Have you had chemotherapy or radiation? Are you losing your hair as a result of these treatments? Have you noticed that your hair is thinning and that you have bald spots? Do you feel fear or loss?
I recently met a lady who was undergoing chemo and she had a turban on her head. She was obviously self-conscious about how she looked and didn’t look me in the eye when we were speaking. I felt badly for her not only because she was obviously going through a very difficult time in her life, but because she was afraid of what I thought of how she looked. Although I noticed her lovely face and soft speaking voice I couldn’t help but notice her fear.
She told me that she knew that hair loss was inevitable due to her condition and the various treatments necessary for her to overcome her disease but she never really thought about how she would look. When she first began to notice her hair falling out in chunks she began to panic and for weeks she refused to leave her home. She went to doctor’s offices and immediately returned home. She lowered her head when walking to and from the medical building and avoided eye contact with everyone but the medical personnel working with her. She was embarrassed to be seen without the turban covering her bald head even front of her own family members and it began to take it’s toll on her self-esteem. She was becoming a recluse and depression began to set in.
She was afraid of strangers and chastised herself for being vain. Even though she beat herself up for feeling this way the fear grew until she spent most of her time crying and having no life at all. I was overwhelmed by her sadness and wanted to help her.
I decided to let her know about some of the many methods of hair restoration; some temporary and some permanent. I didn’t presume to tell her that she had absolutely nothing to be afraid of…cancer is not something easily overcome, I know…but; she could rid herself of her fear of what strangers thought of her appearance. I told her that she could get a free evaluation in order to explore her options. I’m happy to report that she is now wearing a beautiful wig from Continental Hair and she is as beautiful as she was prior to starting her chemotherapy.
1. the devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline.
Terminology or “buzz words” are common to all professions and if one is an outsider listening in on a conversation between professionals of any given field you will find that you are often a stranger in a strange land! No matter what the profession, there are certain terms that are essential in maintaining a coherent conversation.
The following are some of the terms that are frequently used in the Hair Loss/Restoration industry.
LLLT – Low Level Light/Laser Therapy
LT – Laser Therapy
Hair Piece – A term used for both men and women (but mostly for women)
Toupee – Something a man wears to cover baldness but not used in the Hair Restoration/Replacement Industry because it has an old school and rather
negative connotation.
Wig – Self explanatory
Medical Wig/Medical Prothesis – Designed specifically for someone with a sensitive scalp to due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy of a certain form of Alopecia
Alopecia – Partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it usually grows.
Alopecia Areata – A condition that causes round patches of hair loss can lead to total hair loss.
Alopecia Totalis – Loss of all head hair usually connected to auto-immune disorders and/or stress related disorders.
Alopecia Universealis – Rapid loss of all hair including eyebrows and eye lashes. It is the most severe form of Alopecia Areata.
Traction Alopecia – Gradual hair loss
Trichotillomania – Hair loss caused by pulling ones hair or eyebrows out.
Follicular Unit – Sebaceous oil glands, nerves, small muscles and occasional fine vellus hairs. Usually 1-4 hairs in a follicular unit.
FUT (Follicular Unit Extractions) – Traditional form of transplant using a linear incision made below the occipital bone at the rear of the head.
FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) – Less invasive way of performing a hair transplant. Done manually, semi-automatically using a mechanical handheld device or robotic device called ARTAS. Rather than a linear incision this removes one follicular unit at a time to be transplanted elsewhere.
DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) – Considered the main cause for male pattern baldness and blocks blood flow to hair follicles. Common treatments are Laser Hair Therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, special shampoos and other wet products help stimulate blood flow to the follicle helping hair to grow again if there is a living follicle present.
So, now you too can understand the language (nomenclature) of the Hair Restoration profession….just make sure that you use the above language in the right context!
Hope For The New Year;
A New Year’s resolution fulfilled!
Many of you are facing the new year with a dream of feeling like your old self. Wishing that your problems would disappear and that the many times that you faced yourself in the mirror and felt incomplete would suddenly be over and you would see yourself as you once were. Many of you are experiencing problems that seem insurmountable. For those of you who are experiencing hair loss, feeling older or less than beautiful there is hope.
For those of you who are ill and have lost your hair due to harsh treatments that are meant to restore your health this is particularly painful. For those of you who are the recipients of genetic traits that have rendered you fated to lose your hair as did your fathers and grandfathers before you; the pain is no less. For those of you who are aging and finding that your hair is thinning out and no longer lush and lovely you also see that new person in the mirror. For those of you who have subjected your hair to harsh chemicals over your lifetime and are now finding that your hair has rebelled and for those of you with diseases like Alopecia, there is an end in sight.
We have spoken of the many reasons for hair loss in the past and we have spoken of how it affects those of us who deal with it on a day to day basis. We have explained some of the latest innovations and methods to restore and even replace hair and we will continue to do so and keep you updated throughout the new year. Our message is a bit different this time though….
New Hair for the New Year…There is hope for all of you and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You can see a a better you in that mirror in this brand new year. It is simply a phone call away and the knowledge that there are professionals devoted to making you the person that you want to be and once were. There is someone waiting to educate you and give you hope. This is one New Year’s resolution that can be fulfilled.
Make 2015 the year of the new you and call us for your free evaluation.
Have you ever watched an actor and wondered if he/she was wearing a wig, toupee or even a hair piece, how about hair extensions? Have you wondered about hair replacement for yourself? When you look at Matthew McConaughey, Edward Norton, Al Pacino or Ben Affleck did you ever suspect that they had a form of hair replacement? Well, they do. Some keep it a secret even though it looks so natureal and real that you’d never know that they are either partially bald or completely bald.
The various hair replacement technologies have come a long, long way since your Grandpa’s “rug” and it’s almost impossible to tell that any hair was ever missing. There are surgical and non surgical procedures depending on which works best for the individual. There are many methods and choices but the best part of all is that you don’t have to be partially or fully bald. You can have a full head of hair no matter how old or young you are.
Hair replacement technologies are for all ages and for both men and women. Even millennials no longer have to feel like they are looking in the mirror at someone much older than they really are. No more worrying about whether or not the wind will blow your new hair off or that you look lopsided.
The right solution for your particular need is out there and we can help you find it.
There is something for everyone and all it takes are a few moments for you to contact us to get your free evaluation.
Dear Diary,
It was one of those things that just spins out of control. A client called to book an appointment. She is undergoing chemotherapy and has a wig from us. She had arranged earlier for a wash and style next Thursday and called to get a trim on Friday. She was very difficult to understand because of she does not speak English very well.
Our receptionist, Elfi, was trying to explain to her that there were no stylists available next Friday. We are fully booked. Could she have that done on Thursday? Well, no, her cousin was going to drop off and pick up the wig for that. Poor Elfi tried to explain that we cannot cut into a wig unless it is on the client. That is Standing Order #1. But then it fell apart. The client insisted that we did not want to help her and that it was a mistake to come to us and we didn’t care. Elfi, a liver cancer survivor, was almost in tears.
She came into my office and told me what happened and was visibly distraught. I offered to call the client and see if I could make some special arrangements (maybe ask one of the stylists to stay after hours). Then Elfi said something that rang a bell. “She was sent here by a relative that is a regular of ours so I am so surprised at this.”
Ding! “Elfi, call our regular client and explain the situation and what we can do. They can tell her without the language barrier and hopefully we can get her into a nice place.”
What’s the Jewish saying? “Sometimes a little good luck is the best plan?” It came out all right.
What is Trichology?
Put simply, trichology is the study of your hair and scalp. Like other scientific specialities, trichology takes a holistic approach to the treatment of your hair and scalp, which involves taking into account lifestyle, diet and wellbeing as a whole.
At Continental Hair we are focused on treating and resolving thinning hair and hair loss both on the the medical and cosmetic side of hair loss. This ranges from severe hair and scalp disorders, such as scarring alopecia and alopecia areata, to the general condition of your hair, its texture, health and of course appearance.
If you would like to schedule a FREE no obligation consultation, we can examine both your hair and scalp to determine the best course of treatment to ensure that you are in fact treating your hair and scalp with the only the finest products, that take into account your unique and specific needs.
