According to Darrin G, producers who’ve worked with Oprah are aware of his camouflaging technique for thinning hair, but he’s not equipped for the onslaught that could accompany such a national airing.
For two years privately and eight months publicly, Gerr, operations manager of Edina’s Good Look Ink, has been working on a business that specializes in “Cosmetic Transdermal Hair Replication.” This is a process whereby dots of pigmentation are placed among the thinning hairs of a head to resemble individual hair follicles and thus create the illusion of hair.
Darrin has two technicians, Leah and Tonya, trained in this pointillist process.
Since a mention on, say, Oprah could bring a flood of clients, Darrin’s not prepared for that level of national exposure just yet, although the master plan is that “We’re going to make this global” eventually, said Darrin G.
I ran into him at Fox 9 — he’s been on many Fox stations — and got a chance to examine the finished product up close. See video of me playing in Gerr’s hair at startribune.com/video.
This process was first used to disguise scars from hair-transplant surgery. It costs between $500 and $8,400, reportedly hurts much less than getting a tattoo, and there’s no blood. The $8,400 is for a full head of 30,000 dots, the number required for someone with alopecia. The cost depends on how much hair you have left. The technique involves applying 200 or fewer dots per square inch to skin that’s visible beneath thinning hair.
Hmmm. Wonder if this could be what’s going on with Joey Lawrence, who has returned to TV in “Melissa & Joey,” an ABC Family Channel sitcom?
“That’s what everyone’s asking me,” Gerr said with a lengthy laugh.