I thought I would share my journey over the last 10 months....hopefully there will be some information in here that will be helpful. This is my opinion on HIS and a couple other providers. By the way...I live in the U.S.
Early in 2011 I stumbled across scalp pigmentation online, as I think most of us have. I have been dealing with hair loss for 14+ yrs and using concealers for 12+. I was coming to terms that I had two options...shave my head and accept my fate or try a transplant. Then scalp pigmentation gave me hope for another option! I immediately requested information/pricing from the 3 that I thought were the best option. All are priced about same so the cost difference is not a factor.
Good look Ink, Artistry Concepts and HIS. my experience
Good Look Ink: First Impression....Poor website...looked like they were just starting out, but close to home so it was an option. Since my email request 10 months ago and one call, I have received monthly emails and biweekly calls. I have never answered the phone or an email and they will not stop hounding me. I have heard that one of the owners had his work done at Artistry Concepts then helped open up Good Look Ink and tried to replicate....not sure if this is true but that is the rumor. Seem like nice people and truly want to help....but the high pressure and nonstop need for business is a turn off....so not an option for me.
HIS Hair: First Impression. 10 months ago their website was not the same as it is now, but their advertising was slick and the pictures were high resolution. The marketing, even though it was impressive, actually made me skeptical since it seemed so slick and the hair industry has made me skeptical about any type of solution for loss. They responded and the cost was about the same (I thought it was going to be much higher based on what I saw of their clinic) so I was pleasantly surprised. The pictures on their site at that time showed many defined hairlines which wasn't the look that I preferred. Plus, since it was out of the Country for me, I decided that this wasn't for me....More on HIS later.
Artistry Concepts: First Impression....website was not too fancy and had tons of pics as well. Made me feel that they did not care about marketing and really just wanted to do a great service. I liked some of the hairlines and it was an easier trip for me. So I reached out....they responded and pricing was the same as the others. So I tried to continue the communication and asked questions. It took days/weeks sometimes for a response. I decided that I needed to see this in person even though I was not happy about their customer service....wrote it off as very busy and didn't have time for this type of stuff....so I tried to believe it was a good thing.
So I asked if I could fly down for a visit....we arranged a time. Now I am on opposite ends of the Country, so I was going to make it a 2 day trip and spend some time down in Florida. I arrive, rent a car, drive 1.5 hrs to their location....which turns out to look like a house in the middle of a town. Since I did not know how long it would take to get there, I did arrive early but thought I would go on in and say hi. I parked in their driveway and walked in to an empty reception. The owner Mark, came out after a few minutes still chewing his lunch. He asked who I was, I told him and he stated "you're early and you interrupted my lunch" first thing he said and with a shitty tone.....told me to sit on the couch and he would be out when he was done. I was already pissed and turned off....I get that I was early, but I just flew across the Country to potential give you $4K you can at least smile at me and fake that you give a shit.
As I was sitting on the couch I could see into the room where Robert, the other guy who also does the procedures, was working on someone. Now Robert is a very nice guy, young and professional and I really liked him on the phone when we spoke. He also had the treatment. But I am looking into the room and all I see is a bald guy with a horseshoe pattern working on someone....so I thought they must have a 3rd guy. Not the case...that was him....that immediately made me sick to my stomach because I knew this was not going to work out.
I was able to closely inspect Robert's work and look at the fresh work being done....Mark continued to tell me how great he was....then that was it. I will tell you that Robert's results, even though I do not like to put down anyone, especially because he is a great guy, it looked fake to me and I would definitely know right away if I met him that something was not right with his head. Got back into my car, completely down and depressed coming to terms that this solution that lifted my spirits was just another scam. I changed my flight and flew home the same day.
Here is the crazy part....after a few days, because I still wanted this to work so bad, I emailed them asking if I could meet a couple of their clients. No response. Email again...no response...weeks go by, I call no response. I finally write a pretty direct email expressing my concern....finally a response...a very short email "we are trying". I then requested just to talk to someone...I didn't even need to meet them in person since they told me the client close to me moved out of the Country (whatever!!)...I received responses like (now these are not direct quotes but close enough" "we lost all our previous customers contact information during a computer update so we have no way to get in touch" etc.... The last one I received that ended it for me was...."Our clients are so happy that they do not have time to worry about hairloss anymore and want to get on with their lives and do not want to talk to anyone" I was treated like a spy not a customer and I was done. Waste of my time, money, and energy....what a roller coaster of emotions.
So now back to HIS.....even though in my heart I felt this whole solution was a scam, I wanted to keep exploring. I found this forum...and from day one I felt the positive vibe....past clients and potential clients all communicating and sharing their stories. Expressing doubts, concerns and giving advice. Sharing success stories and pictures...wow....I thought past clients didn't have time to help others!! Not true...we all know how it feels to be in our situation and I think many of us are happy to help and share. The last 5 months I have participated some, but I read the forum almost every day. I have met some of the most genuine people through private conversations....it has been fantastic. The even better thing is the results from HIS are amazing. I realized that hairlines and results can be tailored to the individuals preference.
So a few weeks ago I decided to fly out to New York for the day to meet with Ian and Ranbir in person. I met with them, I met a couple of their guys doing the procedure, and a couple guys who were in the middle of getting it done. What a difference from my first encounter with scalp pigmentation!!
The results were great, the people were amazing...I was nervous in the beginning, and by the end I wanted it done right then....I have decided that HIS is right for me. Not to say I still don't have nerves about living the rest of my life with a shaved head...but, other than changing my genetic code, this is the best option for me. Now I just need to decide on timing.
Maybe others have different experiences from the ones I referenced...this is just my experience...for what it's worth. I know for some just starting out exploring may want to know what the other places can do....maybe things have changed....but I can tell you that HIS is the real thing.
I truly want to thank everyone on this forum....it is very therapeutic to read stories and openly communicate about something that is such a secret in my life. I know this was a long post but hopefully it will help someone. Good luck to all of you on your journeys!
