Hair-raising LIFE! Baldness sufierers find help in Dundarave clinic experiences WE’VE COME a long way from the days when men used to rub the urine of infant girls into their scalp in an at- tempt to halt hair loss. All the way, in fact, to a plush hair transplant clinic in Dun- darave that offers high- tech remedies to one of man’s oldest complaints. Dr. Garth Dorman, who until recently ran a decades-old family practice in Lynn Valley, has grad- -ually worked his way into the hair transplant. field over the past 15 years ‘and is now being called ore ‘of the preeminent specialists i in Western Canada. -He..and: his staff have just opened the -Bellevue Hair Transplant Clinic at 265 25th St. in West Vancouver. Hair transplants simply consist of removing plugs of hair from the “donor area’? — the non- balding hair at the back and the sides of the head — and surgically reinserting them-in the bald or thinning areas at the front of the head. Of late, however, there have _ been advances in the field that Dorman says have moved the practice into the ‘‘space age.’’ One technique that punsters might consider rather hair-raising is “‘scalp reduction.” To reduce the bald area that needs covering, a surgical incision is made down the centre of the transplant. By Peggy Trendeil-Whittaker Contributing Writer scalp. The scalp is then pulled closer together, the excess remov- ed, and the incision restitched. Using this method, Dorman has managed to reduce clients’ balding scalp area by as much as 56 square centimetres. Also new are “‘micrografts”’ _ plugs of hair so tiny they contain only one or two strands. While working with micrografts can render a new hairline com- pletely natural looking, it is an exacting and time-consuming pro- cess. Dorman reports that one of his clients, who is electing to have the entire front of his head micrografted, is facing a prospec- tive bill of $40,000. While $40,000, or the $10,000 ‘paid by Dorman’s average client, would seem like an unjustifiable waste of money to many people, Dorman says his clients are men — and sometimes women — who have been crippled by their hair loss. They are often people, he says, who won’t go swimming or take a walk in the rain, and who wear hats indoors and out. “I look for people to be pro- foundly unhappy before I’m hap- py doing a transpiant on them,” says Dorman. “If I’m not con- vinced that they really want it, I send them away.”’ Clients who exhibit the psychological and physical criteria for a successful transplant and undergo the three-session, five- month procedure often experience astounding personality changes, says Dorman. They become much more confi- dent, outgoing and, as a result, successful in a variety of realms — and, to judge by the happy Iet- ters Dorman receives from clients’ wives and girlfriends, not —ex- cluding the realm of intimate rela- tionships. Looking down the road, Dor- man expects to see the number of female clients grow, as the micrograft technology opens the door to filling out eyebrows and even eyelashes. And in the not-too-distant future, Dorman is preparing for the time when he will, he hopes, become his own best advertise- ment. He and another transplant specialist — who are both thinn- ing on top — have agreed to use each other’s services, so, for a few hours at least, this doctor will spend some time on the other side of the knife. For more 926-1711. information call INTERMEDIATE HEALTH CARE A Dignified Lifestyle for Residents “Maintain Your Independence, Individuality, and Quality of Living at Bevan Lodge” This includes a private room, three nutritious meals per day in our dining room, laundry and housekeeping service, nursing treatments and care as required in- cluding = administering medications and round-the- clock nursing coverage. Worship services of your own denomination encouraged. © Intermediate Care Level 1 .... © Intermediate Care Level 2 .... © Intermediate Care Level 3 .... ® Respite Care .... © Convalescent Care ........ © Palliative Care Sunday, March 1, 1992 ~ North Shore News - 27 NEWS photo Cindy Goodman DR. J. Garth Dorman, of the Bellevue Hair Transplant Clinic in West Vancouver, displays several before and after photos of some successtu! hair transplants. : Announcing a new Decorating Service. ‘ to suit any budget. Let me help you avoid an expensive decorating error. Call today! Terina Aqueci A SHADE BETTER h d y| 4 Specializing in Blinds and Draperies for over 7 years 1877 Marine Dr., N. Van. 984-4104 j #4-38048 Progress Way, Squamish 892-5857 E Whistler 932-6617