BOSTON -- We've all seen those hair loss commercials on TV -- complete with "before" and "after" pictures of people who started off bald but ended up with incredible hair.

RESOURCES Leonard Hair Transplant Associates Would You Pay Thousands To Correct Hair Loss?

NewsCenter 5 set out one year ago to do an informal study, and the results may be surprising.

Marketing representative Melissa Rayes had a family history of hair loss. When she started noticing hair collecting in the sink, she decided at age 32 to be proactive.

"Most people say they can't see anything yet, but that's the point. I want to do something before it gets worse," she said.

She went to see hair expert Dr. Robert Leonard.

"Male or female pattern baldness is a progressive condition. They need to be treated early because the more we can keep on their head, the more effective the treatment is," Leonard said.

Rayes would apply Rogaine twice a day to her scalp, and do a series of Luce treatments -- a machine that increases blood flow to the hair follicles.

After one year, she said that the treatment was easy and painless. She's gained 40 percent more density at a cost of $3,900.

"I've noticed a lot less fallout. I can see right in here, there's a whole section in here that wasn't here before that I didn't even know I had lost," she said.

Ken Thomas, a computer technician, was just 30 when NewsCenter 5 met him, but with his hair loss, people thought he looked much older.

"I was like, 'I think I better start doing something about that,'" he said.

Like Rayes, Ken did Rogaine and Luce treatments and took the prescription drug Propecia. He also had surgery. Hair was transplanted from the back of his head to the front.

One year later, Thomas said that it's been a long process but he does feel like a different person. The total cost was $8,200.

"I'm very pleased with it. I have more confidence. I thought I had a lot of confidence, but I have more now, going into meeting and things of that nature," he said.

Thomas also plans to undergo another hair transplant to better his look even more. Leonard said that the results are pretty typical.