Spa+Clinic Team Throughout history, negative attitudes towards baldness put great pressure on people suffering hair loss.
Living with alopecia – a common autoimmune disorder that results in unpredictable hair loss, either in patches or total – can have a huge psychological impact on a sufferer in a culture that views hair as a sign of youth and good health.
While wigs, scarves, caps and hats can be used to effectively disguise hair loss on the head, the lack of eyebrows poses a greater challenge.
Brows create a powerful framework for the face. Well shaped brows suited to the indivdual face can make a person look younger and more attractive – and the reverse applies .
The lack of brows altogether can have a dramatic effect on the appearance.
Now alopecia sufferers – or anyone without brows, such as those who’ve undergone chemotherapy – can simulate natural looking brows with ‘falsies’.
Former beauty therapist Danielle Kurukchi (below), founder of Final Touch Eyebrows, worked with a wigmaker to create Australia’s first human hair false eyebrows.
‘I’ve always had a passion for eyebrows, along with a strong desire to help others,’ she says. ‘Having known several clients and acquaintances who have suffered the heartbreak of hair loss through illnesses such as alopecia, I decided that something needed to be done to help women and men restore a more natural look to their features and regain lost confidence.’
The hair chosen for the brow wigs is then injected into a polyurethane skin-like base.
By using a specially formulated medical grade and skin safe adhesive, the brow wigs remain in place for up to seven days – depending on variables such as the amount of oil in the skin, humidity etc. When required, the wigs can be easily removed, cleansed and re-applied at home by the client.
Final Touch Brows has thrown its support behind Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation Inc Awareness Week by sponsoring a family day on Sunday afternoon, November 23, at Sydney’s Maroubra RSL.
The event will include guest speakers such as a trichologist and psychologist, inspirational stories from people suffering from alopecia, stall holders, AAAF merchandise, head art/face painting, and eyebrow application demonstrations.
The support of Final Touch Brows for the AAAF Family Day is a natural progression for the brand’s creator, , as the brand provides natural-looking brow solutions for women and men suffering from alopecia.
‘I’m really looking forward to supporting the AAAF Family Day, and showcasing our products to allow people to regain confidence by regaining ‘their’ brows,’ says Danielle.
Alopecia areata is most commonly treated with corticosteroids but a treatment new to Australia this year may offer an alternative in the form of growth factors.
A bacteria-derived topical skin formulation of bio-engineered growth factors – Factors G6 formula – have shown highly promising results in promoting hair regrowth during trials of the at the Hair Free chain of clinics and Ella Rouge salons.
Formulated in the US (where it is FDA approved), Factors G6 is distributed in Australia by Avention Global.
CEO Stephanie Sherlock is quick to point out that it is not guaranteed to work with alopecia sufferers – or indeed where baldness of any kind has passed beyond a certain point. If a hair follicle is dead, hair cannot be regrown from it.
However, trial results with all types of hair loss were so positive that Hair Free made the Factors G6 hair regrowth treatments generally available to consumers at its clinics in NSW, Victoria, ACT, South Australia and Tasmania in September.
Owner David Ginges has been overseeing trials in his clinics since early in the year and says the results have been ‘extremely promising’.
‘It might seem a contradiction in terms offering this treatment at a hair removal clinic but, as we all know, many people have too much hair where they don’t want it or little or none in areas they do,’ says David. ‘So what better venue to cater to this market?
‘The results we have seen from Factors G6 formula combined with microneedling The technology behind the hair regrowth system was pioneered by Professor Hang-Cheol Shin of the School of Systems Biomedical Science, Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea. It is a patented process that is highly efficient at extracting growth factors from E. Coli bacteria.
Professor Shin visited Australia in July to take a peek at the results of his handywork, which has already been a huge success in Japan and South Korea.
He is a specialist in the field related to the extraction of growth factors, having worked and researched them for over 25 years. His work is published in more than 60 scientific journals and he has over 30 patented processes to his credit.
www.aaaf.org.au, www.finaltouchbrows.com, www.hairgrowthfactors.com.au
