Alopecia Awareness
Friday, 2 October 2009
Alopecia Awareness is a great site for support with Alopecia and hair loss.
The site is supported by Michelle Chapman (sufferer of Alopecia related hair loss since the age of 5) a close friend of Gail Porter and Michelle is well known for appearing on TV, in magazines and on Radio, although Michelle is a celebrity in her own right. Michelle aims is to help people suffering from hairloss and Michelle now works as a wig specialist for a wig manufacturing company providing wigs for the NHS.
Victoria and Amy from the Hair Replacement team at Additional Lengths have had the great pleasure of meeting Michelle and has spent a few days in training with her with the aim of providing a professional caring service for NHS patients. Michelle shows outstanding enthusiasm and dedication to the caring services she provides.
If you would like information about Alopecia or you require information on support groups please visit the Alopecia Awareness site at http://www.alopecia-awareness.org.uk/
With fine hair on the rest of my head, I’d started looking for a solution that would clip to the top of my head and then blend with my own hair which I felt would be cooler than a full wig, especially as I get hot flushes.
Plenty of shops now sell hairpieces as fashion items but it can be humiliating to those of us with a real need for a hair service. I found the right product on the internet but I didn’t want mail order because I wanted to see the quality, thickness and colour. Eventually I discovered a local shop specialising in hair solutions called Additional Lengths in Stockton.
I called at the shop and was immediately impressed with the amount of stock available. I wasn’t made to feel uncomfortable when I described what I needed and an appointment was made for a consultation the following week. When I returned, I was introduced to Victoria, who specialises in hair replacement. I was taken to the rear of the shop where a discreet curtain was drawn around me to my relief, before Victoria came back with a selection of real hair pieces for me to try. I soon found one that was suitable and I was surprised at how it held really well, onto my own hair, which I’d feared was too thin. Victoria ensured that it fit well and could be styled in the way I wanted, then a further appointment was made by which time, she would have the hair styled ready to be trimmed to my face and required length.
When I returned, Victoria professionally cut in a fringe and shaped the piece into my face before trimming the length. Once again the service was discreet and she then talked to me for some time about the causes of hair loss, ensuring that I understood my own particular problem. She then fully explained how my new hair piece was constructed and how best to care for it before presenting me with a goody bag with grooming brushes and suitable hair treatments.
Later that day, I picked up my grandson from school. I hadn’t met his teacher before, so she asked him who I was before saying “aren’t you lucky to have such a good looking Grandma!”
A couple of weeks later, I received a follow-up call from Victoria to check that I was happy with my hair.
So, thanks to Victoria and her team, I can now hold my head up once again. Yours is truly a bespoke, much needed, thoughtful and good quality service for which I’m so grateful and will use again and again.
Best Wishes
Pat Cook
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