Q. How did you get your start in the hair replacement industry?

A. I originally got my start due to my need to fix my own hair. I started losing my hair in my early teens due to andro-genetic alopecia and I was astonished by the lack of options available. After trying all of the lotions and potions out there, refusing to settle for the traditional men's hair replacement options, and not wanting to wear a wig, I realized there were no suitable solutions for women who suffer from hair loss, so I decided I had to stand up for women like me. It was then that we patented the LeMetric system and opened our headquarters in New York City.

Q. How is the system different from traditional options?

A. When a woman has hair, you have a lot of flexibility in what you can do with her style. When a woman wears a wig, her hair is not part of the equation. So when she still has some hair and she needs additional hair, what do you do? The key to natural-looking hair is that is has to have movement. The hair we use is authentic human hair imported from Italy-hair that is not as readily available as the common hair that you buy from most distributors.

Q. What is your business philosophy?

A. Build it and they shall come. When you love what you do, you're good at it, and if you're doing it for all of the right reasons, you will always find the client who wants your product or services, and the people who want to work with you. With a delicate industry like this, quality is the top priority.

Q. What has been the greatest challenge in your business?

A. Trying to educate the hair and salon industry about the difference between clients who want hair, and clients who really need hair, and getting the right information to the end-user so she can benefit from our business.

Q. How have you overcome this obstacle?

A. I will never completely overcome this issue because there are thousands of salons in the U.S. and not enough of them really know about additional hair and the various hair-loss conditions that women have. Forty-six
million women in the U.S. suffer from some form of hair thinning or hair loss, and many of them don't know where to turn. 

Q&A with Elline Surianello

Elline Surianello
LeMetric Hair Center
New York, New York

LeMetric Hair Center

Established: 1992
Website: www.lemetric.com
Salon stations: 9
Square feet: 3,000
Employees: 19
Prices: hair systems start at $800
Equipment/furnishings: custom
Primary hair lines: LeMetric

Q. What are your plans for your business in 2008?

A. My goal is to continue to educate the industry and the consumer, and to find other salons and/or stylists around the country who believe in the same thing I do: That the client deserves the best available information and solutions for her particular hair problem.

Q. How do you market your services?

A. I tour the country speaking out on the topic to as many women as I can. I am also getting into blogging and video blogging so I can answer as many questions on women and hair loss as possible.

Q. What is your favorite part about your job?

A. When we finish a woman's new hair system for the first time, and she looks in the mirror and says to herself ‘I cannot believe I look this good.' Watching a woman feel beautiful for the first time in her adult life is a phenomenal thing. 

Q. What is your advice for someone looking to get involved in hair replacement?

A. We really need talented, compassionate,
patient and gifted hairdressers, and we always will as we continue to grow and educate the market. I welcome any interested stylists or salons to contact me if this is something that they are interested in doing. 

 

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