You’ve probably read about scalp micropigmentation (SMP) on this site. You might have noticed we’re big fans! But it is quite a tricky concept to get your head around. Unlike other hair loss treatments, we’re not actually trying to stop hair loss with SMP, we’re just stopping it from being a problem anymore.

So we thought we’d put together a general information post on SMP. How it works and what to expect from the treatment.

What is SMP?

Scalp micropigmentation is a hair loss treatment like no other. Pigment is injected into the scalp in thousands of tiny microdots, creating the illusion of active hair follicles.

How does SMP differ from tattooing?

It is a similar process, but SMP injections are delivered much less deeply than a regular tattoo, which allows us to be much more precise. It also avoids a ‘blob’ effect, and we can create a very realistic hair follicle impression.

How can you make SMP look like real hair?

If you just injected uniform black dots across a scalp, it might look effective from a distance. On closer inspection however, it would be very obvious that it wasn’t real hair. With SMP, we inject each dose of pigment to a slightly different depth and from a slightly different angle to the last, replicating the way that real hair grows.

We also use a number of different pigments for each client, closely matched to their hair colour, for as natural a finished effect as possible.

Who is a suitable candidate for SMP?

Literally anyone could have SMP and it would be effective, although we do stick to over-18s! Man or woman, young or old, the beauty of this procedure is that it is hugely versatile.

You can leave your head shaved and have a buzz cut, a popular option for our male clients. Or you can grow your hair out and just use SMP to disguise the thinning areas. This works especially well for women suffering from female-pattern baldness, which tends to present as a diffuse thinning across the whole scalp.

Can I really choose my own hairline?

Yes, you absolutely can. Our technicians will work closely with you to ensure that the hairline you choose is the right one for you. After all, this is a permanent procedure and you want to look your best at the end of it. But if you’ve always fancied a widow’s peak, now’s the time to do it.

How long does it take?

Each SMP session will last between two and four hours, and you will need at least two, probably three sessions before the procedure is finalised.

Previous clients have described SMP as a ‘life changing’ experience, so if you’ve been considering it why not take the plunge and give us a call today on 020 8159 9060.

The post SMP: What, why and how? appeared first on His Hair Clinic.

This year, we were proud to award new research grants supporting truly cutting-edge projects. We also know that smarter research funding is just one part of the solution, and that long-term impact will require strategic collaboration among all members of the pediatric cancer ecosystem: academia, pharma, regulatory agencies, funders, and the patient community.

With the expert leadership of our Industry and Scientific Advisory Councils, we’re uniquely positioned to drive the collaborations needed to address the barriers and deliver the new, better treatments that our kids deserve. Highlights include:

• The inaugural CureSearch Pediatric Early Development Symposium, where global leaders in pediatric oncology shared lessons and collaborative solutions to address challenges in pediatric oncology study development
• A new initiative with the Milken Institute’s FasterCures and Children’s Tumor Foundation to identify and revitalize promising but discontinued drugs with pediatric potential
• The 2021 CureSearch Summit Series: The State of Pediatric Solid Tumor Biopsies, a four-part virtual meeting addressing the limited biopsy availability and accessibility to improve therapy options for pediatric patients

As the year draws to a close, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help drive these innovative and critical collaborations forward into 2021. With your support, we can bring our kids to the forefront of drug development and deliver better treatment options to those who need them most.

The post With your support, we’re bringing our kids to the forefront of drug development appeared first on CureSearch for Children's Cancer.

At CureSearch, our success is measured by how quickly a new therapy reaches a child, because our kids can’t wait for more effective, less toxic treatments. 

Our preclinical projects are 5 times more likely than average to advance into clinical trials, and they reach the clinic more than 2 years faster. That speed is critical for families facing cancers with the lowest survival rates and fewest treatment options.

With your support, we’ve accelerated the development of innovative childhood cancer treatments at leading institutions across the country including: 

• A cutting-edge trial currently enrolling pediatric glioma patients at 6 sites across the country
• An upcoming clinical trial for high-grade glioma patients at the University of Florida Shands Children’s Hospital
• Testing a promising new treatment for the deadly brain tumor DIPG in a clinical trial at Stanford University 
• Identifying promising new therapies for pediatric sarcoma at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

This critical research is only possible with your support. Will you give this holiday season and help deliver better treatments to the kids who are counting on us?

The post This holiday season, support kids across the country who are waiting on better treatments. appeared first on CureSearch for Children's Cancer.

It’s had its fair share of controversies in the past. Now, reality TV show, Love Island has been accused of discriminating against bald contestants.

Famed for an endless bevy of beauties, but Love Island has never had a balding contestant, male or female. And a new poll shows that viewers have started to take notice.

‘Baldist’?

A poll of 1,000 people in the UK found that 39% think Love Island discriminates against men with hair loss. Additionally, 45% think the show discriminates against women with thinning hair.

A further 48% of those surveyed feel that bald or balding people are not included in beauty standards.

In recent years, some headway has been made to include people of all shapes and sizes in advertising campaigns and even on the catwalk. But it is still rare to see a model of either gender who suffers from hair loss.

Damaged self esteem

This perceived discrimination has certainly contributed to the feelings of self-consciousness that people already experience around hair loss. Two-thirds of women who took part in the poll said that hair loss negatively affects their confidence, with 41% of men saying the same.

The survey also found that dating apps and social media have a part to play. Three quarters of respondents said these factors have a direct negative impact on their self esteem. And 57% blamed them for increasing their worry about current or future hair loss.

Hatfishing

It is this lack of confidence that has led to the phenomenon known as ‘hatfishing’. People (predominantly men) with thinning hair wear a hat for their profile photo on either social media or dating websites, in an attempt to cover up their hair loss.

Potential matches report feeling ‘deceived’ when they meet the match in person, only to find that the hat was covering a head of thinning hair.

The same survey showed that 21% of those suffering from hair loss had used a hat to hide their thinning hair in online photos.

What is the solution?

The survey suggests that the majority of participants would like people who are bald or experiencing some form of hair loss to be better represented in the media.

Building self esteem does have to come from within as well, however. So if you are experiencing hair loss and are feeling bad about yourself as a result, it is important to seek help.

That might mean having counselling to help work on your self esteem. Or it might mean seeking treatment for the hair loss itself. Whichever route you go down, remember that there should be no shame attached. What is right for one person won’t be right for everyone.

If you would like to speak in confidence about your hair loss experience and discuss all the options available to you, please contact us to book a consultation with one of our hair loss experts.

The post Is Love Island discriminating against bald contestants? appeared first on His Hair Clinic.

A new matchmaking site ‘Bald Dating’ was launched in November. It aims to help the path of love run smoother for those of us who suffer from hair loss.

The UK-based (but globally available) dating app was created by entrepreneur David Minns, 47, who is himself bald. Minns was inspired to launch the app because of the rise in ‘hatfishing’, he told Fox News. This is where men with hair loss wear hats in their profile pictures to avoid putting off potential matches.

Not just for bald men

While ‘hatfishing’ might be primarily a male thing, Minns insists the app is just as dedicated to female hair loss sufferers. “Bald Dating was created to give men and women the confidence to focus on dating and not hairlines”, he explained.

However, you don’t even have to suffer from hair loss yourself to join the site. You just have to be open to dating someone who does. And research shows that a lot of women do find bald men attractive. After all, there are many perceived traits associated with baldness, including masculinity, strength and confidence.

How does the app work?

Like many dating apps today, Bald Dating uses a ‘like’ function that allows you to indicate interest in a potential match from their profile picture. If they ‘like’ you back, you can begin to communicate via messaging.

Bald Dating is currently free to use, although its creator has indicated that there will eventually be a fee to use it of around US$8 per month. This will come into effect over the coming months.

Is there really a market for a bald dating app?

The response so far would suggest yes, there is. In the first five days after its launch, Bald Dating amassed over 1,000 users.

Anyone over the age of 18 can join, but Minns says that so far the main interest has come from people in their thirties and forties.

With approximately 40% of men experiencing hair loss by the age of 35 and the same percentage of women by age 40, there is potential for this app to become huge.

Why do bald people need their own dating site?

The truth is that they shouldn’t. In an ideal world, no one would be judged based on the number of hairs on their head, just as they wouldn’t be judged for carrying a few extra pounds.

But this isn’t an ideal world. And while studies have shown that women are attracted to bald men, many of us who are follicly challenged have a hard time applying that to ourselves.

A dating app that is set up purely for people with hair loss might just give us the confidence we need to finally make a connection that lasts.

The post New Bald Dating app launches appeared first on His Hair Clinic.

Pop star and former Take That icon Robbie Williams has opened up about his hair loss troubles while appearing on a podcast. Taking part in Clarke Carlisle’s Old Before I Die podcast, Williams revealed he is ‘going thin on top’ despite having undergone a hair transplant in 2013.

He then showed the host, Clarke, and his wife the top of his head so they could appreciate the issue, and explained that he is using powder to ‘fill in the gaps’.

Why would the hair transplant have failed?

The honest answer is that the transplant itself didn’t fail – as evidenced by Williams’ hairline. Clarke even commented that his ‘wing-backs are pushing on’, meaning that the hairs at the transplant line are still growing strong, but the hair has unfortunately continued to recede behind that line.

This is actually a common problem when hair transplants are performed too early. It’s why Wayne Rooney has had to undergo several transplants, and it’s why most reputable hair transplant surgeons would advise against having a transplant until your hair loss is quite a lot more advanced.

So why did Williams have a hair transplant in the first place?

Well, for a start, the rules for celebrities are quite different from the ones the rest of us have to follow. If money’s no object, why not have a hair transplant, even knowing you might need another one in a couple of years?

And Williams has himself admitted that he didn’t need a hair transplant, but had succumbed to the pressures of living in LA. Speaking on the Graham Norton Show in 2013 he said:
“They say if you sit in the barber’s shop for long enough you’ll end up getting a haircut. Well if you live in Los Angeles for long enough you’re going to get some surgery.”

What is this powder he’s using to fill his hair in?

It’s unclear from Williams’ description exactly what he’s using, but it sounds like cosmetic hair fibres. They come in powder form, you shake them on to any areas of thinning hair and they will expand to form strands of hair-like fibre.

Although not a permanent solution, hair fibres do present a very effective quick fix for thinning hair, and can be quite cost effective.

So am I better off buying the powder than having a transplant?

That all depends on where you are in the hair loss process. If you have just a few areas of thinning hair then yes, the fibres could be a good choice, but if your hairline has receded a long way then you might be better off opting for a transplant.

And those aren’t the only options available. There are plenty of different hair loss treatments, and the best way to find out which one will work best for you is to speak to a hair loss expert.

The post Robbie Williams reveals his hair transplant failed appeared first on His Hair Clinic.

YouTuber Harry James started noticing thinning hair around his hairline about two and a half years ago. His first reaction was to shave it all off, and he’s been rocking the skinhead look ever since.

However, James says that while he felt that shaving his head had dealt with one aspect of his hair loss, because he did it so early on in the process, he never really had a chance to come to terms with the process of losing his hair.

James was keen to examine all sides of hair loss and document it on his YouTube channel, Baldcafe. He decided to set aside the clippers and let his hair grow out, so he could experience how it really feels to be a balding man.

Other people’s attitudes

Whilst shaving his head allowed James to be bald and proud, he was fearful of how others might react to his thinning hair as it grew out.

But since letting his hair grow, James has visited all kinds of places and says other people don’t bat an eyelid at his balding head.

“By exposing myself to this fear, I can kind of put it to rest,” he told Men’s Health. “I realized even with this balding hair, no one cares. No one mentions it. No one gives a shit. And that’s just allowed me that final piece of the pie, that cherry on top. I have nothing left to fear with this damn balding hair. And that is going to allow me to rock my shaved head even more confidently.”

Could you grow your hair out?

Growing your hair is not something you expect to do as a balding man. But if, like James, you’d like to know how you’d feel if you did let it grow, perhaps his story will give you the confidence to do so.

Or perhaps you’re keen to grow your hair but not so keen on having your baldness exposed to the world, and that’s OK too. There are a few options in that situation:

• Hair loss drugs – if you’re in the early stages of hair loss, it might be worth trying some hair loss drugs to prevent further damage and allow you to grow your hair without fear. From prescription medications to expertly formulated supplements, there are products out there that can make a difference to your hair loss, but you do need to seek expert advice
• Hair transplant surgery – this one is for those of you whose hair loss is more advanced. It’s not a cheap option, but it is almost guaranteed to work, although it may take a few months to see the results
• Scalp MicroPigmentation – this is a great option for those of you who are unsure about growing out your hair, as it will be just as effective with a shaved head as with longer hair. A specially trained practitioner will inject pigment (exactly matched to your natural hair colour) into your scalp to create a highly realistic “buzz cut” effect. As you grow your hair, this will disguise any thinner areas, but if you decide to keep shaving you can do so with the confidence that no one will know your hair loss secret.

For more information on any of these, or to book a consultation with one of our hair loss specialists, please contact us.

The post Could you grow out your thinning hair? appeared first on His Hair Clinic.