• Extend your Hair
• Topical Retinoids 

Extend your Hair

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

Six months ago, you wouldn't have had any hope. The best you could have done was to cover all the mirrors in the house for the next month.

But now, if you really are one of those millions of people whose visits to the hairdresser are almost as dreaded as one to the dentist, the silver lining around the cloud is finally here. Your crowning glory is finally going to get some much needed help. The magic here is called hair extensions.

From shades of black to brown to red to blonde, and even the occasional orange and green, there's something to suit everyone's hair. 

Is your hair wavy, or is it straight? Is it black or 'orange'? Whatever your hair problem, there finally is a solution. 

Although hair extensions have been around for donkeys years, people are only now getting serious about them. But health conscious as we are, the extensions are used as solutions to hair problems, rather than as a fashion trend, says Ramani Fernando, of Ramani Fernando salons.

The length of the extensions varies from a couple of inches to as long as 24 inches. It's mostly people who have scanty hair who go in for it, as the extensions add amazing life and body to your hair, says Ramani. 

The good news is, no one will be able to tell you've got it, she says. The extension is added on about one and a half inches away from the root of the hair,onto the inside layers. So, gone are the days when people will say, 'ooh, you've got a hair extension.' All you will hear is, 'hey, what have you done to your hair, it looks great.' Now if that isn't enough to keep you feeling good for a month, you're a tough customer. 

You can either get your whole head of hair extended, or just a few strands in, and even add the occasional highlight or streak. The hair is bonded on with a special type of gum, that lets you keep the extension for three months. You can shampoo and blow dry it, colour it or bleach it, and nothing will go wrong. 

If you are getting your whole head of hair done, then the process lasts about four to five hours, but if it's just a few strands, you could be out of the salon in one to two hours.

It's also good news for brides, who have short hair and need a special style which requires long hair on their wedding day. So, a hair cut gone wrong just before the wedding day is no longer a terror for a bride. You can have short hair, and still have a traditional bun on your wedding day. 

But a word of warning, when it's time to get if off. If you're a do it yourself junkie, the word is 'don't.' Since it's bonded on with special gum, trying to pull it off yourself , could result in a rather scanty head of hair, if you know what we mean. A trip to the salon to get it off professionally with a special solution is an absolute must, no two words about it. 

So now what's stopping you from getting it? Any length you want you can have, there's a match for every texture of hair, and best of all it's done locally. So all your problems are solved right? 

Whoa, not so fast. That was the good news. Now here's the rest of it.

This technique costs around Rs. 35,000 in England. And you're getting it for roughly half the cost here. Yes, you read it right. Getting a full head of hair extended will cost you something between Rs.15,000-20,000. So it doesn't come cheap.

The hair is imported directly from England from 'Hair Connections,' so you know you're paying for the quality stuff. 

And one more thing. If you're the type who doesn't feel too thrilled at the prospect of wearing other people's hair, you might have a problem. Why? Because the hair is 100% natural or human hair. You could have the choice of synthetic hair, which is cheaper, but you can't wash it or blow dry it, as it would ruin the hair. 

But all in all, there's hope for you and your hair, and if the costs manage to come down in the future, your crowning glory need no longer be your biggest headache.

Topical Retinoids 

Acne develops when the follicle becomes plugged. Tretinoin breaks up the waxy plug. When tretinoin was introduced over 15 years ago, it was considered a major breakthrough in acne therapy.

Tretinoin is especially useful for non-inflammatory acne that consists primarily of comedones (blackheads and whiteheads), but it is also effective in treating inflammatory acne since inflammatory lesions start as microcomedones.

The skin may become red and peel when tretinoin therapy is initiated, but after a few weeks the skin adapts to the irritation and begins to look better. Irritation is most apt to occur in those with fair or sensitive skin. In addition, it is not uncommon for tretinoin to trigger a flareup of acne at the beginning of the treatment. Tretinoin also increases sensitivity to the sun, so it's necessary for those taking the drug to wear a sunblock whenever in the sun.

Tretinoin comes in various forms — gels, creams, and solutions — and in various concentrations. Your dermatologist may vary the form and concentration and frequency of application to minimize irritation.

Another retinoid, isotretinoin, has shown promising results when applied topically for the treatment of both non-inflammatory and inflammatory acne. It had not yet been approved for topical use at the time of this writing. 

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