Call them hairpieces, wigs or toupees they’re all the same thing; human or animal hair carefully placed into a polyester or mesh base that is then temporarily fastened to the scalp. The only permanent hair loss restoration technique is through surgery.

Depending on the base type, the maker’s skill, your hair type and the hair type on the toupee, a hairpiece can be absolutely undetectable or completely obvious from across the street.

The most expensive hairpieces are crafted from human hair that is matched to your own hair, when it comes to color, hair density and wavy-ness.

The hairline is also crafted with a fine mesh base to make the hairline as undetectable as possible.

Hairpieces are attached in many ways: Two-sided tape, clips, weaving the piece to your existing hair and long-term (six-week) adhesion are the most common methods. There are drawbacks to each. Two-sided tape tends to come loose from sweat, showers or swimming. Clips can also come loose in the wind if not fastened tightly. Clips, weaves and two-sided tape tend to pull out existing hair and the hair loss can become permanent if done repeatedly. The long-term adhesion method is inconvenient because the hairpiece must be removed and re-attached every six weeks by a specialist. It’s also unhealthy because shampooing doesn’t remove dead skin cells, dirt and oils from under the hairpiece.

The cost of a high quality hairpiece from a hair club with maintenance is about $500 per month. That means the total cost over a typical life span can exceed $350,000! In contrast, a high quality surgical hair loss restoration, while several thousand dollars, is a mere a fraction of the hair club option.

If you are considering a hairpiece, DiStefano Hair Loss Restoration Centers recommends consulting with a qualified surgeon. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.