Hey DRQ!
Man you have received an amazing amount of support and advise. You have totally aroused the troops here.
I would like to emphasize what Argyle said in his post to you. I am going to add some bole italic emphasis to some points he made:
my hair went significantly in my early 20s and by the age of 27 well there was little to talk of. I suffered like crazy until about the age of 33 at which point I decided enough was enough and that I had to do something about the way I felt. The tall and the short of it was that for anyone to feel the way I did about the way I looked was irrational. Don't get me wrong, I am not the best and I suspect not the worst looking guy in the world. However I have a wonderful wife, and two wonderful kids all of which came a long when I had pretty little hair.
I decided to tackle it head on so to speak. Drugs and surgery were never an option for me and besides I thought the underlining issue was in, rather than on my head! I took the bull by the horns swallowed some serious pride (I am British, talking doesn't come easy) enrolled myself in some psychotherapy and finally accepted that for whatever reason I had become depressed. I took some drugs for a whole to get my chemical back in line and I learned a lot during the therapy I got. Now, I am happy, relatively carefree but most importantly aware of what is rational and what is irrational and how to respond to each. I used to obsess about everything from shadow to head shape to god knows what else, and I would be lying to say that the odd mad thought doesn't creep into my mind from time to time but I take a breath and move on from it now, whereas before it would ave sent me crazy!
DRQ, I know exactly what Argyle is saying. While my "issues" did not include hair loss (at the time at least), I was affected in some of the same ways Argyle mentioned. But I didn't get help until 25 or so years after I should have done so. I use the quotation marks because my issues were in my own mind, just as Argyle said, "in" my head. My "issues" affected my self-esteem, created fears, and led to alcoholism, all of which were completely destroying my life. And all of my "issues" and my reactions and "coping mechanisms" were totally irrational. And if I had faced my "issues" honestly before I succumbed to depression and alcoholism, none of the consequences I faced (or rather ignored) would have occurred or affected me or those around me as terribly as they did.
Please understand that I am not saying that I know you are depressed or alcoholic. What I am saying is that when people allow their "issues" to take on exaggerated or irrational importance, then undesirable consequences follow. But if those "issues" (and this is true whatever the "issues" may be) are dealt with honestly, rationally, and fearlessly, then they become "non-issues" as in fact they really were before we allowed them to consume us!
I am also not saying I think you need psychotherapy or drugs to deal with your issues. In fact I would expect that you do not need any kind of treatment other than a little self-inflicted reality check (aided a little by your friends here who have been where you are and "share your pain)."
What I am saying is that you should look at your self and your situation very carefully, honestly, realistically, fearlessly, and with a very healthy dose of humor. By humor I refer to the old saying, "don't take yourself so damned seriously!"
Look at the alternatives available to deal with your "issue," that is, your hair loss. As others have mentioned, are many alternatives:
1. There is surgery to transplant some of your remaining hair from some place it still grows and implant it where you want it.
2. You can tattoo your scalp to simulate the shadow you might have if you shaved your remaining hair.
That does not mean to suggest you get a great big piece of "art" up there like I did (though I would not discourage that!) :*))
3. You can try drugs, which vary in their effectiveness and side effects (some of which are potentially not pretty).
4. You could try a hair piece, as you mentioned. Those are pretty expensive initially and forever.
5. You can just take a deep breath and ignore it.
6. Or you can buzz or shave it all off.
I think number six is the only one that makes sense for you right now. I think you ought to do it rather than take the option of ignoring it because that could lead you to the consequences and remedy I found necessary. All of the other options should not even be considered, in my opinion, until you have tried shaving, or at least buzzing it.
Whatever you decide to do, just remember that we are all God's children and He wants us all to be happy. You are not happy, so do something about it. About thirty guys before me have made the same simple suggestion to you that I am offering. We all agree that option number six is the best alternative for you at this point. It is the only option that is 100% guaranteed to be reversible, with no ongoing consequences if you don't like it. It is cheap. And it is effective for almost 100% of those who try it!
Try our simple program for thirty days.
If you don't like the results, just don't do it any more.