of the site, Stella, had sent me an email with a bunch of questions that I made into what ended up being yet another rather long video, it’s about 11 minutes long, so grab a snack and pull up a chair 🙂
This video answers the following questions:
1. How did you know or decide between topper and a wig. Did you not chose topper because of the clip and the damage and discomfort to the hair?
2. I have tremendous amount of itching and burning. Did you or do you experience that? If so how is that with wearing hair?
3. I know that you have recently stopped taking spironolactone and birth control pill. How did it go?
4. Does wearing the hair cause more shedding?
5. Before cutting your bio hair really short how did you deal with it when wearing hair. would you leave it down or put it in a loose ponytail.
6. I feel that with taking this leap to wear hair is a finality to that hope. Once I start wearing there will be no way for me to go back. Did you have that feeling too?
Does anyone out there who has begun their hair wearing journey regret their decision? Wish they’d tried harder to hang onto their bio hair? Feel they’ve done everything they can? Would do anything different? (Ok, so that’s more than one question, lol!)
At this point in my HLBS (to coin Lina’s term!) journey, I really don’t feel I have much choice but to start wearing hair. It’s getting more and more difficult to cover up, when I don’t use Toppik you can totally see my scalp, and even when I *do* use it, I still feel it looks like crap. 🙁 The thinning has REALLY accelerated the last few months for whatever reason, but I’ve been dealing with this for over a decade. At this point, even a crappy, synthetic wig I think would look better than my bio hair. 🙁
Anyhow, I made an appointment at a Hair Loss Restoration Clinic about an hour from here, this coming Tuesday. I’m looking into the Virtuesse system. I contemplated wigs, goodness knows there are beautiful ones out there – but I really want something that is “mine” – so am looking into a bonded system. I feel like if I’m going to make this leap, I might as well go all in and have something I can “own” and maybe even pass off as my own. I just feel like in a wig, I wouldn’t be able to do that….I’d be way to self concious about it falling off, being obvious, etc.
The problem in both areas is the cost. For a bonded system, I’m looking at about $360 a month, for four systems per year. That is all maintenance included, I would be going in every 4-6 weeks to have it cleaned and aligned, and would get a new system every three months. For the wigs that I like, they start off at a minimum of around $600, and need to be replaced about once a year – and I prefer the high end ones, which can run several thousand dollars. [click to continue…]
When I was seventeen, I started noticing lots of hair on my pillow, in my brush and on my school desk. I was a senior in high school and my hair was falling out. I know so many of you can relate to the stress this causes a young woman. My mother took me to several doctors and they all chalked it up to stress of senior year and college entry.
What I wish the doctors had looked at was not just this one symptom of hair loss but rather what was going on with my body as a whole. I also had some unwanted facial and body hair, fatigue, hypoglycemia and irregular periods. All of these combined symptoms would eventually point to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I was finally diagnosed at age 31.
If you are experiencing hair loss, especially androgenic alopecia, you may also have PCOS.It is one of the most common female endocrine (hormone) disorders and is a leading cause of female infertility. The condition is caused by an imbalance of a woman’s female sex hormones. PCOS affects as many as 10-15% of all women, and half of women with PCOS actually are undiagnosed. If left undiagnosed, PCOS can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
PCOS can cause irregular periods, weight gain, depression, mood swings, acne, excess facial and body hair growth, and ironically, hair loss. It can also cause the absence of ovulation, which can prevent a woman from conceiving. [click to continue…]
Sometimes it takes a while to realize that what we needed was there all along. I struggled for the past 6 months trying to figure out how to exercise in a wig. Many women do it, but it was a mental barrier I struggled with and ultimately, my solution is to not wear a wig to work out and to realize I can be okay, just being as I am without the security of my wig during times it is holding me back, rather than helping me move forward.
I wrote to a friend earlier today, that hair loss is a journey, wearing hair is a journey, and accepting oneself as is, and for all that entails, is the hardest journey of all. And then I thought, oh snap, there it is… acceptance on ALL levels. Accepting that wearing wigs isn’t going to be absolutely perfect, but pretty darn awesome, accepting that for me I can’t wear a wig to workout and I’m just going to put on a hat or headband and be okay with it. Accepting that this IS my life, this is my path for better or worse. I vote Better!
Hi Everyone — Just a little update! Sorry for my delayed replies, I’m playing catch up from last week, where I basically checked out and now have a pile of stuff to do. XOXO
I want to first write that I am not a fan of hair transplants for women, I personally
think that most women with androgenetic alopecia are NOT candidates for
this procedure. Having said that, I get emailed all the time from women looking
for a good hair transplant surgeon.
If you are deadset on having a consultation, please visit the International Alliance
of Hair Restoration Surgeons. The IAHRS (http://www.iahrs.org)
is an organization that selectively screens skilled and ethical hair transplant
surgeons. Read
my thoughts about hair transplants here.
When I was seventeen, I started noticing lots of hair on my pillow, in my brush and on my school desk. I was a senior in high school and my hair was falling out. I know so many of you can relate to the stress this causes a young woman. My mother took me to several doctors and they all chalked it up to stress of senior year and college entry.
