Can You Get The Hair Of Your Dreams From Extensions?
24th April 2014
There’s a hair replacement system in America which is making waves at the moment – but for all the wrong reasons.
Promising to give women, and apparently men as well, a full head of hair, the Microdot Technique sees a mesh of human hair extensions implanted to the scalp, apparently mixing with the natural hair to cover any thin or balding areas.
However, the clinic offering the process has been taken to court by one unhappy customer, who claims that the extensions have caused such damage to her natural hair that she has been left bald, the New York Daily News reports.
As a hair transplant surgeon and medical director of the Institute of Trichologists, it is no surprise to me that the procedure has been alleged to cause extensive hair loss. Any application that puts strain on the hair, rubs it or affects the follicle is likely to lead to hair loss if used over a long period of time.
This is another example of the many ways in which women and men who have hair loss are targeted with ‘fix-all’ miracle cures. There are countless products on the market, from creams, drugs, sprays and serums to holistic therapies and some hair pieces, which are touted as the saviour of thinning or limp hair.
However, for those suffering with male or female pattern baldness, there is no product that can permanently reverse the hair loss and encourage the growth of new hair. Unfortunately, once it’s gone, it’s gone, and the only way to recover the hairline is by transplanting hair from elsewhere.
Miracle cures will continue to be sold. For me, the bigger problem posed by Microdot and other treatments of its kind is the lack of regulation, which leaves people open to risk.
The issue of regulation in cosmetic beauty procedures is something I have spoken about many times in the past. Currently, there is no legal requirement in the UK for beauticians who are performing invasive treatments to undergo medical training or be regulated. This may change in the near future.
While Microdot is only available in two locations in America at the moment, if it were to cross over to the UK we could find a situation where women and men are being treated with a process that is not managed by a regulatory system – meaning it could be badly or unwisely fitted or fixed, in turn putting stress on the hair and worsening the hair loss they are purported to hide.
My advice for anyone looking for a hair replacement system to cover baldness or thinning hair would be to get it fitted by a professional. A wig, extention or other systems should never hurt, pull or put additional strain on your natural hairs.
While losing your hair can be extremely distressing, it is important to do your research and thoroughly investigate the options available to you before making your mind up – especially if the offer seems too good to be true.
