Biothera Clinics

[Stryder93]

Hair treatment

I live in Vancouver and hear and see the ads for biothera everywhere. And being wary of licensed con artists (from experience) I checked them out at the BBB. Guess what, they get an "F" in BBB rating. Plus the fact that the bureau won't register them. Also, when you go for your assessment, they won't allow you to have a witness in the room. As for the guarantee, it is not leak proof. This outfit is playing poker and betting you won't hold their feet to the fire. The best thing for we consumers to do is to get many cases together and go to the BBB. Or else give them your conditions and have them sign it. You know they won't do that. Caveat Emptor(buyer beware)

[crpl_hicks]

Say What!?

Samirwow,

Instead of regurjatating the same info over & over, re read all my comments here & then Go to...

http://discoveralltheworld.com/index.php/board,1.60.html

And look for Biothera is a scam...everything that you have been "lied" about, others have as well. Global TV's Trouble Shooter is supposed to be doing a story on Biothera some time after Nov 7th

YES it will be a wasye of Money
NO there are no side effects, other than your wallet suddenly becomes lighter!

[samirwow@yahoo.com]

Hi,

Hi everyone,

I am also new to this site. I am 29 year old and also visited Biothere clinic. As my friend said they they told that I am ideal candidate and need 12 months treatment which will cost around $4,000. But I am more concern about success stories otherwise it will be waste of money... and any future side effects due to this cold laser treatmen.. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated...

Hi everyone!

I am new to this site. I am 27 years old and have been losing hair for roughly 4-5 years. I have been using 6% ApoGain - Canadian version of Rogaine for the last year or so. Yes, I am Canadian!
Initially it has worked for me, in a sense that it stopped or slowed down hair loss. Lately though, it has been getting a lot worse and I find mass amounts of hair all over the place.

Today, I went for a free consultation to a Laser Hair Restoration clinic called Biothera. Can be found online at biothera.ca . Apparently, they have been in business for roughly 6-7 years. They use a very 'special' type of laser machine called RPT-670'. I checked them out on Better Business Bureau and they have a rating of 'B-', which I understand is decent.

Anyways, upon close inspection of my scalp the lady told me that I am a good candidate for this treatment which apparently not everyone is, since you need to have live follicles in order to be able to have your hair treated. The verdict was that I require a one year worth of treatments. This means that I have to come into the clinic once per week for 15 minutes each time for treatments. The cost of this, is roughly $4,000 for the whole thing. The kicker for me was that results were guaranteed and that I would get a full refund if I do not regrow hair in certain areas where the follicles are still alive after one year. She was willing to give me this guarantee in writing.

I have searched this forum and found many opinions on laser hair treatments in general, however no one ever mentioned this very clinic (they have 6-8 locations in Canada). Any input would be very much appreciated. What I am mainly interested in is, has anyone been to this very clinic? Any success stories using laser hair treatments? Any negative side affects?

[crpl_hicks]

Alow me to clarify...

I'm pretty sure I have stated that I don't expect to get compensated by Biothera, if that wasn't clear, then let me say that now...I am NOT expecting to be refunded.

My sole purpose for posting is to make others aware of what they can expect from Biothera. I didn't realise this was a "councilling" forum, by suggesting I "let the emotional aspect go, its not gunna do you any good mixing insecurity with resentment". Wow..where did you get this?

I guess it's okay to be taken advantage of? That's what I want others to avoid. You said yourself..."they do provide a viable (although not conclusive) treatment for hair loss" So what may work for you may not work for another & it's that other person I fear gets ripped off.

You say you have..."brought forward some of these arguments during my checkups" & yet you don't mention their response?

I also find it odd that you say you never went through with getting bloodwork but instead spent $$ on Laser Treatments??

Again all I am saying, is if you try Biothera & are not happy with the results, you probably WON'T get your $$ back, regardless of Biothera's "Guarantee"

[GeorgeAH]

My experience with biothera

My name is George and I am 20 years old. I felt I had to post because I've mostly had a positive experience from biothera. I began losing hair when I was about 16, and I was teased a bit in school because of it. It continued until I was about 19 and it started to just peter out. I should say that I was not losing hair in any one particular place, more just all over. I went to a dermatologist once and he told me that he could not determine the cause of my hair loss, that it was possibly stress and wanted to do some bloodwork, but I never went through with that and instead tried biothera. I noticed no hair loss persay now, I see maybe 1 or 2 hairs when I put my hands to my hair in the shower and none on my pillow. I have noticed an increase in 'density' as well. I brush my hair back and it actually looks quite good now. I should mention th although I have very thin hair, I have the sturdy hairline of a child. I should also mention that at the same time I started, I started exercising and following a different diet at the advice of another hairless websight. What makes me belive that the lasers have had an effect is that the area where I discovered a suprising increase in density is largely the area where you are instructed to focues the lasers (my sides are still quite thin, and somtimes i try to crane myself up in the laser/chair/machine/thing it focus it on areas ofther than the crown ) Now, I've never really been afraid of going bald, I have, what I've discovered much to my surprise, very handsome features. During the worst parts of my school years I had actually found myself scorning young women who would come up to me and sometimes even confess their attraction to me, I managed to convince myself that they were mocking me, or sometimes I would simply get frightened and shuffle my feet awkwardly. So I hope you understand the hopefulness that I carried into this, all I wanted was a chance to have a few years of confidence which I've never experienced. I still wear a hat when I go outside, but mostly from habit, in areas with soft lighting I don't bother at all because it looks like there is no hairless at all. I feel that biothera has helped, and I am considering going for another year to see if it helps even more (on month 9 now). In regards to their business practices I was personally told that even slight improvements would void the refunds availability. I won't argue though, that the counselor or whatever of the Edmonton clinic comes off as a dirtball. However I was offered that if I wasn't satisfied with the results at year end I could go for another half year with limited charges. You seem very bitter about this and I've brought forward some of these arguments during my checkups, although in my mind your argument, crpl_hicks, is almost not even ethical, but moral, and i doubt you will get any recompense for your effort. You should let it go, not the bbb thing but the emotional aspect, its not gunna do you any good mixing insecurity with resentment. They are a business first, and they do provide a viable (although not conclusive) treatment for hair loss. I just felt I had to share because I have had a mostly positive experience through them, I'm not encouraging or discouraging anyone from trying it. I am only 20 and have a relatively healthy scalp. I am not advertising and if you wish you may have my email and I will do my best to confirm my identity.

Ps: I heard that there was one man who was so disappointed in his results that he actually had pamphlets made up that it was a scam, so take from that what you will.

[LHGlobal]

Contact me

Hi crpl_hicks,

or others having or have had issues with Biothera.

I work for Global News in Edmonton and am doing research into a story regarding Biothera.

Please email me at:

linda.hoang@globalnews.ca

I'd love to chat with you about your experience(s).

Thank you,

Linda

[crpl_hicks]

Are You kidding me??

, I usually don’t write these sorta things , but it seems that it’s a good way to get things out there .
To you men out there , im a 29 year old man that was losing my hair , after months and months of looking for ways to keep my hair and not losing any. I found Biothera . I heard there ads on the radio ..

And decided to make the call , It was the best thing that I have ever done , been there for there one year program , and my top of my head ( crown area ) is the technical word that they use was filled in .

I saw my year end photos , that they kept track from start of my program, to the end , So you men out there who are looking to save your hair check out biothera clinics .

If the statement given by JAY4X4 isn't a a blatant ad promoting Biothera, I don't know what is. If you read their contract, it states you will see an increase in hair density, not thickness. It would seem that Biothera likes to play semantics over the definition of density. Ask them what they mean by it.

And good luck getting them to honour their "guarentee"

Go to this site & be "enlightened"...

http://discoveralltheworld.com/index.php/topic,11865.0.html

[Thinner]

Everyone absolutely needs to know the truth about it all.

(The Real Truth).

I'm 31 years old and was about 24 when my hair started to thin.

Let me start by saying that in my opinion my hair is falling out fast, thinning rapidly and it's so noticeable to me. In the opinions of others, I don't appear to have lost any hair at all.

I have tried pretty much everything for years, and currently I'm off everything.

I've read every study, spoke to several doctors and have tried many things.

Here are the facts that you should know about hair loss and treatment, I've read this entire thread and feel I need to let my fellow Vancouverites in on some knowledge. Hopefully this will totally help some of you guys out with some secrets that I have learned. And hey, unlike those jerks, this is free of charge.

If you have MPB, you are going to lose your hair. It's genetic and despite any laser treatments, hormonal medications or panic and stress this may cause - It's going to happen and seriously try not worry about it. Ask a bald person how to shave your head and hey, hats are in these days.

My first girlfriend when I was 18 years old was ssssmoking hot and actually liked bald men. She even wanted me to shave my head. I didn't. She was nuts. But I say this to assure you that even though you might be going bald, there comes a time in life where everyone becomes aware that we are all getting older, and losing hair isn't the end of the world! Think of all the famous people that are balding and all the bald people that are still cool and awesome. They can't do anything about it either. It happens. It's difficult to see changes in yourself, but it's okay. Be glad you are healthy.

Hair loss for some is hormonal. Through various stages in life and by aging, your hormones change causing hair loss. Which is why drugs like propecia, proscar or avodart work sometimes in people and sometimes better with some other people.

So this may mean without doing anything you could have thinning hair for awhile, and it will stop at a point, then a couple years later you might have some more, and etc etc.

Proscar cut into 4's has the best results. Avodart works the same but also changes a chemical in the brain. Because of this reason, most doctors will recommend Proscar.

Proscar is usually prescribed for men with enlarged prostate. So this medication will shrink your prostate. You may initially experience urination problems, like having to go in the middle of the night. This usually goes away fairly quickly because your body will adapt to these very small doses.

It's common for a shedding phase, since when it starts to work, it grows all the hairs at the same cycle, so it's all growing at the same time - all at once. You might notice after a shedding cycle that the hairs have stopped falling out after 6-8 months. For some this might be enough to make them happy. Continued use may result in some hair regrowing back, which usually happens after a year.

These medications (like proscar) work by reducing the chemical your testosterone produces (DHT) and leaves on your scalp. This causes your hair follicles to shrink and cut off the blood flow to the hair and thus results in the hair thinning to the point where it can't grow and it falls out.

They (your doctors) legally have to warn that you will have an increased risk of prostate cancer with use of these medications, based on the FDA studies. The studies have shown that there is a slight increase of risk. However, this is derived mainly because of the fact that it will prevent the symptoms of early stages of prostate cancer and thus stop detection. So based on the studies, the findings actually don't prove it can cause cancer, however if you were going to get prostate cancer anyways, it actually makes it less likely you'll catch it early and be able to save your life. So that's somewhat of a red flag there and you should really decide for yourself if you'd rather be bald and alive or die later in life with a full head of hair.

If you have taken these medication for a few years time. Ask your doctor about symptoms or possible tests. You should ask get in the habit of having regular blood tests for things like this.

Proscar will have some mild symptoms while taking it. For example it will mess with your mood, just a little. It will make you a little dizzy sometimes and cause a little bit of depression. For people more prone to these things already, it will be more noticeable. To people that don't, you'll probably never notice it.
It will curb a lot of your sexual urges, so your desire will be less often. In some cases, men that are less macho by nature actually become a little more feminine.
However, a side effect to this is displacement of testosterone. Some side effects result in muscle growth and performance enhancement. This is a reason why this drug is a banned substance in many professional sports.

Rogaine.
Rogaine or store brand hair regrowth generally help a little. They are designed to increase blood flow to the head, which, over time and continued use starts to thicken the hair and give you softer and healthier hair. It can't really regrow a lot of hair, but it has proven to help keep some.

Some things you may have never heard of before are things like biotin.

Biotin is a natural vitamin you can take that makes your hair and nails thicker. It takes about 6 months of taking one concentrated capsule a day before you notice anything, but you will see your hair will become thicker. And thicker hair doesn't hurt.
Everyone will experience this. This is just what it does.

It also doesn't hurt to take a B complex vitamin. Vitamin B for your health and mind does wonders.

If you haven't switched to advanced higher quality hair-thickening shampoos, do it. Some products even like Pantene Pro-V for thinning hair are a good start. It's also best to alternate shampoos and use a thickening conditioner as well.
This will keep your hair hydrated, and even drinking more water helps too. If you have dry or thin and sharp hair, it means you aren't treating it well, which sucks.

Another thing. Stop touching your hair. The oils from your hair go to your scalp and clog the follicles. This can speed up the thinning process and result in your hair falling out faster.

Brushing is a waste of time. It can do more damage than good if it's the wrong kind of brush. And no, brushing does not move the oils through your hair to help split ends. It works for girls because they have long hair, generally men (and balding men) don't have very long hair, so this makes no difference.

Another great product is called Nizoral. It's actually an anti-dandruff shampoo which you can find in any London Drugs Shampoo section. It's a very strong anti-dandruff shampoo, but actually has an interesting side effect. The medicine in this shampoo is intended to get rid of dry scalp but also actually works partly in removing DHT from the surface of the scalp. It's what causes baldness, so it's good to use every once in awhile. All you need is a pearl sized drop every few days and you'll be doing your scalp some good. It's not HUGE, but it helps a little.

Now, this Biothera stuff. Unfortunately laser light therapy is NOT proven or backed up by facts. Let's just get this real fact out there right away.

However laser treatment works much like rogaine and stimulates the scalp. So people have seen what appears to be things filling in. It's actually making what you have thicker. Unfortunately it's not permanent and needs to be used a lot to have noticeable effects. Saying it regrows hair is a gimmick, and it's absolutely equal to those $18 laser therapy combs you can by from gadget sites online. If you are a good canditate for laser therapy, you don't have MPB, you most likely have thinning hair due to reduced blood flow, bad nutrition and aging. Laser treatment can slow this down, can keep the fine hairs that you have healthy and produce new little peach fuzz hairs which you can't really see unless you are under a microscope.

Well there you have it! Better than what a doctor will give you and it's the unbiased truth.
Have a good night.

[JAY4X4]

, I usually don’t write these sorta things , but it seems that it’s a good way to get things out there .
To you men out there , im a 29 year old man that was losing my hair , after months and months of looking for ways to keep my hair and not losing any. I found Biothera . I heard there ads on the radio ..

And decided to make the call , It was the best thing that I have ever done , been there for there one year program , and my top of my head ( crown area ) is the technical word that they use was filled in .

I saw my year end photos , that they kept track from start of my program, to the end , So you men out there who are looking to save your hair check out biothera clinics .

[nikole957]

Unfortunately it is common knowledge that these types of laser clinics are nothing more then businesses that do very little to help people with their hair loss. If you are going to try lasers you should pick up a home laser comb to give it a try. They are much cheaper and will do the exact same thing.
Any clinic that claims you are a candidate for a treatment that everyone is a candidate for should be your first red flag. Sounds like you've been taken for a ride unfortunately.

I'm in Vancouver and I was thinking about trying this in 3-4 months too if I don't see further result from Proscar as by then it would be about my 10 months with Proscar.


_____________________
download wii games
burn wii games

[JPG]

Biothera got an "F" in their newest rating with the Better Business Bureau. Tread carefully.

[crpl_hicks]

Biothera NOT the answer

I agree with the above posters in regards to using other, better methods. Biothera's program will NOT grow hair nor will it stop hair loss.

I have tried Propecia & because my thin hair is @ the front, Propecia will not be as effective. While it may be true that a laser may increase the apparent thickness of the hair follicle, that is not the same as increasing hair density, as Biothera claims it will do.

There are several reasons NOT to trust Biothera, they come across as "snake oil" salesmen, with no integrity. I have been lied to, face to face, told by their Program Coordinator that she doesn't have anything to do with refunds, yet her name was on the rejection letter.

I am more upset with the lies & deception, than I am with the fact that the laser program didn't work.

[Fisdemous]

Very True

Biothera told me I could stop Finasteride and Minox and that the laser treatment would be enough. I didn't risk it however; I kept using the two actually proven treatments along with laser to give myself the best chance for success.

Honestly, I think Finasteride and Minox is the most important treatment anyone can do for pattern baldness to slow it down. In my case the laser treatments did help. That's why I stayed with the program so long.

Twice now I have tried stopping the laser treatments alltogether and gone about 6 months without to see if it made any difference and my hair really shed after 2-3 months without. I usually freak out at this point and sign on again for another year.

I think they do lie to people about the results to expect, and it is way overpriced for the results you do get, but if you want to do everything you can to try to maintain the hair you have until there is an actual cure for pattern baldness, it has helped my existing treatments. Just go in with realistic expectations. I wouldn't rely on laser 100% either.

[mehairless]

Well, now - you see? You can't definitely say that it was Biothera that stopped your hairloss when you've been on propecia and minoxidol...

[Fisdemous]

Long time Biothera Clinic Client

I'm probably Biothera / International Laser Clinic's longest client so I can shed some light on the subject.

I started in Calgary when they opened their doors in around 2005 and my hair loss was just starting. They since changed the name to Biothera. I now live in Vancouver and go to the clinic here.

My hair loss just started and I caught it early, I wasn't yet bald but it was starting. Hair falling out everywhere.

-The Shampoo they give you works well enough, easy on the scalp
-The drops they give you stimulate the scalp and get some blood flowing, but I actually found it to be too harsh for my scalp so I use them every other day with wet hair and it helps.
-The home laser they give you does nothing. Runs on batteries so you have to constantly buy batteries.
-The hood lasers do very little. They helped fill in what was going to be a bald spot in the back of my head but that's it.
-Calgary has a "high intensity" laser that actually worked quite well. My hair got thicker with use with this laser. Now however in Vancouver they don't have this high intensity laser so I'm out of luck.

Basically it's hugely expensive, and time consuming, but over the last 6 years I have significantly slowed my hair loss and actually maintained quite a full head of hair.

I did of course continue to use 1mg Finasteride and 5% Minox every day. That's about all you can do.

Bottom line, if you have hair and you are trying to keep it, laser will help. You won't re-grow hair and it won't completely stop hair loss, but I would say it bought me a number of years of a head of hair.