Fad solutions for baldness harm vulnerable people, warns experts
HAIR loss experts today warned vulnerable people not to be seduced by quick-fix treatments that leave them with “botched” hair.
Janis Levy, 48, director of Hair Development, which has specialised in nonsurgical hair loss treatments since 1960, said the firm regularly helps “desperate” people who have been swayed by fad solutions.
The former model and actress said that although celebrities such as James Nesbitt and Wayne Rooney had reduced the “taboo” around hair loss by admitting that they had had treatment, others considering it should be careful what they choose.
Ms Levy, whose father established the firm, said: “Hair replacement is so specialised. With any business, there will be people offering treatments for cheaper or as quick fixes.
“These kinds of treatments come and go. I don’t want people to be seduced by these procedures or even by talk of it. I think seduced is a good way to put it as people can be drawn in and swayed by these procedures. We fix so many people who have been botched and it’s very sad. These people are desperate.”
Paul Cochrane, of Cochrane & Co Hair Replacement, also warned about cheaper procedures. He said: “As a bald-headed man, I personally love to see hair loss procedures work but with over 30 years of hairdressing experience that’s rarely the case. The reality is that I have only seen two that have worked and the cheaper options on the market are not a solution.” Ms Levy said pro- cedures such as removing follicles and replacing them on balding areas can be misleading, adding: “If they remove 2,000 hairs from one part of the head, you are just rearranging what you have got. You are not growing new hair or making a change long term.
“What a lot of people are unaware of is that hair from the neck or the side of the head is a totally different texture to other hairs. I have seen cases where patients have trusted someone to do this kind of procedure, but then their natural hair has also receded away from the plugs. It ruins people’s lives.”
Hair Development, which is based in Stepney Green and has consultancy rooms in Harley Street, treats people with thinning hair, cancer patients and those with alopecia. The company specialises in laser hair growth treatments and lightweight “skinvisible” wigs made with natural hair, plus hair extensions. Ms Levy said celebrities admitting to having treatment was “a positive thing”. She added: “James Nesbitt ‘coming out’, as it were, will encourage more people, but I just hope they pick the right treatment.” The Cold Feet actor, 52, recently attributed his rejuvenated career to his hair loss t re a t me n t s . Robbie Williams, 43, has also admitted having treatments.