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Laser Hair Therapy Benefits

Laser Hair Therapy Benefits

by | Dec 9, 2024 | Episode

Episode 42

Laser Hair Therapy Benefits

Laser Hair Therapy Dr. Phipps

Laser therapy for hair loss isn’t new. In this episode, I meet with Dr. Phipps to talk about the science behind laser or low-level light therapy (LLLT) and what makes a great candidate for it. We also discussed whether there have been any adverse health effects noticed in people who have used laser therapy for years.

Low-Level Light Therapy for Hair Loss

What is laser therapy for hair loss, and how does it work? Laser therapy, also known as low-level light therapy (LLLT), uses a specific wavelength of light to stimulate the cells of hair follicles. Different delivery methods are available, including caps, helmets, and combs. The light therapy doesn’t cause any discomfort or sensation, which causes some users to think the light isn’t working. Dr. Phipps gives the example of the sun; the sun’s UV rays are able to penetrate the skin and stimulate cells to cause a tan because of the wavelength of those rays. Similarly, a laser device must use specific wavelengths of light to stimulate the skin cells. Typically, cheaper versions of these devices are sold online, so finding a reputable supplier is critical.

How to Use Laser Therapy for Hair Loss

Is laser therapy right for you? Laser therapy works by gently stimulating hair follicle cells, so in situations of relatively recent hair loss or thinning, laser therapy can keep the follicles healthy to produce strong, healthy strands. Each treatment is approximately 8 minutes per day, and much like the sun in the example above, it must be done every day, or the effects will wane (just as your tan will wane if you stop going out in the sun). Stopping laser therapy will cause hair loss to resume at the rate it was happening before LLLT was started.

Are You a Candidate for Laser Therapy?

Hair follicles can die, and once they have died, laser therapy will not bring them back or create new follicles. That’s why it’s important to consult with a hair loss professional to determine if laser therapy will be effective for your type of hair loss or thinning. As mentioned before, it also requires consistent use, so take that into consideration as you weigh your options. Laser therapy devices can be purchased for home use, as they are safe, durable, and easy to apply. Quality laser therapy devices can last a long time – Dr. Phipps shares that her father has been using the same laser cap for ten years.

Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance.
Book a free consultation with HairClub Today! Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

Episode.42 Transcript

Dr. Angie Phipps [00:00:02]:

I would recommend if you have a family history of hair loss, and you know this may be coming down the pike, go ahead and get on it. Anybody over the age of 40 is gonna have age-related hair shaft diameter thinning that I would recommend stimulating those cells with the light, but it’s gonna be most beneficial from a cosmetic standpoint for individuals who are in the early phases of hair loss who have generalized diffuse thinning, because if you’ve already developed a bald spot, the bald spot is not gonna go away with light therapy.



Kevin Rolston [00:00:45]: Welcome to HairPod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host Kevin Rolston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. 








Today we’re gonna be diving into a topic that may have come across while scrolling social media or maybe you’ve just seen it when searching for effective ways of getting your hair back. This week we’re gonna be talking about laser hair therapy for hair loss, also known as low-level light therapy. It’s been making waves in the hair restoration world for years, and today we’re gonna get into the science behind it to learn whether it works, why it works, and who it works best on.




Picture this, a device that looks like a high-tech cap or a sleek handheld comb, emitting gentle red light that penetrates your scalp. There’s no pain, no heat, just light. This cutting-edge technology uses safe, low-intensity lasers to stimulate hair follicles, which can improve your hair health and growth. 








You may be wondering, does it really work? Or is this just another flashy trend? And who better to help us answer those questions than hair transplant surgeon and star of TLC’s Bad Hair Day, Dr. Angie Phipps. She’s back on HairPod today to help us break all of this down.




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:02:17]: I’m glad to be talking about this topic because it’s in the forefront of all things TikTok, Instagram, and all that. So we need to educate people about it. 








Kevin Rolston [00:02:28]:


I see so many posts on social media about these things, and of course they make them look absolutely amazing. And having been through it myself, when I don’t share the same experiences that you see on Instagram and TikTok, it really makes me skeptical. Now my question for people that don’t know and maybe haven’t seen the ads that are on Instagram and TikTok and the social media sites, what exactly is a laser therapy and how does it work at a scientific level?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:02:56]: So it’s actually what I like to call low-level light therapy. So light wavelengths can penetrate different depths of tissues. And so they use blue light for certain skin conditions, there’s green light, there’s purple lights, and the red light that we use in the either LED or in what they call laser therapy is a particular wavelength that will penetrate the skin to reach the level of where the hair follicle root or cells are located. 








And what it does is that photobiochemically stimulates those hair follicle cells to function at a higher energy capacity. And if your hair follicle cells are functioning at a higher energy capacity, number one, they live longer, which we want to fight the effects of aging. So I highly recommend it for anybody over the age of 40 really just to help prevent the hair follicle width or diameter from shrinking at the current aging rate that it is.




And then number two, it helps to allow the cells to produce a hair shaft that can be as thick as possible. And a thicker hair shaft covers more scalp surface area than a skinny hair shaft. Now this light therapy is not magic. 








It’s not going to regrow a new hair follicle that you don’t have. So a lot of times on these social media websites or on the internet or on TV, they make people think or consumers think that they’re going to buy this magic helmet, hat, comb device, and it’s going to grow back all their hair. And that’s misleading because what it does is it can only stimulate the hair follicle cells that are currently in your head.




Now, where they can get away with saying it can stimulate or generate regrowth is sometimes you have hair follicle cells that are in follicles that are alive. They’re just so weak that they can’t make a hair that is actually strong enough to exit the skin of the scalp. So with this photo biomodulation with the light therapy, it can maybe strengthen those cells so that the hair that is still capable of producing can actually exit the scalp so that you can now see it. 








So you do see regrowth of hair shafts, but it’s not growing a brand new hair follicle. And if that hair follicle is dead and gone and the cells are dead, you can’t re-alive it with light therapy or with any therapy actually.




Kevin Rolston [00:05:14]: So when it’s gone, it’s gone. 








Dr. Angie Phipps [00:05:16]:


When it’s gone, it’s gone. And a lot of people think light therapy is hocus pocus because when you apply these devices to your scalp, it’s not hot, it’s not cold, it doesn’t jiggle, it doesn’t wiggle, it’s not, doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t feel good. And you just think I’m just sitting here with this light on my head and it’s not doing anything.




But that’s not true. It is doing something. If it’s at the right wavelength, it is penetrating the skin and stimulating the cells. 








And I explain it to my patients like this. If you go out into the sun, the wavelength of the UV rays of the sun will penetrate your skin and stimulate melanocytes or pigment producing cells in the skin and you’ll get a tan or it produce color. Did you feel it?




No. Did it happen? Yes. 








And then if you want to keep that stimulation to continue to produce the pigment, you go back out into the sun every day to re-stimulate those pigment producing cells with the UV rays of the sun and you keep your tan. If you stop going back out into the sun, the pigment producing cells stop producing the pigment and the tan goes away. So the same thing with a low level light therapy.




This needs to be used on a daily basis to keep the hair follicle cells stimulated, to keep them at the energy capacity that allows them to have their longest life and produce the thickest hairs possible. So it is a daily therapy and it does do what it’s supposed to do, but it’s not going to be something that’s going to grow a full head of hair, but it is going to be part of a maintenance therapy that will in the long run help your hair follicle cells immensely. 








Kevin Rolston [00:06:38]:


How long would you need to do this every single day?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:06:40]: Usually eight minutes a day. And you’re going to do something for eight minutes a day. My family members, you know, before we go to bed, we watch a TV show. 








So, you know, when ESPN comes on, the hat goes on. Or when Real Housewives from Beverly Hills comes on, my hat goes on. Or if you’re going to scroll through TikTok or Instagram or Facebook or whatever, just put your hat on and be done with it.




Kevin Rolston [00:07:06] Dr. Phipps shared some great insights into the science behind laser therapy and the importance of consistency. Doing it every day really does make a difference. The steady commitment is the key to achieving visible results over time. 








When you know how it works, it can help you set the right kinds of expectations if this is a treatment that you’re interested in pursuing. Yes, laser therapy can help regrow your hair. But if you’re hoping for dramatic results after one or two treatments, you’re probably going to feel disappointed.




The key to laser therapy is consistency. It’s got me wondering what kinds of tools are out there for laser therapy and whether they’re all created equal. 








Dr. Angie Phipps [00:07:50]:


There’s different devices that use different forms of it. So it can be a baseball helmet hat, you know, that you wear. It’s real comfortable.




It’s just like a baseball hat. There are some combs that you can use to comb your hair with the light. There are some bands that you can wear. 








There are some massage devices that have rotating heads on them and you can actually massage the scalp while the light’s there to stimulate blood flow and just feels good on your scalp. So there’s different vehicles to emit the light. But as long as it’s the right wavelength.




Now, that’s the key, because if you don’t get the device that has the right wavelength, it’s no more beneficial than you sitting underneath your, you know, your the lamp that’s on your bedside table, because that’s not the right wavelength of light that has the capacity to penetrate the skin and reach the hair follicle cells. So it needs to be in the wavelength, you know, pretty much between six and 700 nanometers of wavelength or six to 900 nanometers. So when you’re buying these things off of, you know, if you’re getting them off of Timu or some of those Aliexpress or Alibaba or some of those cheap discount websites, you have to make sure that in the description of the device, it actually tells you what the nanometer wavelength of light is, because if you’re not getting it in the right wavelength, it’s not going to do anything. 








Kevin Rolston [00:09:08]:


Oh, wow.




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:09:09] And so usually when you buy your devices from a reputable medical company that specializes in hair loss, they’re going to make sure that the devices that they’re selling are the right nanometer wavelength that it’s going to actually do what it’s supposed to do. 








Kevin Rolston [00:09:21]:


Are there a lot of places that are not legitimate that are trying to sell these that you’ve heard of?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:09:26]: Devices, not places. So if you’re going to a place, a med spa, a doctor’s office, a hair loss clinic, usually those are reputable places that have the right wavelengths. Now, it’s the ones that you get on Amazon or TikTok shop or Facebook or, you know, marketplace or someplace that, you know, they may not disclose what the nanometer wavelength of light is. 








And if that’s the case, then don’t buy it because you can’t guarantee that it’s going to have any effectiveness.




Kevin Rolston [00:09:53]: I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the ads. Some of the ones I’ve seen, the hair improvement is quite dramatic. Is that accurate? 








Or have you seen some of these ads and you yourself can see and kind of spot the B.S. meter going off saying there’s no way about it?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:10:07]: It’s the big B.S. meter. Those results, if you go from having no hair or extremely thin hair to having no scalp visibility, that is magic. And that’s not what the device can do. 








Anything that looks too good to be true is usually too good to be true. And so as long as you know and have appropriate expectations for what this device can do, it can help stimulate the cells, make them as strong as possible, allowing them to make the thickest hair shaft that you can genetically make, which is going to be different from one person to the next and help your hair follicle cells live longer and maybe stimulate follicles that aren’t producing hairs that are exiting the skin of the scalp to now be able to produce hair strong enough to do that. You do get visual improvement, but not the wow, dramatic things that you see on the computer or internet.




Those are either internet generated, what do they call it? Photos? 








Kevin Rolston [00:10:57]:


Yeah, or AI.




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:10:59]: Or they’ve used hair makeup or other things to help conceal the scalp in combination with the light therapy. 








Kevin Rolston [00:11:10]:


Thank goodness for Dr. Phipps helping to deliver some nuance back into the conversation. So yes, low level light therapy does work in that it helps improve the health of your hair follicles. And if you’ve listened to the show before, you know how important scalp health is for hair growth.




So if your goal is to support your natural hair growth and see improvement, laser therapy might be a great option for you. But as with any hair loss solution, there are people who it works for and others who should pursue different options. So I asked Dr. Phipps who the best candidates for laser therapy are. 








Dr. Angie Phipps [00:11:51]:


Ideally, I would start light therapy before you notice you’re losing your hair, because by the time you physically notice that you’re losing your hair and you see thinning, 50% of your hair density is already gone and there ain’t no getting it back. So I would recommend if you have a family history of hair loss and you know, this may be coming down the pike, go ahead and get on it. Anybody over the age of 40 is going to have age related hair shaft diameter thinning that I would recommend stimulating those cells with the light, but it’s going to be most beneficial from a cosmetic standpoint for individuals who are in the early phases of hair loss, who have generalized diffuse thinning, because if you’ve already developed a bald spot, the bald spot is not going to go away with light therapy.




Kevin Rolston [00:12:34]: Oh, wow. Okay. All right. 








Now, where would you rank the laser therapy comparing it to other forms of hair loss treatments?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:12:42]: I would put it second or third, you know? I mean, yeah, I consider the oral medical therapy number one. Number two, I like the minoxidil topical therapy, but I’m equally liking the light therapy in the same realm of my minoxidil users. 








So I like combining the minoxidil and the light therapy together to give that cellular stimulation and increased blood flow because they work by two different mechanisms of action. So you put them together, you get a compound and synergistic effect because it’s not the same as just using one or the other and you get the same effect.




Kevin Rolston [00:13:20]: Now, is it possible that that could be what your lifelong treatment is? Just laser therapy and maybe some minoxidil? 








Dr. Angie Phipps [00:13:25]:


Not if you have androgenetic hair loss, because neither one of those two therapies though block the DHT hormone that is the genetic cause of why people have male or female pattern hair loss because it’s hormone related. So none of those, either of those two devices affect the hormones. So the number one therapy is some sort of hormonal medication to help block the hormones that are affecting the cells.




And then the number two therapy in my opinion is then targeting the cells themselves to make them stronger. And that’s with minoxidil and low level light therapy. 








Kevin Rolston [00:13:56]:


How do you know if you have that kind of hair loss? Is there a DNA marker test that you can take that will show that it’s in your system?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:14:03]: You can look at your family history. Number one, if your family history is there, cause it’s an inherited condition where you inherit hair follicle cells that have the genetic sensitivity to hormones that the male and female body produces. And then there’s no specific test that you can go and find out if you have it. 








But if you think you’re having hair loss and you might, and you want to find out for sure what the cause is, cause there are other medical causes of hair loss other than just genetics, you need to see, you know, your physician or a specifically a hair loss physician specialist to let them evaluate your scalp, take a look at the pattern of loss that you’re having. What does the skin look like and make sure that you’re having the classic symptoms of androgenetic hair loss versus something else that might require a biopsy to prove and then other medical therapies to treat.




Kevin Rolston [00:14:49]: Right. Are there any kind of side effects, any downsides of using the laser therapy for hair loss? 








Dr. Angie Phipps [00:14:55]:


There is no downside or side effects that I have seen in my personal use, the use of my family members or my patients for using the low level light therapy. It’s not going to cause brain cancer. It’s not going to penetrate to the level of the brain.




It’s not going to hurt your brain. It’s not going to hurt your memory. And people have a lot of hesitation sometimes putting something on their head that’s so close to their either their eyes or their brain to think they’re going to cause long-term damage. 








This is not a microwave. There’s going to be no radioactive signals that are going to be penetrating your brain or causing any damage. The wavelength of light only penetrates to the level that it can penetrate.




And the wavelength of light from the laser therapy or LED light therapy devices only penetrate to the level in the skin where the hair follicle is located and does not go any deeper. 








Kevin Rolston [00:15:40]:


Now, are there going to be improvements in laser therapy that you’ve seen, or is it just when it first came out, it is what it is. And it always will be what it is. Or is this a technology that is improving and advancing?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:15:52]: I think it’s been where it’s been for a long, long time. But I think, you know, with technology of any sort, you know, they’re going to find maybe be able to hone in on even smaller degrees of wavelength light that might be more beneficial for certain cells. So I’m not ruling out the possibility that it could get better, but where we’ve been right now is the same place we’ve been for a long time. 








So I wouldn’t be holding out on waiting to get a light therapy device over the next one or two years, thinking that, you know, I don’t want to spend a whole bunch of money on this device. And then in two years, it’s going to be obsolete. You know, my father’s been using his same light therapy device, you know, for over 10 years that he’s been using.




So, and the technology really hasn’t changed. 








Kevin Rolston [00:16:36]:


And what are you looking at for a cost? You mentioned different devices too. So if I want to go cheapest to the Cadillacs, what kind of stuff am I looking at spending to get into laser hair therapy?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:16:46]: You know, for the cheapest you’re spending in the 700s potentially. And then for the most expensive that has the most amount of light diodes in the devices up to 3000 potentially. So it is an investment, but it’s an investment that you only have to purchase one time. 








And then it lasts as long as the device will mechanically last and it’s worth the money. Now, here’s what I tell my patients. I don’t ever let you spend your money on devices that I haven’t already spent my own money on.




And I purchased two of these. So if I’m going to spend my money on it, I know it works because I’m the hair doctor. And if I’m going to spend my money on it, I’m going to let you spend your money on it because I know it works. 








As long as your understanding of what work means, is it going to regrow all your hair and make you have invisibility of your scalp? No. Is it going to stimulate your hair follicle cells, making them stronger, making the hairs that are being produced thicker, letting the cells live longer so that from an anti-aging standpoint, it’s going to do all those things.




It’s going to increase blood flow to the scalp. It’s going to help the cells of the skin of the scalp be healthy. And there’s no downside to it other than your pocketbook. 








Kevin Rolston [00:17:51]:


Okay. And you said that your dad’s lasted for 10 years?




Dr. Angie Phipps [00:17:54]: Yeah. So as long as the mechanical components of the equipment last, that’s how long it’ll last. So it’s a, it’s a good investment. 








Kevin Rolston [00:18:06]:


Thank you to the incredible Dr. Phipps for sharing this in-depth knowledge with us and taking us through everything somebody would need to know before deciding if low light therapy is for them. From the science behind it to setting the right kinds of expectations. I’m glad we could share all of this with you so that you can make your own informed decisions about what hair restoration technology you’d like to invest in.




If you’re really interested in this kind of therapy, but you’re not sure if your hair loss is compatible with laser therapy, or if you’d like to pursue laser therapy in tandem with other treatments so you can achieve a healthier scalp and get the look you really want. We always recommend talking to a professional to see what your options are. If you’re interested in a free consultation with a company that offers laser therapy and many other options, check out the link in our show notes to talk to a specialist at HairClub. 








And if you know someone who might be interested in laser therapy, we hope that you’ll share this episode with them. For more educational deep dives into all things hair loss with trusted experts, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of HairPod.




Check us out at HairClub on Instagram or search HairPod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode, we’d love it if you’d share it with them. If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. 








We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast.hairclub.com. We’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone.




And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
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								Which Hair Solutions Work Best?							
					
															
Which Hair Solutions Work Best?

					
					
 by  | Dec 3, 2024 | Episode

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Episode 41


Which Hair Solutions Work Best?

			

				
				
				
				
				Which Hair Solutions Work Best? Dan Medeiros
			

				
				
				
				
				

			

				
				
				
				
				
Hair loss solutions come in many shapes and sizes. The good news is, there’s something out there for everyone. But how do you figure out what’s going to work best for you? In this week’s episode of HairPod, I sit down with friend-of-the-pod Dan Medeiros to hear how he uses two hair loss solutions in tandem to improve his scalp health, encourage hair growth, and get the look he wants in the meantime.


Psoriasis and Hair Loss


Hair loss began for Dan in his late teens and early twenties. He was diagnosed with a rare form of psoriasis that flared up when he was under stress and caused significant hair loss on his scalp. His high-stress job caused him to go from a full head of hair to significant thinning in a short time, leaving him feeling gutted. One of the keys to his hair regrowth was healing his scalp, and he was able to do that using HairClub’s EXT program.


EXT for Scalp Health and Hair Regrowth


Regrowing hair after hair loss is possible, depending on the circumstances. Programs like EXT help regrow hair by taking a holistic, multifaceted approach to regrowth. For Dan, this started with scalp health. Through regular cleansing treatments, he was able to get his scalp health back on track to support the hair follicles. The next part of the EXT treatment helps the hair grow back strong and thick with a topical minoxidil treatment. Dan stuck to the regimen very consistently and found that it didn’t add much extra time to his typical personal care routine.


Diet Changes for Hair Regrowth


Dietary issues cause hair loss when we aren’t getting proper nutrition. When Dan was under stress due to his high-intensity work life, he fell into a habit of eating fast food and drinking a lot of energy drinks. When he began prioritizing his health, sleep, and nutrition, he noticed his hair starting to come back. It’s important to keep in mind that a holistic approach to regrowth is ideal.


Hair Systems as a Hair Solution


Dan uses XTrands+ to cover parts of his head that have not regrown hair yet. He has been on the show to talk about when he first got his system on for the first time, and how he styles his system in a variety of ways. This time, Dan discussed why he uses his hair system along with EXT. The EXT helps regrow his natural hair by healing the scalp and supporting overall wellness, while the hair system gives him the look he wants in the meantime.


Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance.
Book a free consultation with HairClub Today!Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Episode.41 Transcript

				
Dan Medeiros [00:00:03]:
Whatever options are out there for you to help regrow, clean your scalp, you should really jump on it. You know, it’s the minoxidil, finasteride, the laser comb, taking the vitamins, whatever you can get your hands on to help boost that, go for it. Honestly, it’s only gonna help.


Kevin Rolston [00:00:35]:
Welcome to HairPod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Rolston, and each week, I get to interview people from different walks of life, whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back.


There are many different reasons why people experience hair loss, and we’ve covered quite a few of them in depth on this show. From male or female pattern hair loss to trichotillomania, the causes of hair loss can be incredibly diverse, and different solutions work for each unique scenario. Today’s guest found a combination of things that has gotten his hair back to show how he wants it.


Today’s guest has found a combination of things that has gotten his hair back to how he wants it, no compromises. If you’re a regular listener, you probably have already heard him come on the show to talk about his experience. It’s time for another episode with Dan Medeiros for you.


Today, we’re gonna talk about the magic combo that has worked out with specialists over at HairClub, and we’re gonna start all the way back at the beginning when Dan first started to notice his hair loss.


Dan Medeiros [00:01:51]
It started off gradually. After high school, going into college, I have a sort of a rare form of psoriasis on my scalp, and my stress is what causes a lot of things to come out physically on me, which primarily on my scalp. So as the stress of life got worse and I started getting older, it started rearing its ugly head, and quite literally, no pun intended, but it devastated me really badly.


And then I got into working a very high-stress job, a working logistics, transportation dispatch, a job where I saw many coworkers break down crying in the office and go away on stress leave for like six months. So it did its damage to me very physically on my head. I lost hair very fast.


I went from a full head of hair to almost half that, and it looked like a war zone on my head. So it hit really hard, really fast in my early 20s, and from there, it was just suddenly trying to figure out, okay, what do I do, where can I go? Try different solutions, everything and anything you can think of, and then made my way to HairClub.


And with HairClub, they got me on track with the EXT program. EXT, it wasn’t just to bring my hair back, but to fix my scalp, and that was the first thing, getting on the regimen, making sure I stuck to the plan, and I had my routine, and I stuck to the routine, cleaning my scalp and making it healthy again. And it eventually, it started to clear up, and as it started to clear up, I started regrowing hair again.


My hair started getting thicker, stronger, and where some people would get clusters of maybe one, two, maybe three strands coming out of a single spot on their head, I started getting six or seven. And so I became a very good EXT client right off the bat, and it was between your shampoos, a scalp cleanser, and then conditioners, and then using minoxidil, and then taking the vitamins to help boost that. So a mix of everything helped a lot.


Changing my diet was a huge part of that too. Honestly, diet is literally half, I’d say half, at the very least, of what is going to help regrow your hair and just make it stronger and healthier. Diet is everything, it really is.


Kevin Rolston [00:04:20]:
I believe in that. Now Dan, I got a couple questions here. One, tell me, what was the severity of the hair loss?


If we’re talking about 100% of the scalp area where you would have hair growing, how much, what percentage would you say that you saw hair loss, and to what level was it? Was it patchy, was it thinning, or was it complete baldness? What did you experience?


Dan Medeiros [00:04:42]:
It was a lot of, it was thinning. Incredibly thinning, especially around the front.


I went from thick, luscious hair in the front to all of a sudden it was just so thin that you could see right through to the scalp. God forbid I was under any sort of lights or anything like that, and I loved having my hair up and messy and spiked up, and I couldn’t do that anymore. Because it started getting noticed, and comments were made, and then I couldn’t look in the mirror anymore, and then from there it just proceeded, and it just got worse and worse, and then it was a matter of trying to find ways to cover that up, changing my hairstyle, all sorts of things.


It was just, thinking back on it, it’s crazy, it’s just crazy how bad it can change.


Kevin Rolston [00:05:30]:
The first thing you talked about too was scalp health. Now, is that considered to be EXT? Is that what EXT is, is caring for the scalp and trying to get it so that it can, the way I’m thinking of it is almost like a farmer would have a field that has great dirt, and they take care of it and make sure that it’s fertile and put fertilizer in it so that it can grow something.


Is that almost the same thing of what you’re talking about?


Dan Medeiros [00:05:55]:
That is probably one of the best ways to kind of describe that. It really is, in order to grow the hair, you need to have a scalp that is healthy, that is energized, it needs to produce the healthy oils, and it needs, and there’s, DHT is the main factor that causes your hair to lose. When you’re starting to produce a lot of DHT, it’ll, it’ll take, it’ll.


Kevin Rolston [00:06:21]
The hormone, right? The hormone that kind of just chokes off the follicle and squeezes out the hair and makes you start going bald?


Dan Medeiros [00:06:30]
Yeah, and that’s when you start seeing, instead of seeing all those spots on your head where you’d see hair growth out of it, it’s the best that you see that smooth, that smooth baldness because there’s no follicle anymore. It’s essentially, the skin’s grown over and nothing happens, it’s just barren land.


Kevin Rolston [00:06:45]
And DHT’s done that, basically.


Dan Medeiros [00:06:46]:
Yeah, and I started producing a lot of it, and I said, my scalp was a nightmare. It looked like a war zone. It was like a minefield that went off.


Imagine your head, it’s feeling like your scalp’s on fire and not being able to touch it or scratch it. Like, you wanna scratch it so bad, but it’s only gonna make it worse. It was, I tried going to doctors, dermatologists, and no one could really do much of anything for it.


It was finally going to HairClub, getting on a proper regimen. The shampoos, the stuff you do in the shower every night, that is what cleans the scalp, and it starts to re, you’re almost retraining your scalp to do the normal things again. And it, as I said, once you’ve gotten the scalp clean and healthy, then it starts producing the proper things it needs to actually regrow hair.


Then your scalp can actually properly do it. So that’s when I started seeing that, and like I said, instead of growing thin hairs that would just fall out, I was growing thick hairs that would stay and continue to grow. So all of a sudden, I was, and then the minoxidil, you throw that in, and that’s what helps the actual growth.


So you clean it, and then you grow. You clean it, you grow. And with that pattern and sticking to that and changing my diet, getting active again, I started playing hockey, I was running, I was being active and sweating out all those bad chemicals.


And then I was able to actually start growing my hair long again. I was actually starting to go out again, and it was, it’s, yeah, it’s just crazy. The whole journey, it’s amazing.


I think back on it now, and I’m going on 15 years with HairClub, and I just, I think back on everything, and it’s still such a trip to see where I’m at right now.


Kevin Rolston [00:08:29]:
Now my question about EXT, is it a package that puts minoxidil and the shampoos and everything together basically in one box that you get? So if you go to HairClub and you ask for EXT, that’s what you get. It’s getting the field ready to grow the hair.


Is that what EXT is?


Dan Medeiros [00:08:47]:
Exactly, yeah, it’s the whole process, the program. So there’s your shampoo, your scalp cleaner, which you use before you put on your conditioner, and then you put on the conditioner, you wash it all out, and then afterwards, while your pores are open, after the shower, then you put in the minoxidil, and then it gets right in there. You let it sit, you stay, especially it’s perfect overnight.


You shower before you go to bed, and then I would wake up in the morning, if I showered, I’d put it on again and have it sitting throughout the day. I get very OCD, so when I get on a regimen, a pattern, I stick with it, and I’m very, very detail-oriented when it comes to that, because I so badly want that to work. And missing a day and not having that consistency, that breaks up the consistency of your growth, of your scalp health, so that’s why I’m so very adamant I’m reminding people, you have to stick to the plan.


If you kind of jump on it, and then you step away from it, jump on it, step away, you’re not, it’s not gonna work the way you want it to, and then you’ll get frustrated.


Kevin Rolston [00:09:52]:
And I feel that’s- How hard is this plan? That’s my question. How much time are you talking?


It sounds like you’re very disciplined, and what if you’re a not-disciplined person? How much time am I taking in the morning, at night, to do EXT?


Dan Medeiros [00:10:04]:
And that’s the thing, it’s not. It’s so, it’s just part of your regular day, your regular routine. You know, you just, it was honestly, just like nothing but a second thought.


I start my day, I shower, I do my shampoo, conditioner, and then I put Minoxidil in. Minoxidil was essentially almost like the only other step I had to add into my day, and it was something I did after my showers, so.


Kevin Rolston [00:10:26]:
What is that like, when you put in Minoxidil? It’s been years since I, I think it was Rogaine, way back in the day. Oh gosh.


You know, I was doing it. But I remember it was, it was wet, and you know, it would mess with the consistency, so how does that work? Do you have to let it dry when you put it in?


Does it mess with the hair if you’re trying to style it? What is it like putting in Minoxidil?


Dan Medeiros [00:10:49]:
You know, with the longer, I’d say, the longer hair, yeah, it’s, you know, it, it can, if your consistency of the hair, like it can almost kinda add a bit of an oiliness to it, so that’s why I said my favorite, it was using it at the end of the, you know, at night. So I get home, you know, I’m done for the night, I shower, I put it in, and then you just, you massage it into the scalp. You know, you don’t just put it on, let it sit, or else it’ll just look like you have a scalp full of, you know, oil.


You really have to massage it in until you’re not feeling that oiliness anymore. And that’s what helps it really get into the pores and really get into your scalp. And then, you know, it sits, it dries, you know, you can do your thing, you can style your hair, and you’re perfectly good to go.


There’s just, yeah, you know, I went through all of the doing things wrong, doing things right, because it’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s honestly, it’s very easy, very easy. And that’s why we do things like this. We help educate people, and we help them understand the process.


And that’s why I love doing, again, that’s why I love doing this.


Kevin Rolston [00:11:52]:
Dan’s experience shows that even though starting something new can be a little bit daunting, it’s important to just try it and see how it goes. Being committed to the process and changes to his life and routine helped Dan reach his hair goals. Using EXT played a major role in healing his scalp so that his hair could grow in healthy and strong, and the treatments rolled naturally into his own personal care regimen.


But that’s not all he mentioned. Dan’s diet also played a significant role in his hair loss, and changing things up helped him get his hair back.


Dan Medeiros [00:12:30]:
With the stress, which leads, you know, stress, depression, and all that stuff, I fell into the void of fast food and energy drinks. It was awful, so I gained a lot of weight. And with that, you know, the hair loss continued with it, you know, trying to cope with the depression of everything, of losing my hair and everything, and all the stress in life.


I found a crutch with fast food and energy drinks. And that was, oh God, it was devastating. I think back on it now, I’m like, I can’t believe I did that to myself.


But it’s not hard to fall into. And it took me a while to finally snap my way out of it. I was over, I gained, oh gosh, I was over 260 pounds, 265 pounds, when I finally realized, oh my gosh, what am I doing to myself?


Kevin Rolston [00:13:19]:
And- What was that moment? How did you, because we usually have that one wake-up call. What was it for you?


Do you remember that moment where you just said, what am I doing? I gotta stop this routine that I’m on.


Dan Medeiros [00:13:29]:
You know, I saw a picture of myself from high school, and I looked at myself, and I’m like, man, I was skinny back then. And then I remembered what my weight was back then. I’m like, man, I was like 170, 175 pounds at that point.


And I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m like almost 265. Like that, for some reason, that never, like I would see my weight and I’d go that, you know, that’s, there’s nothing wrong with that. Two I am, right, two I am.


And then it just, I realized, wow, that is not good. And it was a complete just, a change. I immediately just went full force into completely turning everything over, stopping the energy drinks, no more fast food.


I was, you know, my diet changed when I would eat dinner and what I was eating. You know, I had a rule, no, trying to eat dinner no less than four hours before I went to bed. You know, you don’t wanna go to sleep with food in your stomach because it’ll still be there in the morning.


And then, you know, my biggest meal, my best meal of the day was breakfast, first thing after I woke up, and jumping on water, you know, eating good meals, going for walks every day, starting to play hockey. And it’s, everything changed along with that. My hair changed along with it, my attitude.


Kevin Rolston [00:14:39]:
Yeah, your hair ties into the overall picture of wellness that you have.


Dan Medeiros [00:14:43]:
Yeah, your body, your entire body is a machine and you need the proper, you know, your machine can only run if you put the proper things in it to make it run. You know, as you start throwing things that don’t work properly, then obviously your machine’s not gonna work properly. So it’s, it made a huge difference.


And I can’t, again, that’s why I can’t stress that enough. And it’s such a hard thing to do. It’s all, but once you find it, once you stick to it, it will work so well, everything will change.


Your attitude, your outlook. I found myself again. I was able to start looking in the mirror again.


I was able to smile again. I was able to look at people in the eyes. You know, instead of looking down, it changed everything.


Kevin Rolston [00:15:32]:
It really does. The one thing I would guess too, you’re talking about the energy drinks and people may not consider when it comes to hair health, sleep, and when you have energy drinks, it messes up your circadian rhythms, the way you sleep and getting a good night of sleep. Again, like you’re saying, it’s all tied together.


So if you’re depriving yourself of sleep, you’re going to jeopardize your hair health.


Dan Medeiros [00:15:46]:
Yeah, I mean, when you sleep, that’s when your body recharges. You know, that’s when all the repairs start happening. So if you don’t give your body, your scalp, your head, everything that time to recharge and repair, you know, you’re just, you’re running on fumes.


Kevin Rolston [00:16:00]:
Right, yeah. Dan, tell me a little bit about Xtrands+. We have now unpacked.


I’ve got a great understanding of what EXT is. What does Xtrands+ do and how’s that contribute now to the great head of hair that you have?


Dan Medeiros [00:16:13]:
Well, I mean, as you can see, this is what I’m wearing. I mean, you can quite literally see right through. The hair looks like it’s all coming right out of my scalp.


Kevin Rolston [00:16:24]:
Yeah, that’s the thing that is really perplexing to me because I’m trying to figure out where any kind of treatment is beginning. What is the real you and what is the assistance? Because there’s nothing that you can notice.


With an extreme closeup, you’ve got hair coming out of your scalp. And so I’m really confused as to what this is and what it’s contributing to this look I’m seeing.


Dan Medeiros [00:16:45]:
Yeah, so like when I’m not, like when I’m not, you know, wearing the hair, I have everything buzzed down. So it’s actually, for me, it’s easier to, you know, when I have it all off, I can actually massage the minoxidil into the scalp. I use a laser hair comb as well.


That’s another huge boost. Between the minoxidil and the laser hair comb, it’s almost like a one-two punch. I would highly recommend getting one of those or they also have the caps.


They have all different forms of the laser hair combs, but, you know, it really helps get to the scalp, gets to the roots. I mean, you can grow it longer, you can do the same thing. I just find it easier this way.


Plus, I mean, I love this style. It’s quite easy to just throw it all over to one side and I can get up in the morning and go about my day. But yeah, like I actually just put my hair on today.


My wonderful wife helped me, which is fantastic because it’s not always the easiest on my own. But yeah, so we put it on quick and got it all. And it’s just, I’m able to go about my day.


I can go on stage and perform. I can go to work. I can go hang out with people.


I went and played hockey earlier today as well. So, you know, I was able to play hockey, put a helmet on, shower afterwards, and it’s unaffected. And then when- No concerns, yeah.


Yeah, no concerns. It doesn’t lift when I’m ready to take it off. And I take it off and then I do my work underneath.


And then when I want to put it back on again, I can put it back on again.


Kevin Rolston [00:18:16]:
So not only does Dan use EXT to care for his scalp and maintain his natural hair, he’s also using a hair system in tandem with it. Between the two solutions he has, you would never know that Dan has any sort of hair assistance. The blending of the hair system into his own natural hair looks so seamless that it’s impossible to tell the difference between what’s growing out of his scalp and the system itself.


So I want to know specifically how he brings the two of those things together to get that completely flawless look.


Dan Medeiros [00:18:53]:
I usually, I’ll have my hair on, you know, for a good, almost kind of like an extended long weekend. So I’ll usually, I go in for my appointments usually on Fridays or Thursdays, and then I’ll wear it till about Tuesday. Then I’ll take it off and I’ll spend those days in between when I have it off, just working on my scalp and then really focusing on using the Minoxidil on top of where I usually have my hair on.


So it’s all just on the top, all the sides and the back. That’s all natural.


Kevin Rolston [00:19:21]:
Yeah, you have one, the left side of your head is shaved up to the hairline and then the hair flips over. People aren’t able to visualize this right now, but it’s long, it’s thick, there’s no indication of any kind of hair issues whatsoever.


Dan Medeiros [00:19:34]:
No, and that’s the thing, and it’s just so simple and it’s such an easy process. Like I was able to get my hair on today completely, you know, all done within no more than half an hour. It was so quick, so easy.


And then I said in between that, I do all the EXT stuff. And even while I’m wearing my hair, I mean, I still have access to the sides and the back. And I mean, so I still massage the Minoxidil into the scalp here because when I just started wearing the hair and I wasn’t using EXT, you know, all of this was on the sides and the back.


It was thinning out as well, it wasn’t as thick anymore. So what if I started to grow it out, you know, you can still see through to the scalp. Now I do, I work with a group in Iowa called the Iowa League of Heroes.


We dress up as superheroes, we go visit the kids in the sick kids’ hospitals, we do all sorts of events. And I dress up as Superman and, you know, so I grow it out, you know, and it can’t, Superman can’t have patchy, thin hair. So I started noticing it was getting thin, so I’m like, I really need to get back on the EXT again.


So I got back on the EXT program and all of a sudden I started growing, it started growing all thick again. So I was able to grow it out and then it was like, oh my gosh, you know, now it’s, I can actually have this longer and it’s consistent from the top to the sides. I don’t wanna have thick hair up top here and then thin hair here on the back.


I don’t wanna have my system to continue, you know, to have my system be made longer and, you know, I don’t wanna be wearing hair that completely takes all of my scalp. I want my own hair as well. Wearing this helps take care of what I can’t fully grow out yet.


And then the EXT is helping to rebuild what I have underneath here as well as the sides and the back. So being able to grow my own hair out and also get the thick, luscious hair that is me, which this is me, this is, I’m able to have both. So I don’t want to, I don’t want my system, my X-Strands to, you know, again, to go from just this to all of this as well.


I don’t wanna wear a whole head system. That’s, and so the EXT helps mitigate that and it helps me actually regrow my hair. And with today’s technologies, and it’s getting even better, I mean, there’s Finasteride and all these other new combinations with Minoxidil, which HairClub’s gonna be jumping into very, very, very shortly.


Finasteride is almost like that second piece of the puzzle that Minoxidil needs to really, to almost double if not triple the growth and the speed at which you see growth.


Kevin Rolston [00:22:07]:
Yeah, Finasteride is an amazing product and really what that does is, you know, you were talking earlier about the DHT and how that hormone chokes off the hair follicle and Finasteride, it really just blocks that so you don’t have that issue. And if you’re intense, 10% of people still need something else and there’s Dutasteride. Dutasteride, and that’s another one too.


Right, that I’ve learned that is, you know, look, Finasteride’s not effective and that’s what happened to me where I, you have a different approach than me because I’m an Xtrands+ or the hair system kind of person and I love the fact that you are still pursuing really good scalp health and the fact that you’re using EXT and I’ve given up on the Finasteride because I thought, well, you know what, I’m gonna be Xtrands+, that’s just gonna be it. But now that I found out about Dutasteride, I know about EXT, I myself am considering saying, okay, well let’s just see if I can’t maybe kickstart the old scalp health and go back at it.


So by doing this HairPod, I’ve learned a lot about my own hair health and where I might go. So you’re kind of an inspiration to me and I would assume for you, the goal would be to try to work on your own scalp health and use the EXT and things like Finasteride, Dutasteride, and maybe who knows, that one day you would be able to go without a hair system or Xtrands+ and just have great scalp health because of HairClub.


Dan Medeiros [00:23:32]:
Exactly, exactly, you know, I would love to have that eventually and rediscovering my own scalp and my own hair is huge and as with time, the technologies are only gonna get better, the advancements and everything. So as I get older, I would love to eventually not have to wear hair and just be sporting my own. That is the end goal but in the meantime, I mean, I get to see myself every day, I get to present myself properly every single day while at the same time, I’m working on me and with my scalp issue that I do have, I mean, that’s for life.


Unfortunately, it’s for life so I have to keep up with that. As I get stressed out, you know, it starts to rear its, again, rears its ugly head again. So I have to continue to work on that, I have to continue to work on my diet and yeah, I just, I feel like, you know, it wasn’t, just wearing hair wasn’t enough and we started doing it at my center and then as more clients started to see the results, my results, all of a sudden they were like, oh my gosh, and just like yourself, you’re like, this is amazing, I should do this too, I would love to see what I can do as well and we’ve got so many clients now at my center who are on it, there’s clients all across, you know, the US that are jumping on this too, more centers are jumping on the doing both and I think it, I hope it continues to grow, I hope more and more people start to understand this, I hope this podcast helps a lot people realize, you know, you can do both, you can find success in both and this is what I’m trying to promote, so, you know, whatever options are out there for you to help regrow, clean your scalp, you should really jump on it, you know, it’s the Minoxidil, Finasteride, the laser comb, you know, taking the vitamins, whatever you can get your hands on to help boost that, go for it, honestly, it’s only gonna help.


Kevin Rolston [00:25:59]:
Talking to Dan is always inspiring, his overall focus is on his wellness, his scalp health, maintaining a great diet and keeping his stress levels down to combat his psoriasis and I think it’s great that Dan is sharing his story so that more people know that they can take their hair and scalp health seriously while still having the look that they want in the meantime, like Dan does with his own hair system.


He’s the first guest we’ve talked to on this show to use both EXT and Xtrands+ and maybe that’s because most people wouldn’t even know that it’s possible to use both of them at the same time. We wanna thank Dan as always for being an incredible guest and sharing his journey with the world so that more people can get the help and the hair that they want. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who’ve been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app.


Thanks for listening to another episode of HairPod. Check us out at HairClub on Instagram or search HairPod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone that could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you’d share it with them.


If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Just check it out by going to podcast.hairclub.com.


We’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you.


Until next time.

			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
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								Thankful for Effective Hair Loss Solutions							
					
															
Thankful for Effective Hair Loss Solutions

					
					
 by  | Nov 26, 2024 | Episode

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Episode 40


Thankful for Effective Hair Loss Solutions

			

				
				
				
				
				Thankful for Effective Hair Loss Solutions With Kevin Rolston
			

				
				
				
				
				

			

				
				
				
				
				
In this episode of HairPod, we’re celebrating the season of gratitude with five inspiring stories about hair loss. Hair loss can happen for many reasons, but the important thing to remember is that there is always a way forward—that’s right, there’s a solution out there for everyone. 


Trying a Hair Loss Solution


Hair systems are a widespread solution for hair loss, but not everyone knows exactly how they work. Tyler was one guest who wasn’t sure a hair system was right for him until his mom gave him a gentle nudge to give it a shot. After all, what did he have to lose? After receiving his system and wearing it home for the first time, Tyler knew this was his path forward. It’s worth noting, however, that not all systems are created equal! Tyler got his system from HairClub, where he worked with an experienced stylist to get a style and material that looked and felt great and worked with his active lifestyle. To hear more of Tyler’s story, check out his full episode!


Childhood Hair Loss 


Hair loss isn’t easy for anyone, least of all children. Abby’s rare condition created a large scar on her scalp, and a large percentage of her hair never grew in. Growing up without hair wasn’t easy; Abby’s parents tried hats and wigs, but they didn’t allow Abby to live a normal life and fit in with the other kids. When Abby’s mom discovered HairClub, the team worked with Abby’s unique situation to help her find the perfect solution that allowed Abby to play, swim, and dance, just like any other girl. Now that Abby is 24 years old, she is a 20-year client of HairClub and exudes nothing but confidence. She shares her story openly and hopes she can help kids and parents who are going through a similar situation. For more from Abby, check out her full episode!




New Technologies for Hair Loss


Technology for hair loss solutions have come a long way in the last few decades. Christopher came on the show to share his experience losing his hair starting in his 20s. He tried multiple solutions but wasn’t getting the results he was after, and part of the problem was he wasn’t aware of all of the options available to him (at first). Christopher is an expert in the beauty industry, and he shares how men aren’t encouraged by society to make changes to their appearance, even if they want to. But, according to him, that is starting to change. The younger generations are more comfortable seeking out different hair loss solutions, and it doesn’t hurt that the technology has improved, too. For more insights from Christopher, check out his full episode!


Chemotherapy and Hair Loss


After recovering from her cancer, Carol had a new challenge to face – the hair loss caused by her chemotherapy treatments. Hair loss made Carol, an extrovert, want to hide from others. All she wanted was to return to her normal life, but her loss of confidence kept that from happening. Carol tells the story of the first day that she wore her new hair from HairClub. This was the moment when she finally felt like herself again and her life resumed. To hear more of Carol’s inspiring story, check out her full episode!


How Getting Your Hair Loss Helps Confidence


Our last story came from Jeff ElZenny. He began losing his hair in high school, and that meant feeling awkward in his prom pictures and at graduation. He felt like he looked so much older than he actually was, and he became a recluse. When he finally got his hair back, he felt like his outgoing, fun-loving personality came back with it. This confidence boost allowed him to enjoy his 20s to the fullest, never worrying about his appearance. To hear more of Jeff’s journey from HairClub client to part of the team, listen to his full episode!


Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance.
Book a free consultation with HairClub Today!


Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Episode.40 Transcript

				
Christopher Erstner [00:00:02]:
So, like, I think that's part of the issues that men have is, like, I want to be attractive, and I want people attracted to me. And then, you know, we make the world go round, right? But in terms of, like, society changing their ideas about that, it really hasn't changed, because at least from my perspective, men were just. They kind of have the world on a string, right? I'd like to look a certain way. The world completely changed in a different way, and people are just like, you know what? I'm just gonna live life the way I want to live. And if that means that I have to admit to one or two things, I am going to seek help for hair loss. Or I'm not. It's one or the other. I gotta be me.

Tyler Morehead [00:00:56]:
Welcome to HairPod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I'm your host, Kevin Rolston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. This week, we are feeling the holiday spirit for those of us in the United States. Hopefully, we are all taking the time to think about gratitude for the things in life that bring us joy. I'm very happy for my hair, my family, my kids, football, you know, the things that really matter. And I'm thankful that I get to host the HairPod. Not only do I feel like I get to help people out who are looking for hair solutions like I have always been my entire life, but I'm learning a lot about hair loss myself, and I'm starting to apply some of the things I've learned right here on the HairPod.

Tyler Morehead [00:01:52]:
And I'm thankful that you're listening. Thank you so much. As we enter into the season of gratitude, we want to revisit some of our most inspiring conversations with guests who have shared their stories with us, from the challenges they experienced to the joy that they felt when they finally got their hair back. If you've been watching your hair get thinner and you're feeling a little bit down about it, we hope these amazing guests can show you that there are options out there. And, hey, maybe someday you're going to be sharing your own hair journey with others and helping them out too. Our first clip is from Tyler Morehead. Yeah, great name for a guy losing your hair. Tyler is a filmmaker and an outdoor enthusiast.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:34]:
He came on the show to share his story with us. Starting all the way Back when he first began to notice a little extra hair coming out in the shower.

Tyler Morehead [00:02:46]:
I think I kind of started noticing somewhere around, it was early 20s, say maybe somewhere around 23, 24. I was living in New York at the time, in New York City, and I just started noticing hair on the bottom of the shower when I got done, you know, showering. And at first I didn't really think that much of it, but it seemed like it was just getting more and more. So it took a little while for me to physically notice that was happening. But yeah, it just kind of crept in one night and that's, that's what it was.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:14]:
What age were you when you finally tried to do something about it? What were the first steps you took?

Tyler Morehead [00:03:20]:
Let's see, what would I have been about 30? I was in my mid-30s at that point and you know, I lived in, worked in, in la. I was. Filmmaking is really was what I wanted to do. And so I'd go on these sets and I had hair and makeup artists that would always say, oh, you should try this stuff. And there's all kinds of little things you can put in your hair to make it look a little thicker. And I was doing them all, you know, I was trying them all. But I think by the time I hit my mid-30s, I kind of started getting tired of doing that and it just seemed to be getting a little bit harder and harder to do that too. And you know, I have to credit my mom on that one.

Tyler Morehead [00:03:53]:
One day she said, hey, you know, why don't you check out no hair club?

Kevin Rolston [00:04:00]:
Like many people, Tyler had reservations about trying a new hair loss solution. He wasn't sure what to expect. And even when he went in for his consultation, he wasn't sure which direction to go. He didn't want to pursue a surgical option and he wasn't sure how the non surgical options would look. Thankfully, his biggest cheerleader, his mom, convinced him to give it a try. After all, if he wasn't happy with the result, after all, if he wasn't happy with the result, he could always go back to the way things were. So he had really nothing to lose. After Tyler tried a hair system for the very first time, his decision was made.

Tyler Morehead [00:04:42]:
You know, I, it sounds so cliche, but I really remember that, that moment vividly actually, because initially, you know, they, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I saved the picture. They took a picture of me before and one right after. But I'll never forget, they didn't let me look in the mirror until it was done. They said, don't do it. Just let us do what we need to do. You look at it when you're done, and if you want to keep it, you're good. Well, when they wheeled me around in the chair, they swung it around, and I saw myself in the mirror. I made the joke to myself, and this is a farm kid thing.

Tyler Morehead [00:05:15]:
Like, we don't speak up too much about much. But I remember thinking to myself, oh, there's that guy. I haven't seen him in forever. And it was just a really great feeling. And when I left there, I'll never forget, too, I had a big dog at the time. I had an Akita. She had been in the house all day long. So I.

Tyler Morehead [00:05:33]:
When I got done at Hair Club that day, I went home to walk her, to let her out and let her do her thing. And I remember walking her, you know, around the area where I live, and it just felt great. I didn't have to wear a hat. I didn't have to worry about all the hair junk in my hair. I mean, it was just one of the most amazing things. I just. To this day, I still remember how it feels.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:53]:
You used to do some modeling too, is that right?

Tyler Morehead [00:05:55]:
I did. That was back in my younger years when I still had my good looks or whatever looks I did have.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:02]:
So when you see yourself, you're in an industry where, you know, everything is your image and your appearance. Did you feel a little bit of that same kind of confidence you used to have as the younger model, Tyler?

Tyler Morehead [00:06:15]:
Honestly, yeah, I had it all. I mean, I had all that confidence back. I mean, it was pretty wild, you know, and at the same time, there was always a little bit of trepidation, too, because I knew what I had done, and I always wondered how many other people knew. And, you know, I think going back to what you said earlier, fewer people, I think, have recognized it or seen it or even asked me about it.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:36]:
Yeah.

Tyler Morehead [00:06:36]:
Than I thought would.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:42]:
Tyler's experience is a great reminder that the first and most important thing you need to consider when choosing a hair loss solution is to focus on how it makes you feel. Tyler felt his confidence come back, and he saw that guy in the mirror that he hadn't seen in a while. And this is the experience of so many guests that we talk to here on the HairPod. Hair loss can be an emotional thing. It can cause a lot of discomfort or anxiety. For many people, hair is tied to their sense of self identity and maybe most importantly, their confidence. And Tyler was no exception. Our next guest story is unique in that she was born with a rare condition that caused her hair loss at birth.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:23]:
Abby Jensen was diagnosed with amniotic band syndrome. This condition caused scarring on her scalp, and a lot of her hair never came in. Things could have gone very differently for her if her mother hadn't found Hair Club for Kids when Abby was just 4 years old.

Abby Jensen [00:07:47]:
I was 4 years old when I started a hair club. So my mom was very on the ball of, like, I don't want her to go to school without hair. So we started with. I forget the organization, but there was one that wouldn't help me because I didn't have cancer. And then my mom found Hair Club for Men, because back then it was just called For Men. There was really nothing else. And I would have to ask my mom who the directors or the people in charge were, but she found them, and they kind of were like, okay, let's meet with her. Let's see what we can do.

Abby Jensen [00:08:16]:
So they met with me and my parents, and I've been a client now for 20 years, and they.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:20]:
Wow.

Abby Jensen [00:08:21]:
Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:22]:
20 years.

Abby Jensen [00:08:23]:
20 years.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:25]:
That is crazy.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:26]:
Tell me a little bit about your journey.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:28]:
You started when you were four with Hair. You talked about, you know, the different.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:32]:
Wigs that they have, and they have an amazing. I mean, the. The technology and the advancement of wigs. And you can speak to this more than I can. Have you seen just the technology and how it's changed from when you were four until what you can see now?

Abby Jensen [00:08:45]:
Oh, yeah. So I remember my first wig was one I could put on and take off. So my parents had, like, a little head that we would put my hair on. We would go out in public, and then I'd go home and they would take it off and I'd be without it. And then my mom slowly realized that this was not sustainable for, I mean, a kid, like, running around, like, swimming and dancing and stuff. So we got into. They came up. Well, I'm.

Abby Jensen [00:09:07]:
I'm sure I was not the first person to do this, but they had me start using a hair piece that I could glue onto my head. So they used, like, a poly fuse kind of solution in the back of my head because it's less sensitive. So I tape in the front and glue in the back for a long time. And they. I was able to swim, I could dance, I could run, I could shower, I could straighten it if I wanted to, like, add heat products and stuff. So that was, I mean, huge. It allowed me to be normal, like my Friends and, like, my parents and everyone else I knew. So that was.

Abby Jensen [00:09:38]:
I mean, just huge in itself to be able to have the hairpiece. I mean, it just. It saved me, honestly. Like, I can be normal. I can look normal. And you wouldn't know that I wear a wig unless you asked. And I used to be so hidden about it.

Christopher Erstner [00:09:52]:
I.

Abby Jensen [00:09:52]:
Like, if people would tell me, oh, like, I heard this, I. Whatever. And I was just like, no, like, that's not true. Like, my hair is real. I used to hide it. Actually, I'm 24 now, so I've gotten to the point where I can share it. I tell my friends. I mean, I've only just recently started taking my hair off every so often, so I can kind of get used to washing my head on my own, because that was something I could never do to be able to share with my friends and family.

Abby Jensen [00:10:15]:
It was a. I mean, a big thing for. I even come to work now with a scarf on, and that's pretty big, too.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:20]:
So what are the reactions you get?

Kevin Rolston [00:10:21]:
What do people say?

Abby Jensen [00:10:23]:
And, well, now they love it. I mean, yeah, I tell people now and they're like, wow, Like, I can't believe. Like, I mean, you go through that. I can't believe you deal with this. I can't believe you can talk about it so freely. I mean, that's. It's huge to be able to say to people like, oh, this is what I deal with. This is what I have.

Abby Jensen [00:10:39]:
And to show people. I think it's. When I was younger, I wanted someone to look up to, and I didn't have that. I didn't have somebody that looked like me or that, like, had something similar to me. So it was. It was hard. I mean, honestly, it was very tough. But now I can be like, this is who I am.

Abby Jensen [00:10:54]:
It's not going anywhere. I can't change it. I can just embrace it. And I think that's kind of where I'm at is too. I can show my friends, I can show my family. I can be open to strangers about, like, my hair situation and everything. So I think it's a big growth mindset, but also just like an acceptance factor is it's okay to be different. It's okay to have something different than other people.

Abby Jensen [00:11:16]:
And that's the biggest lesson I've learned.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:22]:
Thanks to the efforts of her mom when she was little, Abby got to have a normal childhood and do everything she wanted to do without feeling singled out. Her incredible confidence and openness have brought her to the point where she now can be a role model to kids who are going through what she went through as a kid, and that is a testament to her growth and strength. She's not the only one who's experienced some growth when it comes to being open about their hair loss. Our society as a whole is starting to change and treat hair loss differently. Part of HairPod's mission is to talk openly about hair loss journeys of all kinds, and to share the challenges and the triumphs that touch everybody's life at some point or another. One of our most popular episodes of all time featured an interview with Christopher Erstner, a beauty expert and the founder of a cosmetics brand. We talked about his experience with hair loss and the changes he sees in society when it comes to men and the options that we have for changing our appearance.

Christopher Erstner [00:12:28]:
I think the first thing I did was, like, I didn't want to be that guy that was like, bozo, honestly, where it was just like, hair, and then so I just shaved it off. And then I got really comfortable with wearing hats. Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:40]:
Okay, so you had. You went with no hair at all, then you decided to take the whole thing off?

Christopher Erstner [00:12:45]:
Yeah, absolutely. I figured that if I wasn't going to be able to do it right or look right, I was just going to get rid of it. And so I own probably every single coach hat that they've ever made. And I just kind of went along with that. Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:59]:
How do you think that made you feel? Because I was almost there. That was the last step before I walked into hair club and got my system was I thought I was going to shave the whole thing, but then I started to realize, to me, I look 15 to 20 years older when I don't have hair. How do you feel like you looked without hair?

Christopher Erstner [00:13:17]:
Same. I mean, of course, you keep it together with the hat. Right. So you want to try to keep it cool and fun with the hat, but there's only so much you could do. Like my sister's wedding. I'm not going to wear a hat walking her down the aisle. But I'm not going to lie. I would have totally done so if she would have let me, I sincerely would have done it.

Christopher Erstner [00:13:36]:
She wasn't, you know, she wasn't about that life. But, you know, you do what you got to do, you know? And enough about men do not have that space in the beauty world to have the ability to say, I don't like this, and I'd like to change it without having some type of, like, Joan Rivers complex, like, you know, with, like, the plastic Surgery. Well, maybe she went a little too far, but that's what she did for herself. We should let people alone. Men are just. And even she gets let off the hook and let you know, you got Kenny Rogers situation where it's like, oh my God, it's a little too much. And then you get talked about forever. And your legacy is to be an amp, you know what I mean? So you kind of have to be cognizant of that.

Christopher Erstner [00:14:17]:
But I think that it's getting better, obviously, social media, and there's so many forms of social media now that you really can't get away from the algorithm. And so at some point you're going to come across it if it's something that you're looking for.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:32]:
I think, yeah, tell me a little bit about. Because, you know, I think that is a big hang up for a lot of guys. It seems like in our society it's much more acceptable, or at least it was, that women would go out and seek beauty type treatments. But men, we take whatever life gives us and we don't really do that kind of stuff. And you talk about your own struggles with that because I think it is. You have to come to a place where you get comfortable. And now I have no problem talking about anything that I've done with hair Club. Very open about it, but it probably was something that either happened in society or my age.

Kevin Rolston [00:15:07]:
What do you think it was for you? Is it something that you get more comfortable with as you get older? Or do you think that societal perceptions about men and hair loss and the treatments that they have are different?

Christopher Erstner [00:15:17]:
I don't think that the society has changed on hair loss in regards to like the sexual capability or compatibility really of what men are to women. Right. So like, I think that's part of the issues that men have is like, I want to be, you know, attractive and I want people attracted to me. And then, you know, we make the world go round. Right. But in terms of like society changing their ideas about that, it really hasn't changed because at least from my perspective, you have, you know, our parents and then their parents, men were just, they kind of have the world on a string, right? And women were meant, were supposed to be like very well kept and you gotta wait for your husband to come home. So you have that very chauvinistic kind of attitude that they didn't realize was chauvinistic until years later. But.

Christopher Erstner [00:16:08]:
And those things have changed since, you know, the women's movement in the 70s and then the 80s were just like, you Know, one big party and then, you know, the 90s is, I think, what people started understanding. Like, I'd like to look a certain way and given the room to do so. And then you got to 2000s where things are just not the same anymore. And then pre Covid or post Covid now I think that the world completely changed in a different way, and people are just like, you know what? I'm just going to live life the way I want to live. And if that means that I have to admit to one or two things, I am going to seek help for hair loss. Or I'm not. It's one or the other. I gotta be me.

Christopher Erstner [00:16:47]:
And I think that more younger men are certainly happier with the options than I think that we were when we were kids, for sure.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:59]:
It's amazing how as our society changes and technology improves, there are happy endings in sight for more and more people who are looking to get their hair back. Nowadays, no matter why you lost your hair, there is an option out there that will work for you and give you the results that you want. The hard part could be finding the perfect match for you. Our next guest, Carol, found her perfect match after her cancer diagnosis and intense rounds of chemotherapy that took her hair from her. Thankfully, her cancer went into remission, and she was able to return to her life and career with a clean bill of health. But she still had to deal with the fact that her hair didn't come back in and she didn't feel like herself without him. She lost her extroverted personality and she began turning down opportunities at work. That was before a woman at a survivor support group told her about hair.

Carol Combs [00:17:57]:
I'll never forget the day. It was May 25, 1995, and I had a big retirement party that I had put on for somebody who had worked for the company for 40, and there were going to be over 300 people there, so. And I went with. With my new hair, and I was like my old self. I just. Nobody looked at me differently. People were like, oh, did you get a perm? Your hair looks so great. And I mean, in that moment, I just was so much joy.

Carol Combs [00:18:29]:
I mean, I thought, wow.

Abby Jensen [00:18:32]:
Look what.

Carol Combs [00:18:33]:
Hair club has done for me.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:36]:
It's. It's life changing. That's amazing to feel like that, to.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:39]:
Feel like yourself again. Did you feel like this was kind of the moment where you felt the victory over cancer? You felt like the old Carol was back and that you had nothing but life to live?

Carol Combs [00:18:50]:
Absolutely. I mean, I was done with treatments at that point and wasn't real sure, you know, how was it going to navigate back into my social life and all that and meeting that girl and going to hair club, seeing that it's all now possible, that was huge.

Kevin Rolston [00:19:13]:
Journeys like Carol's show, the incredible power of investing in yourself and doing whatever it it takes to get your life back. And I think the beautiful thing about these stories, as diverse as they are, they all come down to that. It's about listening to yourself and looking for the solution that is right for you. I was a person who realized at the age of 25 that I was starting to lose my hair. And looking back at the genetics of my family through my dad, my maternal grandfather, I knew I was probably doomed to have the same hairline that they did, which was pretty much non existent except for the sides. So at that age, I sought out help and treatment and I did some things that really slowed down my hair loss. But 15 to 20 years later, those measures just weren't as effective as they had been. And I knew I had to take a different step.

Kevin Rolston [00:20:04]:
I was getting to the point where it looked like I was really faking it. I'm getting like comb over guy kind of syndrome or just patchy baldness. It looked like I had some form of mange. It just wasn't how I wanted to look. I knew I had to do something. So I had two options. I thought, either you can go on ahead and just shave it all off, or you can go with a place like Hair Club. But like a lot of people that had seen the TV commercials, I was skeptical.

Kevin Rolston [00:20:27]:
Plus, for me, there was a stigma that I just kind of grew up with as a child. In the 80s, we're getting a different kind of hair, a toupee, whatever you want to call it, just really wasn't trendy and it's not where I wanted to go. But a problem for me, unlike a lot of guys, I do not look good without hair. So I set up an appointment to go to the Hair Club. And you know what, I didn't go. I thought, you know, no, no, no, this is not for me. Then I took another look in the mirror. I got off the clippers and I got close.

Kevin Rolston [00:20:55]:
But I said, you know what, just go sit down with Hair Club and see what they have to say. What they told me about a hair system blew my mind. I was going to have real human hair on my head. It was going to look natural. Strangers could run their hair through it and they wouldn't know that I had anything but my own natural hair. I Could be active in it. I could go swimming, bungee jumping, canoeing, whatever, and I was going to be okay. So I took the leap, and the results were absolutely amazing.

Kevin Rolston [00:21:24]:
And now, for over seven years now, I have been a member of the hair club. And let me tell you, it has changed my life dramatically. I look 15 years younger. I look a lot more attractive than I would without hair. I know, and my wife loves it, and that's really what matters. Plus, being in the public eye like I am, I was able to maintain my confidence. And for anybody, even if you're not in the media, it's a pretty big deal. That's why I want people to know about hair cloth, because I want you to have the same kind of great feelings that I do.

Kevin Rolston [00:21:54]:
Okay, we got one last clip for you today, and it comes from Jeff Elzeni. He's been working for Hair Club for many years now, and he truly believes in the product, not just because he knows it can make a difference, but because he uses it himself. Jeff's story, like the others that you've heard today, is one of triumph. Finding your confidence in living the life that you really want to live.

Jeff ElZenny [00:22:21]:
So I started losing my hair when I was a junior in high school. And, you know, the problem with that was I looked so much older than I was, you know, 17 years old. Looked like I was going on 30 at that point. It was crazy. By the time I graduated high school, I looked like I was in my late 30s, almost 40, you know, so it was a major, major hit to the ego. You know, you know me as this outgoing guy, and, you know, I'm always out and talkative and, you know, really just kind of living my best life. Right. When I went through that, I became a recluse.

Jeff ElZenny [00:22:51]:
I didn't want the attention. I didn't want people to call me out on it. So I figured it would just be easier for me to not be in those environments, so I stayed away from it. That's really where the story started. At 21 years old, I was dating a hairdresser, and we had a conversation, and she said, hey, there's this guy that comes into my place, and he's a member, and he looks really good, and maybe you should look into that. So at that point, I did ended up becoming a member not too long after, you know, and getting my hair back. And, man, you know, like I said earlier, it was a life changer. Not only did it make me look younger, feel better, it gave me me back.

Jeff ElZenny [00:23:26]:
It gave me my life back. You know.

Kevin Rolston [00:23:28]:
Yeah.

Jeff ElZenny [00:23:29]:
So, you know, all of that stuff, and then in the future, obviously, you know, she wasn't the one. So dating and being out there again and being single and living, you know, living that life, it was a game changer because you have your confidence. I wasn't worried about, you know, I looked older than I felt and all that stuff. I felt younger. You know, I had a cool hairstyle. I able to, you know, working out and all that stuff. So it was. It was a big change, you know, and then for me, about a year and a half into it, you know, I became an employee.

Jeff ElZenny [00:23:55]:
So I started working with a company, and really meeting with people was a. It was a mission of mine to be able to help people make the changes that I made. But that was really important to me. And, you know, I won't take anything away from what I did in my prior years, but a lot of people, you know, whenever I'm, I'm told to, like, say, tell me something that nobody knows about you. Well, I'm a licensed electrician, so that's what I went to school to be. Yeah, that's what I did before I got involved in. Yeah, man. So, you know, one of the jokes that I tell my friends that are like, why do you do what you do? It's, you know, it's just a crazy field to be in.

Jeff ElZenny [00:24:25]:
Well, my joke is nobody remembers who put the light switch in your house. Right. But everybody remembers who helped them get their hair back and who helped them change their life. Right. So it's. To me, it was more of a meaningful move because I know what it did for me personally, and I wanted to be able to help other people go through that themselves.

Kevin Rolston [00:24:46]:
We want to thank all of our incredible guests for coming on the show and opening up about their hair loss. If you're going through hair loss right now, you might know how hard it is to do. And if you're someone who is currently supporting a friend or family member who is losing their hair, you probably see it, too. HairPod would not be possible without people who are willing to share their stories in hopes that their experiences can help others. And we want to thank you for listening to this. You are helping us break the stigma surrounding hair loss by educating yourself and sharing with others one story at a time. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of hairpod.

Kevin Rolston [00:25:33]:
Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or Search Hairpod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them. If you're enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcasts.hairclub.com we're here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

			

			

				
				
				
				
			

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
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								Importance of Early Hair Loss Detection							
					
															
Importance of Early Hair Loss Detection

					
					
 by  | Jul 23, 2024 | Episode

				
				
				
				
				
				
				

				

				
				
				
				
				

				
				
				
				
				
Episode 22


Importance of Early Hair Loss Detection

			

				
				
				
				
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If you are starting to wonder if you should be concerned about your hair loss, this episode will give you some helpful insights into identifying hair loss early on and what you can do about it.  In this episode of HairPod, our host Kevin Rolston delves into the early indicators of hair loss. Highlighting personal experiences and expert insights, Kevin discusses how subtle changes in hairline, volume, and scalp visibility can signal the onset of hair loss. Emphasizing the importance of early detection, he encourages listeners to take action to preserve hair health by exploring effective treatment options and professional advice early on.


 


Indicators and Methods for Monitoring: Finding the Best Hair Treatment for Hair Loss


Hair loss can greatly impact our lives and feelings of self-confidence, knowing what to look for early on can help those dealing with hair loss to have a plan, enabling them to address hair loss head-on. Offering practical advice, Kevin discusses strategies for managing hair loss effectively. From comparing photographs to monitoring shedding, changes in texture, and scalp health, he guides listeners in identifying the earliest signs of hair loss. By discussing advancements in hair loss treatments and technologies, Kevin inspires hope and optimism for those seeking solutions tailored to their specific needs.


 


Seeking Hair Loss Treatments Early On: Is It Time to See a Trichologist?


Kevin shares personal reflections and insights on the emotional aspects of experiencing hair loss while also offering specific examples of what hair loss looks like in the earlier stages. Drawing from his journey and those of previous HairPod guests, he explores the insecurities and challenges individuals often face when they begin confronting hair loss. By normalizing these feelings and discussing ways to seek support, Kevin aims to empower listeners to address their concerns openly and seek professional guidance with confidence.


 


Know Your Options: Hair Restoration, Hair Transplants, Hair Loss Therapy




Being aware of the early indicators of hair loss allows those experiencing it to find a suitable solution or discover an underlying health issue, ideally allowing them to restore their hair and their confidence without years of painstaking self-questioning and solution seeking! Kevin emphasizes the importance of community and support for individuals navigating hair loss. He encourages listeners to engage with HairPod’s platform and social media channels to continue the conversation, share experiences, and access valuable resources. By fostering a supportive environment, Kevin aims to empower listeners to take proactive steps toward managing their hair loss journey.


 


Empowering Resources


As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance. Book a Free consultation with HairClub Today!


Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

			

				
				
				
				
				
Episode.22 Transcript

				
Kevin Rolston [00:00:04]:


A lot of feelings naturally come up when we face hair loss, and many are resistant to openly acknowledging it from the beginning. One thing that seems consistent across the board for most people is how hair loss impacts them emotionally. And I know that as well as anyone. When I went through it myself, I didn’t want to be baldem. Welcome to Hairpod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Ralston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. For this week’s episode, I want to do something a little bit different.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:01:01]:


We’ve talked about so many unique hair stories and heard about how our guests have dealt with that initial period of hair loss. Some went into denial, others panicked, and some retreated into their shell. Some people, like me, started trying every solution we could think of, trying to find the one that works best for our situations. Today, I want to talk to you about the early signs of hair loss, because as different as our stories are, I think one thing a lot of our guests have in common is that they wish they acted upon their hair loss a lot sooner. Many people spend so much time in that stage of hair loss where they think they’re just experiencing normal daily shedding and end up letting their hair loss get so aggressive that they lose more hair than they actually needed to. Today, I want to empower you to take action in the early stages of hair loss, because it’s not always a lost cause of. Sometimes people can slow it down dramatically, and some even experience regrowth. So let’s dive into some important indicators that might be able to tell you if you’re losing more hair than you’re regrowing.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:02:09]:


So let’s get right into it. The first thing you’re going to want to look for are changes in your hairline. These changes can happen slowly over time, so they can really sneak up on you. For men, the frontal hairline is usually the first to change. Women, on the other hand, might start to notice hair loss. Overall, the steady transition to an m or v shape along the hairline is quite common with aging and is a clear sign of hair loss. Your hairline might already have this shape, but if it starts to become more prominent, it is evidence that your hairline is receding. Believe it or not, I first noticed my hair loss in a picture somebody took of me, and it was quite a shock, let me tell you.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:02:50]:


Even though I knew I was going to go bald eventually from seeing pictures of my dad and grandfather all throughout my childhood, I still wasn’t really monitoring whether I was losing my hair at the time. If I had been, I probably would have noticed sooner. For me, it was a bald spot right in the back middle part of my head, and there was no questioning the evidence. I was definitely balding. It was horrifying. Now, it’s not always obvious, but you might be starting to notice a loss of volume and thickness in photos, just like me. But don’t panic. Just because you’re experiencing hair loss now doesn’t mean you’ll continue to.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:03:26]:


Plus, if you do continue to lose hair, the options for treatment and the technologies available for those experiencing hair loss are only getting better as time goes on. Plus, if you do continue to lose hair, the options for treatment and the technologies available for those experiencing hair loss are only getting better as time goes on. Because hair loss can sometimes be very gradual, it can be hard to tell if you’re losing hair or just imagining it. Comparing new and older photos is a great way to actually figure out if you’re noticeably losing hair. If you want to be more scientific about it lighting, make sure your hair is dry. And remember, lighting is key because fluorescent lighting or wet hair can make your hair look thinner than it really is. If two photos taken several months to a year apart show significant differences in hair volume, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re experiencing hair loss. Another early sign to watch for is excessive shedding.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:04:25]:


Shedding is normal, and it’s estimated that we lose around 50 to 100 hairs a day on average. But if you’re noticing more hair than usual in your tub or shower, it might be time to take a little bit of a closer look. You can check your shower drain and hairbrush regularly to gauge the amount of hair you’re losing. Now, keep in mind that if you have long hair, it’s easier to see the shed strands, which can make it seem like you’re losing more hair than you actually are. However, if the amount of hair you find continues to increase, then you’re losing more hair than you’re regrowing, and it might be time to look to seek professional guidance from your doctor or a hair specialist. If you’re someone who styles your hair the same way on a regular basis, and you’re starting to notice that styling your hair is becoming increasingly difficult, this could be yet another early sign of hair loss. Now, just because you have one bad hair a day. It doesnt necessarily mean that your hair is thinning, but if your go to hairstyle isnt looking quite the same, or if its just taking more time and product to achieve the same look, it might be worth taking a look at your scalp health.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:05:29]:


You can compare your current styling efforts with past experiences to see if its your methods or your hair thats actually changing. If you have a long term hairstylist, you can actually ask them if theyve noticed any changes. Often they have a pretty keen eye for subtle differences in hair thickness and volume. Scalp visibility is probably the main indicator for most people. If you tilt your head down or you use a handheld mirror to check the top of your head, you might notice more scalp showing through your hair. Now this is true for men and women and is a common early indication of hair thinning or the beginnings of a bald spot. More scalp visibility can suggest a general thinning of the hair or specific areas where hair loss is more pronounced. If you’re getting sunburns on your scalp more frequently or noticing your part getting wider and wider, it is a clear sign that you are starting to lose some hair.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:06:28]:


It’s important to remember that signs of hair loss can vary greatly depending upon the type and the cause. Aging, hormonal change and autoimmune conditions such as alopecia areata can cause hair loss. And in each instance, hair loss is going to look a little bit different. Again, dont panic. Just because youre experiencing hair loss now doesnt mean youll continue to. Plus, if you do continue to lose hair, the options for treatment and the technologies available for those experiencing hair loss are only getting better as time goes on. A lot of feelings naturally come up when we face hair loss, and many are resistant to openly acknowledging it from the beginning. One thing that seems consistent across the board for most people is how hair loss impacts them emotionally.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:07:17]:


And I know that as well as anyone. When I went through it myself, I didn’t want to be bald. It’s totally normal to feel insecure about bringing up your hair loss to anyone else, whether it’s a trusted friend or a professional in the industry. The great thing about recognizing signs early on is that you can look for solutions and connect with knowledgeable people to figure out what’s right for you. If you seek help from a trusted professional, you may discover that your hair loss can be slowed down or even reversed. And even if that’s not in the cards for you, there are probably more options out there than you’re even aware of. Spotting hair loss early allows you to seek advice from a doctor to rule out medical concerns and a hair specialist to come up with a plan. Maybe your hair loss is from aging, or maybe it’s an underlying condition or deficiency.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:08:06]:


Whatever the cause may be, the first step towards a solution is accepting that you are losing your hair. And once you’ve done that, you can get the help you need and get on track to getting your hair back. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them. If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast dot hairclub.com.


 


Kevin Rolston [00:08:47]:


we’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.




			

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