Hair loss Vancouver options

 As a busy and in demand Scalp Micro Pigmentation artist living and working in Vancouver BC, I consult with many men on a weekly basis who are looking for solutions regarding their hair loss.

So I thought I’d take this opportunity to go over the myriad of treatments available. Highlighting the positives and negatives of every option. In hopes of adding some clarity, as to what options are available in Vancouver for hair loss.

Hair fibres:

Many clients who have thinning hair use what is called  thickening hair fibres. These tiny, sticky fibres when applied to the hair, stick causing the hair to appear thicker. The drawback of these hair fibres this that when wet they become sticky and can drip onto clothing.

Hair Fibre thickens existing hair

The hair fibres work great and look good on thinning hair up until a point in time where your hair has simply become too thin to sport the fibres.

The hair fibres have a limited functionality, rain; swimming, profuse sweating can all interfere with the practicality of the product.

Topical treatments 

I see many clients who use Finasteride and or Minoxidil. These can be used either in a topical treatment such as a foam or liquid or in the form of an oral medication.

Finasteride (brand name Propecia) prevents hair loss by stopping your body from converting testosterone into DHT. Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) is a vasodilator. When applied to your scalp, it widens the blood vessels, facilitating the flow of blood to hair follicles. These products seem to work for many people, preventing any continued hair loss and sometimes promoting new hair growth. They usually require long term, sustained use, and can be costly due to duration. However, both often come with some unpleasant side effects.

Hair systems:

Toupée, hairpiece, wig, or weave. These hair systems can be made from real hair or synthetic hair. Many of these hairpieces can look very convincing indeed.

They are placed onto the scalp with a strong bonding agent and trimmed into shape.

Some hair systems look incredible

Other hair systems use an individual hair attachment made up of multiple synthetic hairs, which are essentially tied onto your existing hair follicles, multiplying the volume.

Downside is they have to be replaced frequently, glues can irritate the skin, limited practicality and function, surrounding hair grows out, artificial hair eventually falls out and can begin to look tired. Costly and unpractical over the long run.

Hair transplants: 

Hair transplants are a surgical solution to hair loss, where hair is removed usually from the back of the head and surgically placed into other areas of the scalp.

Successful hair transplant

There are two main methods of follicle extraction. FUT harvesting, where a donor area of hair is extracted, usually in a linear strip. The donor area is then stitched often leaving a linear scar. And FUE harvesting is a relatively newer method of extraction, where individual hairs are extracted from a wider ranging donor area and placed into the desired transplant area.

FUE is more costly and is said to leave less scaring than FUT.

Transplant scar concealed using SMP

However in my experience FUE does leave scaring in the form of multiple hairless dimples or patches at the back of the scalp.

Many people are satisfied with their hair transplants; however there are those whose procedure did not produce the desired results. Often the transplanted hair just didn’t grow thick or abundant enough to keep it. Sometimes the hair can grow at an unusual angle if not place correctly and be of an unusual texture.

Another downside of a hair transplant is the cost some transplants will be in excess of $20k. There is also a significant downtime and healing period.

Scalp Micropigmentation: 

Scalp micro pigmentation is essentially a cosmetic tattoo that uses a tiny needle to deposit pigment into the scalp.

If done correctly by an experienced and skilled technician the effect replicates your natural hair follicles perfectly.

The SMP process mimics the appearance of tiny hair follicles, helping the recipient restore the look of a full head of shaved hair.

SMP can be used to add density to thinning hair for both males and females, conceal scar tissue from hair transplants and disguise skin conditions such as alopecia.

It can also be used in conjunction with a hair transplant to add further density to the scalp within the transplanted area.

Although the effects are different from a hair transplant, (SMP is two dimensional as opposed to real transplanted three dimensional hair). SMP is a cost effective and there is very little downtime.

If done correctly SMP can look identical to shaved hair

If SMP is performed incorrectly the results can be less than desirable. SMP will fade over time. There is a minimal set of aftercare instructions to follow in order to maintain the optimal quality of your SMP.

I do hope this has helped highlight the options available to those seeking a solution to thinning or balding hair.

Rob James is one of Western Canada’s most requested SMP artists working out of Advanced Scalp Clinic Vancouver BC.

Rob James SMP is always open for consultation and provides a wealth of experience and advice on the topic of hair loss in Vancouver and Scalp micropigmentation Vancouver.