American Hair Loss Association | Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Blog

Archive for the ‘laser treatment’ Category

The idea behind hair loss treatments is that you give money to someone, preferably an ethical, qualified professional, and they help you arrest your hair loss. Ideally, they will help you regrow  some of your hair.

In the real world, this isn’t what usually happens. Frequently, hair loss sufferers are so desperate to stop the balding process or trigger regrowth that they’ll put their scalp and their money on the line and in the hands of just about anyone who promises to fix the problem.

In a recent article titled Hair Growth Treatment Leaves Big Hole in Woman’s Wallet, the Chicago Tribune reports that Shelley Lindsay, a forty-year-old hairdresser, paid almost eleven thousand dollars for a hair loss treatment in which she was offered a money back guarantee. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?

The regimen was strict. It involved sitting under a futuristic laser device, applying tonics to her hair twice daily, and taking three pills plus dietary supplements every day for six months.

At the end of the treatment period, Lindsay saw no results. Steven Bennis of the Natural Hair Growth Institute in Deerfield extended treatments for another month. Still no results.

Lindsay wanted her money back. Of course, Bennis refused. Unfortunately, Lindsay had signed a contract that gave Bennis the power of deciding whether or not the treatment worked and ultimately, he had final say in whether a refund was warranted. He ruled that it was not.

What we have here is a typical he-said-she-said scenario. Bennis says the treatment worked. Lindsay says it did not. Each has their own photos and other evidence to support their claims. However, this is a case that is unlikely to go to court since Lindsay signed that contract and agreed to give Bennis the power of judgment over the success of the treatment.

The Natural Hair Growth Institute might be nothing more than a scam. Shelley Lindsay might be the con artist in this situation. It’s doubtful we’ll ever find out the true before and after hair count for Shelley’s treatment. But there is something we can learn.

There are a countless number of unethical people out there trying to provide you with hair loss treatments. Sure, a couple of  of them work. However, the vast majority are nothing more than snake oils. And nothing says snake oil like a service provider who offers a money back guarantee in which the snake oil provider gets to decide whether that refund is deserved.

Hair loss sufferers and other people who are looking for products and services that alter one’s appearance must arm themselves with the realization that there are companies and so-called professionals who lie for a living. They will take your money, wave their arms around and utter some magical babble then hold out a mirror and insist you now have twice as much as hair on your head.

Don’t believe the hype. Do your research, get referrals, and don’t sign any contracts that fail to protect you or require you to give up your consumer rights. In other words, don’t let the frustration of hair loss drive you to make foolish decisions.

Be a smart hair loss treatment consuemer and remember to check with The American Hair Loss Association before buying any product or service to treat your hair loss.

~Spencer Kobren

The Internet has created a global network of information, one that allows us to quickly and easily conduct research without having to pick up the phone or take a trip to the library. Information on the Web is free and accessible, but how reliable is it?

Online research must be pursued with great care. The Web is not monitored or regulated. Anyone can publish a web site and there is no guarantee that the information you access online is accurate or that it comes from a credible source.

Web sites that target hair loss sufferers with promises of miracle treatments and solutions should be reviewed with a critical eye. Here are three key points to remember when conducting hair loss research on the Web:

• Anyone can claim to be a professional or an expert.
• There are no laws against publishing false information online.
• Unfortunately, there are plenty of companies and individuals willing to take advantage of hair loss sufferers.

Even message forums and other community-based sites can be a breeding ground for false information. The Internet lends itself to anonymity. Phony postings and fake profiles are rampant. Patients posting on a hair transplant message board might not be patients at all; or they could be patients who are receiving incentives from a less than ethical hair transplant clinic or doctor.

Does this mean you should refrain from searching out hair loss information and services online?

There are many reputable resources on the Web that can be a great help to hair loss sufferers. Weeding out the phonies is a matter of determining credibility.

• Find out who the author is, and conduct secondary research to double check information presented on the site.
• Ask yourself whether an individual posting information, stories, or comments could be bogus or forged.

• Determine the site’s objective. Are they trying to sell you something? Why?

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

• Look for the American Hair Loss Association certification seal on the homepage of the site you are visiting.

• Check with the AHLA before you purchase any product or service to treat your hair loss.
The Internet can be a wonderful place for learning but it is not without pitfalls. It is increasingly important to use good judgment when determining the validity of online information. By practicing discernment, hair loss sufferers can protect themselves against sites and service providers that are questionable, unsound, or false.

I am thinking about getting the HairMax laser comb based on information I read online. Does the AHLA endorse the HairMax laser comb?

Thanks
Ivan

The makers of the HairMax Laser Comb have done a fantastic job of marketing their product.

The idea of a hand held devise that emits hair revitalizing laser beams is sexy to both the media as well as to desperate consumers in search of “cutting edge” treatments for hair loss.

The truth is the HairMax laser Comb still remains on the questionable product list here at The American Hair Loss Association.

So to Answer your question more directly, until valid clinical trials can substantiate the hair-raising claims of the HairMax Laser Comb’s manufacturers, The American Hair Loss Association can not endorse the use of The HairMax Laser Comb for the treatment of any form hair loss .

An interesting article was recently written by International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons accepted member Dr. Alan Feller discussing the validity of low level laser light therapy for the treatment of hair loss.

View article: Move Over Magnet Therapy, Here Comes Low Level Laser Light Therapy

You also might want to listen to a recent broadcast of AHLA’s founder Spencer Kobren’s weekly syndaicated radio show The Bald Truth, where Dr. Alan Bauman and Dr. Alan Feller discuss the efficacy of products like the HairMax Laser Comb in the battle against hair loss.

Listen to show :Laser Hair Loss Therapy -Does it work?

Spencer Kobren, host of the nationally syndicated radio show, “The Bald Truth,” invites Dr. Alan Bauman and Dr. Alan Feller to discuss the efficacy of low level light lasers being used for the treatment of hair loss

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