Fake Hair Loss Photos...

I recently watched a video on YouTube about fake before/after photos frequently being used not only in the hair loss industry, but in many other industries also.

It's quite a popular video (I'll pop a link up at the end of this post) so I'm sure many people worried about hair loss will see it.  So I thought it important that I confront this issue (seeing as we hold so many 'before and during' photos) and get something up on here just to explain our stance on the truth behind before/after (or as Belgravia calls them... 'before and during') photos.

The YouTube channell that posted this video is called 'Bald Truth Radio' - it's moderated by a guy called Spencer Kobren who presents a radio show every week in the USA that's related purely to hair loss and awareness about the genuine solutions available, and the not so genuine options.  We're really supportive of Spencer and his show because he holds the same values as Belgravia and raises awareness in the USA (as we do in the UK) about the companies and products that give the hair loss industry a bad name.  As you will see - this particular video is mostly related to hair transplant organisations and explains how differences in lighting can make the thickness of hair in 2 photos of the same head, taken just moments apart, look different.  But I'm worried that this, or similarly misleading actions or claims happens with hair loss treatment organisations as well.

The video makes it clear that it is not a representation of the 'handful' of reputable and ethical surgeons (or in our case, treatment clinics).

Unfortunately the situation is the same in the UK.  There are a number of unethical organisations that do not have the facilities to offer the medically proven options for hair loss, so they sell treatments that are minimally effective or in many cases don't work at all.

It's interesting because I spoke to a friend of mine who spoke to his hairdresser recently about hair loss.  His hairdresser has the belief that all hair loss before/after photos are fake - and this leads me to believe that it's possible this could be the belief of most (or many) people who see such photos.

As I've mentioned before, there's a stigma about the hair loss industry. It's often referred to as a 'SNAKE OIL' industry... this is mostly because of its history.  For centuries salesman have talked about miraculous cures for hair loss and hair thinning - the most recent example of this was in the movie 'Sweeney Todd' where Sacha Baron Cohen (AKA Ali G / Borat) plays Adolfo Pirelli; Sweeney Todd's rival barber who offered his audience a revolutionary (yet fraudulent!) 'cure for hair loss'.

Before the last 20 years or so the only genuine solution for hair loss was what we now refer to as 'non-surgical hair replacement' - something better known as a hairpiece. But things have come a long way since the mid-80s.  There are now treatments that have been proven beyond doubt to prevent and reverse hair loss and are approved by the recognised medical governing bodies in the UK and USA.  They have undergone vigorous and extensive clinical trials to ensure their effectiveness and safety, and as a result, hair clinics that offer the correct specially tailored and monitored treatment courses are able to offer what could quite easily be referred to in many cases as 'miraculous' results for hair loss prevention... as shown in Belgravia's 'before and during' treatment photos.

Belgravia holds what I believe to be the largest collection of such photos in Europe and most probably the whole world.  They are taken of every patient who visits the centre (only a small fraction of these are displayed on our website) and most are surpised at the results when they see their own photos a few months down the line.  There is no difference in lighting in each photo and they are not doctored in any way (apart from being cropped and resized for the website).

Month 1                                    Month 4                                  Month 8
Here's an example of the photos that are taken throughout Belgravia
patients' treatment courses.  Not all treatment users will respond as well
as this but some degree of regrowth will usually be seen

Here's one of our recent comments, found in the comments book on Belgravia's reception (you can see his photo-scans a few posts down) - “One of my friends told me about Belgravia Centre, then I had a look at the website where I saw some photos, but I couldn’t believe it.  Surprisingly, now I can’t believe my photo because it’s excellent result". It's a perfect example of how so many people feel... and unfortunately the way people feel before having seen it for themselves sometimes stops them from giving treatment a go.  But we find that the great majority of people who begin a treatment course don't regret it - especially once they see their photo-scans.

Although many people see positive results from a hair loss treatment course within three months (as you can see in many of our hair loss photo-scans), we always advise at least 6 months to give treatment a sure chance to take effect.  So all it takes is a small amount of dedication to see for yourself what kind of results can be expected for you.  You can see our 'SUCCESS STORIES' blog category, where we publish comments from patients who have used a Belgravia treatment course along with their photo-scans.  Most of the comments can be found in our comments book on Belgravia's reception (unless they have been sent by email)... so you can take a look if you ever want to visit the centre for an examination.

Anyone who does take up a hair loss treatment course with the Belgravia Centre will also have the chance to be monitored with photo-scans so that you yourself have a visual refernece to the response that treatment has given, giving you the opportunity to decide 6 months or a year down the line whether you feel it is worth continuing with the treatment.

It's an unfortunate fact that there are a number of unethical organisations in the UK (and it seems the USA also) but our advice is to make sure you do your research before trying anything to prevent your hair loss.  You can begin this research on our website, which we try our best to make as informative and impartial as possible, and which I believe is one of the best information sources for hair loss on the web. So here are a few links that will help you to begin your search for the optimum hair loss solution for you, not only from our website, but from some other good hair loss websites as well...

HAIR LOSS TREATMENTS - here you'll find our information on the effective and proven hair loss treatments, and how to get the best out of them.

HAIR LOSS AWARENESS - information on what to look out for when searching for an ethical organisation without wasting any time or money.

HAIR LOSS SUCCESS STORIES - comments from hair loss sufferers that use Belgravia's treatments along with their photo-scans so you can see for yourself how they responded.

VIDEO ON FAKE HAIR LOSS PHOTOS - this is the video I refer to in this story, posted on YouTube by 'Bald Truth Radio'.

AMERICAN HAIR LOSS ASSOCIATION - I've discovered this website recently, and although it's American, it holds some really good information that counts for the UK too.

This article was first published on 17th September 2008.