Trichotillomania (TTM) Special Message from Lucinda Ellery Here we are again, putting together another newsletter for you. I shall not break with tradition so I will start by thanking everybody for the beautiful cards we received. There was a time when it was just me that received them, but these days there are  many  individual team members mentioned which shows an appreciation for what each and everyone brings to the party. My team here are without a doubt the most outstanding individuals ever. The quality of care and attention each team member gives to my clients is unrivalled in all of London and Manchester and I consider it a privilege to come and work amongst them every day. Thank you so much for all your cards and letters which show how much you enjoy our work. Dax held the fort as Micky, Chris and myself have just come back from a trip to LA as we were organising and setting up the LA branch of Lucinda Ellery’s and I must say it’s a beautiful place with a stunning location. I will be putting out photographs when everything is in its proper place and of course it’s very OTT just like me. I recently received a brilliant letter (please see page 2/3) from a young lady that came here to  see  me about  her Trichotillomania. She actually didn’t make it to the studio for various reasons, one of them was that she thought she had to come every 6-8 weeks which isn’t of course the case, however she embarked on a remarkable journey on her own to regain her hair by herself. I thought it was a marvellous testament of what can be achieved and I think by sharing her journey with you as she kindly did with me, may help many people with TTM and save you lots of money to boot!!, I hope it’s an inspiration for the girls with TTM – its our star letter for this newsletter so enjoy. TTM evening On the 24th of May we had the most spectacular evening with girls coming from all over the country for a TTM event. The room was filled with the most wonderful women most of them meeting each other for the first time. There were 83 attendees including a handful of specialists and therapists, MP Esther MacVey and MP Phil Davies, the wonderful and inspirational Katie Piper, creator of the charity Katie Piper Foundation and our American guest, the amazing Christina Pearson who is herself 17 years pull free. She was very impressed with our community and the work that’s been going on here for the last quarter of a century. She really moved me when in her speech she said so much about the wonderful women and the wonderful work going on here but she pointed out in the typical American way that probably within three blocks from here there was some child pulling out their hair alone and isolated and wouldn’t have known that any of this was going on here right now. So girls, it is important to keep communicating, informing, teaching and sharing all that is tricotillomania with anyone who will listen.

It’s possibly the most traumatic of all hair loss types in my view and we mustnever give up getting it out there. Princess Dianain one fell swoop did more for healing and highlighting the devastation of anorexia and bulimia than has ever been achieved before, so communication and education is the key to helping with the misery and isolation of TTM (Trichotillomania – hair pulling). To that end we are launching our pull free week starting on the 22nd of September so look out for it in the press. Christina Pearson, founder of Trichotillomania Learning Center having lunch with Lucinda in LA Girls,girls,girls.... We would like to start a client advice column. Do remember every-thing we do can always be on a no personal details basis, so if you have any advice on your hair or Intralace that would like that you would like to share and think would be useful to others in any way at all, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email your Hair Tips to opsmanager@lucindaellery.com or visit our face book page. If you would care to share your hair story with us, it would mean a great deal to the girls that read them. They are heart warming and inspiring and it would be an honour for us to tell your story to others. Please email them to lucinda@lucindaellery.com. It just remains for me to say I am always available to you in any way I can be. If you would like to see me or get any advice at all, get my email, my mobile phone or make an appointment to see me. As always I will be delighted to see each and every one of you whenever you want. Big hugs and blessings always, Lucinda xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   Essentials Magazine We are so excited and proud that our client Katie was featured on the front cover of Essentials magazine (The Big Summer Issue, June 2012). We have enjoyed being featured in many magazine and newspaper articles over the years but for a client to be featured on a front cover was a truly exciting experience! I am sure you will all agree that Katie looks fabulous so we would like to thank her and congratulate her for being the perfect front cover girl. Katie also told her story about managing her TTM and how using the Intralace System has benefited her. We are looking for more clients to join our model register. If you are interested in joining and having the opportunity to share your story with others please contact Miriam so that she can forward your details to our PR Company miriam @lucindaellery.com or fill out our model register form at the reception on your next appointment. Star Letter Approx three years ago I traveled to London to meet with Lucinda and discuss having an Interlace system fitted. I was blown away with the possibilities the salon offered to people with Trich and meeting Lucinda was no let down. Meeting her was being in the company of great glamour and she was wonderful as all creative people are. As desperate as I was for help with disguising my Trich, making the trip to London was no easy feat. We drove for two hours to the airport ( I live in Southern Ireland ) before flying to London then travelling to Hammersmith by train and tube. Leaving home at 2am and arriving in the salon at lunch time the following day with no stop meant my cousin who had traveled with me embarrassingly fell asleep in reception.

The receptionist seeing her asleep asked if she would like to join me in my conversation with Lucinda and that waspossibly the most nervous I have ever been. My cousin didn't know I had Trich. Lucinda, the angel, must have sensed a change in me when my cousin was there and asked her to wait upstairs. I could have hugged her, that woman has intuition. That day I booked in my appointment and paid my deposit then embarked on the journey home (good God why didn't we just stay overnight). That was when reality dawned, I couldn't make this trip every 6 weeks, working more than full time hours with a home and family to keep the journey was just too daunting so I was forced to cancel the appointment. I can not tell you how badly that affected me. I had seen the light and now that light was gone, yet it was my decision to quench it. My Trich just got worse with the realization that I would never find a way to disguise it, I had been wearing head scarves every single day for 10 years at this stage and for a 26 year old, it wasn't a great look. Somehow, something led me to youtube and there I found hundreds if not thousands of videos, brave people telling their stories. The relief at seeing someone in the same state I was in was overwhelming. Such beautiful women most of whom were also hiding their condition and suffering, because it is constantly on your mind, you feel ashamed, you feel judged, different and cursed therefore we do suffer. Through watching these videos over and over I gained strength from somewhere and decided to try stop pulling. I didn't have much faith in myself but over the next days and weeks I began to note my triggers and instead of giving into them I really really tried. It was SO HARD. Only someone with Trich knows how hard it is not to pull. There were times when the urge was so great I cried, when I gave in and pulled then felt immediate hatred for myself but I vowed to just start again the next day. And I did. Six months later it wasn't a happy ending. I had done such bad damage some areas were not growing. It was so disheartening I gave up. What was the point? I was pulling again, though not as badly and within weeks it was very noticeable. All this time I continued to wear scarves and bandanas, nobody knew I was trying to stop because nobody outside of the Lucinda Ellery family knows I have Trich. not my family or friends, They all think I have Alopecia. It was then when I felt so depressed and low that I went back to those youtube videos and watching the clips on the Lucinda Ellery website. Watching them Iagain and seeing updates from fellow sufferers I realized I didn't want this life. I could look at those girls and see their beauty, see beyond their Trich but couldn't do the same for myself. I decided to get real. I stopped pulling. That was almost 7 months ago and on August 22nd this year I left my house without a head scarf for the first time since I was 17 ( I am now 29 ) and went for dinner with my family, none of whom knew they were about to see the new me. I was so nervous. I have a large patch right on top of my head which refuses to grow and my hair is mostly white BUT with hair dye and some tricks with the hairbrush and clips I can pass as someone with a full thick head of hair now. No more odd looks at work, in public. No more limited clothing choices; little black dresses don't go well with a bandanna. It is so freeing in every single way. It has given me confidence and made me feel girly. Hiding a patch is not a patch on hiding beneath head scarves and bandannas. Recently I embarked on natural therapy to encourage hair growth which I learned about through a new friend and regardless of the outcome I feel I have won. I still pull the odd hair, but it is few and far between and I am strong enough to pull myself back to reality. Meeting Lucinda was the first step. I remember that day so clearly and I think I always will. Please can you thank her for me? In all the women she sees I am sure she won't recall meeting me or our conversation but I will always remember her. I am sure she is thanked daily for her help. To me, though I did not go ahead with the system, Lucinda was hope. She opened the door for me and proved that anything is possible. I love to receive the newsletter and hope I continue to. My sincere thanks to you all. I wish you and your families the very best. And to all of Lucinda’s girls who continue to fight the good fight I hope I can serve as some kind of proof that there is hope. I wish each one of them all the happiness their hearts can hold. God bless Emma S.

The Katie Piper Foundation   For those of you that do not know who this incredible woman is, Katie Piper set up the Katie Piper Foundation to help those that suffer from disfigurement injuries and to raise awareness of the plight of victims with burns. The Katie Piper Foundation has regular workshops at Lucinda Ellery. Lin was attending one of Katie’s marvellous workshops when she discovered that the appearance of her former beautiful hair could be restored at The Lucinda Ellery Consultancy. Lin had her Intralace system applied in November 2011. This is how she felt about her experience at Lucinda Ellery. The Foundation wants to establish the first centre in the UK, for intensive burns rehabilitation and scar management. One of the things they are dedicated to raising awareness about is the benefit of hair restoration of those who suffer with burns and scars. A tip from our London styling manager It is recommended you use these 3 products to help keep your hair in an optimum condition.   L’Oreal Pure Resource is a deep cleaning shampoo to remove any build up of unwanted oils and sweat. It rebalances oily hair and scalp leaving hair purified and cleansed. The Intense Repair Mask mixed with 1 pump of Elixir provides an even more nourishing experience for your hair to help keep it healthy and soft. Kerastase Elixir can also be used on its own, in damp hair before blow drying or in dry hair as a serum. You can purchase these products in our salon or online: http://www.gorgeousshop.co.uk. 312 King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 0RR, 0208 741 8224 Old Exchange Building, 29 - 31 King Steet, Manchester, M2 6BE 0844 567 8899