But it was a false hope that evaporated the moment he entered an Abu Dhabi hair dressing salon. Jaber had an inner feeling what this salon is publicising presents no permanent solution to his problem because he was aware science has yet to find cure for baldness. But he considered his problem as too embarrassing to believe.

"Like a drowning person clinging to a straw," he said. "I rushed to that salon when I saw an advertisement in the newspaper saying good bye to baldness. But what I found was that it is another form of a wig -in an advanced way. I had it done any way."

Jaber had to pay more than Dh10,000 ($2,725) for a small lock of hair to be stuck to the bald part of his head and had to pay another sum for another tress for future use.

"I believed them because they told me it will be my own hair and not a normal wig. They took a small sample of my hair to be sent to the United States to be cultured and bred into a bigger lock to cover the bald part of my head."

Photographs

Jaber and other hapless bald customers had been misled for a while into believing the technology publicised by the mushrooming salons in local newspapers every day which involves stimulating the scalp so hair will start growing again.

What made them less suspicious are the photographs of some customers published in the newspaper along with the advertisement showing them before and after the operation.

"It is not only in the newspaper but they also showed us photographs of customers showing they no longer have any baldness. Some of them are movie or sport stars. The pictures did not look like they had wigs," Jaber said. Contrary to what they claim to be a revolutionary cure to baldness involving highly qualified experts, workers in those salons are mere barbers who had a crash course abroad in a new wig technology developed by the U.S. and other Western countries.

The technique includes cutting a small tuft of the customers hair and sending it to patron companies abroad for culture. A few weeks later, the customer is called into the salon to be told of the good news that his own hair have just arrived. Filled with hope and elation, the client simply sticks out his head to the alleged hair expert to rid him of baldness in a simple operation lasting less than half an hour.

The operation involves shaving off the hair surrounding the bald area and marking it with a special ink pen before sticking the lock of hair, using a special glue.

"When I looked at the mirror after the operation, I was happy because it did not look like a normal wig since it was my own hair," Jaber said.

"But my happiness was shortlived. I was told that the planted area needs maintenance every 45 days. This means I have to come to them regularly so they will take the lock off to wash and clean it, shave the growing hair surrounding the bald area and stick it back. It is really a weary business and I wished I had never been there."

But maintenance is not the only problem. Other customers said the stuck hair begin to wear away in a couple of years and they have to pay for another optional lock.

Impression

Customers said they were misled by the way those salons advertise in newspapers as most of them give the impression that what they provide is a durable solution.

The latest advertisement appeared in a local newspaper with photographs of people yesterday and covered nearly quarter a page. "Light hair? Falling off? Hereditary baldness? Malnutrition? Here is the only and ideal solution."

Another advertisement in the same paper read: "New!!!! Finally come and get rid of baldness without surgery according to the latest techniques. We also have solutions to the problem of falling hair and dandruff. Free consultation in strict confidence."

Gulf News