What are Cosmetic Concealers? - Hair Loss & Hair Transplant Surgery Guide

In the market for male hair care and restoration grows rapidly, products and treatments seem to be becoming increasingly sophisticated, advanced, experience and long-term. You can get drugs on prescription for male-pattern baldness. You can choose from sprays, gels and lotions. You can opt for transplant surgery. We’ve not even mentioned some of the more new-fangled treatments yet. Genetic testing? Ultra-violet rays? Laser combs? In their search to save their thinning hair, most men will consider every option, no matter how outlandish it sounds.

But what if you can’t afford some of the newer, more exotic, more expensive treatments and procedures? Or perhaps you don’t want to sign up to a long-term treatment that is going to require lots of trips to the doctor or to a specialist surgery. Perhaps you aren’t as self-conscious about your hair loss as some people can be – and all you are interested in is a quick, easy and temporary solution that will give your confidence a boost?

If the above paragraph rings a bell with you, then maybe cosmetic concealers will interest you. In this article, we’ll look at what exactly cosmetic concealers are, how they work and what the pros and cons are.

What are cosmetic concealers?

Where else do you hear the word ‘concealer’ used to describe a product? It is usually when you are talking about ladies’ make-up. Concealers are used to hide flaws and imperfections such as spots or dark circles under the eyes. In the same way, there are a number of cosmetic concealer products on the market that cover up bald patches.

. One of the most successful products on the market is called DermMatch. Interestingly, it began life as a concealer to cover scars after surgery, that evolved to everyday use. So as you can see, there are no great claims from cosmetic concealers in terms of stimulating regrowth or thickening your hair. As products, they are designed to hide baldness, rather than attempt to restore it.

How do they work?

Cosmetic concealers normally come in one of three forms: solids, powders or sprays.

1. Solid concealers work in a similar way to facial concealer. They are sold as densely-packed coloured powder or sometimes creams which are applied directly to the bald spot. The concealer does two things: it temporarily dyes the hairless areas and it clings to the existing hair so that is looks thicker. Modern concealers are much better than in the past, especially in terms of colour matching and staying on in the rain! You can use them every day without causing any further deterioration in your existing hair.
2. Powders are sold in containers which hold thousands of fibre particles which are shaken directly onto the head. Different products work in different ways. In some products, the particles stay in place because of the statis electricity that they have built up in their container. Others are kept on the right areas using an additional spray, which serves to bond them into place.
3. Sprays are sold as aerosol cans that can be applied directly to the balding areas. They temporarily dye the scalp and stick to the existing hair to promote the image of thicker hair.

What are the advantages?

Let’s imagine you’ve got an important social event coming up. Maybe it is the wedding of a close friend. You will mainly be amongst friends, but you are nervous about the photographs. In particular, you’re nervous about photographs that catch your bald spot in an unflattering light.

You’re not too worried about it. You’d never be so self-conscious as to consider transplant surgery for example. But on occasions when you need a little extra confidence and a spring in your step, cosmetic concealers can be a good solution. It is all about how comfortable you feel – and for many men using cosmetic concealer hair products feels no different to the way women feel about wearing their make-up.

Of course, the other advantage is that it is a low-cost alternative to other treatments and it has an immediate effect. Use a cosmetic concealer and you won’t have to wait six months until you see the results!

What are the disadvantages?

One obvious disadvantage to using cosmetic concealers is that they do not do anything to arrest male-pattern baldness. No matter how much concealer you add, you will carry on using hair. Often, concealers are used in tandem with another topical product like Minoxidil, which actively promotes the thickening of the follicles. Therefore, you have the best of both worlds: the immediate effect of the concealer and the long-term prospect of thickening your existing hair.

The other reason that some men choose not to use cosmetic concealers is that they worry they worry they will run in the rain. As we said, most modern products are far more durable than previous versions. However, there is still are risk that it can start coming off when you least expect it to!

What else do I need to know?

In the 1800s, when techniques for hair restoration were not quite so advanced, ‘Snake Oils’ became popular. These were marketed to unsuspecting men as miraculous cures for male-pattern baldness, even though there was no scientific basis for those claims. In fact, many of them contained little more than water, food colouring and alcohol.

The moral of this story is that cosmetic concealers are great if the product does not oversell itself and raise your expectations too high. When it comes to hair treatments, don’t always believe what you read in the advertising blurb. Cosmetic concealers can be used very effectively to hide your hair loss and give you a confidence boost. But if you see products claiming to ‘cure baldness’ or that claim to show fantastic results in alarmingly short timescales, be careful. The results might not be quite what you expect!