Author: Claudia Stephens

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Hair Loss and Microneedling

November 30, 2022 | Health & Beauty | No Comments

Microneedling has been used with promising results to help people with alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that doesn’t leave scars, or grow their hair back.

Non-scarring alopecia is hair loss in its early stages when hair follicles are shrinking but not yet dead.

Tiny channels are made across the scalp by using a dermal roller or a pen to do micro needling. This technique increases blood flow, stimulates growth factors, and can bring blood back to the hair follicles.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or Minoxidil can be used with scalp microneedling (an over-the-counter drug used topically to stimulate hair growth).

Microneedling has been used in a lot of studies to make hair grow. In 2005, the Annals of Dermatology published a study on mice in which a dermal roller was used on the skin once a week for a few weeks, and hair grew back over the treated area.

In May 2021, Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigative Dermatology published a more recent study. One hundred people were put into two groups: those who got microneedling with Minoxidil and those who just got Minoxidil.

At the end of the study, 82% of the people in the microneedling group said that their hair loss had improved by more than 50%, while only 4.5% of the people in the control group said the same thing.

What makes hair fall out?

  • Hereditary: This type of hair loss is called a “male pattern” in men and shows up as a receding hairline or a bald spot. For women, the first sign of hair loss can be thinning all over or a part that gets wider. Androgenic alopecia is the name for both male and female hair loss that is caused by genes.
  • Age: As you get older, your hair growth may slow down, and sometimes the hair follicles will go away.
  • Alopecia areata is a medical condition that can cause you to lose hair in patches and then all over your body. Hair loss can happen all over the body. Alopecia areata is a disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles and kills them.
  • Stress, giving birth, and changes in hormones can also lead to hair loss.
  • Infections, such as bacterial, fungal, dermatitis or plaque psoriasis infections of the scalp, can cause hair loss.
  • Scarring alopecia is a condition in which inflammation kills hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out. In this case, however, the hair follicles can’t grow back.
  • Diet: A bad diet that doesn’t have enough biotin, zinc, iron, and protein can cause a lot of hair loss.

Treatment

A doctor needs to look at a person’s medical history, thyroid function, family history of alopecia, and possible infections in order to diagnose hair loss.

Most of the time, hair growth can be helped by treating the underlying medical condition.

Dr. Galope has been using microneedling and PRP to help hair grow back in Bergen County Hair Loss.

Learn More Here.

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By Claudia Stephens

Organic Search: What Is It? How SEO Improves Results

November 17, 2022 | My Blog | No Comments

SEO can result in significant ROI. Although the cost of digital marketing has grown consistently over time, so too have your options. As a result, money spent on online marketing is distributed across many endeavors.

Paid search now encompasses more than simply PPC and display ads. 

Along with Google Shopping Feeds, sponsored listings on vertical search engines and search remarketing are also included. There are also native ads, video ads, podcast ads, DSP-based display ads, and site retargeting, to mention a few.

While email and PR are still valuable, social media has become a pay-to-play environment. In addition, influencer marketing has entered the picture.

It’s simple to put SEO on the back burner because of its slower turnaround time when so many different outlets are vying for your attention. But doing so would be a grave error since SEO generates a significant, long-lasting ROI. Furthermore, in almost every area, organic search continues to be one of the most effective revenue sources. Learn how to use it to your advantage.

Understanding Organic Search

The phrase “organic search” was first used by Google Analytics to refer to the unpaid traffic generated by users who accessed a website through Google’s organic listings. While it still has that meaning today, the phrase is frequently used in conjunction with SEO to refer to the complete organic search approach. The main goal of this strategy is to ensure that the proper individuals reach your website through useful, pertinent search queries.

How Organic Search Helps Boost Marketing & ROI

Let’s set an example better to understand the importance of organic search in digital marketing. Let’s say you have cats at home, and you want to get collars for each of them, and the fastest way to do that nowadays is to search “cat collars” in Google. At that very moment, what exactly are you doing? You are searching for “cat collars” on Google.

That is the leading cause of SEO’s remarkable ROI. Advertising benefits are evident. However, most ads annoy users and make them less productive. They’re more of a problem than a solution. However, SEO satisfies the user’s urgent need just as they are prepared to take action.

Well-known brands are using SEO to increase marketing ROI, and you should also do so.

Organic Search VS Paid Search

Paid search is the clear back entrance into the same high-intent search audience. Why not pay to be at the top of the search engine results page (SERP) rather than invest in the more lucrative long game? What matters is that paying reduces your margins and increases your client acquisition costs (CAC). The potential is the same whether your budget is limited or unlimited, proper?

Nope.

When you compare SEO with SEM, you see that paid search has significantly fewer opportunities for various factors.

  • You cannot alter the constant search volume.
  • Painfully low-paid CTR (typically between 3% and 8%).
  • The average CTR for the top organic position is between 20% and 30%.

Therefore, even if you spend all of your money, you will never get the volume of traffic that organic search generates. Google claims that organic search is up to 5X more valuable than paid search for this reason, among others. However, SEO’s advantages go far beyond increased click-through rates.

Understanding that paid search is a temporary fix is crucial when comparing the value of SEO and PPC. For instance, the ROI ends immediately when you stop investing in PPC. On the other hand, investments in SEO generate a compounding, long-term ROI for a very long time.

Consider it this way: with PPC, you rent your position; with SEO, you own it. Additionally, banner blindness prevents PPC from cost-effectively targeting the top of the funnel. This effect makes individuals ignore the paid listings since they have more faith in the organic search results. Since there are so many advertisements everywhere, even in the SERPs, many individuals have learned to ignore them.

Organic Search VS Social Media

Let’s now contrast the ROI of organic search with social media, another traffic source. Significant advantages for brand building exist in social media. However, its connection to direct income has never been solid. This is partly because of the first example we gave: when someone is perusing their social media feed and comes across an advertisement or a post from a brand, they are now perusing their social feed. They may not even be interested in the brand because they must think with great intentions.

Social media was developed for people, not for businesses. Or, it’s designed to be cost-free for people rather than for businesses. Companies supply the source of income necessary to keep the platforms free for their users. To ensure that companies pay for direct access to their intended audience, they have a strong incentive. Social media techniques are essentially paid strategies, and their ROI reflects that.

How to Raise Your Organic Search Results

Are you prepared to raise your ROI and improve your SEO? Make an SEO plan that focuses on the essential components of organic search.

Read our executive’s guide to SEO if you’re new to the field to gain a basic understanding of the principles. The “how” rather than the “what” and “why” are covered in more detail in the following sections.

Organic Optimization

Before creating your site’s taxonomy, conduct market and keyword research to identify a few distinct, high-opportunity keywords to target. Only give different pages keywords that substantially overlap each other. If a page’s focus is similar to another page and you need help with unique keywords, creating that additional page may be optional.

Assess your site’s architecture next to make sure it transitions from general to specific information. Did you link to priority sites from the menu and place them near the top of the hierarchy? Your keyword optimization strategy depends on a well-structured page flow and non-overlapping material.

Once keywords are assigned, ensure your content and metadata are optimized for each page’s target keywords. Use internal links to determine the page’s contextual significance, and make each page as appealing and user-friendly as possible.

Technical SEO

Your SEO approach may be built around on-page optimization. But if search engines can only scan your site in the first place, such updates will not impact your ROI. Your technical SEO changes reduce duplicate content problems, remove any crawling obstacles, and provide structured data. This affects the way that your website is presented in the SERPs.

If you’re lucky, fixing technical problems is quick and easy. Unfortunately, issues are frequently complicated and call for assistance from occupied site developers. It’s challenging to navigate bandwidth blockers. 

Content Strategy

Traffic is fueled by relevant, high-quality information. Blog articles, how-to manuals, and other resources that impact your audience should be part of your content strategy. Each piece of content also offers the chance to rank for important search terms. And I’m not simply referring about highly searched-for, competitive keywords. A single page can frequently rank for hundreds of long-tail, highly-targeted keywords that generate a ton of traffic.

Link Building

What’s one of the best ways for Google to gauge how well-known and reliable your website is? See who has linked to it. Earned links let Google know how valuable your site pages are. If all of your links are spammy and low authority, you’re probably telling Google that you’ve been gaming the system.

Even now, one of the most significant Google ranking indicators is high-quality backlinks.

Strategies for link building include PR and blogger outreach. To select the targets that will provide the best ROI, you should evaluate each website’s audience, domain authority, and relevancy.

Broken link reclamation, unlinked mentions, resource linking, contributor articles, and conventional content marketing are all examples of off-page SEO initiatives.

You’ll need outreach and process solutions that automate and organize data about your target publishers if you want to carry out link-building at scale. An up-to-date, superior database is also helpful.

Organic Search KPIs & Monitoring

Google Analytics and Google Search Console work well to track organic results. Along with Ahrefs, Moz Pro, Semrush, STAT, Serpstat, and Searchmetrics, other crucial tracking and reporting tools exist.

Create custom dashboards to monitor the KPIs you want to pay attention to and then retrieve reports every month. Google Data Studio, Domo, Grow, Klipfolio, and DashThis are a few dashboard possibilities.

To remain on top of traffic variations, compare your organic performance month to month and year to year for an accurate picture of your success. A healthy organization can anticipate significant ROI from SEO in the long run.

Here’s another great read about Bounce Rates — the most misunderstood concept of Google and SEO metrics.

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By Claudia Stephens

The Right Method for Removing Ceiling Water Stains

October 26, 2022 | Home Improvement | No Comments

A water stain on the ceiling is something that can occur in both newly constructed homes and older ones. There is a wide range of potential causes, from problems with the roof to leaking pipes between levels. No matter what precipitated the water damage, the end result is a stain on the ceiling, no matter how big or how small, as well as possibly some secondary issues like bubbling and cracking. Even though these blobs of brownish color can make your home appear less appealing than you would like it to, you do not lack solutions for cleaning or concealing the stains.

Is it Possible to Cover a Water Stain with Paint on My Ceiling?

It is possible to paint over a stain so that it is no longer visible. You will, however, need to begin by locating and eliminating the source of the stain before you can be certain that it will not reappear and cause even more extensive harm. Paint is an excellent solution to cover a stain once the problem that caused it has been resolved.

The Best Method to Hide Water Marks on the Ceiling

There are a few critical procedures that must be taken in order to guarantee that you will achieve the revitalized appearance you desire while preventing any further damage.

1. Determine the Root of the Discoloration

It’s possible that the water stain on your ceiling was caused by a damaged roof or another significant issue. The following are some of the most common reasons for ceiling stains that require the assistance of a trained professional:

  • Plumbing leaks. Investigate the possible causes of plumbing leaks so that you will have an idea of where to start when you bring in a professional.
  • Ice dams. You’ve probably heard of the danger posed by ice dams if you live in a region that experiences cold winters. If you have a water stain on your ceiling, you should check your roof to see if this could be the culprit.
  • Clogged gutters. If your gutters are clogged, water may flow where it shouldn’t, which could result in discolored ceilings in the basement or other unfavorable outcomes.

In any of these scenarios, once you have turned off the water supply, it is a smart idea to get in touch with a water damage expert and get the essential cleanup services to avoid more damage from occurring.

2. Treat the stain with bleach or another suitable cleaner.

Water stains are unsightly and can also lead to the growth of mold. Check to see that you are not covering the stain before it has been thoroughly cleansed. Wipe away the stain with a solution made of one part bleach and three parts warm water, or use a cleaner that has already been pre-mixed. The solution can be removed with a damp rag, and the area can be dried off with a towel. It will take a few hours for the ceiling to completely dry out.

3. Spread Primer on the Ceiling

When you paint a wall, you start by priming it first, and you should do the same thing here. Sherwin-Williams has alternatives like as an oil-based ProBlock alkyd primer and a water-based Quick Dry Stain Blocking acrylic primer for circumstances like this one, in which a stain on the ceiling needs to be covered. Even after cleaning and painting, a reaction with the stain can still be noticeable if you use an all-purpose primer inside, as this is presumably what you’re used to doing.

4. Start Putting on the Paint

After the primer has had enough time to cure, it is time to cover the water spots on the ceiling with paint. Because you chose to supply the initial layer with an oil-based primer, you are now free to use any latex paint you like for the primary coat (s). Painting the entire ceiling of a room is the most effective approach to ensure that the color is uniform across the space, despite the fact that doing so may seem like a monumental task. For example, you don’t want a newly painted area to give the impression of unevenness in the same manner that the stain did.

Bring in the Experts

Painting over water stains (once the water damage has been reduced) can be a complex operation that requires a number of stages to accomplish in order to obtain the desired effects. Call Elmer’s Painting experts if you’d prefer to devote your time and effort to something else, as they are very skilled in the field. The appearance of your ceiling can be improved by working with us. We are able to assist you with any additional painting project you may have, whether it be inside or outside the house. You can reach us at (201) 975-6511 or call today for a free estimate system.

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By Claudia Stephens

Different Ways To Treat Hair Loss

October 11, 2022 | Health & Beauty | No Comments

Having a full head of healthy hair shows that you are young, strong, and full of life. It’s important to many men’s sense of self-worth. In all cultures, a full head of thick hair has always been seen as a sign of beauty in women. It’s normal for both men and women to look into hair loss treatments because we all want to look as good as possible. It’s not vain or shallow to want a full head of hair, and it’s natural to want to do something to stop or reverse hair loss.

Dr. Galope and the rest of the team at Bergen County Hair Loss are committed to open communication, patient education, individual care, and finding effective solutions for hair loss that are right for you. Together, we’ll find and use the best treatment for your hair loss. Set up a meeting to find out more.

Ways to Treat Hair Loss

Many things can be done to stop hair loss. On this site, you can learn a lot about each one. The two main types of surgery are:

  • Follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplants
  • Follicular unit transection (FUT) harvest

Some alternatives to surgery are:

  • Rogaine (Minoxidil) and Finasteride are examples of medicines that can help (Propecia)
  • Laser therapy at a low level

Focusing on Individuality

We know how frustrating it is to lose your hair and how it can make you feel. We started this clinic to give you safe, effective ways to get your hair back so you can feel like yourself again. We are experts at Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation, which is a way to replace hair with the least amount of damage. Low Level Laser Therapy and other medical therapies are used in addition to the main treatment (LLLT).

Find Out More!

There are many clinics all over the country that offer treatment for hair loss. Before anyone touches a single hair on your head, you should find out:

  • Is the doctor certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS)?
  • Is the doctor a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery?
  • Does the doctor belong to the American College of Surgeons as a Fellow?
  • Do you actually talk to the doctor, or do you talk to a sales team?

The web can be hard to understand. Make sure you know a lot about your hair transplant surgeon and his or her team before you hire them. We are sure that once you do, you will choose Dr. Galope. In the meantime, check out the great things that our patients have said about us.

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By Claudia Stephens

The 2019 Breakthrough Impact Awards: Recognizing the Dedication of Those Who Help Others

October 5, 2022 | My Blog | No Comments

Charity organizations help those in need worldwide by providing them with essential resources and assistance. Their selfless volunteers, dedicated employees, and generous donors make a positive difference in our lives through their work in fields including healthcare, social activism, and community development.

Even in the best circumstances, nonprofits can be challenging to create and sustain innovative programs and services. Breakthrough Healthcare is launching the Breakthrough Impact Awards as a token of their gratitude and appreciation to the charity sector. As part of this initiative, Breakthrough will provide pro bono assistance to a select set of nonprofits to help them create new, ground-breaking programs and services that will positively impact and expand the scope and power of their missions.

The Ethan Lindberg Foundation and the National Network to End Sexual Assault and Sexual Violence are the recipients of the 2019 Breakthrough Impact Awards (RAINN).

Ethan Lindberg Foundation

The Ethan Lindberg Foundation was established to provide direct aid to people living with CHD and their families. The Foundation’s goals are to increase patient access to high-quality care, facilitate open lines of communication between patients and their doctors, promote shared medical decision-making, and encourage the development of cutting-edge surgical procedures and anesthesia methods that yield better patient outcomes. The Foundation gives families financial assistance so they can stay at apartments in Boston during extended or frequent stays at Boston Children’s Hospital for cardiac care.

The Foundation will use the funds from its Breakthrough Impact Award to design and implement a study in 2019 that will analyze the economic burdens placed on families caring for children with congenital heart disease. The Foundation will collaborate with an academic research institution to design a study methodology and instrument, administer the survey to a representative sample of the U.S. population, and report the findings. The results of this research will be used to develop policies and programs that aid families dealing with congenital heart disease navigate the many financial obstacles they face.

According to Jessica Lindberg, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Ethan Lindberg Foundation, “although we understand the medical impact and research requirements of the CHD community, we need to quantify the social, emotional, and financial impact CHD has on patients and families.” We are honored to receive this grant and look forward to directing this research effort alongside our Breakthrough colleagues.

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)

In the United States, RAINN has more members than any other group working to end sexual violence. RAINN runs the DoD Safe Helpline and the National Sexual Assault Hotline in collaboration with over a thousand local treatment providers around the country. RAINN also runs initiatives to help prevent sexual assault, support victims, and bring those responsible to justice.

Consulting, program assessment, training, and hotline services are just some of how RAINN’s consulting services team helps clients in the public, commercial, and nonprofit sectors build better sexual misconduct prevention and response programs. RAINN plans to utilize the funds from its Breakthrough Impact Award to develop better methods of overseeing the expansion of its programs and to explore untapped avenues for increasing its influence and helping more people get well and live in safer, healthier environments.

Clara Kim RAINN‘s Vice President of Consulting Services, said, “We look forward to continuing our work helping companies assess their sexual violence policies and practices.” Working together to boost our joint efforts is essential as more businesses and organizations turn to RAINN for help with program evaluations and preventative initiatives.

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By Claudia Stephens

What Are the Most Appropriate Colors to Use When Painting a Bedroom?

September 28, 2022 | Home Improvement | No Comments

The choice of paint colors for a bedroom is not something that should be made on a whim. There are approximately 33 years of a person’s life that are spent sleeping. Although a single coat of paint is not going to last you through that full-time period, there is a good probability that the next coat of paint you apply will be there for some time. Because you will spend so many hours in your bedroom, the atmosphere of the room will have a significant impact not only on your ability to fall asleep at night but also on how you communicate with your partner, the disposition in which you wake up, and a great deal more.

Instead of letting your bedroom be a location that depletes you throughout the numerous hours that you spend there, make it a place that revitalizes you instead. Pick up colors for the paint that will create the atmosphere and disposition you want.

Think About How You Feel

You’ll come across a wide variety of specialized perspectives on the colors that are most suited for your bedroom, but you shouldn’t let those perspectives obscure your genuine nature and requirements. In your bedroom, what kind of atmosphere do you hope to create for yourself? Do you wish to have a comfortable feeling? Relaxed? Energized? Clean? Fresh? The hue of the paint should be chosen to match how you want to feel as you wind down after a busy day and as you begin a fresh new day the following day.

A Calm & Unruffled Atmosphere

Think about using pastel hues in your bedroom if you want it to feel like a calm haven. You can make a calm and relaxing space for contemplation and relaxation by using a color story that consists of subdued pastels. Purple, one of the more daring hues, can be toned down to create a light pastel that gives off an inviting vibe.

Make the Most of Your Limited Space

It may seem counterintuitive to paint your bedroom walls black, but studies have shown that dark hues give the illusion of greater areas in smaller rooms. This effect is especially helpful in rooms that do not receive enough natural light. However, you shouldn’t lose yourself in the darkness. Create contrast by using light bedding and accessories with a dark wall.

Calming & Refreshing

When the temperature in the room rises above a certain threshold, the coziness and warmth that come from wrapping oneself in a mountain of blankets are diminished. In fact, specialists in sleep hygiene suggest that the ideal temperature for sleeping is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit in the room. You may assist prepare your mind for a restful night of sleep by selecting a color tone that is on the cooler side to go along with the temperature outside.

Energy & Equilibrium

The color green is one that can be used in a variety of settings, including the bedroom, where it may convey both a sense of activity and rest. Regardless of the aesthetic you’re going for, this is a stunning color that will help bring harmony to the rest of your space. It functions beautifully in both classic and contemporary design styles. Because it brings to mind images of the natural world, the color green is also calming, making it an excellent choice for bedtime.

Only Slightly More

If you have trouble deciding on a color or worry that you will be overpowered by a color used everywhere in your bedroom, but you still want to use it, think about how you can incorporate it in little doses. This is especially helpful if you have trouble committing to a color.

You can bring in an atmosphere you wish to experience by adding a red accent wall to the area. This wall won’t dominate the entire space. Include paneling on the lower half of your wall, which you can paint a different color than the top of the wall, which you should leave unpainted. Install a chair rail, and then paint the lower portion of the wall a shade that is brighter or darker than the top portion.

We at https://elmerpainting.com/ in the Spring Valley region take great pride in seeing our clients’ delighted reactions when they observe the dramatic difference that a new coat of paint can make in a space. Allow us to assist you in making the oasis that you have always imagined. Get in touch with us to receive a free estimate.

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By Claudia Stephens

Can PRP Therapy Solve Hair Loss?

September 14, 2022 | Health & Beauty | No Comments

Another pass with the hairbrush, another handful of strands, and still another area of the scalp that is clearly visible. This scenario is likely all too familiar to you if you are one of the 80 million adults in the United States who struggle from androgenetic alopecia, often known as male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness.

Losing your hair may be a devastating experience, particularly in terms of your self-confidence and ability to interact socially. According to the findings of one study, approximately 29% of women who are experiencing hair loss also exhibit signs of sadness. According to the findings of another source, male pattern baldness can cause an “enormous emotional load.”

A novel natural approach, on the other hand, may provide patients who have exhausted all other options hope for hair restoration without resorting to surgery, medications, or topical ointments. Platelet-rich plasma injections, also known as PRP injections, are an innovative method that involves the use of the patient’s own blood platelets. Platelets are a type of cell that promotes healing all throughout the body and can be used to potentially reverse hair loss and grow new hair.

Although platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) for hair restoration is a relatively new operation, it could be an option to help you look and feel more like yourself again.

How does PRP work?

Loss of hair can occur at any point during maturity, despite the fact that it is commonly connected with aging and heredity. The process of balding happens when the hair follicles, which are little sacs that anchor individual hairs to the scalp, begin to shrink. This makes it possible for the hair to fall out, which results in balding.

PRP has been used by medical professionals in the field of sports medicine to assist in the healing of musculoskeletal and tendon injuries. Research indicates that injecting the platelets that are found in a patient’s blood and activating growth factors can boost the blood supply to a patient’s hair follicles and raise the thickness of their hair shafts when treating hair loss in patients.

Prior to doing PRP therapy, we will get down with you to discuss the expectations that are reasonable. It is feasible to improve the health of your hair and increase its thickness, as shown in a number of studies that have been peer-reviewed. We will also discuss lifestyle changes that can have an effect on hair loss, such as giving up smoking and eating a diet that is supplemented with vitamin D and iron, which are two minerals that might help support hair development.

The entire process takes fewer than thirty minutes to complete. We are going to take a sample of your blood and then put it through a centrifuge so that we can separate the platelets. After that, it will be removed and injected into the areas of your scalp that are thinning or balding. The majority of patients report experiencing only mild discomfort, if any at all, and are able to go back to work the next day.

Patients are required to come back for another injection once every month for the first three months, and then once every three to six months after that.

The treatment requires the use of your own blood, and there is only a small chance of complications. Bleeding, hematoma, infection, and nerve injury are all possible dangers, but they are extremely remote possibilities. PRP should not be administered to patients who are using anticoagulants, as well as patients who have an active scalp infection, chronic liver illness, or a low platelet count.

Is PRP useful for treating hair loss in patients?

We are currently in the process of collecting long-term data to understand the prospects of new and maintained hair regrowth using PRP, which is similar to the process that is required for any unique technique. In today’s world, it is possible for patients to combine PRP injection therapy with other therapies for hair loss, such as medicine.

There is growing evidence from clinical trials that suggest PRP can benefit people who are experiencing hair loss. The majority of studies that have been conducted using PRP have reported following up with patients for a period of up to six months after their surgery. We have minimal data after that time, but ongoing studies can tell us which patients benefit the most from PRP, which ones do not, and why.

Having said that, patients who consult with the board-certified staff at Bergen County Hair Loss have reported feeling content with the outcomes of their procedures. We hope that as we learn more about this fascinating new therapy, we will be able to assist patients who are experiencing hair loss in achieving their objectives through the use of a treatment plan that incorporates PRP.

Call (973) 281-4033 or submit an online appointment request to speak with a plastic surgeon about platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment for hair loss.

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By Claudia Stephens

How To Clean Brushes & Rollers

September 2, 2022 | Home Improvement | No Comments

Did you know that soap and water won’t get all the paints out of brushes and rollers? It’s important to know how to wash paint brushes so that you don’t damage them and they last longer. By following these tips from your local Bergen Rockland Painters pros, you can learn how to clean different types of paint out of your brushes, rollers, and even hardened paint brushes.

How to Clean Paint Brushes Best

Keep your brushes damp so they stay soft and can be used for your next project. If you have to stop, wrap the brush in a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. You should also clean it right away after each use because it’s much easier to clean up before the paint hardens in the bristles.

If you want to know how to wash paint brushes, follow these steps:

  1. Choose the right liquid to use. There is no one solvent that can get every kind of paint out of every kind of brush. Check the instructions that came with your paint to find out what to do. In general, paint thinner or mineral spirits work well to remove oil-based paints and lacquers. Shellacs react better to ammonia or alcohol that has been ruined. You can clean water-based paints with soap and warm water.
  1. Instead of putting paint down the sink, put it in a clean container. Can paint brushes be cleaned in the sink? We wouldn’t advise it. Cleaning your brushes in the sink can be a problem because you might clog your plumbing, be exposed to strong fumes, or pour the flammable liquid down the drain. Instead, put the solvent in a small, clean container. This lets you change out the solvent while cleaning the brush with as little waste as possible. You can seal this solvent and use it again later, or you can let it evaporate completely in a safe place, like your garage, before throwing it away.
  1. Move the brush around to get the paint out. Dip the paintbrush in the solvent and use a brushing motion to get the color out of the bristles. Don’t twist, press down directly on, or push the bristles back into the handle. Doing so could damage the brush.
  1. Clean, then clean some more. Wash the brush until there is no more solvent on it. It’s important to clean your brushes well because even a little bit of paint can cause them to harden.
  1. Dry. Once your brush is clean, gently press the water out with a paper towel. If there is still color on the paper towel, that means the brush needs to be cleaned more. Once the brush is clean, let it dry on a flat surface.

Cleaning Paint Rollers

Paint Brushes can be cleaned and used again, but should you clean or throw away paint rollers? Rollers can be used again and again, but they need to be cleaned properly so that the paint goes on smoothly.

To wash paint rollers, do the following:

  1. Roll in a solution for cleaning. Put the paint’s solvent in a clean roller pan, and then roll the paint roller in the solution to make the paint easier to spread. If you use a stronger chemical like ammonia, wear gloves to protect your hands and watch out for splashes that could hurt your skin or ruin your clothes.
  1. Scrub until solvent runs clear. After you’ve rolled out as much as you can, take the roller off the handle so you can continue to massage the paint out with gloved hands.
  1. To remove paint, use a putty knife. When paint gets between the roller and the handle, it dries and hardens into a crust. The putty knife can help you get the chunks out of the way before they get any harder. This will make sure that the next roll goes on smoothly.
  1. Hang on a string or dowel to dry. If you want the roller to dry evenly, don’t lay it on its side or let it stand on one end. Instead, put it on a string or dowel.
  1. Keep in a cabinet with no dust. If your roller is dirty, it will leave dust on your next painting job. Keep it in a clean, dry place until you need it.

Cleaning Hardened Paint Brushes

What happens if the brushes aren’t cleaned right away? It’s easy to put the brush down thinking you’ll clean it soon, only to find a few weeks later that it’s hard as a rock. Is it too late to save the crusty brush, or can it still be used?

Try these ways to clean dried-out paint brushes before you throw them away:

  • The solvent can be used to clean the brush. If you know what kind of paint is on the brush and has dried, you can match it with the right solvent. Pour some solvent into a clean container and swirl the brush in the liquid to soften the paint. After cleaning the brush, rinse it with water. Use a paper towel to dry the brush and reshape it before letting it dry on a flat surface.
  • You can clean your paintbrushes with vinegar. Bring vinegar to a simmer in a pan on the stove, turn off the heat, and put the hardened brush in the hot liquid for 20 minutes. After soaking, wash with soap and warm water to get any leftover paint off. Pat, it with a paper towel, and then lay it flat to dry.
  • Use fabric softener to make the bristles softer. Mix fabric softener with warm water and rub the bristles to get the paint out. After all the paint is off, rinse with clean water. Dry the brush flat so that water doesn’t run back into the handle and damage it.

Save Time & Effort by Hiring a Pro!

How well you can clean paint off brushes and rollers depends on the type of paint you are using and whether you are cleaning a brush or a roller. But is it even worth it to clean the brush and/or roller? Many people don’t have the right cleaning supplies at home, so they have to go to the store. The time it takes to clean your painting tools is also a factor. You’ll also need to find a safe place to keep everything. So, you may be looking at a set of hardened paint brushes and rollers and thinking, “There must be a better way.”

Instead of jumping through hoops to get everything done, let the professionals at your local https://newcityhousepainter.com/ give your home a fresh coat of paint and clean up afterward. We offer painting services for both the inside and outside of your home, so you can get the look you want without having to deal with the cleanup and mess. Call us at (973) 846-5552 or book an estimate online today to get started.

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By Claudia Stephens

4 Problems With Micro Mesh Gutter Guards

August 22, 2022 | Home Improvement | No Comments

Everywhere, people who own their own homes are always looking for ways to avoid having to clean their gutters. One way that cleaning gutters is a dangerous and inconvenient DIY project is that you have to climb up on the roof and risk your safety on the ladder.

Companies that make gutter guards, especially those that sell micro mesh gutters, try to use this feeling to sell their products.

Most micro mesh gutters are made of stainless steel and have a netting called “micro mesh” that acts as a filter for your gutters. They are said to work with many different kinds of roofs and be easy to put up. The micro-mesh product is meant to work as a filter by letting water trickle through the mesh and drain out while catching leaves and other debris. This should help keep the gutters from getting clogged, which means you’ll spend less time cleaning the gutters and wondering if they’re clogged.

But micro mesh gutters are not as good as people say they are. Keep an eye out for the four biggest problems that micro mesh gutter guards can cause for your home.

Different Types of Gutter Guards

As you read this article, keep in mind that there are two types of gutter guards: flat and slanted.

  1. The flat style is placed right on top of the gutter.
  2. The slanted style tucks the shingles under at a right angle, making an angle that slopes down.

Both products have problems, some of which are unique and some of which are the same. This article will say at the beginning of each section which style we are talking about.

Problem 1: Gutter Guards Either Clog or Overcorrect

If you think gutter guards will keep you from ever having to clean your gutters again, you’re wrong. Even though gutter guards say they will keep your gutters clean and worry-free, they aren’t a sure thing.

Because the gutter guard is not set at an angle, the flat style naturally collects more debris. This makes it harder for the wind to blow and for the debris to fall off because of gravity.

The slant of the tucked style can make problems, like when the water doesn’t get into the gutter at all because it doesn’t go in the right direction. This overcorrection takes away from the main purpose of gutters, which is to move water away from your foundation and down the gutter.

Problem 2: Weight Problems With Micro Mesh

Keep in mind that “micro meshes” are very thin, as their name suggests. When the debris piles up too much for the gutter guard to handle, the system can collapse and cause damage to the gutter.

If the debris falls through the gutter guard, you haven’t solved the problem you were trying to solve.

In fact, you’ve made the problem worse because you’re now trying to clean your gutters through a micro mesh that is broken or has fallen apart.

Problem 3: Variables

Even though this isn’t necessarily a problem with the micro mesh gutter guard itself, it is something to think about if you’re thinking about putting them on your home. When you install a micro mesh gutter guard, there can be unintended results like:

  • A mouse or some other animal is chewing through your mesh.
  • When a bird landed on the micro mesh, it broke it.
  • A rock getting kicked or thrown on your roof by accident, damages the micro mesh.

We should be worried that people don’t think this product will last long. Remember that your gutter guards are outside and can get damaged by the weather.

Problem 4: Material Matters

We’ve already talked about how most micro mesh gutters are made of stainless steel. Even though that is true, it doesn’t mean that all gutter guards are made of stainless steel. Some of them can also be made of plastic.

Plastic gutter guards don’t fit gutters as well as ones made of stainless steel, and they can get in the way of asphalt, oils, and dirt that fall off the roof. This can cause the gutter guards to break down faster or make the gutters very dirty and sludgy.

Plastic gutter guards are not the way to go if you are set on getting them. Just because they last longer than plastic, stainless steel micro mesh gutters are better than plastic, but gutter guards should be avoided at all costs.

Last but not least, you should think about how much gutter guards cost and if they really save you money in the long run. Gutter Guards can cost up to $6,000 for the average home, and if you compare that to the average cost of a gutter cleaning service, it will take you about 17 years to get your money back. This is assuming you don’t have any big problems with the gutter guards, you don’t move, and you don’t change your mind in the next 17 years.

In the end, gutter guards aren’t worth all the trouble they cause. We don’t recommend using gutter guards because they are fragile, the environment can damage them, and they don’t give you much for your money. Having a professional service clean your gutters is safer, cheaper, and much more reliable than doing it yourself.

Call us at (919) 646-5009 if you’re unsure. At https://fuquayvarinagutters.com/, we are happy to give you a free quote for alternatives to micro mesh gutter guards that will keep your gutters clean. To find out more about gutter cleaning and gutter guards, you can also get a free quote online.

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By Claudia Stephens

How to Remove Water Stains from the Ceiling

August 15, 2022 | My Blog | No Comments

A water stain on the ceiling is a common problem in new and older homes. Problems with the roof or the plumbing in the walls between floors could be to blame. Regardless of the origin of the water, the result will be a stain on the ceiling, no matter how big or tiny, and possibly other issues like bubbling and cracking. Even while these brown blobs can make your home look less than perfect, there are ways to get rid of and hide them.

Is it possible to cover a water stain on the ceiling with paint?

The short answer is “yes,” you can paint over a stain. You must first eliminate the stain’s origin to prevent it from reappearing and spreading. Covering a stain with paint is a fantastic option if the cause has been eliminated.

Fixing Ceiling Water Damage

Several essential measures ensure you achieve the desired revitalized appearance and prevent more damage.

Determine What Made the Mark First

A severe issue, like a leaky roof, could lead to a water stain on your ceiling. To eliminate significant causes of ceiling stains, you should seek the assistance of a specialist.

  • Broken roof. Bergen Rockland House Painters offers inspection and repair services for roofs.
  • Dripping pipes are a common problem. Look into the possible causes of plumbing leaks before calling a plumber.
  • The formation of ice dams. You may be familiar with the dangers of ice dams if you reside in a region that experiences cold winters. You may want to investigate your roof if water stains appear on your ceiling.
  • Blocked drains. If your gutters are clogged, water may pool in places it shouldn’t, possibly staining your basement ceiling or causing other problems.

As soon as possible, after identifying and stopping the water flow, it is recommended that you contact a water damage specialist and arrange for any necessary cleanup services to be performed.

Use Bleach or Other Cleaning Agent to Remove Stain

Wet spots are unsightly and may lead to mold growth. Be careful not to disguise the stain until it’s been thoroughly removed. Clean the stain with a solution of one bleach to three parts warm water or a premade cleaner. After removing the solution, dry the area with a clean towel. The ceiling will need a few hours to dry out.

Remember to Prime the Ceiling

You must prime the surface before painting it, just like a wall. The ceiling stain might be covered with either an oil-based ProBlock alkyd primer or a water-based Quick Dry Stain Blocking acrylic primer, both of which are available from Sherwin Williams. Even after cleaning and repainting, the stain may still be visible if you use an all-purpose primer, presumably what you usually use inside.

Slap on Some Paint

Your ceiling paint can be applied to conceal the water spots after the primer has dried. When you’ve prepared the surface with an oil-based primer, you can use any latex paint you like for the final coat (s). It may sound daunting, but painting the entire ceiling of a room is the most incredible method to ensure a harmonious color scheme throughout the space. After all, you wouldn’t want the new paint to give the room an uneven appearance, much like the stain.

Get Help From Experts

After the water damage is repaired, the task of painting over water stains can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Give Five Star Painting a call if you’d prefer to put your time and effort elsewhere. You may count on us to restore your ceiling to its original beauty. We are also available for any other interior or exterior painting jobs you may have. Call (888) 261-3633 or go to our online booking system to arrange a consultation.

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By Claudia Stephens