KC-area skin, hair expert helps bring workshop on textured hair loss to Overland Park | Opinion
Hair stylists and dermatologists from all over the world will gather in Kansas City this weekend for a one-of-a-kind workshop, according to organizers of the second annual Textured Hair Restoration Workshop. This week I spoke with Meena Singh of Overland Park, and Susan Peterkin of Baltimore about this two-day intensive, hands-on workshop that begins Saturday in Overland Park.
Textured hair is hair that has waves, curls and coils, often (but not always) affiliated with ethnic backgrounds.
Singh, owner and medical director of the Skin and Hair Center in Overland Park, is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon and co-founder of hair loss advocacy group Docs4Hair. Peterkin, a cosmetologist and hair loss expert, is co-founder of S.T.R.A.N.D. Network, an acronym for stylists training, researching and networking with dermatologists.
According to Singh and Peterkin, live demonstrations will take place both days, including a patient receiving a hair transplant on site.
Hair stylists and estheticians interested in registering for the workshop can do so online or in person at Marriott Kansas City Hotel, 10800 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park.
Toriano Porter: Tell us more about the Textured Hair Restoration Workshop.
Meena Singh: Twenty of the top dermatologists from all over the country will participate in this two-day workshop. They will be able to see how we do hair transplants on Afro-textured hair, which is more challenging than non-Afro-textured hair. As you may or may not know, hair loss in the African American community is an epidemic. In Black women, scarring alopecia is a lot more prevalent.
Susan Peterkin: S.T.R.A.N.D. Network will teach hairstylists from all over the country how to treat hair S.T.R.A.N.D. Network was started out of my frustration as a hairstylist that specializes in natural hair seeing all of the inconsistent problems and information given out by stylists who don’t know how to treat hair loss in our community.
TP: Why bring hairstylists and dermatologists together?
SP: One of the things (S.T.R.A.N.D. co- founder Chesahna Kindred) likes to say, stylists and dermatologists are natural teammates. We learn from dermatologists how to spot hair loss very very early. If we can spot it early, our clients can be ahead of the game.
MS: I thought it would be beneficial to have the top hair loss dermatologists here to train stylists in our community.
TP: Susan, as a hairstylist specializing in natural hair care, why is it vital for stylists such as yourself to spot hair loss early on?
SP: We are very adept in covering up hair loss but once you understand some of the medical issues involved, then our treatment starts to change.
MS: This is a partnership between hair stylists and dermatologists. We are not really serving our community. We are bringing the top dermatologists in the country to Kansas City and people need to take advantage of this.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM.
