Buyer Beware
Television is packed with them, the Internet is bursting at the seams with them, and print ads and junk mail bring them into your home en masse. They are hair loss snake oils, gimmicks promising products that will cure, stop, or otherwise end hair loss. Sadly, most companies offering such hair loss products and services are unethical and their ultimate goal is not to cure hair loss, but to finagle money out of your wallet.
Smart Consumerism: Three Simple Rules
The first rule of smart consumerism is don’t believe everything you hear. Many companies will tell you their product is “the number one cure” or “top selling” item in the industry. Saying something doesn’t make it so. While there are some rules and regulations about how companies can represent products through advertising, there are endless loopholes and ways in which these companies can manipulate language to present their products as effective or useful when in fact, they are neither.
The second rule of smart consumerism is don’t believe everything you see. Before and after photos are often used as selling points to try and convince you to purchase products. Keep in mind that a skilled photographer or photo manipulating software can completely alter an image to make it seem as through hair loss has been minimized or that hair regrowth has been achieved. Some before and after shots are the exact same image with slightly different lighting or angles. Some are even touched up after the photo has been processed.
The third and final of rule of smart consumerism is research. It only takes moments to get online and conduct a little research into any company or product. However, it’s crucial to be wary when using the Internet.
One way to make sure you’re not being fooled by a glamorized medicine show is to check with The American Hair Loss Association, the nation’s foremost non-profit organization. The American Hair Loss Association works to educate the public, the media, health care professionals, and legislators about hair loss and they are a trusted and credible resource for hair loss sufferers.
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