It’s been an emotional week here at Optima. We’ve seen several clients this week who’ve had their new systems fitted, and to say it’s changed their lives is an understatement.
One that particularly stood out to us is a young man who’d served in Afghanistan. His hair loss was quite extensive, and the effect it had on his self-esteem was palpable when he arrived to have his system fitted. He was withdrawn, physically and emotionally, and appeared nervous while he waited to be seen by our creative director Karen.
He’d asked Karen to turn him away from the mirror during his appointment, as looking at himself in the mirror had become unbearable for him. The system was fitted, styles were discussed, styling products applied. The time was nearing to see the finished article.
As Karen turned our friend around in his chair to face the mirror, his immediate reaction was to force his head in his hands in disbelief as he saw his own transformation before him. He cried. A man who’d been through so much; fear, depression, anxiety, and war – this is what reduced him to tears. Karen wrapped her arms around him and asked him if he liked it. He nodded vigorously in agreement, too overcome with emotion to talk.
Our soldier had brought his best suit with him to put on once he’d had his system fitted. He was going to meet his wife, who had no idea of what she was about to see as he hadn’t told her about his appointment with us. It was going to be a surprise. As you can see from the picture, he looks amazing, and you can’t help but love his enormous grin.
Even though Karen had fitted his system, all the staff came in turns to take a peek at our friend. They’d heard his story, heard about his reaction, and heard about his suit. Everybody was so pleased for him; there was barely a dry eye in the building.
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Unfortunately some people are still under the impression that what we do here is a vanity thing, that people should just ‘get over’ the way they feel about their hair loss and that it’s a completely normal part of growing older. We strongly disagree with that sentiment. We believe, and have seen first-hand, that losing your hair can ruin your self-esteem, can ruin your relationships, can ruin your entire life. We are here to make people feel better about themselves in every way, and to give them back the confidence they need and deserve to live their lives to the fullest.
When you come to Optima you’re immediately hit with an atmosphere of professionalism, fun, humour, and light, but seeing clients like our friend the soldier reminds us why we’re here in the first place. We literally change lives.
