What Are Hair Replacement Systems

This is a question that is posed a lot because most people are not familiar with this nomenclature. A hair replacement system is the new name for an old favorite, the toupee. How the name change came about is an interesting story.

For years the toupee was actually the method of choice for men of social standing who wanted to cover up the fact that they were losing their hair. Baldness was a sign of being weak, old, and ineffective so these powerful men needed a way to deal with the condition known as male pattern baldness. Since about 60% of men will experience pre-mature hair loss because of this problem, it is obvious there was a great need.

Toupees, or hair pieces as they were also known, have been around in some form or another since Greek antiquity times. In fact, it is thought the reason Julius Caesar wore a crown of leaves was to cover up the bald spot on his head. Over the years, toupee manufacturing methods were improved until we get to the early twentieth century and we find men wearing toupees quite regularly. And really they didn’t look that bad.

The next step was a marketing man’s nightmare. The comedic movies became popular and one of the most famous skits involved men in embarrassing situations with toupees. I am sure you have seen the joke were the poor guy has his hair piece fall in his soup or it gets caught on someone’s umbrella. It made for great comedy relief but unfortunately it gave the toupee a very bad name. Sales plummeted as no one wanted to wear a joke on their head.

After sales had fallen over 90% from their highs, the industry tried to change its image and adopted the new name. As other hair restoration methods are getting more expensive the lowly hair replacement system is now making a strong comeback. Many men find them very effective for covering a bald spot.