DISCLAIMER:  The following interview is an interview with an experienced hair care professional.  Regrowth.com does not endorse particular companies, products, or services for individuals suffering from hair loss.  We recommend carefully evaluating any statements made by individuals and companies providing hair loss products and services.

Regrowth: The first question I really had was how long have you been in the hair replacement business and what made you decide to go into it?

Gayer: I am the 4th generation of my family that has continued in the hair industry. My great-grandfather [Aaron Gayer] was a 'hair gatherer' in the old country. It's interesting how we got the name 'Gayer':

Gayer: Hair is a crop that is harvested every few years by a 'hair gatherer' in low income rural communities such as India & China today, some parts of Italy, and now Russia. Years ago, my great-grandfather traveled from village to village gathering hair. In those days, Jewish people's names were a first name followed by the first name of the father. When Jewish people met others, they were called by their trade or some other identity -- and when he arrived, he was known as Aharone Gehr [Hebrew for 'stranger'] or 'Aharone the Stranger'. In the Old Testament when God tells Abraham to go from the land of UR to Canaan [Israel], Abraham tells God, "I will be a stranger in a strange land." The Hebrew word of stranger is pronounced gehr. When his son, who's name was Mutcah-the-son-of-Aharone arrived at Ellis Island in 1910, he told the non-Jews who asked his name, "Mutcah Gehr" and they wrote him down as Max Gayer.

Gayer: Max Gayer, my grandfather came to America in 1910 and started the Quaker Hair Goods Company at 1910 South Street in Philadelphia. My father, Israel Gayer, began specializing in hair replacement for men in 1950 and I began GayerHair Inc ten years ago after my career in hair processing and manufacturing at the Quaker Hair Goods Company.

Regrowth: How many people would you say have used your hair replacement center and what do your products generally cost? Gayer: At present, we have two thousand individuals who have purchased hair, hair supplies, and services at GayerHair. Cost is difficult to pin down due to the enormous differences in the particular needs of the many individuals who come to GayerHair. Generally I pride myself on finding some reasonable and workable solution for anyone's particular pocketbook. I do have a set price of hair and hair replacement services. Everything is computerized and everyone gets the same price for the same products and services.

[ Max Gayer's Hair System Blowing in the Wind ]

Regrowth: Who is the appropriate candidate for a hair system compared to someone who would be inappropriate for medical or medicinal treatments or transplants?

Gayer: When an individual who does not need hair replacement arrives for a consultation, I will inform them that they do not need hair replacement. A few times I've had young men in their early twenties show up with some normal temple recession and send them on their way. One young female college student came in for a consultation with her parents. There was an area about the size of a quarter behind her hairline that she wanted solved. I instructed her how to style her hair differently and advised not to spend money on hair replacement. I told her that I could if she insisted produce a unit that would satisfy this problem. Two months later her mother called and told me her daughter was going through with what I suggested because she trusted me since I was the only one out of 9 consultations that advised her not to have a hair replacement. When all was completed she was happy with the results.

Gayer: Someone who would be inappropriate for surgery or a medical procedure is, I believe, everyone. I believe in non-medical hair replacement and I feel my results are superior to what I've seen in the medical field. If they ever learn how to actually grow a full head of hair medically that would be different -if it looked natural.

Regrowth: What percentage of people do you see who keep their hair system and are happy with it?

Gayer: There are no individuals that are difficult to satisfy. There are only difficult problems to solve. My experience has taught me to be very patient. Aligning an individual's expectation along with attainable results sometimes is difficult but I feel perseverance is the key. A man who ceased coming to me and was irate at the amount of money he had to spend to maintain a natural appearance, later returned and is now a favorite of mine. I always remained positive and after he made the rounds, he came to understand how my gHMO™ plan was designed with him in particular, in mind. He's paying the same, but the manner in which he pays and the high level of appearance gives him the results he was seeking. I designed gHMO™ with him in mind. It has been the most successful plan I've ever used.

Regrowth: Are there some people who come in and you know they won't be happy no matter what you do for them, and if so what do you tell them?

Gayer: There are a few individuals who seem extremely difficult during a consultation. Usually they begin by telling me: "I'm very difficult." I try not to jump to the conclusion that they would be impossible to please. If they are, I will make them prove it to me. The light at the end of the tunnel is always natural looking hair. I never lose sight of the goal. Sometimes this costs me money and sometimes I make a long-term client out of someone who was a challenge. I think it all evens out in the end and I feel it's worth the effort. Let's face it, the reason anyone is difficult is because they're frustrated in communicating their needs.

Regrowth: What types of systems do you offer (base materials, hair types/source, etc) and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each kind?

Gayer: There are as many varied types of systems as individuals. Every design has over one million design decisions. I know -I once counted. I endeavor to keep abreast of all the new innovations and materials and try to keep an open mind when I'm in the design phase.

Regrowth: How are your systems attached, and if you offer multiple methods what are the pros and cons of each?

Gayer: I use multiple methods of attachments. I fully explain all of them and let my client choose what's best for them. Sometimes they use all of them until they are able to decide. There are pros and cons to everything, but the weight of the choice is different for each individual. I try not to be a proponent of any.

Regrowth: How often do your systems need to be maintained?

Gayer: Since I use daily wear, it would be easy to advance that method, but it wouldn't be fair to the individual who is entrusting me with their education. The three main methods are: Daily Wear - The client puts it on and takes it off every day. Extended Wear - Same as above but additionally learns what particular tapes are used to wear the unit of a 3 day week-end without interruption. Monthly Wear - Most call this 'Permanent Wear' but I believe the name is unfair and misleading. The Monthly Wear client is encouraged to change units every 3 weeks or less.

[ Closeup of Max Gayer's Hair System ]

Regrowth: How much time per day does the client need to spend personally for maintenance and what does it involve?

Gayer: A properly trained client should be spending about as much time on a daily basis to care for their hair as it they do to brush their teeth. Some individuals need to be instructed on how not to over do it. My creed is to 'Ride the horse in the direction it's going…' By that I mean, a head of hair, whether it's a unit or a natural head of hair has it's own idea of what it wants to do. Life's a lot easier if we use that natural style and enhance it. I have the ability to install certain styles by design, but it's always a head of hair that has to be combed and styled.

Regrowth: What tips can you give wearers to keep their systems in as good a shape as possible? Gayer: The most important tip I can give any wearer is to keep your hair replacement center involved in your appearance. Your hair, like your clothes, need to be properly and professionally maintained. Don't wait too long for repairs and service to be done. If you feel you are not being treated fairly, speak up. Any center worth their salt will respond in a positive manner.

[ Example of Female Hair Replacement ]

Regrowth: Which do you believe are superior, human hairs or synthetic hairs?

Gayer: I don't believe that human hair or synthetic fibers are any better or worse. They have different qualities and therefore must be matched up with the client's particular needs. Synthetic is more durable. Human hair has a more natural look. Human hair needs to be dyed from time to time, but synthetic fibers fray. It all depends on the client's lifestyle. If I have an individual who is outside 75% of his life I'm going to be recommending synthetic. If he works in an office then human hair may be the choice. It's also dependent upon the amount of gray needed. Over 50% gray, I'm not going to recommend synthetic [it looks too false in a large amount of white]. I'm also not going to recommend human hair if the gray is very white. The choice would have to be yak hair. If the white hair does not need to be textured, we'd be looking at a grade of Syrian white. There are so many options and conditions; it's almost impossible to imagine. If there is only 30% or fewer grays and the client is insisting on human hair, I'm going to insist on synthetic gray so that the unit can be tinted later without loss of gray. Also, if there were over 50% white, I generally recommend dark synthetic so that tinting would be unnecessary. It all depends on circumstance.

Regrowth: What do you think is the future of hair replacement and what improvements will there be? Gayer: IF they ever cure baldness, then I'm going to take the cure. I'd rather have my own hair than a hair replacement. I think at this time in my life, I would be thinking of a different way of making of living. I have a couple of inventions I've been working on and I would give it a shot.

[ Max Gayer Before His Hair Replacement ]

Regrowth: Do you think there is such a thing as a hair system that is always undetectable?

Gayer: There are hair replacements that DEFY detection but none that CAN'T be detected. The art is in having the hair so natural that no one looks. No one ever saw a good hair replacement!

Regrowth: Do you know if any people use medicinal treatments at the same time as their hair systems?

Gayer: I believe 50% or more of the individuals I service used, are using, or will try some medical treatment to grow hair. I've never had any individual say: "Hey Max, guess what -I grew my hair back!" The next will be the first. Forty percent of the men that I service have scars from medical procedures. The worst I've ever seen were brothers who together had spent over $50,000 on surgery. They were at their wit's end. They both had long, thick, Italian locks but the hair that was transplanted to the tops of their heads grew in kinky. I knew they weren't going to shave their heads after spending that amount of money and put on a hair replacement. I advised them to chemically straighten their hair. They've been doing this regularly and have all the problems that an Afro-American has with kinky hair.

Max Gayer, president
GayerHair, Inc.
http://www.gayerhair.com/
421 N. 7th Street, Suite #555,
Philadelphia, PA 19123-3905

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