2009 Spring

Marketing

Fashion

Hair Loss

Fashion Trends

Medical

Education Monica’s Story

Medical Justice

Confidential

Women of Want vs.

Women of Need

Behind the Scenes with Lisa Zimmerman

pg. 14

pg. 4

Bobbi Russell Changes a Life

Setting the Record Straight with Jeffrey Segal,M.D.

pg. 12

pg. 8

Hair Journal International VOLUME 13 NO. 49

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF HAIR FITNESS , HAIR REPLACEMENT AND RESTORATION

Unilever Moves to Premium Hair Care Buys TIGI for $411.5 Million London, UK. 01/09 - Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire the global TIGI professional hair product business and its supporting advanced education academies for $411.5 million.

Vindi Banga, Unilever President, Foods, Home & Personal Care, said, "This is an exciting acquisition for Unilever. We already have a strong position in daily hair care and adding the

salon brands will further build our position in the hair category. We can bring our world-class R&D expertise to it and offer greater opportunity for geographical expansion. TIGI's strength in styling and its fashion and beauty expertise will also help us raise the bar on innovation for our existing hair brands."

Launched in 1986, TIGI haircare products are sold worldwide primarily to and through hair salons. TIGI's major brands include Bed

Let’s Hear It for Deaf Mice

I’ll Drink to That Can a tall latte help grow hair? Some medical experts think so. A study from the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the University of Jena in Germany, reports that caffeine seems to stimulate hair growth during in vitro (off the head) testing. At least one marketing group, Alpecin, a Swiss company, is sufficiently convinced of the benefits that it has launched a line of hair loss products that contain caffeine.

Goodbye Cornrows!

Detroit, 02-09 - Allen Iverson, who did more for cornrows than Rick Wagoner did for General Motors, has decided that after 13 years it's time to move on.

Trimming Allen's hair marks the end of an era. The Wa s h i n g t o n Post said it well, “It could be argued that Iverson's cornrows had the same impact on hip-hop culture and NBA hairstyles in the past 10 or so years as Michael Jordan's bald head had in the early 1990s.”

Unilever currently offers consumers leading hair care brands like Dove, Axe for Men, Suave and Sunsilk in the US, as well as others such as Clear elsewhere in the world.

ACLU Protects Sacred Hair Reproduced by permission from Nicholas French.

Los Angeles, CA 02/09 – Hair is essential to hearing too. When the hairs in your inner ear are damaged, you lose your ability to hear. According to the American Academy of Audiology, about 36 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. In fact, hearing loss is the third most common chronic health problem in the U.S. It typically occurs when the hair cells inside the cochlea are damaged. Each cochlea contains about 16,000 hair cells. The damaged hair cells don’t regenerate, so this kind of hearing loss is permanent. There are no hair-systems for ears; but researchers are searching for ways to restore hearing by regenerating lost hearing cells.

Birds and reptiles have the ability to regenerate hair cells, so scientists are hopeful they can find a way to initiate the process in humans also. Mice are born deaf, but for the first two weeks after birth, their ear cells have the ability to divide and differentiate into hair cells. Scientists at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles are working to uncover how these cells are able to regenerate - and why they lose that ability about two weeks after birth. That information may allow specialists to regenerate hair cells in humans.

Head®, Catwalk® and S-Factor®. TIGI has operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Australia, employs about 550 people and in 2008, had worldwide sales of approximately $250 million, with almost half coming from the United States.

Extreme hair from celebrity stylist Nicholas French; Nicholas has produced over 1,500 high energy educational shows for professional hairdressers worldwide. He has recently expanded his interests to working in print, video and even motion pictures. Nicholas will be sharing his creative vision with Hair Journal readers.

Hudson Weighs In Toronto, ON 02/09 – He’s at it again. Five years after selling Hair Club to Regis the global leader in the $170 billion hair care industry, Steve Hudson’s Cameron Capital has announced a new investment in Herbal Magic Inc., Canada's largest franchisor and operator of commercial weight loss centers. As with previous acquisitions, Hudson becomes the new CEO. "Herbal Magic is a perfect fit when considering our previous successful investments in franchise-based personal care businesses," Hudson told Canadian news group, CNW. "I also have an emotional stake in this. I'm not just the new CEO of Herbal Magic, I am also a client."

Hair Club Makes College Possible

Hair Woes Start Early for This Young Man Needville, TX 02/09 - Adreil Arocha’s hair is 13 inches long and has never been cut. And according to a recent court ruling it need never be. Despite a Needville Independent School District’s policy which states, “Boys’ hair shall NOT extend over the ears, beyond the eyebrows, or over the top of a standard collar in the back when combed down,” the judge declared that the US Constitution protects this American Indian’s religious traditions, even if his hair already comes down to his waist. The plaintiff in the lawsuit was Adreil’s local kindergarten.

Adreil is only five years old.

Mel Gibson Ain’t No Chicken His ‘No-hair’ Dare!

London, UK, 01/09 - Never one to sidestep a challenge, especially when it comes from family, Mel Gibson grabbed his razor, lost his hair and won the bet. The actor’s son had dared him to shave his head and to his astonishment, dad obliged. "I thought it would be cool. That I'd be Shaft,” Contactmusic quoted Mel as telling the New York Post. But it seems the bald look wasn’t as macho as Mel expected and he, “Looked like a plucked chicken… the only perk was I wasn't recognized in a crowd." He is now regrowing his hair as quickly as he can.

Vital Statistics The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) has completed its annual update of the beauty industry. Some highlights: • There are more than 825,600 Salon-Industry establishments in the United States.

• In 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available, the overall Salon-Industry registered sales of $37.5 billion.

Full report in the Summer Hair Journal.

™

SPRING 2009

Aderans Holdings Loses $22m Tokyo, 03.09 (Bloomberg) - Aderans Holdings Co., the world’s largest manufacturer of wigs, hair replacement and hair restoration services said it will post 2.1 billion yen ($22.4 million) in net loss for the year ending Feb. 28., reversing its earlier forecast for 300 million yen in net income. The loss is due to currency exchange losses, writedowns on securities and lower revenue from hair transplant business in the U.S. and services for women. The company earned 590 million yen profit a year ago. Following the announcement, the stock tumbled 6.7 percent. Aderans subsidiaries in the US include, TressAllure, Rene of Paris, IHI, New Concepts and Bosley.

GENETIC TEST FOR FINASTERIDE RESPONSE Irvine, CA. 03/09 – At the annual meeting of The American Academy of Dermatology, PharmaGenoma, Inc. and its subsidiary HairDXC announced a new genetic test that can predict the clinical response to finasteride (commonly known as Propecia). Finasteride has been shown to block the production of the androgen responsible for androgenetic hair loss. According to the company, the HairDX (RxR) genetic test for finasteride response will help doctors predetermine if patients will have a subtle, moderate, or great treatment response to finasteride, allowing the physician to provide patients with the best treatment regimen to save their hair.

In a separate statement, the company announced that the HairDX genetic test collection kit for baldness is now listed with Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class I medical device. HairDX continues an aggressive expansion of its international efforts and footprint in the genetic research and development in the hair loss and dermatology industry.

Record Turnout for On Rite Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 02/09 – The economy may be soft but that did not stop nearly 400 salon owners and stylists from attending On Rite/Gemtress’s annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale in February. On Rite, which announced the hair replacement industry’s “First Advertising Campaign Dedicated to Branding Your Studio” in the Winter issue of the Hair Journal was surprised and delighted by the response. COO, David Schwartz commented, “For the second year in a row, we focused on Studio Business Operations as well as technical demonstrations and education. Additionally, we conducted three intensive two-day classes following our conference. Clearly we’re doing something right.”

Boca Raton, FL 3/09 - There's a new way to get ready for college, courtesy of Hair Club. The company offers scholarship opportunities to the children of its corporate and franchise employees. In 2004, Hair Club established The Pedro Baez Scholarship Fund to support deserving young students in their pursuit of academic excellence. Pedro Baez, was the co-owner of a Hair Club franchise in Puerto Rico, but tragically passed away when he was only 30 years old.

The Journal. All You Need To Read About Your Industry. “ A great publication,looking forward to ever y issue” Brian O’Neil

3 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

F

R

O

M

T

H

Economy Soft? Raise Your Prices! Readers of this column will know that I try everything.

I have worn “Strand by Strand” hair from Hair Club on television, had New Image’s best hair system styled into the “Ricky Martin” look in front of an audience at their annual conference, benefited from New Concepts’ special processing technology, worn Cyberhair to Asia, and undergone hair transplant surgery at the very skilled hands of Dr. Edwin Suddleson. And that’s just a sampling.

So it will come as no surprise to learn that after interviewing Tom Dawson, the scientist behind Head & Shoulders, and learning about the nine Ph.D.’s working on this one brand, I was ready to try P&G’s other products. I chose their top anti-aging skincare line. However, what started out as an eight dollar investment in Olay face wash and moisturizer has turned into a serious capital investment. Olay has now launched a “Professional” line that we are told is, “At the forefront of science and anti-aging technology.” I tried a special sample kit with miniature dispensers of “Wrinkle Smoothing Cream,” “Age Repair Lotion, “and, “Eye Restoration Complex.” The price? A cool $61!

I bought, or should I say ‘invested in,’ my Olay sampler kit at Wal-Mart, the place people go to save money. But here’s the surprise. It seems the Scrooges who go to Wal-Mart are only too happy to shell out upwards of $60 if they believe the product will work! Why am I telling you this story? Because consumers will pay for a premium product if they have reason to believe it will perform as promised. The display cabinet at Wal-Mart was two thirds empty. It’s the same across the country. There is a lesson here. Instead of fighting for slimmer and slimmer slices of a diminishing pie, it is time for us to authoritatively document and show the public how our products change lives, create relationships and restore confidence.

We need an industry-wide marketing and public relations campaign. We perform a vital service, but you would not think so from the way everyone is pandering to the bottom-feeders and racing to cut prices.

Meet Tomorrow’s Competition - Gillette continues its march towards total care for men. And it’s fighting for respect every step of the way. It’s all about performance. P&G is famous for its researchdriven marketing, and since the company purchased Gillette in Sept 2008 it has been applying that marketing muscle to make Gillette, “The best a man can get.”

Take Gillette’s deodorant for example, it doesn’t just stop body odor, it is, “34% better wetness control than a prescription product!” It’s even called, “Gillette Clinical Strength.” How about the body wash? Performance again – this time Gillette promises “3X the Hydrators: so you can “Unleash the Power of Your Shower.” Can you hear Gillette’s footsteps coming up behind you? You should; they’ve now entered the hair styling arena

Letters to the

Editor Dear Editor, I would like to bring you up you date on my personal success relating to Revivogen, RejuveMD, and Clearogen developed by Dr. Alex Khadavi M.D. distributed by Advanced Skin and Hair Inc. I

E

E

D

I

T

O

R

with, appropriately enough, “Gillett Style” a new sculpting paste. Men are told, “Just because you’re all over the place doesn’t mean your hair has to be.” Could thinning hair be next?

The Tough Get Going - Who would have thought it? The economy is a mess, clients are nervous about spending money – but On Rite experienced record attendance at its seminar in February. You would have thought salon owners would be staying at home with their dollars under the mattress; but it looks like they have been reading Steve DiMaani’s Hair Journal articles!

With apologies to Steve for a crude summary; it’s time to build business skills, not wimp out.

We Have to Eat Too - If you are a lapsed Hair Journal subscriber or what our backroom staff call a “Never Paid,” please take a minute to support your Journal and bring your subscription up to date. Your subscription tells us you value the work that goes into this publication. It makes the people who research and write these articles feel appreciated - and it keeps the sandwiches coming!

In This Issue - we have tried to maintain our blend of business news, styling tips and interviews with people in the headlines. We continue “The Italian Job” where we profile industry leaders from the old country and I know you will enjoy the interview with Ron Cardillo, who shows us you can still start a world-class business… if you’ve got the guts. Bobby Russell and Lisa Zimmerman both share poignant stories about how they helped someone with very special needs. I know you will be moved by their stories. Of course, we have included educational articles and I think you will find “Hair Isn’t Just Hair” and “Do You Know What’s In Your Product?” instructive. If you are ready to be outraged, read, “Medical Justice.” It describes the abuses affecting every hair transplant doctor and suggests ways they can combat a business risk that increases costs and even leads some physicians to change specialties. We are also experimenting with a new “Marketplace” section where new businesses can display their business card so readers know where to find them. There are many other articles and features that there is not space to preface here - to all our contributing editors and supporters, my heartfelt thanks for your valuable contributions.

Coming Next Issue - Salon of the Year, How to set Up Your Own Photo Session, highlights from the IBS Show in New York and a special report from the 7th Annual Spectrum Beauty Expo... plus your own letters and contributions. See you in June!

Chris Webb

Virtual Reality Art of Reinvention Conference in Denver, Colorado.

Afterwards I made a commitment to use the products to help offset some setbacks I was personally experiencing in regards to thinning hair and aging skin challenges. At the same time I encouraged my daughters and several other friends & family members to start a program protocol utilizing Clearogen for skin acne problems they were experiencing.

I am thrilled with the results after the utilization of these products. In regards to my personal success, I have experienced a 25 to 30% increase in hair density do to Revivogen and its advanced formulation which helps DHT from forming and attaching to the hair bulb, thus causing hair loss.

In regards to RejuveMD my skin has a noticeable decrease in aging lines, discoloration and puffiness around the eyes.

What was so impressive to me is the success of these products on someone my age (66). In charting the results of Clearogen used by my daughters and others that have sampled the acne correcting formulation I can tell you the results were truly remarkable. Chris, I will be urging my valuable network to add these breakthrough products to their studio menus.

At a time of industry flux due to added costs and retreating economy, these products offer new and valuable added revenue streams to an industry in great need of expansion and differentiated, value added benefits.

I thank you for introducing me to these innovative products and the supportive and creative people at their core.

To Your Continued Success, Lance Centofanti, VP of Sales & Marketing VR and Virtuesse Innovator

Dear Editor, As a Barber, I know many hair replacement operators are also Barbers. In New Jersey they are eliminating Barber licenses. If you want to do hair they have Cosmetologist Hairstyling Licenses.

Barbers are part of Americana. Anyway, I am on a campaign to re-establish the Barber Board in the state. Here is a letter that I am getting out to Barbers in an effort to keep the Barbershop image alive.

Maybe you would run it and see what flies.

Thanks. Mike Barbers, Unite There are no more Barbers Licenses being issued in the state of New Jersey.

There is no Barber Board any longer.

Today, if you want to cut hair, you go to Cosmetology School and get a Cosmetology-Hairstylist Certificate.

This means that the Barbers of this State are now Dinosaurs. When we’re gone, that’s it. That’s a shame. It is a sin. Why should we allow the State to determine what we are to be classified as?

Editor-in-Chief was introduced to these life enhancing and age defying products at the Hair Society meeting you hosted in San Diego, California.

For centuries, throughout the world, the Barber Shop was where boys and men gathered to chat, get cleaned up, have a cup of coffee, talk sports, etc. Now, we are put into a Salon. Not the same!

As you know Chris, I am always looking for new breakthrough products and new revenue streams for the Virtual Reality and Virtuesse Network. I was so impressed with the formulations, packaging, and value added services these products offered, I invited Dr. Alex Khadavi, Dr. Alan Shargani and their Staff to the

We need to rally together, become a notable force, reach out to Barber buddies, and have power in numbers. Start chapters in each county or township. Talk to each other and plan to become heard.

We need to write to our State Legislators and the Governor of this State and petition them to re-establish the Barber Board, and

have Barbers’ Licenses issued in New Jersey again. Teach the use of the Straight Edge Barbers’ razor, the use of the hone and strop; learn to perform facial shaves and facials. Some of the best Hair replacement specialists I know are Barbers.

Jimmy Toscano,“The General” for one.

Now, some people claim that the use of the Straight Edge Razor could spread the AIDS virus. Common sense deems that clean, sanitary tools be used at all times, and the virus only lives only about 10 seconds when exposed to the air.

Let’s start today. I remember when I grew up in my grandfather’s barber shop, then in my father’s barber shop. We had the AMBBA, the Pennsylvania League of Master Barbers. Unions that kept us united and working together to set hours and minimum prices. We even had group rates for Health Care for our families and our staff members.

Start with me. Join in the effort to be heard as a powerful voice.

Michael Vozzelli Looks Good Hair Works, Cherry Hill, NJ

The Nation’s Top Papers and Who Reads Them The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.

The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.

The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.

The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country -if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.

The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.

The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.

The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.

The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.

The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country. . or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided of course, that they are not Republicans.

The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.

The Oregonian is read by people who have recently caught a fish and need something in which to wrap it.

The Hair Journal International is read by owners and managers of hair clinics and salons who want to know what everyone else is doing so they can do it better.

Source unknown, but our thanks to an anonymous contributor…

4 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

the

BEHIND SCENES at

Hair Loss Confidential

Lisa Zimmerman is Executive Producer of Hair Loss Confidential and President of National Hair Centers, a full-service hair loss center located in Phoenix, AZ. “We do every method of hair restoration available that works,” says Lisa. National Hair Centers won the 1999 Salon of the Year Award. In 2009, the family is making news again as Lisa expands her successful webcast, “Hair Loss Confidential.” The Journal recently met with Lisa to learn more about this reality TV show. We were joined by Yvonne Marchese, Production Supervisor of Hair Loss Confidential.

Hair Journal International (HJI): You have been providing hair loss solutions for men and women for many years. Why did you feel the need to reach out to the public through a show called “Hair Loss Confidential?”

Lisa Zimmerman (LZ): We wanted to help people whose lives or livelihood had been severely affected by their hair loss. We share emotional stories about men, women and children of every age. People suffering from alopecia, chemotherapy, male/female pattern baldness and other medically related conditions that lead to hair loss. Many of these victims suffer in silence, too dispirited and nervous to seek a solution.

HJI: So this is a mechanism for people to steer

friends with hair loss to professionals who can provide a meaningful solution?

Yvonne Marchese (YM): Yes it is. Lisa, why don’t you tell the story that was the inspiration for this show….

LZ: Dave McKenna, he’s one of my consultants, had a visit several years ago from a husband and wife and their son. He learned they were there to help the woman. She was wearing a wig and she was very angry. Throughout the consultation she was rude and uncooperative.

So Dave said to her, “I can see that you are uncomfortable and don’t really want to be here, but I don’t understand why.” And she replied “I didn’t know we were coming here. My son and husband told me we were going shopping, and here we are talking about my hair. This isn’t what I wanted!” Then the husband interjected, “We bought a boat for weekend family outings, but she won’t come with us because of her wig. She’s worried about the wind.”

Well, eventually they finished the consultation and the lady agreed to try a more secure method of hair restoration. About a month later, she came running down the hallway, gave Dave a hug and exclaimed, “Dave, my new hair has changed my life. I even went waterskiing!” She had gone far beyond accompanying the family on the new boat, for the first time since losing her hair she was actually able to go waterskiing.

HJI: And it was the involvement of a thirdparty, in this case the husband and son that put everything in motion…

LZ: Exactly. The whole premise of Hair Loss Confidential is that there is an intervention.

The father and son intervened by bringing someone they cared about to us for help. The

intervention took place right here in the office.

HJI: Hair loss obviously affects people profoundly. But there are many other things that also diminish your self-confidence. How come people are comfortable seeking answers to other personal problems, but when it comes to their hair, they’re so hesitant?

YM: It’s part of the folklore of personal enhancement. Some things are OK and some things are taboo. It’s an okay thing to get your teeth fixed or to have plastic surgery if you have wrinkles, or to have LASIK to fix eyesight. All of those things are common, everyday occurrences, and they’re approved by society. But unfortunately, society has taught people that hair replacement is something to be embarrassed about.

HJI: It is going to take some time to turn this around.

LZ: We are trying to leave the old world behind and move into a new landscape with new technologies. And that is what makes Hair Loss Confidential so exciting. We’re taking someone with a special need by the hand and introducing them to real life-changing solutions.

HJI: How does a hair restoration studio become part of your program?

LZ: What we call, “Transformation Centers” have to meet strict criteria. They have to be in an untapped DMA for Hair Loss Confidential and they must have an impeccable reputation, trained personnel in the hair restoration industry, professional facilities and a website. If they think they qualify, they can email us at productionsupervisor@hairlossconfidential.tv, or they can go on our website, www.hairlossconfidential.tv, click on the “Contact Us” tab and request an application.

HJI: So there can only be one Hair Loss Conf idential Transformation Center in each media territory?

YM: That’s correct. And just to be clear, the exclusive DMA we’re talking about is a television broadcast market.

HJI: Why the exclusivity?

LZ: It lets us route inquiries and new business leads directly to the correct Transformation Center listed on our website.

HJI: Where can people view the show now?

LZ: www.hairlossconfidential.tv.

HJI: How have salons that have participated in

Hair Loss Confidential benefited from the program?

LZ: The key thing is they’re now associated with a reality TV show. This makes them an authority in their area. They can put signage up.

They can send out press releases and go on local talk shows. There’s a marketing package available to all Transformation Centers that explains how to take advantage of their affiliation with Hair Loss Confidential.

HJI: How many DMAs are now participating?

LZ: Forty.

HJI: How many individual case histories have been filmed so far?

YM: Three and we’re about to shoot the fourth.

HJI: Tell me about the production process.

5 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

How do you track the progress of the nominated subject?

LZ: It’s a complex production project for us and for our production company, Blended Media. From the moment we receive an application to the time we decide this is the one we’re going to shoot, it is a very time consuming process. We have to talk with the people who nominated the candidate to make sure that they understand the process. On our side, we fully understand the situation that exists with their loved ones. Then the producer of the show and a therapist selected for that episode spend a lot of time in conversation with the family as well. All of this is done

upfront so there are no misunderstandings.

Then we prepare a production timeline that details every minute of the shoot; who is doing what to whom, why, where and how.

YM: When we’re ready to shoot, the production team flies in a day or so in advance so they can do a lot of what we call ‘B-roll’ shooting and go to the designated Transformation Center to meet with the staff to make sure everything is in place. The first day of filming is the “pre-intervention” where the team meets with the family, friends and

coworkers who nominated the “Subject”. This is where we learn how the Subject’s hair loss has affected the family. The next day is the “intervention” itself, where the Subject learns for the first time about Hair Loss Confidential and that they’ve been nominated. The therapist engages the Subject about his or her hair loss and how it has wounded them. It’s usually very emotional. After that, the Subject is told that they’re leaving right then and there and going to a hair restoration studio. Once they arrive, it takes several hours before the hair restoration is complete. The climax of the show is the Subject’s reveal to their family.

LZ: In the days that follow, the production crew continues to film the Subject into their new life to observe how people are reacting to them, and how they are feeling after their hair restoration.

HJI: This is a thorough process and also an expensive one. Clearly you’re not doing this as a charity. It has to be rewarding for you and beneficial to the Transformation Centers. Correct?

LZ: One of the benefits for the Transformation Center is the possibility of being featured on a reality TV show. The host salon does not receive a fee for their involvement. They are required to provide service and hair to the nominee for a year.

They do get an incredible amount of marketing and PR. And then, of course, they end up with a client for life.

HJI: Where does Hair Loss Confidential go from here?

LZ: We have syndicators working on placement with broadcast TV stations and cable networks. We hope to be on TV by the Fall of 2009. We are also planning a second season of Hair Loss Confidential.

HJI: What makes you believe that Hair Loss Confidential will be picked up for television?

YM: Besides the fact that we are receiving very positive feedback from syndicators, Lisa has become a member of NATPE, the National Association of Television Producers and Executives. A couple of weeks ago, we listened in on a panel discussion about reality TV from Las Vegas with a group of industry executives who produce reality TV shows. One thing was loud and clear - everybody thinks they can produce a reality TV show, but the industry is looking for something that unique nobody else has done.

And that’s what Lisa has created.

HJI: To end on a high note, let’s return to the Hans Wiemann Studio where you filmed one of your case histories. Tell us how Hair Loss Conf idential changed a life?

YM: Myranda is a 16-year-old who developed alopecia and was teased and humiliated at school. She had to change schools three times because of the bullying. She gave up softball, which was her life, because she was a catcher, and every time she flicked the mask off to catch the ball, her wig would come off with it. She ultimately lost all of her friends.

LZ: I wish it stopped there, but the story gets worse. Myranda was wearing a wig with clips attached to the little bit of hair she had left. One day a group of girls caught her at school, beat her mercilessly and ripped her wig off.

Because it was attached to the clips, her own hair was pulled out leaving a bloody mess.

Fortunately the school video cameras were also watching so justice was done, but not in time to save Myranda from excruciating pain and humiliation.

HJI: Fast forward please…

YM: Hair Loss Confidential was made aware of Myranda’s situation through the nomination process. You can see her entire story on our website. After the Hair Loss Confidential intervention, her life has changed completely. Myranda recently tried out for the cheerleading squad and she’s back on the softball team.

LZ: She wants to become a public speaker or a model.

YM: …and she went to homecoming just four days after her hair transformation…

HJI: That’s the happy ending we were waiting for. Congratulations Hans Wiemann; good luck Hair Loss Confidential; and have a happy life Myranda. You deserve it! HJI

MONICA’S STORY 6 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Natural Hair Duplication Saves the Day

By Bobbi Russell In our industry we are blessed to be touched emotionally by people every day. But every once in a while something special happens. We meet someone who really stands out.

A couple of months ago I met a young woman by the name of Monica. She came in for a consultation with her mother and sister. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of blood disease that was caused by environmental exposure to something unknown.

was about loosing her hair. I watched her mom and sister hold her hand and cry with her, consoling her and telling her that everything was going to be ok.

Her surgery was the next week and she would Bobbi Russell start chemo directly after. Through all of this, she kept saying she was most upset about losing her hair. I’ve read reports and seen it myself over and over again that a women’s hair is their crown and glory and losing it is the most traumatic thing they go through while recovering from an illness. I promised Monica I could make this experience less painful and told her about my Natural Hair Duplication process. We took photos of her hair on all sides, measured her head circumference and the length of her natural hair. We matched the colors that were in her natural hair.

I chose to use a human hair prosthesis from New Image called a Toni. This is a great piece of hair if you are looking for a lot of length because it is available in 18.” It has a lace front

lose her hair while there. I told her that if she needed me, I would go to the hospital to apply her new hair.

When I received her call she had just gotten out of the hospital and she wanted our studio, “Hair Therapy for Women” to be her first stop.

My goal was to make this process as quick and emotionally painless as possible. When she came in, she had her hair wrapped in a scarf and a lot of it had fallen out. We shaved down the remaining hair and I watched as she and her family cried. I applied her new hair as swiftly as I could. Because it had already been cut and styled to look like her natural hair, she instantly looked like herself again. We detailed the bangs and brushed into place. She started to smile again and the tears dried. Her mom and twin sister jumped up and down with joy!!

She was putting on lipstick within minutes and she felt like she looked like herself again.

The whole process took about 20-25 minutes.

We sat down for awhile and discussed how to care for her new beautiful tresses and they left extremely happy!

Monica came to see me 4 weeks later. She is doing fantastic. The transplant was a huge suc-

Towards a Greener Salon Phoenix, AZ, 02/09 - In an effort to help salons & spas create a greener tomorrow, the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) suggests ten small, yet realistic steps to help the environment. Making a small effort is all it takes to make a major impact - one salon, one spa and one beauty professional at a time.

Talk to Your Coworkers: Respect that everyone is not going to be interested in going green to the same degree. Find at least one person who is passionate, but not militant, about the green effort to help the salon/spa alter the way it does business.

Others will generally follow suit once the culture has changed.

Go Green Contest for your Customers: Sponsor a contest aimed at your customers to find the best “green” idea they can come up with. Not only will a great idea possibly be discovered for your business, but it also helps build good will among your customers and the community.

Change the Outside Light Bulbs: The most common suggestion everyone has heard is to use more energy efficient florescent bulbs, however the light given off is not always the most flattering. Take a small step by just changing the exterior bulbs at your office and home.

Fix the Leak Already: Whether it’s your toilet bowl or shampoo bowl, take 15 minutes to call a plumber and finally get it fixed.

This act alone can save more than 2,600 gallons of water a year.

Reduce the Water Pressure: When the plumber is done fixing the leak, have him reduce the water pressure in the sinks and toilets. This will also help cut down on the amount of water used.

Use New Green Appliances: People would be surprised by how much power a hair dryer uses or the energy lost by a curling iron left on. Major beauty companies are launching new appliances designed to use less power and go into hibernation mode quickly, then regain full heat immediately.

It’s small, but consider how much electricity is used in American salons each day.

Unplug, Unplug, Unplug: By taking an extra minute to unplug appliances, from the radio to the hot wax machine, you will save energy since power is still being used even when the machine is not.

Ban Water Bottles: Even with recycling, all those 12oz. water bottles add up in landfills and many get into waterways. Take a step by requiring team members to bring their own reusable cup or bottle. Purchase a small water filter for the salon so water tastes better (we don’t like the tap either).

Monica is a 21 years old college student. She had long beautiful dark hair and the doctors told her that it would be gone within 21 days or so. We have all heard the story. But, here is what makes this story so unique. Monica’s condition was very severe and she neede bone marrow transplant and chemo immediately or she was certain not to make it. A bone marrow transplant is extremely hard because not only is finding a perfect match difficult but it is an extremely painful operation for the donor.

Fortunately for Monica, she is a twin. She has a sister who is her identical match, with the same DNA. As the three of them told me this story I couldn’t help but cry. Monica and her sister are together all the time and most times people can’t tell them apart. Monica told me how concerned she was that she and her sister would no longer look alike and how scared she

for a natural looking hairline and is constructed very well for comfort and durability.

The first thing I did after receiving the hair prosthesis was to darken the base of the hair with a soft black color. This gives a very natural look. I do this with all of my replacement systems. always darken the base 1-2 shades darker than the additional hair system. I then put all my photos up so I could see my goal.

Taking my time, I measured the length of the hair and started my cut, duplicating the photos in front of me. I purposely leave the front of the hair a little longer so that the bang/fringe area can be detailed to her face after application. The hair is then styled to match the way she likes her hair blow dried.

Once the hair was completed we waited for her call. I knew she was going to be in the hospital for several weeks and would probably start to

cess and she is handling the chemo fairly well.

She looked beautiful and she said the nurses at the cancer center did not even know that she lost her hair. She told me that no one would know she lost hair from this experience unless she told them and. She said, “I should have never told anyone! You just can’t tell the difference!”

Now, Monica and her sister still look exactly alike. Beautiful!

Bobbi Russell is a nationally respected hair stylist and educator. She is a popular platform artist and instructor at major hair shows and conferences and was elected to the faculty of the National Hair Society in 2008. Bobbi is an acknowledged expert in women’s hair additions and extensions. When she is not on the road, Bobbi can be found in her own studio in Tampa, Florida where she gets extra pleasure helping HJI clients with special needs like Monica.

Insist on Green Cleaning Supplies: While cleaning with eco-friendly vinegar is great, let’s face it - the smell still stinks. Work with your cleaning company or change the cleaning products you buy to those that are gentler on the environment and do not use harmful toxic substances. (If you do want to use vinegar, grab an old spray bottle and mix 50% water and 50% vinegar. It works wonders.)

Support Less Packaging: Reward companies that use less packaging and use recycled materials (that information is usually on the packaging.) While consumers love pretty packaging, everyone must stop and understand that less is more.

The Professional Beauty Association is made up of salons and spas, distributors and manufacturers dedicated to improving their individual businesses and the industry as a whole.

HJI

7 Hair Journal International Spring 2009 I read a disturbing letter in the last issue of the Hair Journal. It seems that a gentleman had found that a number of Apollo studios had either closed or had ceased doing business under that name.

Steven DiManni

Like the letter writer, I have no idea what happened to these studios. Maybe they were bought and absorbed by other studios. Maybe they ended their affiliation with Apollo. Or perhaps they just closed.

Whatever the facts, it’s always sad to see a venerated name in any industry fall upon hard times, if in fact, that is the case with Apollo. Of course, nowadays, businesses falling on hard times seem to be a commonplace occurrence in our faltering economy.

Whenever one thinks of hard times, it’s hard not to mention our domestic auto industry. To think that the “Big Three” are doing so poorly that both GM and Chrysler are dependent upon a government bailout to stay in business is mind-boggling; Ford has declined government money for the time being, but is not exactly in robust shape, either.

Now, on one hand, it’s easy to see that there are great differences between the men’s hair replacement business and the domestic auto industry.

First, the auto industry is ailing, while the men’s hair industry is more “stuck in neutral” (if I may borrow an automotive term) than anything else.

Secondly, much of the auto industry’s issues stems from problems with labor unions and government regulations, which the men’s hair replacement business is not affected by. Our business is also not affected by energy prices or any of the other many problems that have been foisted upon the auto industry either by government fiat or external entities.

But there are a few parallels that do come to mind.

For example, thirty years ago, the U.S. auto industry could sell pretty much any car they wanted to an eager public. And sales kept booming, setting records on a regular basis. New dealerships were opening and older dealerships were expanding.

There was no end in sight. And everyone was happy, not just the manufacturers, but suppliers, dealers, and yes, consumers, too.

Americans were having a love affair with the cars that Detroit produced. And sure, there were

Men’s Hair Replacement & the U. S. Auto Industry…

Going down the same road?

By Steven DiManni lemons here and there, but by and large, most people would never have considered buying a foreign car. There was just no comparison between those small, “ugly” econoboxes and the flash and chrome of Detroit’s mega cruisers.

Now, if you will, compare Detroit’s situation thirty years ago with the men’s hair replacement industry’s good fortune twenty years ago.

At that time, new first-time clients were flocking to hair replacement studios in record numbers.

Studios could sell pretty much anything they wanted at almost any price they wanted. There were new hair replacement studios opening up all over the place. And established hair replacement studios were expanding and even adding additional stores.

American men were indeed having, if not a love affair, then certainly an infatuation with hair replacement. Yes, there were transplants and head-rubbing potions, but most men didn’t consider them viable options. Non-surgical hair replacement was the way to go. And getting new leads into the door was just a matter of putting a “before and after” photo in the newspaper or on the television.

How all that has changed, has it not? For the hair industry and domestic auto industry both. And while it would be ridiculous to make direct comparisons, there are several parallels that today’s studio owners should, in my opinion, think long and hard about.

The three similarities I believe that there are three areas in which the auto industry and the men’s hair replacement industry can find some parallels in mistakes that

were made. They are as follows: a resistance to change; a mis-reading of market trends; and finally, the desire to continue to offer what the industry wanted rather than what the consumer wanted.

For both industries, change is possible. And certainly, without being crippled by union labor costs and government regulations, the men’s hair industry is much better poised to recover than the domestic auto industry. But for both industries, one commonality remains: continuing to do the same things the same way will NOT produce different results.

Resisting change After the Second World War, Detroit had the American car buying public all to itself. Sure, there were a few foreign cars sold here, but most were novelty items. Even into the early seventies, most Volkswagens, Toyotas and Datsuns, among others, were largely regarded as “second cars”, great to run errands in or for a teenager to drive to school.

“Real cars” were Detroit iron: Big, brash, gleaming, and averaging around 12 miles per gallon.

But who cared? Gas was cheap. And if the cars weren’t of the highest quality, well, they’d be traded in after a couple of years anyway. Besides, the cars looked great. And best of all for the manufacturers, they made a ton of money off their luxobarges.

From the late forties until the early seventies, the paradigm remained the same. So basically, did the cars and buying behavior.

But then a “perfect storm” erupted. Just as new safety standards were making cars heavier, more ungainly and less fuel efficient, environmental

protection regulations made them less powerful and less fuel-efficient. The third element of the storm? The first Arab oil embargo.

Overnight, big Chevy Caprices and Dodge Monacos languished on dealers’ lots, while Toyotas and other small, foreign automobiles were in short supply. “Aha!”, said the U.S. auto industry. “We’ll show them. We’ll make our own small cars. And we’ll make them just like the big cars, just in smaller versions.”

And so came the Vegas and the Pintos that now languished on dealers’ lots next to the big Chevy Caprices and Dodge Monacos. They were just like the big cars, with longitudinally placed engines and rear wheel drive that created the same packaging inefficiencies that the big cars had. Oh, and one more thing: the more they languished, these new small American cars, the more they rusted—right on the lot, before ever being sold!

A changing hair industry It wasn’t high fuel prices that turned the men’s hair replacement business upside down, but rather, increased competition from other alternative solutions, as well as poor perception of what studios were offering.

There was indeed, a “perfect storm” in the men’s hair replacement industry, just as there had been in the auto industry.

In the case of men’s hair replacement, the components were the advent of FDA-approved topical solutions like minoxidil, and the dramatic improvement in surgical hair replacement due to the introduction of the “mini graft”.

Suddenly, men had a choice. With its hundred million dollar plus advertising campaign, Pharmacia Upjohn’s Rogaine had captured the hearts of balding men. Why replace your hair when you could re-grow it, just like the commercials said you could, right?

And the men’s surgical business, aided by national providers with national advertising budgets, was at the same time spreading the word about the “new hair transplants”. The old “corn row” effect of the past was now over, according to transplant commercials and literature. In its place was a way to surgically create a realistic hairline.

What changes did the hair replacement industry make in order to combat ( cont. on pg. 17)

8 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Hair Journal International Medical Justice PROMOTING

Medical Section

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ARTISTRY OF HAIR REPLACEMENT AND THE SCIENCE OF HAIR RESTORATION

Setting the Record Straight

Jeffrey Segal, M.D., is a board-certified neurosurgeon who cares deeply about professional standards in medicine in general and specifically, in the quality of care provided by physicians who specialize in hair restoration and other restorative treatments. Frustrated by “vigilantes” who claim to be protecting the public against unscrupulous doctors while lining their own pockets, Dr Segal has decided it’s time to set the record straight. While there are indisputably incidents and even physicians who fail to respect the Hippocratic Oath, many socalled “ombudsmen” are motivated by commercial considerations. For years, it has been all too easy for them to troll for patients eager to participate in a class action lawsuit or share the spoils of a custom “problem” that is settled out of court.

In 2002, Dr. Segal founded an organization called Medical Justice to restore balance to a situation that was getting out of hand. It provides support and advice to doctors who face criticism and even defamation in their medical practice. To date it has been very successful and has provided important benefits to both doctors and their patients..

Dr. S: It has been a long road for me. I used to have a good neurosurgical practice where I enjoyed the daily activities of medical care.

This was back in the late ‘90s. I was practicing in Indiana, a state that had implemented substantive tort reform for physicians, so it supposedly was an attractive place to practice medicine. Nonetheless, I was sued by a patient

in one of those lawsuits every doctor is vulnerable to, and every doctor dreads. The expert who delivered testimony against me had actually been expelled from our professional society previously for delivering frivolous testimony. And it dawned on me that if an ethical person practicing in a state that had implemented pretty good laws favoring physicians could find himself facing huge legal bills, this could happen anywhere! So I stepped back and said, “Can we do this differently? Can we use the existing legal infrastructure in any state to level the playing field?” Therein lay the seed for creating Medical Justice.

HJI: Talking about level playing fields, it Hair Journal Intl: It never was a level playing field was it? It only takes one criticism, valid or invalid, and you are contaminated.

Dr. S: Unfortunately, that’s right. Now fast forward. We initially started looking at frivolous lawsuits against physicians and we believe we have now come up with an effective solution.

We found a way to use contracts between doctors and patients, in which patients agreed not to sue their doctors for meritless reasons, or if a lawsuit was merited, to use only board-certified expert witnesses – physicians who practice in the same specialty area – who are themselves willing to abide by their own professional society’s guidelines for truthful testimony.

Our efforts were extraordinarily successful.

Our members are sued less frequently than their counterparts in the same geographic area who aren’t members – and our members, because they are sued less often, often see their medical malpractice premiums decrease year over year.

HJI: But This could be the perfect “happy ending,” but unfortunately the problem didn’t stop there…

Dr. S: No; over time, we learned that was just the tip of the iceberg. As the Internet emerged as a tool to disseminate information; it required little more than a click of the mouse to tarnish a reputation forever. One of the problems that

physicians face is that the Internet is both a tool for good; that is, a way to promote what they do, and a way to build their reputation; but it also is a tool which can be used to destroy a hard-fought reputation of a doctor. It takes decades to build a reputation; it takes one minute to destroy it. What we wanted to do was take aim at this emerging problem. There really is no threshold required to post on the Web. When a post is on the Web, it can be anonymous, which means that the poster is not accountable. That is a problem, made worse by the fact that posts have permanence. Our goal was to figure out what tools might be available to (a) prevent it from happening, and (b) if it did, to give the doctor viable means for taking it down.

Let me just take a couple more minutes to describe the extent of the problem because it’s even deeper than issues related to frivolous lawsuits. Number one, the individual who posts is ordinarily anonymous. Okay? Now what does that mean? Well, it means that anyone with a grudge against a doctor can post, and do it without any accountability. This could include a disgruntled patient, but it could also include a disgruntled employee posing as a patient, a competitor posing as a patient, or even an ex-spouse posing as a patient. The point is anyone with a grudge or a score to settle could do it on the Internet merely posing as a patient. Number two, the ordinary remedy that a doctor might have against a publisher of defamatory information, such as a newspaper or a TV station, is not available. Let me explain. Defamation law is very complicated.

Normally, when you have a defamatory writing, there is an author and a publisher. The author would be the journalist who wrote the article, and the publisher is the distributor.

Each of them is liable in the non-virtual world.

As we move to the world of the Internet however, we learn that in 1996, Congress passed a law called the Communication Decency Act –

and one of the terms of the statute said that Internet service providers are immune for any act of defamation. Now if you can find out who wrote the post, or who wrote the article on the Internet, you certainly are free to file a lawsuit against them for defamation. But the Internet Service provider is immune.

Again, remember, we said that most of the posts on the Internet are anonymous. Here, you’ve got the twin problem of anonymous authors posting onto the Internet, with Internet service providers or Web sites being entirely immune from any type of accountability.

To put the cherry on top of the sundae, you also have the fact that doctors are bound by other laws not to fight back. What do I mean by that? Well it’s been stated that the antidote for offensive speech is more speech. If you don’t like what someone says about you, then you can defend yourself using speech. The problem for physicians and health care providers in general is that they can’t do that - the medical record is confidential; meaning that you can’t just post the medical record onto the Internet and say, “Here is my defense.” In a sense, you have physicians who are on the receiving end with no viable way to defend themselves.

Therein is the essence of the problem crying for a solution.

HJI: It sounds like only a very brave man would venture into this lion’s den!

Dr. S: Yes. But we thought it was important to rise to the challenge. It certainly was a growing problem, particularly with the host of physician rating sites that are out there. There is growing number of doctor rating sites. I think, at last count, we’ve been able to detect 30. It’s a cottage industry, and my guess is we’ll be up to 100 in short order. In addition, there are individual rating sites, where you have one patient unhappy with one a particular (cont. on pg.11) doctor, and he’sthey’ve

9 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Do You Know What’s in the Products You Are Using?

By Joanne Washington Most hair care professionals take precautions to protect themselves when working with hair chemicals such as hair dyes, bleach, peroxides, perms and hair straighteners. But not everyone.

Many cosmetologists have no idea what is in the products they use every day. Sad to say, they pay little attention to the ingredients listed on the packaging. They may take pride in updating their cutting and styling skills or their knowledge of color, but when it comes to understanding how the chemicals they handle affect their health, it’s another matter.

Workers in the beauty industry expose themselves to over 200 different chemicals a day through their contact with personal care products. Fortunately, most of these are non toxic but there are some that are suspected carcinogens, contaminants, skin irritants, hormone disruptors and even poisons. So this is the time to ask yourself two questions: do the manufacturers have your best interests at heart… and if you hesitated before answering that question, how can you protect yourself and your clients?

The first thing you should know is that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) classifies cosmetics and personal care products but it does not regulate them. In 1938, the FDA granted self regulation to the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association (CTFA), the self-appointed industry organization. With the exception of color additives and certain other compounds, a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and take the product to market without an approval from FDA. Today, manufacturers use more than 5000 chemicals in personal care products. Hair care professionals and their customers will be alarmed to learn that some of these products that they have always considered to be safe such as shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, lotions and lipsticks can cause health hazards.

Beware of products that include ingredients, such as propylene glycol, dioxins, parabens, sodium lauryle sulfate, ammonium lauryle sulphate, butylated hydroxianisole (BHA) coal tar, cocoamide DEA, diethanolamine (DEA) monoethanolamine (MEA) triethanolamine (TEA), PVP/VA copolymer, paraffin and formaldehyde. Prolonged exposure can lead to the health issues such as skin irritations, respiratory problems allergies and worse. Allergic responses vary from person to person and may include gradual changes like dermatitis, headaches, slight rash and itchy nose or eyes.

In the most extreme cases you could fall victim to breast cancer, lung tumors or Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

We know that we cannot completely remove ourselves from the toxins we encounter in our daily lives; after all, working with chemicals is how we make our living. However, we can take steps to protect our health and the health of our clients. Here are some suggestions: u Start by learning the names of all the major ingredients linked to health hazards. u Choose products that offer safer options. u Don’t automatically accept the hype from manufacturers or sales people. u Demand that companies remove chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects from the products you use daily u Detox and cleanse – help your body elimi nate the toxins that accumulate in lungs, liver and blood stream. u Eliminate potentially harmful chemicals that accumulate on the hair and scalp.

If you do not know how to remove residual chemicals left topically on the hair and scalp, you can contact me through The National Hair Society and I will be pleased to advise you.

Our goal is to protect the health of consumers and workers through awareness, education and knowledge of the health issues involving chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens,

mutagens and reproductive toxins.

Joanne Washington is a hair replacement specialist and certified trichologist with 25 years of experience. She attended the International Institute of Trichology, Huntsville, Alabama and Rodney Barnett Trichology, Dallas, Texas.

Joanne is the owner of Hairoots Hair Replacement 7 Salon in Brea, CA. In 2005,

Hairoots partnered with the American Cancer Society to raise awareness of the health risks from the indiscriminate use of certain beauty and hair products. Joanne also worked closely with Encore Plus, hosting mammogram screenings at her salon for underserved women residing within the Orange County area. She continues to participate in health symposia sponsored

by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Orange County African-American Women’s Health Coalition and The Green Foundation. A cancer survivor herself, Joanne has taken it upon herself to research the chemicals commonly used in personal care and hair treatment products. She can be reached at: (714) 674-768 or hairoots@earthlink.net or visit hairoots.com. HJI

11 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Medical Justice

(cont. from pg.8) made it histheir life’s mission to alert the world and criticize the doctor, calling him every name under the sun. We’ve been able to identify a way up front to prevent the problem from happening.

The way we do it is we fall back on something that we’re comfortable with, the idea of a contract that we mentioned earlier, which we have used to eliminate, or at least decrease, the scourge of frivolous lawsuits.

How do we do it? Well, when the patient first sees the physician, the doctor asks that he sign an agreement. Patients are comfortable signing agreements. They do it all the time. For example, they say they will pay your bill and agree that you can send medical records to a referring doctor.

The whole notion of patients and doctors signing contracts is an old issue. What’s new is the The doctor asks that they sign an agreement of mutual privacy. Now doctors are already bound to give patients significant privacy protections. These are protections that are embodied both in federal law, through HIPAA, through state confidentiality statutes, and through conventional medical ethics.

There are a numberplenty of holes in HIPAA. There are loopholes that may allow confidential information to leak through.

What our plan members offer to the patient is to plug some of those holes; that is, to give the In patient additional privacy protections. exchange for that, the doctor asks that the patient not post comments on the Internet about his or her specific care without the doctor’s written permission. The patient is free to speak to family members, to other physicians, to licensing boards, to an attorney, and more. There; there are many venues where the patient is free to speak, as well as vent.

The doctor just asks that, because the Internet is so pervasive and so permanent, the patients restrict themselves from posting onto the Web without the doctor’s written permission. By putting together a contract that the patient signs, and makingmake it a matter of policy that most, if not all, patients sign the agreement, you give the physician a tool to prevent the post from going up, and if it does go up, to present a template of such an agreement to the hosting Web site to get the postit taken down.

HJI: What has the response of the industry been to this procedure?

Dr. S: When you say industry, are you referring to our physician plan members or to the rating sites that are up there?

HJI: Well I think I should start with the physicians. How many physicians are now aware of this program, and what was their response?

Dr. S: The response to our physician plan members has been very positive. One of their initial concerns was - will patients actually sign these agreements? It turns out the answer is, yes. We’ve had experience now using template agreements for approximately six years, and we learnedcan rest assured that over 99 percent of patients sign these agreements. The reason is that most patients are reasonable and the language of the agreement is mutual. Basically “one gives to get”, so that there’s something in it for everyone. Because most patients come to a doctor to get better, the primary concern is how they can achieve maximal health, or in a hair restoration practice, how they can achieve a better aesthetic result. Their focus is not so much on how they can go onto the Internet and blog negatively. We’re trying to look after the interest of all parties. Although it mightdoes appear at first blush to be physician-centric, when you dig deeper, you see that really there’s something in it for everyone.

HJI: You are a standalone organization. With the service that you’re providing, it would have seemed logical that one of the professional groups absorb you and make you an industry-wide utility.

Dr. S: Our natural allies are the professional associations and we are endorsed by aany number of state medical societies, national specialty societies, and county medical societies; we have a pretty long list. The other natural ally would appear to be professional liability carriers – insurance companies. We have an interesting relationship with the carriers. Certainly, the largest carriers in the country support our mission. On the other hand, it’s not entirely clear that we would be best absorbed by these larger entities as opposed to playing a watchdog role - giving them an armslength distance.

HJI: How is your organization structured at the moment?

Dr. S: The organization is a company based in North Carolina, with a presence in all 50 states.

The nerve center is in North Carolina. We work with a collection of attorneys across the country, but, by and large, most of what we do is out of the single office.

HJI: Would you see your services essentially as prophylactic, heading off problems before they happen, or have you been drawn into dramatic case histories, which serve as warnings to other people?

Dr. S: The answer is both. I mean in a perfect world, it would primarily be prophylactic. We describe it as a vaccine for libel. You really want to set the stage to prevent other problems from occurring down the road, but the only way the system actually works is if we are prepared to pull the

trigger, and indeed, we have. Over six years, we have collected cases which have established our firm’s reputation. The best way to make it work, for a plan member to get maximum value from the offering, is to embrace the use of these prophylactic agreements up front and put them away. To the extent you need them down the road; you have a very powerful tool, as well as funding by the organization, to take action later.

HJI: How does a physician or medical group participate in your program?

Dr. S: They join by becoming plan members.

They can go to the Web site, which is MedicalJustice.com, and it’s a fairly easy process to sign up. Alternatively, a physician can call our office, 1-877-MED-JUST, and the number is 877633-5878. The process of signing up takes less than one minute.

HJI: What about Web sites and groups that take it as a mission to critique procedures or critique doctors in general. These are Web site managers, who are building a profitable business by supposedly acting as consumer ombudspersons. There’s no disciplinary action you can take against them, is there?

Dr. S: To answer your question about these consumer sites that serve as a “watchdog” for the public… we’re not entirely convinced that’s their primary mission. I think to the extent these sites make money, their primary source of revenue is based on getting as many people to participate in the sites and attract as many eyeballs to on the site as possible. The , and that the posts are a means to a different end. The problem we have with these sites is that there’s no accountability. Since people can often post anonymously, it’s impossible to verify the creditability or truthfulness of what is being posted. Our long-term contention is that much of that information is worse than no information. I do believe that, as we learn more, good physicians will welcome being rated because it will be in their interest to be rated. But we think, in 20092008, given the anonymity of the Web and the lack of accountability, it makes little sense to expose yourself to the risk of being exposed on these sites unless there are clear benefits. We would argue that these sites fail in their purpose as a public watchdog. To the extent that a doctor is a danger to the public at large, the proper remedy is with licensing authorities. That is, go to a medical licensing board and make your best argument.

Those are the organizations that are actually able to take substantive action.

HJI: We’ve been looking at the dark side of the medical profession, but if we flip the coin and look at the positive features, how do you define a talented and successful physician? Is this a service that you should be providing, or is that “sleeping with the enemy?”

Dr. S: I mean this goes to the larger issue of what we would define as “patient outcomes.” I think over time, we need to understand what a good outcome is. Even for what I would consider the lowest-hanging fruit, for example mortality or infection, we’re struggling to normalize our metrics; that is, how do we define what is a good result and how do we compare one practitioner against the other? I know that there are many talented people studying this. I think it’s even more problematic in fields where beauty is in the eye of the beholder- such as in the aesthetic fields. I think that we’ll see some headway made first in areas of treatinghow do you treat diabetes, or how do you treat hypertension, where you have very easy metrics to review, like blood sugar and blood pressure. But I think in terms of aesthetic results, it’s going to take a lot more time to figure out who’s actually more talented than others, as opposed to being able to figure out who is just a horrible practitioner and is a danger to the public.

This, which I think we probably can determine today.

HJI: The readers of our publication are physicians who perform cosmetic surgery. Because there’s an important emotional component to their services, they are perhaps more at risk than a doctor performing regular medical care. What advice would you give them?

Dr. S: Well, it’s interesting that the frequency of litigation is pretty high with those who perform aesthetic procedures. We tell aesthetic surgeons that they’re the only specialty where you take a healthy patient and make them sick to make them healthy again. In every other medical specialty, you’re starting off with a cohort of patients who are already sick. It requires managing expectations, which means carefully selecting your patients and understanding what it is that they’re coming to you for. What do they hope to gain?

You have to make sure that their expectations are realistic.

HJI: A doctor reading our interview today, what actions should he take next?

Dr. S: The simple next step should be either go to our Web site, at MedicalJustice.com, or call our office, 877-MED-JUST, and join. It costs almost nothing to join the organization, and the amount of protection is significant. It’s inexpensive, it’s important, and it needs to be done now.

HJI: In a sentence, what would you be promising them?

Dr. S: Our goal is to protect and preserve their most HJI valuable asset, which is their reputation.

12 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

W

igs are certainly not a new product category.

They have been around for centuries. Once worn by the ancient Egyptians, wigs today are commonplace and are worn for numerous and diverse reasons: from religious and medical to theater, fantasy, fun and fashion.

The women who wear wigs today tend to fall into one of two categories, “Women of Want’ and “Women of Need.” Although these groups are profoundly different one from the other, they are united by a common desire for beauty.

Women of Need: Most hair replacement centers and medical spa professionals already know a lot about ‘Women of Need’ and how to market to them successfully. These unfortunate women usually find themselves in this category for health-related reasons, such as the sideeffects of chemotherapy, radiation, alopecia areata/totalis, lupus and other hair-loss causing ailments. The increasing prevalence of female pattern hair loss is also a key factor. ‘Women of Need’ are so-called because of their need to maintain and complement their natural beauty by replacing hair they have lost. For optimum results, they usually need the services of a hair replacement professional.

The loss of hair can have a traumatic effect on any woman’s pride and self-esteem, but replacing it can immediately help her look attractive and even glamorous again. The ability to feel confident and desirable is of paramount importance. Typically, the ‘Woman of Need’ will turn to a non-medical hair replacement center to select, supply and fit her new hair. She needs a better sense of “normal” and that is what she expects to be provided with.

We interviewed Michael Leigh, president of Follea USA to share some of his expert ideas with you. Leigh notes, “Even though you may be experienced serving women who need hair, there are still things you should be asking yourself to enhance your business. First and foremost, you need to provide quality in every aspect of service and product. How are you greeting your clients and what level of customer service do you provide? Do you offer your clients enough options with custom and high quality off-the-shelf wigs, partial hair pieces and hair extensions? Are you an expert in all of the professional hair replacement services and products you offer? Do you have the knowledge to help these special clients find the right solution? The category of “Added Hair” ranges from full wigs to integrations, falls, ponytails and fringes. Choices of hair ranges from manmade synthetic to hair swept from the floor, to the finest human hair hand-selected and cut from willing donors. Do you offer the best quality products at fair prices? Do you provide private rooms to ensure that your clients feel comfortable when they visit? Do you market yourself as ‘THE BEST’ hair replacement specialists in town? Anything answered with a ‘No’ is an area for growth, improvement and opportunity to build stronger relationships and return visits from your clients.”

Michael Leigh suggests, “Work closely with

professional added-hair manufacturers, distributors and vendors that you trust. Take advantage of the power of their name-brand and the marketing materials they provide. Show your clients your special areas of expertise. Share

informed and are able to do the research on their own.

‘Women vs.of Want’ ‘Women of Need’ BEAUTY

HAS

Unfortunately, many hair replacement salons and centers are still doing business conserva-

NO

BOUNDARIES

By Jean Pitzer your knowledge with your clients while you customize solutions to meet their needs.

Informed clients are loyal and usually willing to pay more for better products and superior service. Create a strong marketing program with regional magazines, colorful brochures, direct mail and a strong website. Harness the power of Google’s search engine in your local area. Take advantage of new-age marketing practices, using the Internet, blogs and email blasts. These vehicles will often show a bigger

tively. They are being left behind not just by other businesses, but also by their own clientele.

You should investigate special social networking groups on the Internet, like BaldGirlsDoLunch.com or AlopeciaWorld.com.

Partner and network with other local businesses, especially doctors, oncology centers, hospitals and other salons that deal with ‘Women of Need’ and develop a referral system. Seek out other compatible businesses in your area to create mutually beneficial relationships.”

image as their high-fashion clothes, jewelry and shoes. This group also includes Hasidic Jewish married women who may choose to wear a wig to fulfill their obligation to cover their head as part of their faith.

Although celebrities and models usually fall into the “Women of Want” category, many of them may “cross-over” if they succumb to health, dietary or stress that result in thinning or hereditary hair loss. Many high profile people with ‘camera personalities’ have severely impaired hair; but they augment it with highquality added-hair that is imperceptible, even in close-ups. Conversely, some ‘Women of Need’ will also switch over after they have overcome their health problems. They have learned to view wigs as an important fashion accessory, just like their handbag.

The ‘Woman of Want’ today may buy inexpensive hair replacement products, often online or from neighborhood wig stores. She may also visit her favorite hair salon where she elects to spend from $1,500 to more than $3,000 on hair extensions, with the need for regular maintenance and replacement as they grow out. This is a positive alternative. Today there is plenty of room to expand your salon and hair replacement business with premier-quality wigs and hairpieces for this type of upscale client. Many salons have clearly fallen short with their marketing efforts to serve this unique group of fashionable women.

Marketing Strategies: Michael Leigh of Follea offers the following suggestions when you develop a marketing plan for Women of Want. First and foremost, you need to answer the question, ‘Who is going to buy a wig or hairpiece as a fashion accessory when they don’t have a special need?” For starters, it will be models, movie stars and business executives who need to go from the gym to a meeting while still looking their best in a short period of time. One of the best ways we can market to ‘Women of Want,’ and even potential women of want, is by getting out in the community where these women focus their attention; place like salons, clothing stores, model agencies, bridal stores and fashion shows. You can also do it by simply gaining media coverage in the popular local magazines, newspapers and on TV shows.

Participating with charitable organizations in fundraising events is also a great way to build a strong brand image for your wig business.

They will help to get your name out there regardless of which category you are targeting, while branding yourself as the best hair replacement specialist and wig fashion salon in town. Offer a commission to business partners who may have less of a chance to see profit gains by working with you. Any of these marketing strategies will help to improve your sales with increased profits.”

return on your marketing investment than traditional advertising in the Yellow Pages. Do not be afraid to test and take advantage of new ways to advertise. Wig, hairpiece and hair replacement clients are becoming more

Fashionable Woman of Want: Fashion-oriented ‘Women of Want’ include celebrities, actresses, models, busy executives and mothers of the bride. These are women who consider her hair to be as important a part of their total

We must remember that with women of both categories, you should be careful never to trade quality for price. Women who are serious about owning a wig… or two… or more, are not as concerned with price as they are about how long it’s going to continue to look as good as the day they bought it. (cont.on pg.16)

13 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Hair is Hair:False!

So, you’re thinking of getting additional hair - whether for hair replacement, extensions, or whatever reason, and the big question is, which hair is right for you? It’s no, “I’ll have what she’s having” or eeny-meeny-miny-mo situation. It’s a big decision. One that you’ll have to live with, literally every single moment of every day. You’ll wake up with it; you’ll fall asleep with it; and you’ll take it with you everywhere you go. So, naturally, you want your perfect match - the puzzle-piece companion you’d be ecstatic to have tagging along on that big date, the dinner with old friends, or a

the pool and back-and-forth your way through your workout. You need hair that does as well in water as you do. What if you aren’t into the curling and teasing and styling of your own hair? You just can’t be bothered with it? Or perhaps you just aren’t able to? Then you need some easy-maintenance hair that basically styles itself. Lifestyle is a very important part of the equation.

Where, oh where, is this hair? Because there are so many different hair replacement brands and types of hair these days, the best way to cut

is always evolving and there are new hair products coming onto the market all the time.

One of them is called Vitalhair, a lightweight, colorfast, durable man-made fiber that looks and feels very natural and, unlike most other synthetics, even let’s you change styles.

Vitalhair is the newest hair filament on the market, but still, it may or may not be right for you. That is best left up to the professionals. The product is distributed by International Hairgoods Inc., in Chanhassen MN and they can stock your salon with as many different types of hair as can fit in your

Ten Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009 New York, NY, 12/08 - The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), a national organization of boardcertified plastic surgeons who specialize in cosmetic surgery, offers its predictions for cosmetic surgery in 2009. Predictions are based on interviews with leading plastic surgeons around the country.

Aesthetic Medicine has seen a dramatic increase in the diversity of the patients treated over the past decade and this trend is expected to continue to grow stronger than ever, with applications that cater to all people. The appeal of both aesthetic surgery and cosmetic medicine will continue to spread across the spectrum of our population, as plastic surgeons further tailor treatments to meet the sometimes unique needs of that expanding population.

The growth and popularity of cosmetic fillers (Evolence, Juvederm, Restylane, etc.) will continue to increase as products continue to evolve and new players enter the market.

As our population increasingly realizes the dangers and health consequences of obesity, the number of patients seeking plastic surgery procedures for body contouring after dramatic weight loss (abdominoplasty, lower body lift, upper arm lift, etc.) will rise in 2009.

Reloxin (an injectable form of Botulinum Toxin Type A) will gain FDA approval and compete with Botox (the most popular cosmetic procedure for the past 5 years) and other similar products may begin to enter pre-market clinical trials.

fancy-schmancy black-tie event, not that embarrassing mooch you’re constantly apologizing for. We all know those kinds of people, so the metaphor makes sense. You want any additional hair to be on your head, but off your mind. You want your hair to be second nature…as in second only to your natural hair, and not by much. You need to find your hair happy place. But unfortunately these days, that can take some extra legwork.

So many hairs, so little time - The upside of the hair replacement industry right now is that there are so many different types of hair.

From synthetic hair to human hair, polyester hair to nylon hair, Cyberhair® to Euro hair, even to options like baby hair and yak hair— just to name a few. The list goes on and on… and then rambles on some more. This upside of abundant hair options also plays the role of the downside. With so many options and no clear way to weed out the riffraff, many of us are left wandering aimlessly through the overflowing sea of hair, with no clear direction which way to go.

Let’s break it down - There are many things to take into consideration when chasing down your perfect hair. You want the new hair to match your existing hair as closely as possible.

This means matching not only color, but also texture and style. Blonde wants blonde. Red wants red. Purple wants purple…or whatever shade in the great spectrum of hair colors yours happens to be. Smooth and shiny hair can’t have thick and textured hair mixed in. It just won’t work. Different ethnicities have different hair textures. This must be considered as well. Matching requires the use of your sense of sight, as well as your sense of touch. Look at the hair, feel the hair, and match it as closely as possible to the hair you were blessed with as a wee baby. Well, okay, unless you were a beautiful bald baby…but you get the point.

Once you’ve found hair that looks, feels, and styles like your own, don’t stop there. Factor in your lifestyle and how you need the hair to perform and behave.

Say you’re a swimmer. Every morning you hit

to the chase is to go to the specialists who have a knowledge of, and an inventory of, as many hair types as possible. You cannot be satisfied with “the best match of what we have in stock.” Your true hair-mate is out there, and you need the specialist matchmaker. A proverbial dating service of the hairreplacement industry. That all-knowing friend who knows you, understands you, and has the expertise to set you up. And set you up with something quality.

Going to a less knowledgeable salon or clinic that just partners you with whatever hair happens to be in the back room, can be disas-

storage. The more options you have, the better chance of a successful match to your client’s hair. And happy clients are the best clients, right? If you’re looking for hair for yourself, IHI has specialists who will analyze your hair type, assess your lifestyle, and prescribe the best hair match from a huge selection of hair types.

So, what have we learned? All things considered, if you are the one looking for hair, with all the hair options out there, chances are there is one that is perfect for you. You just need to find it with the help of experts, and not to settle for second best or whatever’s

Consumers looking for a bargain on cosmetic procedures will unfortunately lead to an increase in horror stories about “discount injectables” bought offshore and cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgical procedures performed by untrained or poorly trained practitioners.

Experimental techniques for non-invasive fat removal (SonoScultpt, UltraShape) as a future alternative or adjunct to liposuction (lipoplasty) surgery, will continue be tested in clinical trials.

Men will represent a growing segment of the aesthetic surgery market. (According to a February 2008 consumer survey commissioned by ASAPS, 57 percent of men approve of cosmetic surgery, and 20 percent would consider having cosmetic surgery.

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of American men surveyed said they would not be embarrassed if people in addition to their family and close friends knew they had undergone cosmetic surgery.)

As the popularity of non surgical and minimally invasive procedures continues to grow; surgeons and manufacturers will develop new techniques and products that advance the science, produce even better results and lessen recovery time.

trous. You could end up with lesser-quality hair that fades terribly, loses its style, and lasts only three months. That is nowhere near a lasting commitment. You may also end up with hair that frizzes and pills up like those polyester pants from back in the day. No, thanks. You could also end up with hair that doesn’t match your lifestyle, and then you’re stuck with it. Through rain, sleet, snow, or even swimming pools, you’ll have hair that just doesn’t keep up.

on hand.

If you’re a salon or clinic whose customers come in looking for additional hair, make sure you have a smorgasbord of hair types to choose from. It always makes for a more successful matching game.

What’s New? Fortunately, the beauty world

Now, go out and find that perfect hair.

From technicians to end-users, finding the perfect hair match doesn’t have to be as complicated as it appears. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the options; leverage them to your ultimate advantage.

Cosmetic surgery “vacations” will become less popular as educated consumers understand the safety and risk issues associated with surgical procedures and travel. Surgery performed by board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeons, in accredited facilities where follow-up care is available will continue to be the safest option and the best value.

Following the trend in increased consumer sophistication regarding healthcare choices, board certification of practitioners, and accreditation of surgical facilities will play an even more important role in choosing a cosmetic surgeon.

For more information, visit www.surgery.org HJI

14 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

South Beach Welcomes SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions First International Conference Miami, FL. 12/08 - SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions recently hosted North American regional representatives and guests from Italy, Brazil, Spain, Honduras, Mexico, Canada, Norway, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Washington, California, Illinois and Washington, DC at their first annual International Conference.

Ron Cardillo, Sr., Ron Cardillo, Jr. and Lisa Brown opened this event as the owners and representatives from SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions New York office. Antonio Di Biase, President of SO.CAP. International and Guiliano Guiliani, Artistic Director of SO.CAP. S.r.L. Italy, were also on hand to share many planned new product, service and technical innovations.

Antonio Di Biasi, President, SOCAP International

Guiliani introduced SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions’ new 2009 product releases including Hair Parfums, Long Hair Wefts, Easy Long Hair Clip-Ins, ExtenRing and a brand new ceramic flat iron designed to work with professional hair extensions. Di Biase and Giuliani also showed a video that showcased their beautiful new office and factory in Italy.

SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions invited a series of special guest speakers this year. Larry Oskin and Hannah Mayo of Marketing Solutions were on hand to present a state of the salon industry report as well as plans for the SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions Company’s 2009 beauty trade and consumer marketing programs. Marketing Solutions is a professional group that manages the marketing, advertising and media relations for SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions.

Christopher Webb, Publisher of Hair Journal International reviewed the hair-management market and identified opportunities in the growing hair restoration, hair extension and laser hair therapy segments. He shared current and future trends in the new consumer mindset, potential growth opportunities for the SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions Company as well

as untapped resources that SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions might consider taking advantage of as an international market Daniel Funk, leader.

President of Passion Brands and publisher of Passion International Stylebooks was there also to thank SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions for their consistent participation in the Photography Passion Competitions.

He announced that the second volume of the Passion Extensions Stylebook would be published by Spring 2009. The final guest to speak was Nicholas French, a world renowned Guiliano Guilani with Ron Cardillo Snr. hair designer. French performed a special hair design artistry session using SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions to create innovative and new avant garde hair designs. SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions was proud to announce that they will be working with French as their new Creative Director, a company spokesperson and platform artist in the future.

Ron Cardillo, Sr. Noted, “We are very proud of the success we and our international partners have enjoyed with so many salons over the years. A highlight of our conference was when SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions offices, together with their associates across the globe, shared their success stories and future plans. Members of our SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions National Education Team also outlined their plans for expanding their certification and educational programs. Kathy Williams, Hanh Tran and Michael Baker make up the celebrated National Education Team for SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions. The event ended with a special awards ceremony celebrating the success stories of 2008.” SO.CAP. USA Hair Extensions, the official North American branch, is headquartered in New York, NY.

Final touches from Nicholas French as he demonstrates the magic of hair extensions.

Ron Cardillo, Jnr.

Lisa Brown Worlwide guests at SOCAP International Conference

16 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

People on the Move Please join us in congratulating Michael Montemurro as he resumes his role as Vice President of National Sales with the New Image family. Mike will oversee all the sales Michael Montemurro initiatives, planning and team development for New Image’s U.S. division. His extensive knowledge and experience in both the retail and wholesale arenas makes him a valuable asset to the entire hair replacement community.

New Image welcomes Kerri DaSilva as their new Marketing Manager.

Kerri has been successful in brand and package development, working within beverage, cosmetics and toy industries.

She graduated Magna Kerri DaSilva Cum Laude from New York Fashion Institute of Technology, specializing in Package Design, and is master certified in Quark XPress design software on the Mac.

Brazilian Hair Straighteners Dangerous bends for the next 5 miles…

Phoenix, AZ. 01/09 - Recent media stories continue to raise questions in our industry about the safety of some Brazilian hair straighteners - also known as Brazilian Keratin Treatments (BKT) and/or “escova progressiva”. The media has highlighted the use of formaldehyde as an ingredient in these treatments, raising particular questions about the levels of formaldehyde used in some products.

Additionally, the media has drawn attention to the mislabeling and/or lack of labeling on the part of some product manufacturers.

Specifically, it has been reported that some Brazilian hair straightening products are being marketed as “formaldehyde free” when in fact they contain formaldehyde.

The use of Brazilian hair straighteners has become increasingly popular over the last several years. Although there have been no comprehensive studies on these products and treatments, some experts are concerned about the possible inhalation of formaldehyde in unsafe quantities - both on the part of salon industry professionals and consumers.

Commonly used as a preservative, formaldehyde is found in everyday household objects such as glue and particle board.

However, acute exposure can be highly irritating and may cause severe allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.

It is also a suspected human carcinogen.

Individual reactions to different levels of formaldehyde (as with most environmental stimuli) can vary greatly based on hereditary and lifestyle factors.

The independent Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel completed an extensive review of formaldehyde in 1984, and listed it as “safe as used” in cosmetics within certain specifications. The CIR has listed formaldehyde as safe for use in cosmetics in quantities of point two percent (0.2%) or less. CIR also advises that “Formaldehyde should not be used in products intended to be aerosolized”.

OSHA does not have a formaldehyde concentration limitation for cosmetic products; however it is concerned with the concentration of formaldehyde vapors in the atmosphere emanating from products. The OSHA limit is 0.75 parts per million (ppm) over an eight (8) hour exposure period. When a product like the Brazilian straightener is applied to the hair and is heated with a flat iron, formaldehyde

“Women of Want”

(cont.from pg.14) Premier-quality wigs that last longer, feel better, look natural and sell at an appropriate price are going to withstand this harsh economy much better than inexpensive ‘me too’ brands.

As proof, we should note that while every major American car company was eating dust in 2008, Rolls Royce sales rose 20%! There will always be a market for top quality services and products.

To illustrate this in our own professional beauty industry, Twila Donley of the Fantasia Salon in Crystal City, Minnesota notes, “A woman who was in the midst of going through medical treatments came into our salon to inquire about a wig. She had a very prestigious job and it was important that she look her best all the time. She did not want anyone to know she was wearing a wig. I first showed her one of our highest quality 100% human hair wigs and she immediately fell in love with the hair. I then showed her a human hair wig of lesser quality and price. She still absolutely loved the higher quality wig and had to have it. By educating her on the quality and benefits, the better quality hair sold itself!”

Leigh concludes, “You must be in tune with the psychology of each of the women coming to your hair replacement center. You must take into consideration what she is thinking, how she wants to feel and how you will reinforce those feelings when she leaves your salon. She is often vulnerable. Never take advantage of her. Plan to sincerely help and protect her. If you do this, she will remain a client for as long as she needs hair. She will provide you with a lifetime of positive referrals. If you ever betray her trust, you will never see her again. Her negative experience will spread and haunt you forever.

The best reward your clients can receive is a compliment from another woman who cannot tell she is wearing a hairpiece. We must help our clients understand that they are wearing added hair that is undetectable. We must help these special clients feel confident, beautiful, fashionable and sexy. Beauty has no boundaries. If you provide the professional hair replacement products and support that result in both “Women of Need and “Women of Want” receiving compliments, you WILL be respected as the most successful hair replacement expert in your town… and for miles around.”

Jean Pitzer is a Marketing Coordinator at Marketing Solutions, a full service marketing, advertising, graphic design and PR agency specializing in the professional beauty business. Marketing solutions works with manufacturers, distributors, associations, spas, day spas, medical spas, salons and cosmetology schools.

vaporizes and is released into the air. In this situation, both stylist and client can be exposed to levels of formaldehyde greater than 0.75 ppm by inhaling these vapors.

Some products currently on the market have been found to contain formaldehyde in excess of the CIR standard. The health and safety of beauty professionals and consumers is a top priority for our industry. As such, PBA strongly encourages our members to educate themselves on these products and to ask pertinent questions regarding product ingredients, appropriate handling, application techniques and any safety or allergy warnings that should be shared with consumers.

The market abounds with various hair straightening products - whose safety has been established by a strict selection process of ingredients that are safe and suitable for straightening and relaxing hair. Product safety can be established though firm adherence to the principles of quality assurance and good manufacturing practices. This includes testing the compatibility of the product with packaging as well as shelf-life stability. It is especially important to follow the directions on the product label to ensure that the product performs as intended and to prevent irritation to the skin.

Finally, the safety of products is monitored in the marketplace through reports of consumer comments and complaints.

Companies should include a phone number on their products where comments or complaints may be reported.

17 Hair Journal International Spring 2009

Men’s Hair Replacement & the U. S. Auto Industry… ( cont. fom pg. 7) this onslaught from competitors?

Sadly none.

Club commercials the butt of their jokes. What was once considered to be a clever line, “I’m not only the president, I’m a client, too” was now being widely parodied.

The irony was that at the same time that Rogaine and mini grafts were getting all the attention, the non-surgical replacement business had some news of its own. Top of the head bonding had come into play. Gone were the old days of “track bonding” and “snaps”.

But it wasn’t just Hair Club commercials that were being made fun of. Since most hair replacement advertising followed Hair Club’s format, the entire industry was under indictment. Poking fun at an industry that provides services involving an already-sensitive issue was a big blow to hair replacement.

The difference in appearance, as well as in feel and performance, was striking. Yet instead of communicating this advance, the hair replacement industry stayed with the same old testimonial advertising that communicated “confidence” while showing men on jet skis and in swimming pools with comely feminine companions.

Culturally, the move to more casual styles made the baseball cap a popular fashion accessory. Though not the intent of this style, baseball caps were a handy cover-up for a balding pate. And now that they were acceptable in almost all social situations, so much the easier for a balding man to procrastinate in doing something about his hair loss.

Our product had changed, but the industry wouldn’t, at least when it came to its advertising. So consumers didn’t know we had something new.

They just thought our competitors did.

The move to shaving one’s head also hurt the hair business, no doubt. “Just shave it off if you’re losing it” became the mantra of many.

Even for those reluctant to “take it all off ”, closely cropped hair became an acceptable alternative.

Not seeing the signs The domestic auto industry had plenty of information on hand to guide its decision making in the 70s through the ‘90s. For one, there were the sales figures that showed big car sales dropping and sales of smaller foreign cars on the rise.

At the same time, men’s hair replacement continued to feature longer hair styles in its advertising. The business just seemed to be losing touch. And worse, change wasn’t in sight.

Then, there was the changing mix of foreign cars that was appearing and selling. No more just offering low priced economy cars, foreign manufacturers were moving upscale, and moving up in size, with larger cars like the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Cressida and Crown.

Who cares about the consumer?

Detroit certainly didn’t want to listen to what consumers had to say. They wanted to go on doing business as they had for years, even in the face of declining sales, because that’s what they were comfortable doing.

These weren’t just stripped down economy cars but premium mid-size models….and they were taking sales from Detroit’s mid-size cars such as the Oldsmobile Cutlass and Ford Granada.

One of the biggest examples of Detroit’s recalcitrance, and a subsequent failure so big that it appears in the case studies of many business schools, was the Chrysler Imperial.

Then, another disturbing trend emerged in the mid-1980s. Foreign cars became more performance oriented, introducing turbo powered four cylinder and six cylinder engines in cars with sprightly handling properties. Detroit, on the other hand, countered with such flops as the Chevy Euro edition of the Chevelle, the Cadillac Cimmaron, and the Cutlass Ciera.

These cars didn’t offer performance, but instead, appearance features that made them look “foreign” instead of perform like the foreign cars against which they were competing.

In the late l970s, Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy until it was saved by a government bail out and the advent of the “K car”, a small compact platform upon which many Chrysler brands were based: the Dodge Aries, the Plymouth Reliant, et. al.

Sales continued to slump. And despite consumer research that showed Detroit was taking the wrong approach, Detroit stubbornly continued along the same road.

The signs were there for hair replacement, too In the mid-1990s, men’s non-surgical hair replacement was seeing signs of its own…and they weren’t very positive.

Leads were getting more expensive to generate.

Those leads that did come in were harder to contact due to the advent of answering machines and caller ID. And what leads did come in for consultations were increasingly harder to sell.

Why was all this happening? Again, there were more signs being provided in the marketplace, as well as culturally.

Late night talk show hosts, such as Jay Leno and David Letterman, were now making Hair

ISSE 2009 Remains West Coast’s Top Beauty Event Long Beach, CA. 02/09 - With attendee numbers up significantly from 2008 and exceeding expectations for 2009, the Professional Beauty Association's (PBA) annual International Salon & Spa Expo (ISSE) set the standard for professional industry events going forward. Featuring some of the biggest names in the industry, including Tabatha Coffey, Charlie Price, Orlando Pita, Kim Vÿ, and Martin Parsons, combined with cutting-edge education and amazing deals on the latest beauty products, ISSE reaffirmed its position as the West Coast’s largest and most influential professional beauty event. Held January 31 through February 2, more than 33,000 beauty professionals packed the sold-out show floor at the Long Beach Convention Center and proved that regardless of the current economic environment, the professional beauty industry continues to invest in its future.

Featuring more than 440 exhibitors on a

Now that Chrysler was solvent again, it had money to tool up for a new car. The question was, what type of new car. Some Chrysler executive argued for another smaller car that offered good performance and economy. Others argued for a big, opulent luxo barge that would put Chrysler back into competition with already slow-selling Cadillacs and Lincolns.

The advocates of the big Imperial won. And Chrysler lost. Less than three years after its introduction, the new Chrysler Imperial was gone, banished from production because of tepid sales.

Why on earth did Chrysler decide to go ahead and build a car of a type that they knew was declining in popularity? Because they wanted to. Building big cars with the old “body on frame” construction was what Chrysler and all of Detroit knew best. This was the type of car that had sold well for years. Certainly it would sell well, again, they reasoned.

Of course, as all of Detroit learned, wanting something to be true doesn’t necessarily make it true. Moreover, Detroit, once again, let its own desires supercede that of consumers. They forgot that they were doing the selling. And consumers

weren’t buying what they were selling.

ABOUT US

Who cares about the balding man?

Around five years ago, two major national advertisers whose target audience is young men, the same as the hair replacement business’ target, ran two separate commercials.

One was for Bud Light beer. The other was for Geico auto insurance.

Hair Journal International is part of The National Hair Group, a business consortium committed to the development of the hair-management industry. The National Hair Group provides information services via Hair Journal International, a business newspaper. The National Hair Society is an educational, marketing and networking, professional support organization. The Group also provides consumer education via National Hair Broadcasting, a weekly broadcast show.

Both commercials were out and out parodies of the standard industry hair replacement commercial. The Bud Light commercial, “Ode to Mr. Bad Toupee Wearer”, showed the same scenes found in most hair replacement commercials, e.g., a man in the pool with wet hair, a man driving a convertible with a woman touching his hair, etc. The Geico commercial was similar in nature, but added a bad actor wearing a lab coat trying to appear as a medical professional.

Obviously, two major national advertisers, who conduct millions dollars of research before embarking on TV campaigns that cost tens of millions of dollars, had reached the same conclusion.

Men’s hair replacement was “uncool” and poking fun at it made the advertisers who did so “cool” and therefore, desirable.

Yet, with this reality staring the industry straight in the face, many in the business continued to produce exactly the same type of commercials that Bud Light and Geico had made fun of. And then studio owners wondered why they didn’t pull any leads…probably for the same reasons that Chrysler executives wondered why they didn’t sell more Imperials: this was, after all, what had worked in the past; it should work in the future, shouldn’t it?

But there is hope Despite all the gloom and doom about the auto industry in the U.S., there are some decided bright spots. Cadillac’s sales are up by double digits and its CTS model has the highest resale value of any car sold in the U.S., foreign or domestic.

The Chrysler 300, a distinctly American design, sells like hotcakes. So does the new Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang. The new Chevy Malibu is a big hit and roaring off the assembly line.

What’s happened in all these cases is that the auto industry has given the consumer what he and she wants. And they’re buying.

What would happen if the hair replacement industry gave men what they want?

Wouldn’t it be likely that men would begin buying again?

Of course it would. And they will. Now, of course, the million-dollar question is how do we do this? That will be the subject of my next article in the summer issue of this publication.

HAIR JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL Mission - Mission - To provide hair-management professionals from all disciplines with accurate information that will allow better business decision-making and facilitate superior client service.

Editor In Chief Christopher Webb cwebb@nationalhairjournal.com

Creative Director Avi Roth aroth@nationalhairjournal.com

Technical Advisors Isaac Brakha Dr. Shelley Friedman Larry Oskin

Contributing Correspondents James Britt Marilyn Dodds Steven Dimanni Dawn Harrison Phil Fennell Gloria Ford Bobbi Russell Larry Sellars James Toscano Marilyn Wayne

HAIRLOSS NEWSMAKERS -Webcast Mission - To deliver reliable, objective information to men and women who are concerned about their hair loss and want an unbiased perspective on the choices available to them.

Production Director Mike Ferreri mike@mfaudio.net

Sound Engineer Dan Feely dan@danfeely.com

Production Assistant Reggie Smith

NATIONAL HAIR SOCIETY Mission - The Hair Society was created at the request of forward-looking hair-management specialists seeking educational and marketing support to grow their business. It connects manufacturers, distributors, retail salons and medical clinics and provides an ongoing network for crossmarketing and dialogue.

Membership Director Heather Simon hsimon@nationalhairjournal.com

NE Regional Director Catherine Ingoglia

CA Regional Director Edmarie Masters

European Director Hans Diks

Steven DiManni is a 26-year veteran of Madison Avenue, serving as Creative Director of many of New York’s top agencies for clients ranging from Coca-Cola to Hitachi, and having won almost every major creative award the industry has to offer. He is also Executive Vice President/Creative of the John Caples International Awards for whom he creates the advertising that promotes the direct response industry’s preeminent awards show. A 25-year veteran of the hair replacement industry, Steven is a long-time consultant to the On Rite Company

Nail), (Creative Farouk, and FHI Heat along with first-time exhibitors such as KLIX Hair Extensions, Color Express, Skin Script, and TouchSuite Salon software.

More than 250 education classes in hair, skin, nails, massage therapy and business were provided at this year's ISSE, an increase of more than 50 classes from 2008. From the renowned Technical Michael Deibold does his magic for Renee of Paris Theater to the reconfigured show floor encompassing International Fashion Theater, attendees approximately 137,000 square feet, ISSE were able to view and interact with some of was pleased to welcome back Sally Beauty the most respected industry professionals Supply and Beauty Systems Group. Other and gain insight into the trends, both in beaunotable exhibitors included: Conair / Rusk, ty treatments/products and overall business Vidal Sassoon, Clairol Professional, Wella / management, in an effort to help better posiHJI Sebastian, Nioxin, OPI, TIGI, CND tion their careers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to Hair Journal International, send an Email to subscriptions@nationalhairjournal.com or visit www.nationalhairsociety.org/store. You can also write to us at the address at the bottom of this column or call 1-951571-3209.

ADVERTISING To place an advertisement or request a Media Kit, contact us at advertising@nationalhairjournal.com or call 1-951256-4385 LEGAL NOTICE Notice: Hair Journal International, Issue number 49 Copyright ©2008. All rights reserved.

While great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in Hair Journal International, the publisher does not assume liability for decisions based upon it. Readers are advised to seek further independent advice. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or persons making the statements or claims. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claim as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Hair Journal International accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. All materials in this issue are the property of this publication and nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and/or any other persons or company who may have copyright ownership. Requests should be addressed to: Publisher, Hair Journal International, 39252 Winchester Rd., # 107-383, Murrieta, CA 92563.

HOW TO CONTACT US National Hair Group 39252 Winchester Rd., # 107-383 Murrieta, CA 92563. Telephone: 951-541-2809 news@nationalhairjournal.com subscriptions@nationalhairjournal.com advertising@nationalhairjournal.com events@nationalhairjournal.com Hair Journal International is published Quarterly.

Copyright © 2009. Single copies of most past issues of The National Hair Journal are available prepaid at $10.00 per copy. Special issues are more. Hair Journal International serves primarily the hair replacement , hair restoration and personal enhancement industries.

It sponsors conferences and trade events and produces analysis & marketing research on the hair replacement and restoration industries. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hair Journal International, LLC 39252 Winchester Rd., #107-383, Murrieta, CA 92563

21 The National Hair Journal Spring 2009

On Rite Rocks Hair Replacement Ft Lauderdale, FL. 02/09 - There was no better place for On Rite’s rocking introduction into the hair world of 2009 than the world-famous Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ft. Lauderdale, FL where nearly 400 of the industry’s most prominent players gathered February 22nd - 24th.

Director of business development Rhonda McCarthy

The conference featured keynote speaker Dr. Scott Lewis, a world-renowned hypnotist. Also figuring prominently at the conference were presentations such as “The ultimate client experience” by Tracy Hoffman; “Webworld” by Michael Garcia; “How to make the perfect delivery” by Lori Reese; and ReGen topical solutions utilized in conjunction with On Rite’s handheld laser.

Demonstrations offered concurrently on multiple stages marked the conference’s format. On Monday, the stages featured “bonding and styling the Elan” by Moti Deri, Ultratress II hair extensions by Ashley Cox, and alternative women’s applications” by Baha Alwardi.

Following lunch, Chuck Alfieri presided over a glitzy runway show that showcased the latest hair fashions, all set to a thumping beat that had the audience dancing in their seats.

A special presentation of the new Rio ethnic hair collection, as well as one on UltraTress extensions by Ashton Bojee, followed. There was also a men’s color class by the MIN Company, while Chuck Alfieri demonstrated On Rite’s European Renaissance line.

Owners and managers enjoyed their own program, including back-to-back classes on medical hair loss by Teri Johnston; in addition, Rob Hoffman gave consecu-

European Hair, the Rio Collection

tive symposiums on “advertising in a down market” that played to standing room only crowds.

Business classes such as “How to effectively and efficiently run your business” were conducted by Loren Weeks, and noted industry media buyer Barbara Goldstein spoke on marketing in 2009.

The conference also saw the introduction of Corrective Hair Solutions, the first ever commercials by a manufacturer that allows the studio to customize them in any way desired to brand his or her business.

Also debuting was “Grow Your Hair”, a multi-therapeutic campaign with a strong internet component-another first from a manufacturer.

Ron Zieve, the “godfather of the hair business” and owner of Hair Restoration Solutions of Atlanta, said, “I’ve been away from the business for five years and was floored by the depth of innovation On Rite provided.” Added Angelo Pisacreta of the Angelo David Salon in Manhattan, “this was extremely well done, one of the best industry gatherings I’ve ever attended.”

The day ran late and long. But the action continued far into the night with a cocktail party, dinner, and dancing into the wee hours.

The conference’s second day opened with multiple stage presentations on women’s long hair bonding, preparing hair for delivery and a women’s color demonstration. Men’s styling, and a presentation of women’s synthetics by Caryn Deri, were also covered.

Many of the attendees stayed on for some muchdeserved relaxation, while others would continue through the week to attend special two-day classes at the Hair Academy.

On Rite president Andy Wright, said, “If we were able to provide our client studios with both a good time and a good learning experience, then all the effort our staff put into this year’s conference was well worth it.” HJI

need cut line need cut lineneed cut lineneed cut lineneed cut lineneed cut lineneed cut lineneed cut line

Fun was had by all when renowned Vegas performer Dr. Scott Lewis entertained with hypnosis

President Andy Wright addresses a crowed of nearly 400

European Hair, the Rio Collection

Rob Hoffman conducts a two day business class at the Hair Academy following the conference