You say you can regrow hair?
Businessman brings new technique to western suburbs.

By Jim Jaworski | STAFF WRITER
November 8, 2007

The National Hair Growth Institute, 17W580 Butterfield Road, Oakbrook Terrace, opened a new office in June and uses laser therapy, a relatively new treatment that is becoming increasingly popular. Exported from Europe, the technique was cleared by the FDA in January as a safe treatment for hair loss. Clinics are beginning to pop up on the East Coast, in California, and everywhere in between. Bennis is now introducing the technique to the west suburbs.

"I guarantee to my clients that this works," he said. "Either your hair or your money back."

Bennis, formerly in marketing, began losing his hair in college. His work caused him to travel all around the world and at each stop, he tried a new regional technique to figure out how to regrow his own hair.

He tried laser therapy in Europe four years ago and said it was extremely beneficial. He happily shows off pictures of when his hair was thinning, compared to the thicker mane he now sports.

After seeing his own success, he wanted to bring the practice to the states. He has served more than 800 clients in his three offices in Oakbrook Terrace, Deerfield and downtown Chicago. Seventy percent of them are female.

How it works
Hair loss is caused by the chemical dihydrotestosterone (DHT), produced by the human body, which damages the hair follicles. The laser treatment fights the chemical while stimulating proteins in the scalp and increasing blood flow.

A client receives a low-light dosage while sitting 30 to 45 minutes under a small black dome that covers the scalp. There are TVs in each room to fight boredom.

The treatment can regrow some lost hair as long as the hair follicles are still alive, he said, but cannot help hair follicles that have died. Some patients have lost hair so long ago that this, or any other treatment besides transplant surgery, simply will not work effectively.

Bennis said he turns away about one in every five clients because their hair loss is so great; they may only grow a small amount of hair and would not be satisfied with the results.

"If hair follicles are dead, there is nothing we can do for you," he said. "What's the good if you get (a little) hair and you are still bald?"

Bennis is confident the technique works, so he said any client who is not satisfied can stop the procedure and get a full refund. He claims no patient has done that yet.

Since Bennis is a businessman and not a doctor, he requires a physician's approval for each client.

After the treatment is over, he said he gives his clients a specific diet, exercise routines, vitamins and certain shampoos, which he said will keep the hair that has been regrown -- a claim some doctors dispute.