It was an easy decision picking out her wedding venue. For years, Liza Mills, knew Antrim 1844 Country House in Taneytown, is where she wanted to say “I do.”
“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to get married here after being a flower girl here when I was younger,” she said.
But when Liza envisioned her special day, she had one big concern.
“I think when I got engaged I knew I wanted an updo or some nice hairstyle for my wedding and I knew that wasn’t going to work with the hair that I had,” Liza said.
Liza has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, caused by animbalance of reproductive hormones. It creates problems in the ovaries. Symptoms can cause male pattern baldness.
“So kind of like a male loses his hair at the top of, up here, it wasn’t bald but it was definitely thin. You could see the scalp,” she says.
Liza went looking for a solution. She remembered seeing a news story when she was in college about a prosthetic hair piece.
“I didn’t have the money to afford anything remotely like this so I bookmarked it on my computer and came back to it when I got engaged," Liza said.
That story led Liza to Danielle Grillo, owner, of Transitions Hair Solutions in Wall Township, New Jersey.
Danielle and her team specialize in hair loss solutions, including, The CNC System, by Cesare Ragazzi. It’s a custom made prosthetic hair piece using 3D printing technology.
“So they come in, we do two different casts. We choose the hair length, the hair density, the strand density," Danielle said.
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Danielle also matches the color, texture, and even the hair pattern of the scalp so the hair piece feels real. The molds are then sent to a lab in Italy.
Danielle says it takes 39 steps to make just one. When the piece comes in, it’s attached to the scalp using a medical adhesive to stay in place.
“Just around the border, not the entire piece. Just about an inch wide maybe,” Danielle said.
The piece allows you to swim, shower, and exercise just like you would with your natural hair.
"When they have it on, because it was made just for their head, you can’t feel anything,” she said.
But it is a commitment.
Liza makes the trip from Columbia to New Jersey every four to six weeks to switch out the piece. Something she says, is worth it.
“I’m more excited for the wedding for sure just because I know I’ll feel more confident. It just changes how you carry yourself and the way you interact with people,” Liza said.
Prices vary but Danielle says it can start around $3,000.
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