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Snippet from the article:

Former tennis star Andre Agassi has admitted the lion mane-style hairstyle he sported during the 1990s was actually a wig, in extracts from his autobiography published in British newspapers Saturday.

Agassi said he wore a hairpiece held together with pins in his first Grand Slam final, the 1990 French Open final, and blamed his concerns that it would fall apart for losing the match to Andres Gomez.

Before the match he prayed “not for victory, but that my hairpiece would not fall off”, he writes in “Open”.

Read the rest — Agassi admits mane was a wig

Well, coming clean about his wig-wearing days is certainly one way to sell books. Here are some before and after photos for those that might not remember him with his mullet wig in the 90s:

The Wall Street Journal looks at various toupees/wigs/hair systems/rugs. Here’s a snippet from the article:

Business was booming for sellers of men’s wigs back in the day—but that day ended in the 18th century. For a 21st-century man looking to conceal hair loss or to make a fashion (yes, fashion) statement, the choices are limited. That’s because about 75% of all wigs sold in the U.S. today are for women, according to hair-industry experts.

The men’s ready-to-wear wig industry is under assault from two angles. The growth of hair-replacement systems, where a product is custom made and fitted to a client’s scalp, continues to take market share. And many men no longer care that their hair is falling out because the shaved-head look is increasingly popular. Instead of concealing bald spots, men are eliminating hair spots by shaving it all off.

Read the full article at Wall Street Journal

If you’re going to wear a wig for whatever reason, this article serves as a splendid little review of some of the top wig sites. At the very least, it is interesting to read about the pricing and policies of these sites.

I found this very interesting article on The Huffington Post about Jeremy Piven’s hair over the years. His hair has changed from bald to pretty much normal hair now. Any ideas on how he has added so much hair and made it look natural?

Here is the link to the article on the Huffington Post: Jeremy Piven’s Many Hairlines

This shows just how much the individual’s look is made by his hair. Let’s take a look at these 3 photos of Jeremy Piven…

We (society) have developed stereotypes based on hair. For example, the Jeremy Piven on the left with the very high hairline suggests he’s aging, while the Jeremy Piven at the right is sexy and youthful looking. The photo on the left was actually from years before the image on the right. The photo in the middle (from July 2009) is just interesting to me because it looks like the hair on top of the head has a different color than hair on the sides and back. To me, that indicates a tell-tale sign for a hairpiece. Generally though, high-end hair systems can look great as long as you have the time, patience, and money to maintain them. For a Hollywood actor like Mr. Piven, he’s probably got all 3. Or at least the money and patience. The better way to go would of course be a hair transplant, which is permanent and doesn’t require the maintenance of a toupee.

As a young man 25 years ago, he had a hair transplant with the old fashion plugs. After seeing what it looked like (it was partly hidden with some hair at the time), he came to the conclusion that he made a mistake and immediately went to using a wig. Between his wig and a baseball cap, he had hidden his secret. About a year ago, he realized that maybe he could undo his plugs and after a year doing internet research, he came to my office to ask me an important question I’ve heard quite a few times before — “Can you just remove these plugs and make me bald so I can shave my head?”

Remember, this is NOT the standard of care today. Click the photo to enlarge.

To see the deformity, he lifted up his wig, which was tightly held to the scalp with tape. Although he is a Norwood Class 5A pattern with high density in the donor area, he never really wants to do hair transplants again, and just wants to be a normal bald man. This is a common finding in people who lived with the horror of the plug deformities of the old transplant work. Unfortunately, this type of problem is what so many people believe is today’s standard of care. Nothing could be farther from the truth as today’s hair transplants can not be told apart from a normal natural head of hair in a non-balding patient.

We agreed that I would remove each plug one-by-one and sew him up, making him a normal bald man. Removing these plugs may leave some minimal scarring. He wants me to transplant the hair extracted from these plugs and put them into the place they came from, to hide two obvious small neck scars. This should easily be done in one surgical session.

Dear Dr. Rassman,

If you watch the attached videos of Eric Lindros (former professional hockey player), would you assume that he has had a hair transplant or is that a hair piece? I would estimate that the videos are 5-8 years apart. If it is a transplant, the results are exceptional. In the first video, he clearly has signs of a receeding/thinning hairline. Conversely, in the second video (interview after his retirement) he has a full head of hair. What are your thoughts?

- Youtube - Eric Lindros in 1997
- Youtube - Eric Lindros in 2007

Thank you in advance for your time. Best Regards.

Here are side by side still shots from the videos you linked to:

The comparison with the 1997 pictures show Eric Lindros is a Class 3 Vertex balding pattern (front and crown). From the pictures, I can not tell if it is a hair piece or a hair transplant, but he is doing something to give himself hair. When the hair is combed forward, a lot can be hidden. Perhaps he started on medication like Propecia or Rogaine. Propecia was FDA approved in late 1997, so he could’ve started it soon after. I really am just speculating, of course. For all I know, it could’ve been witchcraft (though I’m 99% convinced it wasn’t).

Snippet from the article:

A man who tore the wig off a telegenic Taiwan legislator last year was sentenced to five months in jail for depriving the MP of his freedom to look good, a court spokesman said Tuesday.

The Taipei District Court sentenced Huang Yung-tien, 50, to jail for snatching the toupee off the head of ruling Nationalist Party lawmaker Chiu Yi. Chiu has become a household name for his media-friendly offensives against the political opposition.

Read the rest — Man toupee for revealing bald truth

The freedom to look good! I love that. I guess this actually happened in December of last year, but the article is about the man’s jail sentence. Seems a little harsh, but I’m no judge in Taiwan. The photo I included above is of the wigged man in question.

Hi there,

My question is, have you heard of ‘Hair Science International’? I went to see them last week here in Melbourne Australia and they say they can take a sample of my hair from the back and multiply up to 70,000 hairs in a lab and transplant however much I need back into my head and it will stay for ever. I’ve seen some of the results and in terms of coverage it’s great. But I don’t know how well this technology works in recreating the natural hairline and what kind of survival rate it averages.

Should I avoid them or is it worth investigating them more? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thankyou.

Oh boy. What was that phrase that’s usually wrongly attributed to showman PT Barnum? Oh right… “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Regardless of who actually said it, it is probably a true statement.

If you were actually told these things, the hell with your hair, let’s buy the company and give Bill Gates a run for the richest man on Earth. I could go on all day with sarcasm, but if this company told you they could take a hair from the back of your head and multiply it to 70,000 hairs, then transplant it as needed (and their site says without surgery?)… then they’re either from the future or someone was giving you a line of bull.

My guess based on the photos on their site is that they sell fancy wigs and laser treatments. That’s the only way I could explain how they can call this “hair multiplication” but then in the same sentence say that it is non-surgical. Even then, they’re using “hair multiplication” in a completely misleading way. The technology doesn’t exist in the way you described. So either you misunderstood what they told you or they’re misrepresenting themselves. It’s not cloning or multiplication.

Can you tell me some of the pro’s and con’s of hairpieces and weaves?

I’m sorry if this sounds like a cop-out, but I wrote a couple of chapters about this very topic in my new book, Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies, and really can’t rewrite those chapters here. If you come and visit me, I will give you a copy of the book as I do all visitors to my office… or you can order it online.

Doctor Rassman
I’m 20 years old and afraid I’m losing my hair, probably a mature hairline but I still fear the worst. I’m in a successful rock band and was wondering what my option are if i start to bald because i can’t just shave my head. I know i can use propecia but that would only last for so long right? Would a wig or weave stay on with all the constant head movement associated with playing rock concerts?

Genetic hair loss is due to genetics (as the name implies)… meaning, if you are going to lose hair you will lose hair and there is nothing you can do to stop it 100%. Drugs such as Propecia or Rogaine can slow it down or sometimes reverse some hair loss, but over the course of your life you will continue to lose hair (if you have the genes for genetic hair loss). Propecia is the best solution for a young man like yourself, if there is early hair loss going on. I would start by seeing a good physician who can diagnose you with genetic hair loss (also know as androgenic alopecia / male pattern baldness). There is no need to start any medication if you are not balding.

Wigs and weaves can stay on if fitted and attached properly, which many performers wear without it falling off while they “rock and roll” all night.

Hi,
I’ve had some hairline loss/breakage from wearing a Lace Weave. I would like to help it grow back if possible. I don’t know if it was pulled out at the root. I’ve read that Minoxidil doesn’t help the hairline and if you stop using it the hair will fall back out. Is there anything that I can use to help? Thank you.

The lace weave will produce traction alopecia, so if the hair does not grow back on its own, then it is probably permanently lost and even minoxidil won’t substantially help (you can try it anyway and I hope I am wrong). Hair transplantation is the only reliable solution available for you.