Will "concealers" evolve and advance further in 5-10 years ?

[EpilepticSceptic]

I know some swear by concealers and others curse them. But for me I was pretty impressed with what just a little Toppik could do with my pre-HT hair. Where I had hair it was able to thicken it up in a way that made it look alot fuller without coming off as unnatural. The secret, of course, was to have thinning hair in adequate enough density to really pull it off. I think this product is even a good way for a person without MPB, but who just has naturally fine hair, to thicken it up and make it look coarser and denser.

 

This got me to thinking about HTs today and how many top surgeons claim that hair shaft diameter is the single most important factor determining whether results will be home runs, or just average. For those of us without coarse or meduim coarse hair caliber, we are faced with the dilemma of not being able to cover as much bald scalp on a 1 to 1 ratio with coarser hair. So 5000 coarse hairs could very likely = 10,000 medium fine hairs as far as overall coverage.

 

So this all got me thinking that there is still a relatively large market for improved concealers that do an even better job of looking natural and dramatically increasing perceived hair volume. And this market is still wide open for entirely new products/approaches to attaching fibers to the hair shafts as they are growing and making them artificially thicker, but without harming the follicles.

 

Does anyone know of anything coming down the pipeline ? Will products like Toppik, Dermatch, and Nanogen only get better and superior to the current versions ? Or have they reached a plateau already ?

[wb280]

ES, in my case, nanogen was a god-send. Without that, i think i would ve hidden at home for the last few years. But then like u said, i was also wondering if they could ve made the fibres thicker etc...

 

Also, i posted in another thread asking for opinions on toppik. To put it simply, i used to apply toppik but always spotted ' green sweat ' when i perspire. I have no such problem with nanogen or dermatch. I wonder if anyone has the same experience...

[TakingThePlunge]

I've only used Toppik a couple of times. Dr. Alexander have me two color samples and I agree that it does have a very positive impact on the appearance of density but I just don't like using it.

 

Honestly, when I daydream about future innovations in the coming decade I'm hoping for much more than a revolutionary concealer. That said, if HM in some form doesn't become a reality in that time frame, I'll take a better concealer.

[EpilepticSceptic]

TTP,

 

I'm hoping for alot more too, but it seems that the best way to fight MPB will continue to be a multi-part strategy for some time to come. If concealers advanced even further from where they are now, especially in terms of naturalness, then it's just one more tool in the arsenal.

 

I personally think that Histogen is the next big thing on the horizon. They have already confirmed that these injections work positively on 85% of the test subjects, and this was just from a safety based trial where relatively weak doses were administered. It will truly be interesting to see what kind of results they achieve in the next trial where more powerful doses are injected to see what the optimum dosage is.

 

Imagine if in 5 years time you can go into a clinic that will inject this stuff into your scalp in between your transplanted hair and the density is dramatically increased. This would pretty much solve the problem for patients who don't have off the charts donor density or shaft thickness.

 

I sure hope their target date of 2013 in Asia still pans out. I think I'll be one of the first to hop on a plane and check it out!

 

 

 

I've only used Toppik a couple of times. Dr. Alexander have me two color samples and I agree that it does have a very positive impact on the appearance of density but I just don't like using it.

 

Honestly, when I daydream about future innovations in the coming decade I'm hoping for much more than a revolutionary concealer. That said, if HM in some form doesn't become a reality in that time frame, I'll take a better concealer.

[wb280]

ES! nah i m staying in Asia and i will be there before u!!! hehehe just kidding matey but lets all be optimistic! hopefully one day, HL can be banished once and for all!

[Fingers Crossed]

Toppik and Dermmatch when used in conjunction was great for me! However, the Dermmatch accelerated my hair loss. By the end of the day, the dermmatch was all intertwined with my hair and when I went to wash it off my scalp, the hair came with it. As far as Toppik, I have nothing negative to say about it. Dr. Hasson told me to stay away from Dermmatch because he performed a surgery on a gentlemen a few years ago and after the patient's hair grew in, he decided to start using Dermmatch. That same patient eventually went back to Dr. Hasson for touchup work because the Dermmatch caused the transplanted hairs to fall out.

[wb280]

Fingers crossed, spot on mate. When i try to apply dermatch, unless u dap it hard, else it is quite hard for me to apply. As such, sometimes i feel i might have pressed too much on the scalp and caused some hairs to drop out. Well, maybe these hairs are destined to fall off soon.

 

Anyway, i am now using couvre which i feel is a better product. Since its in liquid ( unlike dermatch whereby u have to 'wet' it ), application is much easier.

[Fingers Crossed]

wb280, have you tried Toppik yet?

[Tao]

I haven't used any of those concealers although I am a bit curious. I'm sure as long as there is demand, companies will continue to develop better and better products. Toppik and Dermatch certainly have to be better than Ron Popeil's GLH (for Great Looking Hair) Formula 46 - the spray on head paint with the shellack sealer. I laughed like hell at those commercials in my arrogant youth when I had a full thick head of hair and couldn't believe that anyone would try it, but I've read that that stuff made the man a mint.

[CopaSurfer]

So 5000 coarse hairs could very likely = 10,000 medium fine hairs as far as overall coverage.

 

I have been thinking about this over the weekend - fortunately, I have quite thick hair, as you can see in the pics I posted in that other thread ("result as close as possible to nature").

 

But mathematically, someone whose hair shafts (diameters) are twice as thick as those of another patient with thinner hairs will actually be able to cover 2^2 x π = 12 times the area with the same amount of hairs/grafts!

 

Thus, the same number of grafts per sqcm would give a much (!) denser look to the patient who has thicker hair.

[aaron1234]

It'd be nice if concealers improve. I do like my dermmatch/nanogen combo for the crown. I occasionally use nanogen for my front even after my previous successful HT and it helps with density. The drawbacks are in the texture of the concealers. They can appear chalky or don't completely match the color of your hair. I think having more color options would be a great benefit for concealer producers. Of course, having more hair on the top of your head means less dependence on concealers and more effective use of them.

[EpilepticSceptic]

I have been thinking about this over the weekend - fortunately, I have quite thick hair, as you can see in the pics I posted in that other thread ("result as close as possible to nature").

 

But mathematically, someone whose hair shafts (diameters) are twice as thick as those of another patient with thinner hairs will actually be able to cover 2^2 x π = 12 times the area with the same amount of hairs/grafts!

 

Thus, the same number of grafts per sqcm would give a much (!) denser look to the patient who has thicker hair.

 

Yes, this is true but it can have disadvantages as well -- especially for somone who is looking for a HT to mimmick nature. The coarser the hair shafts the more of a giveaway it will be that a HT was performed.

 

That's why I still think it's best to be in the middle with stabalized hairloss and medium or medium fine hair diameter.

 

Also, another BIG thing is head size. A small head with medium hair shafts and a small area to cover could be the same thing as a big head with coarse hair shafts and a very large area to cover.