PITTSBURGH -- Millions of men experience hair loss and many of them are unhappy with the situation.

Some men have found the answer in hair replacement. Current technology makes it easier for men to get their hair back. But factors from your personal history to your pocketbook can affect the results.

Channel 4 Action News' Andrew Stockey took a look at some of the dos and don'ts for those thinking of covering their scalp.

Frank Urso is willing to admit he's losing his hair and he's doing something about it.

"I have always been self conscious," Urso said. "Nobody who doesn't know me knows I wear hair."

Men like Urso can now use their own hair to replace what's missing.

"The best thing to this day is still your own natural hair, because you will have the most natural results with the least of the complications," said Dr. Suzan Obagi of UPMC Dermatology.

Obagi said follicle transfer is best for producing natural looking hair.

"There were larger hair plugs and it became very obvious to anyone who would look at a patient that they had hair transplantation. With advances now, you should look at a patient and be hard-pressed to realize that they have had that," Obagi said.

But perfection comes at a price -- it will cost $4,000 to $6,000 for a transplant and patients must have enough donor hair to work with.

Another option is bondable hair.

Jim Toscano, of Belle Vernon, has made bondable hair for decades. He said the hair piece costs about $1,000 and consumers should shop around and avoid signing contracts before they buy.

"You need to look into their credentials, how much education they have. A lot of places you go to, they have no background in it," Toscano said.

Toscano uses actual human hair that is custom fitted to the scalp and attached with a water-based adhesive. The hair can last for more than a month.

Toscano said his clients are not just older men.

"Don't think that young people are not wearing hair. because they are wearing hair," Toscano said.

Once cut and styled, the new hair not only looks and feels like real hair, it's also not going anywhere.

"Anywhere you look it looks like his scalp. If he is in the water and gets wet, or anything he does and you can see how natural the front hair line looks," Toscano said.

For Urso, the difference isn't just in how he looks, but how it makes him feel.

"I don't know anybody who has worn hair who wasn't self-conscious. And I'm just glad I look younger and better with it," Urso said.

Another option may be available to the follicle-challenged in the next two years.

Research into adult stem cells from your own hair might allow for the cloning your own hair, thus avoiding rejection during surgery and creating an endless supply of your own natural hair.

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