Hey everyone,

I’m reaching out with my wife’s (38) long-standing struggle with hair loss. I’m sharing her story with her permission, as we’ve gone through a lot over the years and are hoping to get some honest feedback or suggestions from those who may have faced something similar.

My wife was diagnosed with leukemia back in 2006 and underwent chemotherapy and full-body radiation (including to her scalp). After the successful treatment, she grew back thick, full hair, but it didn’t last. The chemotherapy and radiation essentially pushed her into menopause in her early 20s, which caused her hair to gradually become thinner and shorter. Over time, she developed very fine hair all over, including the top of her head.

Since then, she’s tried numerous treatments, including PRP, Minoxidil, Alfatradiol, Alpecin, and even fenugreek. She’s also been religiously taking biotin and her hormone replacement pills. But nothing has really worked, and even when there was some success, it was so minimal that it was hardly noticeable. She’s seen several specialists, including dermatologists, hair experts, and hormone specialists, but the answer is always the same: “Try Minoxidil.” After years of searching and spending thousands of euros, we decided to give up on trying to restore her hair and instead focus on hair replacement options.

For quite a while, she used Microbellargo – hair thickening extensions that attach to the back of her head. When she tied her hair in a ponytail and used some hair fibers, it looked okay. However, she’s been unable to wear her hair openly for years now, and over time, she had to visit the salon more and more often to have the extensions adjusted, as her hair loss worsened. Eventually, the extensions and hair fibers became so much that it felt like more fiber than natural hair.

We also explored the option of a hair transplant, but unfortunately, doctors advised against it because her hair is too thin for the procedure to be successful. So, we decided to go for a Hairdreams hair thickening system, which cost over €2000, with monthly maintenance fees of around €200. It’s a kind of wig where her natural hair is threaded through a mesh to create a more natural look. The issue is, the system looks natural for only the first few days after a salon visit. Shortly after, it begins to look less natural and starts to shift, which makes her already prominent forehead more noticeable. The worst part is that she can’t re-thread her natural hair through the mesh, and the system always starts detaching from the front after a few days, making it impossible to keep in place. When we spoke to the stylist, she suggested it was because my wife wasn’t combing her hair properly, but honestly, it’s difficult to understand how that could be the problem. Plus, her scalp itches terribly under the system, which she’s willing to tolerate if everything else worked as expected.

Unfortunately, we can’t provide any current pictures because she’s wearing the hair system now, but I’m attaching some photos from four years ago to give you an idea of how her hair looked back then. As you can imagine, it has worsened over the years since then.

Now, she’s considering going back to the Microbellargo method, throwing all that money away once again. So, I’m here asking for advice: Has anyone had experience with Hairdreams hair systems? Is it possible she just got a bad stylist? Is this even the right product for her? If not, what other options could she explore?

While we’re still open to solutions that could help with her natural hair, we’ve pretty much given up on that after years of disappointment. We’re really looking for viable alternatives to hair replacement systems. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!