Hi Redunculous
Yeah, I am pretty happy with my hairpiece. Of course I would rather have my own hair back, but you have to live in the real world. A lot of guys are put off by the concept of wearing a 'rug', which of course I can understand, but in my view any man who is bothered by his hairloss should at least investigate them and see the reality before writing them off as a possible solution.
None of the drugs and potions had any positive effect on my hairloss, and my hair is too far gone for me to get a cosmetically acceptable result from a transplant, so the choice was baldness or a hairpiece. I have no doubt that wearing the piece has helped me enjoy my young prime years which would otherwise have been blighted by losing my hair. So, a good decision from my perspective. I can tell you also that there are a ton of young goodlooking active guys out there who have resorted to the same solution.
There is a lot of misinformation on this forum and the wider world about hair replacements, no doubt given in good faith, but based on bad suppliers (the infamous Hair Clubs) or on experiences 10 years ago. The world of hair replacement has genuinely moved on. The better technologies were always there, but the Internet and the availability of cheap labour in the Far East have made them available to everyone at a reasonable price.
I would say that for all practical purposes my piece is undetectable to the sight and I can make it undetectable to feel if I go to the trouble. I have never been busted since I started wearing these lace pieces. If I put my face up to my shaving mirror, I can just about spot where the front lace is. But no one who doesn't wear a piece would notice anything - it just looks like pores, or a spot of dry skin. Similarly, I can just about feel the edge of the piece if I dig into my hair, but I have had girlfriends do this and no one has twigged that I am wearing.
I can fully understand why it is a step that you would shy away from. No young guy really wants to be wearing a piece. But what if no one would know you're wearing, and the only alternative is baldness?
I wouldn't want to discourage you from the meds, but I have never seen a real life case of meds restoring top or frontal hair which has been lost. Side hair yes, preservation yes. Lots of guys who wear a piece also take meds to keep their sidehair in good shape.