Statistics
show that almost 40 percent of all men will show some degree of hair loss by
age 35. That figure climbs to 65 percent among men 65 and over.
While
men tend to suffer hair loss most, some experts believe that between 25-50
percent of women will experience some degree of hair loss as well.
Thinning
hair is a problem that has historically plagued people. As far back as the
Ancient Egyptians, people have struggled to find a miracle cure or a hair piece
that seemed natural.
9.5pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt’>(called Willie by his friends), the owner of
Continental Hair Replacement on Broadway, has been fascinated with hair and its
social impact since he was a young man, when he was among the first barbers in
Hudson County to provide men’s hairstyling rather than just a haircut.
Willie has always been well aware of how hair helped define a person’s public persona, which is one of the reasons he is so opposed to balding men shaving their heads.
“Shaving makes everyone look the same,” Willie said.
Willie, largely skeptical of most miracle cures, was for years convinced that there was no cure for men with thinning hair, but that the social stigma could be countered with creative hair replacement techniques, such as weaving or hair transplants.
Recently, however, he discovered that there may indeed be a way to halt and possibly reverse the loss of hair – a least for some people – using a laser treatment currently done routinely in Europe.
A local success story
Willie and his wife, Gerry, were both born and raised in Bayonne.
Willie’s father, Bill Campagnolo, was a local barber who served Bayonne for more than 30 years. Willie, while attending Washington School, shined shoes in his father’s barber shop. But he didn’t start experimenting in haircutting until he was in the United States Army, and liked it so much he attended Atlas Barber College.
He is possibly the first to bring men’s hairstyling to Bayonne when he worked at the Embassy Bar Shop in 1960 – an odd thing for that time. But his father and mother encouraged him to continue. After further study under a prominent stylist, Willie was selected to become demonstrator and lecturer on men’s hairstyling.
From 1967 to 1972 he created hairstyles at several different shops. He also was good enough to finish second in a worldwide hair styling competition and third in a worldwide hair pieces styling event. In 1970, he took first place another worldwide hair piece competition.
Willie opened a hairstyling place of his own on Broadway in 1969 and began to reach out into related fields. He and Gerry began to get an education in the business, learning new techniques for hair design, and they began to pay attention to the needs of people with thinning hair.
In 1977, Willie heard about “New Man” hair replacement and flew out to Minneapolis to further investigate.
The company was impressed with his styling abilities and recommended that he become the company distributor for the New York area. He also gave lectures on hair replacement and how to get around “the rug” look, seeking a more natural look. Willie and Gerry became very close to former football great Terry Bradshaw, who served as a spokesperson for the hair replacement industry, and filmed some advertisements locally.
A matter of ethics
About 12 years ago, Willie got together with two other men from elsewhere in the county to talk about the latest techniques in hair replacement.
Willie, very concerned about the numerous charlatans associated with hair restoration, wanted to establish an ethical code that would maintain the integrity of the business. This small group began to grow, as other people in the hair replacement industry heard about their efforts and wanted to become a member of the select society.
“We were very careful about who we let in,” Willie said. “We tended to reject more people than we let join.”
The focus of the group was to elevate the industry by providing better methods for transplanting. The group of about 60 people meets a few times every year at a different place around the world.
“We exchange ideas and work on projects,” Willie said. “We look over new systems and trends. Some people provide demonstrations on what they’ve worked on.”
What hair transplanting is
Although his group had seen demonstrations of laser treatment as long as six years ago, he was cautious about leaping into the matter.
“I was very skeptical,” he said, believing there was no real way of making hair grow.
The most common type of hair loss in adult men is known as Androgenetic Alopecia or Male Pattern Baldness, which accounts for approximately 95 percent of all hair loss among males. But even people suffering thinning hair for other reasons had only a few options, most notably wigs, transplants or a combination of the two.
Hair transplanting moves hair from a hair-bearing portion of the head and reinserts it in the balding section.
The laser technology is not new. It was developed by a Swedish firm in 1990 and emerged from laser therapy for diabetics.
“Lasers helped heal wounds, and doctors noticed that the hair grew thicker in those areas where the treatments were conducted,” he said.
Earlier this year, Willie decided it was time to bring the unit back to Bayonne to see if it could help his customers.
Regular treatments may help thinning hair
The device looks like something out of a science fiction movie. The laser diodes are situated inside a rotating hood, and the hood is placed over the client’s head. Through a special delivery system, a controlled amount of laser light is projected into the scalp. Treatments can be anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour, although Willie said most clients take 15-minute treatments twice a week at about $30 per treatment. These treatments can increase hair thickness, even that of baby hair. This does not involve chemicals. There is no discomfort, no side effects, no lotions, no potions, and no drugs.
But this is not for everyone. It is mainly for people who have not yet developed bald spots who may be able to stop hair loss and possibly encourage re-growth.
“Before we do anything, I sit down with the person to find out if this treatment will do any good,” Willie said.
While most clients are men, women are also seeking treatment.
“We have a lot of women,” he said, noting that the laser can help keep hair from falling out as a result of cancer treatments.
“Someone undergoing chemotherapy can get the laser treatment first, and it can help to keep the hair from falling out completely,” he said. q