Star Letter   We receive letters from clients from all over the United Kingdom, Europe and sometimes further abroad about their challenges, frustrations and experiences of hair loss and how their quality of life has significantly improved due to the application of the Intralace System™ at Lucinda Ellery Consultancy. A truly big thank   you    to   Lesley Davies for sharing her personal journey with Lucinda Ellery, her lows, her highs and the challenges she has faced and continues to do so. All Systems Go by Lesley Davies February 2010 I came to the sad realisation that my receding and thinning hair was, oh horror, female pattern baldness. So I did what any self respecting woman does and searched the Internet for solutions. March 2010 I was delighted to discover Lucinda Ellery had opened a salon on Manchester. I  turned up one  windy  afternoon     doing the best I could with my careful comb over. I came out of my appointment with Lucinda clutching a stash of information, but the best part of the day was when she showed me how a thickening product, could be a stop gap measure. I floated out to meet my husband and a friend at a local wine bar. The lighting in the ladies was very strange and gave me a weird grey pallor. On closer inspection, I had smeared my face with black from touching my hair, then my face. I looked like a Lancashire Pit Lass! April 2010 I learned how to fix the spray with hairspray and not touch my hair or scratch my head. I was rather apprehensive about how I would manage on holiday with heat, a swimming pool and sun oil. God works in mysterious ways and arranged for a volcano to erupt in Iceland and saved my dilemma. Sorry everybody! May 2010 I needed a minor operation and didn’t feel I could use the spray in case it rubbed off on my pillow and they send Aggie and Kim around to my house to revile my slovenly ways on public television! I had been to the hairdresser the day before and he had trimmed and styled it to perfection so it looked fine. Just as well as I work for the Health Service and met several people I knew, perched on the trolley on my journey to theatre. A woman strives to look her best even under the most trying of circumstances.

June 2010 It was many years since I had travelled on my own. I walked through London and Kings Cross, it was much busier than I remembered. I squeezed my way onto a tube, but as it was first thing, everyone’s armpits smelled very nice, which was just as well because there were a lot on view. Panic got the better of me when I had to change tube lines, but landed at the right stop quite a few hundred yards the wrong way up Hammersmith Road before I found which way the numbers ran, but still reached the hallowed portals with minutes to spare (I am pathologically punctual). Everyone was very kind, but it was all a bit bewildering. I was doing okay until I had to have the front of my head shaved. I eventually made it to the front desk to pay. My credit card swallowed hard but was very stoical and stumped up. I emerged from the air conditioned calm to a 35 degree hell hole. Yes, you’ve guessed it, the hottest day of the year. Thank goodness it was early afternoon and there was a train in at Hammersmith. I collapsed gratefully clutching my bottle of water on my journey back to British Rail. The sweat ran down my face, and everywhere else. I was terrified that the bond would loosen, it didn’t. August 2010 I can’t say it was love at first sight with my hair as it was such a dramatic change! I took time to get used to it, like your first child really, I was new to all this. The first time I released the tape and cleaned the system, I half blinded myself with Isopropanol alcohol. The next time I put safety goggles over my specs. I looked hilarious but it didn’t help. It was trial and error. I met the Manchester team for my first adjustment; I felt I had come home. Lucinda was in the studio and I was delighted to bring her up to date and receive her affirmation. I’m such a child! September 2010 Two weeks in the sun, celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary my hair was fab! I can swim in full make up, so  keeping  chorine off  the system wasn’t a   problem.     I always wear a sunhat, because  you have to  take care of something which costs you a month’s wages, don’t you? October 2010 Got my fringed trimmed – much better! November 2010 Went in the loft to find the hairpiece I bought as a teenager – real hair. Treated it with special shampoo and conditioner I use for the system, set it in rollers and left it on the radiator to dry slowly and set in ringlets for Christmas. December 2010 Black tie dinner and dance with work mates and husband at a very nice hotel. Room booked overnight. Glass of champagne, luxurious soak in the bath, gorgeous long dress, delicate jewellery, toe nails to match the outfit. Yes you’ve guessed it, the ringlets are still on the radiator in the kitchen! January 2011 Realignment in Manchester. More uncomfortable than I thought it would be, but not as expensive as I feared. February 2011 Got to go to another black tie event and remembered to take the ringlets. Pinned them all into add volume and height. I was really pleased with the effect. The following weekend my youngest daughter rang to announce her engagement. Well I knew exactly how to wear my hair. An elegant ‘up’ do with my trusty system and hair piece, and an elaborate fascinator – Bliss! This has not been an easy journey and I still have ‘bad hair days’. But then when didn’t I? But I have got my confidence back, I don’t constantly worry about the scalp showing. I don’t avoid looking in the mirror when I step out of the shower. It is a big change and requires a significant paradigm shift, a massive commitment to time and finance but the rewards are great. I was stopped by a young man whilst walking through the    Arndale    Shopping     Centre    in    Manchester.

I was on my way for an Adjustment. He told me he was a trainee hairdresser at Toni and Guy and asked me would I be prepared to be a model. He looked somewhat bewildered when  I  gently explained that I was no use to him as I had a hair prosthesis. I changed hairdressers recently, I still have hair which requires tinting and trimming, she couldn’t tell either. Let me conclude by saying that I didn’t realise how big a problem my hair loss was, until it wasn’t a problem any more. Shared Experiences It is often easier to relate to other people’s experience and personal joueys, knowing that we are not alone. Habitually when one goes through something as traumatic as hair loss it is felt that no one else understands and one feels isolated . Please do get in contact with us to share your personal journey of hair loss. You may make a difference in reaching out to someone without even knowing it and providing them with comfort and assurance they may need. Stories that are chosen and published in our Newsletter will be with your consent and you will receive a £150 credit on your Lucinda Ellery account. Message from Lucinda Ellery   Dear Ladies, I recently read a beautiful piece from Rhonda that I want to share with you. “Giving opens up the door to receiving. You have so many opportunities to give every day. Give kind words, Give a smile. Give appreciation and love. Give compliments. You can give courtesy to other motorists while you are driving. You can give a warm greeting to the newspaper stand person or the person who makes your coffee. If someone drops something you  can  give a helping  hand and  pick it up  for  them. You can give warm embraces to those you love. And you can give appreciation and encouragement to everyone. There are so many opportunities for you to give and thereby open the door to receiving”. For me, I revel in the joy I see on the women’s faces that visit us here and I want to take the time to say thank you so much for the bliss you bring to me. My life is full of beautiful memories and I am truly blessed with my family, work colleagues and the wonderful women I meet everyday. I will always do everything I can to easy your journey, my promise to you is to never give up doing all I can to make your life just that bit easier. Please do get in contact with me or book a one to one if there is anything you feel I can do for you. Much Love, Lucinda Models   We often look for models to participate in press features during the course of the year as we receive a number of enquires from Journalists about our work. If you are interested in taking part in a press piece, please send us a brief profile of your hair loss journey and before and after images to info@lucindaellery.com. If your story and images are chosen and published we will place a credit on your Lucinda Ellery account as a gesture of thanks for your time and participation.