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The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) has one thing on its mind: hair loss. The NAAF focuses exclusively on one type of hair loss, alopecia areata, and provides various support for both sufferers of alopecia areata and those who are seeking to cure and treat the disease.

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia Areata is believed to be an autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss. Two in a hundred people suffer from alopecia areata and it can affect anyone – men, women, and children are all susceptible. Hair loss is sudden and can occur literally overnight, appearing in oval, circular or irregularly shaped bald patches on the scalp.

You can learn more about presentation, diagnosis, and treatment at the American Hair Loss Association’s Alopecia Areata page.

What is the NAAF?

The NAAF is a non-profit organization that is led by an all-volunteer board of directors and a scientific advisory council. The NAAF was founded in 1981 and is the biggest and most influential foundation that works on behalf of researchers and hair loss sufferers who deal with alopecia areata.

The organization’s mission is clearly stated on their website, which you can visit at www.naaf.org:

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) supports research to find a cure or acceptable treatment for alopecia areata, supports those with the disease, and educates the public about alopecia areata. The mission is accomplished by:

• Funding research and research workshops that add to the scientific knowledge about alopecia areata, its causes, and different treatments.
• Providing local support and education for people with alopecia areata and their families.
• Informing the public about alopecia areata.
• Advocating the concerns of people affected alopecia areata.
• Creating and distributing educational materials to health professionals as well as those affected, so that all may better understand alopecia areata.

Support

The NAAF has established support groups all across the globe, as well as an extensive support network. The support is provided to individuals with alopecia areata as well as their families and friends. You can learn more by visiting the NAAF’s support page.

The extensive support network offers a pen pal program, online message boards, telephone contacts, and several other ways that people who are dealing with alopecia areata can connect, share information, and provide support. The NAAF website has a network page you can visit to get more information about joining a network.

Getting Help

Dealing with alopecia areata is trying and can be quite devastating. The NAAF works toward finding a cure and viable treatments while providing much-needed support for those who have been affected by this disease. If you or someone you love is suffering from alopecia areata, get in touch with the NAAF and find out how they can help you.

Also remember to check with The American Hair Loss Association before you purchase any product or treatment to treat your hair loss.

Many people think hair loss is a laughing matter but most hair loss sufferers do not agree. The experience is different for everyone. For some, it’s a mild annoyance; for others, it’s traumatic.

When someone you love is dealing with hair loss, you can step up and become part of their support system. The worst thing you can do is make hair loss more difficult than it already is.

What to avoid

First and foremost, you should never mention a person’s hair loss or baldness in a moment of anger. Using hair loss as an insult is hitting way below the belt and referring to it in a negative or derogatory manner borders on abusive.

Some people who are bald or balding will make fun of their own hair loss. Using humor as a coping mechanism can be beneficial and laughter is excellent medicine. However, when it comes to teasing, tread carefully.

It’s one thing to laugh at yourself. It’s another thing entirely when other people are laughing at you. Some people are more sensitive to this than others. A good rule of thumb is to never tease a hair loss sufferer, even if they tease themselves.

What you can do

When a person complains about hair loss, the best thing you can do is downplay the effects of balding on the person’s appearance or self worth and focus on the positive. Sometimes a hair loss sufferer needs to be reminded that you love them but not just for their hair. With this said, don’t discount the realty of how hair loss affects a person’s self esteem.

Keep in mind that how a hair loss sufferer deals with balding is ultimately up to him or her. Some will decided to seek treatment through medicine or surgery. Others will use a wig or hairpiece to deal with their hair loss. Some will not do anything at all.

Whatever a person decides as the best course of action for dealing with hair loss, be supportive of that decision. Do not encourage a person to seek a treatment such as surgery or use a wig unless they discuss their desire to look into these options. Commit to being a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.

If you lose a limb, Medicaid will cover the cost for a prosthetic replacement. However, if you lose your hair, you are out of luck – even if you lose all your hair, including the hair all over your face and body.

Three years ago, Redwood City resident Matt Kelley lost every hair on his body over the coarse of six weeks. Forty-one-year-old Kelley suffers from alopecia areata, a relatively uncommon autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack hair follicles.

The experience brought on a deep depression and in an article on Inside Bay Area, Kelley explains that he was emotionally devastated from his hair loss.

Matt Kelley decided to take action.

He worked to raise awareness about his disease and eventually that awareness spread into the halls of Congress. On Tuesday, May 13, 2008, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto introduced a bill that would require Medicaid to provide alopecia areata patients with prosthetic hairpieces.

It’s a bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-New Mexico and would mandate that federal and state health care provider Medicaid pay for one prosthetic hair piece per year for patients with severe forms of alopecia areata.

Approximately 4 million Americans suffer  from alopecia areata. The psychological effects of the disease are often devastating and can lead to depression and anxiety.
When Matt Kelley was in the throes of the disease, he felt “unattractive and as though everyone was staring at him.” Those who have experienced severe forms of hair loss explain that many people simply do not understand the psychological pain that it can cause.

Today, Matt Kelley is the founder of several sports memorabilia stores throughout the Bay Area. He chooses not to wear a wig and has found that humor and a positive attitude help him cope with his total body hair loss. Still, he believes that having access to hairpieces will help people with alopecia areata cope with the disease.

“Hair is kind of an integral part of our culture,” Kelley says. “It doesn’t help you walk like a prosthetic leg might, but it helps you get out the door and deal with society.”

Read the entire article

In a recent press release, top online hairpiece retailer CoolPiece.com shared its offer to provide free custom made wigs to children undergoing chemotherapy.

CoolPiece has been providing wigs to children for the past couple of years, making free wigs available to all children in the USA and Canada who are experiencing hair loss as a result of chemotherapy.

CoolPiece’s offer reads:

Children in Chemotherapy! We will make a FREE CoolPiece wig to your specifications. Contact us for details. (USA and Canada only).

CoolPiece owner, Jeffrey the Barak explains that “there have been remarkably few who have even expressed any interest, let alone taken CoolPiece up on this offer.”
Families struggling with an illness and a child who is being treated with chemotherapy often end up with low quality wigs and hairpieces, or nothing at all simply because they lack the time or energy needed to shop for high quality children’s hairpieces. Many families simply can not afford to purchase a natural looking hairpiece for their child. CoolPiece provides customized, high quality wigs to these families at no charge and makes it easy for them to order these custom hair pieces online.

Jeffrey explained that about twenty years ago, he was a volunteer working with children who had potentially terminal conditions. However, the experience was devastating and Jeffrey found that he was “not the kind of person who has the strength to be so directly involved.”

By providing wigs to children who are facing terminal illness, Jeffrey has found a way to help that he is more comfortable with. He explains that “somewhere out there is a child who is upset about their hair falling out and for them, having their hair back might be the one little thing that makes it all a bit easier to handle.”

Visit www.coolpiece.com for more information about this generous offer to children undergoing chemotherapy and to learn more about purchasing high quality custom men and women’s hairpieces at a fraction of the price of conventional hairpiece retailers.

CoolPiece is one of a handful of online and conventional hairpiece retailers recommended by The American Hair Loss Association.

Look for the American Hair Loss Association certification seal before purchasing any product or service to treat your hair loss.

Some of Hollywood’s finest shining stars have dealt with hair loss by picking up a pair of clippers and shaving their heads down to a smooth, shiny surface. Bruce Willis, Damon Wayons, and Patrick Stewart come to mind. Others have lopped their locks for a movie role, to make a statement, or simply to be daring. Demi Moore, Britney Spears, and nineties songbird Sinead O’Connor demonstrate that even women have opted to go hairless for these reasons.

But not everyone looks like a star without hair. In fact, most people feel like anything but a star when their hair starts to disappear. The emotional effects can range from mildly irritating to downright devastating. Men who can carry off the bald and dashing look are lucky and men in general tend to pull off going bald better and more frequently then women, who often turn to wigs and hairpieces to cope with the emotional devastation of hair loss.

Even though plenty of celebrities sport the hairless look, plenty more refuse to do so. How many of them are wearing wigs or hair pieces? How many have undergone hair transplant surgery or are being treated for their hair loss with medication?

Recent rumors in the entertainment industry suggest that actors may have great concern over how hair loss might affect their careers. Lucky for them, their dressing rooms usually come fully equipped with a hairdresser who can fluff up their locks using high quality hairpieces. You’d never know some of them are going through the hair loss experience at all.

Regardless of celebrity status, going completely bald has long been an option for many, mostly male, hair loss sufferers. But not everyone has the visage that goes well with this look, which is why many others choose to utilize treatment and hair pieces. The important thing to note when we look at our balding friends in Hollywood is that not only is there life after hair loss, there can be great life after hair loss. And there are many ways to deal with it. You just have to find the solution that works for you.

Remember, before you consider any product or service to treat your hair loss check with The American Hair Loss Association and if you’re considering a hair transplant  make sure you consult with a reputable member of The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeon.

We’ve all heard horror stories about bad hairpieces and worse toupees. In comedy, these have been the butt of many jokes, but hair loss sufferers are not laughing. Non-surgical hair replacement is a serious matter, especially for people who are considering it. People who are dealing with alopecia must be careful because the hair loss industry is fraught with cheap gimmicky products as well as companies and so-called professionals who are more than happy to take advantage of vulnerable hair loss sufferers. Whenever you are looking at a solution for hair loss, you must move forward with care and caution. Non-surgical hair replacement, such as hairpieces, are no exception.

Non-surgical hair replacement can be a wonderful alternative for people who want to have a fuller head of hair without surgery. However, most consumers don’t know what to look for or what to watch out for when shopping for a hairpiece. The vast majority of consumers who purchase non-surgical hair replacement are unhappy with the products they’re stuck with. Plus, there’s a lot that the hair clubs won’t tell you.

Tips

•    Try the mom and pop salons. They have compassion for their customers and great customer service.
•    Be prepared to buy two units so that you can wear one while the other is being maintained.
•    Do not let a hair replacement company keep your second hairpiece. It’s yours, you get to take it home.
•    Avoid anyone who tries to sell you a maintenance contract. You should be able to take your hairpiece anywhere you want for maintenance.

Facts

•    The stylist will probably shave off a good portion of your hair in order to affix the hairpiece.
•    Bonded systems will not stay firmly attached for 4-6 weeks.
•    These systems need constant maintenance and you will have to learn to do some of the maintenance yourself.
•    Cost of maintenance ranges from $60 to $300 per month.

Get more tips, facts, and information about non-surgical hair replacement systems by visiting the following link:
http://www.americanhairloss.org/hair_replacement/introduction.asp

I’d like to share my experience with The Hair Club so that no one else has to go through what I have.

At the age of 24, my girlfriend at the time told me that she needed to talk to me about something important. She asked me to sit down and she proceeded to tell me that she thinks that I’m going bald and asked me what I planned on doing about it. Nice huh? Well, to make a long brutal story short, and after I kicked that @i #!* to the curb I did what most men probably do who are concerned with their hair loss, I went the The Hair Club.

I mean these are the guys that I grew up seeing on TV everyday. It seemed like the thing to do if you had a problem with hair loss and was interested in hair replacement. After my consultation I was so excited to get my hair back and my life back. The lady I had the consultation with told me that it’s a completely natural process and that my new hair would be even better and more manageable then the hair that I lost. WOW! (more…)

Nearly 700,000 adult American women have been diagnosed with cancer this year alone, and more than one in three women will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime. One study, conducted by The American Cancer Society revealed that 58 percent of women consider hair loss the worst side effect when undergoing chemotherapy; 8 percent are at risk of avoiding potentially life-saving treatment altogether because of their hair loss fear.

This is why Pantene partnered with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to create Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a program that helps provide free, real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. The program collects healthy hair donations (ponytails), which are transformed into beautiful wigs and later distributed through the American Cancer Society wig banks at no cost to the recipient.

“The American Hair loss Association is proud to support this incredibly important and ambitious campaign. We are committed to providing our resources as a platform to help create widespread public awareness and to help women during the greatest fight of their lives.”

Spencer Kobren,
Founder, American Hair Loss Association.

For more information about Pantene Beautiful Lengths and all the ways to participate, visit www.beautifullengths.com or the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Blog http://beautifullengths.wordpress.com.