The Lace Integration System

After my hair had thinned considerably, my mum could see that it was getting me down.  There was not a lot of literature on female hairloss and the options 3 years ago.  Even on the internet, I could not find many articles.  Mum had a magazine clipping about the Lace Intergration System that she tactlessly placed in front of me one day, it sounded perfect, but on my 30 hour a week minimum wage job, I could never afford the £1050 every 2 years, plus £160 every 4 months for re-alignment.  Curiosity found me internet searching Lace Intergration and I found a small company offering it near me, even better, they were looking for models and offering it for free, so I got in touch.  I went for a consultation and they were happy for me to be a model.

So in September 2010 I had my half day appointment to have the Lace Integration System fitted.  I was nervous and apprehensive before I went in, what if it didn’t look right, what if my hair looked no thicker?  I found the fitting incredibly relaxing and I could have fallen asleep in that chair.  When the fitting was done, a hairstylist came up to the office and cut and styled my hair.  It was strange seeing my reflection with this beautiful hair, much as it was thick and long and lovely, it was bitter sweet because I had a hard time accepting that this was me now.  See the before and after pictures below:

 

I went to the supermarket after having the Lace Integration done, and I got a lot of looks, but I kept asking my mum if the hair looked natural because I could not get passed the thought that people were staring because they were thinking I was wearing a wig. It took me about a week to get used to my new hair and I should have gone for a side part as I have always suited a side part, but I managed to side part it after it loosened a bit.

Pros and Cons of the Lace Integration System

• Pro – Beautiful, thick looking hair
• Pro – Comfortable and relaxing to fit
• Pro – Hair stays in style
• Pro – Hair needs washing less
• Pro – Boosts confidence
• Con – Expensive
• Con – Tangles and dries out
• Con – Takes forever to dry with a hair dryer
• Con – Harder to wash shampoo and conditioner out
• Con – Harder to look after
• Con – You can see the micro links under your fringe when you are out in bad weather
• Con – As your hair grows underneath, it becomes incredibly itchy
• Con – The hair underneath becomes greasy quickly
• Con – The system moves around as your hair gets longer underneath
• Con – Can become incredibly uncomfortable to wear in hot weather
• Con – Can thin your hair out underneath it

I wore the Lace Integration System for around a year.  I met my husband Michael 4 months after having the Lace Integration System and it was him who convinced me to have it taken back off as he could see how uncomfortable it was the following summer.  I was mortified when I had it taken off as my hair had never looked so fine and Michael had not seen me without the thick hair.  He was so supportive, but I lost my confidence all over again.

 

Coming to terms with Alopecia

My mum has always had fine hair and growing up, it was hard to ignore all the stares she got while we were out shopping.  I was lucky.  I had a beautiful head of thick, dark blonde hair.  I did not understand why mum just didn’t wear a wig.  Surely this would be better than all the glances and sniggering behind her back.  I did not appreciate how brave she was and now I see that I was the one with the problem as I let these people get to me.

So you can imagine how devastated I was when my hair started getting finer and finer from the age of 26.  I slumped into depression, my self confidence hit rock bottom, I put on 3 stone and stopped looking after myself.  Even now at 33, I struggle if someone looks at my hairline, or I am having a particularly bad hair day.

The photo shows my hair at its worst (it’s a bad photo).

I have had the Intralace method of hair volumisation and ultimately I would like a hair transplant, but as this is so costly, I don’t know if I can ever afford one as I have to pay off my wedding first.

I have started this blog to offer advice to other Alopecia sufferers, try out new hair growth and thickening ideas and systems and raise money for a hair transplant.  I have tried so many different ways to make my hair thicker and I want to share these with you, but I also want you to share your experiences too.  If I haven’t tried it before, then I will try it out and Blog about it.

I hope you will find my Blog helpful.