Hair is venerated, cherished, and desired in societies throughout the world. Both women and men express their individual identities through their hairstyles. Healthy hair contributes to successful social assimilation, employment, and overall quality of life. Therefore, hair loss can have detrimental effects on almost every aspect of a person’s life.
Camouflage options for patients who suffer from hair loss include:-
- full or partial wigs
- hair extensions
- concealing powders and sprays
- Scalp micro pigmentation
Full or partial wigs.
A wig is a head covering made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. A wig may be used as a less intrusive and less expensive alternative to medical therapies for restoring hair. People wear wigs to disguise baldness. The price of the wig is proportional to its quality and wig quality determines how long the wig will be expected to last before a replacement is needed.
Hair extensions.
Hair extensions are strands or collections of synthetic or human hair products that are glued, braided, twisted, sewn, clipped, or fused onto existing hair fibers. In contrast to wigs, hair extensions require attachment to an individual’s existing natural hair. Hair extensions have successfully been used to reduce the appearance of hair loss.
Concealing powders and sprays.
These are camouflaging sprays / powders that are used to cover thinning areas, balding areas, thicken hair, and to add texture. These products are applied to towel-dried, blow-dried, or completely dried hair. The hair is first styled and then the spray or powder is applied 4-6 inches above the area to be thickened. These products are removed from hair with shampooing. Disadvantages of these products include the need for daily application and the fact that water activities may distort the product.
Scalp micro pigmentation
Scalp Micro pigmentation is a medical grade tattoo technique where tattoo pigments are placed on the scalp in a stippling pattern to look like a shaved head of hair. When done properly, an observer can’t tell the difference between a shaved head and a tattooed head.
A tattoo instrument and carefully selected inks are used. Thousands of very tiny dots are placed in the scalp at the base of a hair and between the hairs. When administered by a trained and licensed specialist, the Scalp Micro pigmentation treatment can restore receded hairlines, thicken remaining hair, camouflage transplant scarring, and create the look of close-cropped hair. One of the greatest things about the innovative scalp micro pigmentation treatment is that it requires little to no continued maintenance and carries no strict lifestyle or daily restrictions.
This can last the lifetime of the patient however, many do fade over time requiring touch-ups. Most patients do not return for touch-ups but some do want to address the fading that occurs over time may return at 5, 10 or more years later.
Patients who had scalp micro pigmentation are told to avoid being directly in the sun, and if they do, use a high SPF skin blocker or hat. It is always best to use a hat for extended sun exposure. If there is frequent sun exposure without being protected, the colour of the tattoo will fade and require more touch-up treatments every few years.
