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From May 24th through May 26th, 2013 the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is hosting the second annual Mediterranean Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Workshop in Madrid, Spain. The workshop consists of a series of lectures about important topics in Follicular Unit Extraction, FUE question and answer sessions, FUE discussions and debates, and a series of live Follicular Unit Extraction operations.

Because we recommend a number of FUE innovators and experts, several of our recommended and Coalition hair transplant surgeons are participating in the FUE workshop. According to the official program, our hair restoration physicians are participating in the following activities:

During the first day of the workshop, Dr. Jean Devroye, Dr. James Harris, and Dr. Bijan Feriduni are participating in a debate about the anatomy of FUE grafts. Dr. James Harris is also lecturing about motorized FUE procedures and performing a live, 1,000 graft FUE case on the first day of the conference (and hosting a “Q&A” session after the procedure). On the second day of the workshop, Dr. Devroye is presenting a lecture about motorized FUE and Dr. Feriduni is lecturing about manual Follicular Unit Extraction procedures; both physicians are also performing live, 1,000 graft FUE operations at the end of the day. On the third and final day of the workshop, Dr. James Harris is giving a presentation on automated FUE procedures and the ARTAS Hair Restoration System for automating FUE hair transplant surgery.

In order to increase the ultimate survival, caliber, and even the rate at which hair follicles grow after transplantation, patients and hair restoration physicians alike are looking for methods to best care for them when they are in the precarious state out of the body (after extraction, but before implantation).  Dr. Carlos K. Wesley will lecture to fellow physicians on “New Frontiers in Surgical Hair Restoration” at the Mount Sinai Medical Center Multi-Specialty Spring Symposium in New York City in which he will discuss the various advancements in hair follicle storage prior to transplantation.

Sentiment in the field of surgical hair restoration is increasingly favoring the use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) as a possible storage solution to achieve the three goals stated above.  Dr. Wesley has even noted the benefit of incorporating PRP into the intra-operative graft storage process as patients appear to produce transplanted hair growth slightly earlier than the standard timeline at which transplanted hairs are normally appreciated.

While these observations related to PRP are promising, the mystery behind this product remains: What is it about PRP that may produce this benefit?  Is there a particular element within the autologous solution that is most critical in the stimulation of hair growth and development?  To shed light on this question, Dr. Wesley collaborated with immunologists at Mt. Sinai Medical Center to investigate the following variables on hair characteristics:

1. The degree of physiologic concentration of platelets in PRP

2. The specific concentration of certain growth factors thought to be involved in the stimulation cascade:

Only hair transplant surgeons with a proven record of providing their patients with excellent results are approved for recommendation at our hair restoration community. Thus, we are pleased to announce that after careful review and consideration, Dr. Christian Bisanga of Brussels, Belgium has been approved for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. To learn how we pre-screen and recommend hair transplant surgeons, click here.

Dr. Bisanga, his technique and results were carefully reviewed by our hair restoration forum and social community in consideration for recommendation. All of the feedback we received regarding his potential inclusion has been highly supportive. To see what our members are saying, visit the “Potential Recommendation of Dr. Christian Bisanga of Brussels, Belgium“.

Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from patients, physicians and forum members, approving Dr. Bisanga for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network was a “no brainer.” To learn more about Dr. Bisanga and to view his patient results, visit Dr. Bisanga’s Hair Transplant Network profile.

Thanks to everyone who provided their valuable input regarding Dr. Bisanga’s potential recommendation. You are encouraged to congratulate him by clicking on his featured potential inclusion topic above.

For hair loss sufferers considering hair restoration surgery in Belgium and beyond, we strongly encourage you to consult with and consider Dr. Christian Bisanga for your procedure.

Congratulations Dr. Bisanga!

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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning

Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

Only an elite group of highly esteemed surgeons who perform ultra refined hair transplantation with excellent results are invited to join the ranks of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. To see our demanding standards for the Coalition, click here.

Recently, we sought your input on the potential Coalition membership for Dr. Richard Keller of Deerfield, Illinois.  Given the accolades he’s received from forum members and other leading hair surgeons regarding his results, we’re not surprised that the responses regarding his potential inclusion were highly supportive.

To see what our members are saying regarding his potential inclusion, visit the discussion topic “Potential Coalition Membership for Dr. Richard Keller“.

The forum topic about Dr. Keller’s potential Coalition membership showcases numerous examples of his excellent hair transplant results, and demonstrates why he was nominated to be a member of this elite group. To see additional examples of his work, please visit the “Results Posted by Leading Hair Restoration Clinics” forum.

Given Dr. Keller’s history of impressive results and dedication to the field of hair restoration, it’s clear why his potential Coalition membership was met with enthusiasm. Thus, we’d like to congratulate Dr. Keller for being approved for Coalition membership. You can view Dr. Keller’s Coalition profile by clicking here.

Thanks to everyone who provided their valuable feedback regarding Dr. Keller’s potential Coalition membership. You are encouraged to congratulate him by visiting the discussion topic above.

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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning

The success of any hair transplant surgery is partially dependent upon the number of follicular unit grafts (hair groupings as they occur naturally in the scalp) a hair loss patient has available for extraction and implantation. If a patient has high density in the donor region (permanent DHT resistant hair on the sides and back of the scalp), a large number of grafts can be harvested and transplanted into the balding regions of the scalp. This is true for both prominent hair transplant procedures including Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction.

Hair transplant patients often want a maximum number of grafts implanted at a very high density in order to achieve the fullest head of hair possible.  However, this brings up some important questions.  What is the average donor density (number of available follicular unit grafts) in hair transplant patients? What about patients with higher or lower densities? Also, is it ethical to implant a large number of follicular unit grafts in younger patients?

In order to answer some of these questions, Coalition hair restoration surgeon Dr. Carlos Wesley recently investigated the follicular unit donor availability in hair transplant patients. The study, which was published in Dermatological Surgery, reviewed what hair transplant surgeons can and should do with the limited number of follicular units in hair transplant patients.  The article seeks to clarify the limits of the finite supply of “permanent” donor area hair used in treating hair transplant patients (specifically young patients).

For the past several months, the advantages and disadvantages of scalp micropigmentation or SMP (the process of tattooing the scalp to mimic the appearance of shortly cropped hair on the bald or thinning scalp) has been highly discussed on our hair loss forum.  This procedure is used to promote the illusion of increased hair density in individuals with thinning hair or a “shaved” or “cropped” appearance in those with a completely bald scalp.

Scalp micropigmentation can be compared to topical hair loss concealers such as Toppik, Nanogen and DermMatch because it masks hair loss by creating an illusion of real hair.  Thus, SMP (tattooing) is ideally suited for a very specific type of consumer.

While scalp micropigmentation requires a high level of artistry to mimic the appearance of hair stubble, it’s still only 2 dimensional and isn’t an appropriate solution for men and women who want real, growing hair.  Those who use scalp micropigmentation to sport the “cropped” look on top must be diligent in keeping hair on the sides and back of their head the right length in order to look natural.

Initially, ink associated with scalp micropigmentation (tattooing) was permanent.  However, several clinics and practitioners are now offering non-permanent SMP performed with temporary ink.  Like any other solution for treating or masking hair loss, temporary scalp micropigmentation comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Each year, the publishers of the Hair Transplant Network bring you highlights from the annual International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) scientific meeting. This year, hair restoration physicians, medical assistants and others in the hair restoration profession from around the globe came together in Paradise Island (the Bahamas) to discuss the latest advancements in medical and surgical hair loss treatments.

It’s virtually impossible to cover all topics discussed at each year’s ISHRS meeting.  Thus, below we’ve presented topics that we felt hair loss sufferers would find most interesting and relevant.

Due to the increased patient demand for FUE and advancements made over the last several years, approximately 50% of this year’s meeting was devoted to discussing the evolution and current techniques in follicular unit extraction (FUE).  This includes comparing advanced FUE to the traditional “strip harvesting” method of follicular unit hair transplantation (FUT).   Other hot topics include updates on hair duplication (autocloning) and ACell, robotic assisted hair transplantation using the ARTAS Hair Restoration System, hair multiplication (HM), scalp micropigmentation (SMP) and the safety and efficacy of Propecia (finasteride).

The below highlights from this year’s conference come from presentations and interviews with recommended hair restoration physicians Dr. Parsa Mohebi, Dr. James Harris, and Coalition members Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich, Dr. Jerry Cooley and Dr. Robert True.  A special thanks to these expert physicians for providing this community with their feedback on the latest innovations discussed at the 2012 ISHRS meeting.

Background on the ISHRS

Although most hair loss sufferers associate quality hair transplant surgery with the skill and expertise of the operating hair restoration physician, excellent results would not be possible without highly trained and dedicated hair transplant technicians.

Experienced techicians are responsible for microscopically dissecting the donor strip during Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) cases and carefully placing the trimmed, prepared grafts during both FUT and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) cases.  Thus, the outcome of a hair transplant procedure is highly dependent upon the skill, knowledge, and dexterity of the technicians/assistants.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) would honor crucial team members each year by awarding one dedicated technician with the Distinguished Assistant Award at the annual ISHRS Meeting.

This year, the 2012 ISHRS Distinguished Assistant Award was awarded to Tina Lardner, the lead technician for recommended hair transplant surgeon Dr. James Harris.

For the past 16 years, Tina has served as the lead surgical assistant/technician at the Hair Science Institute, helped develop new techniques for handling extracted follicular unit grafts, and also acted as a teacher and lecturer for a variety of hair technician training courses. Because of her dedication to improving and evolving the crucial role of the hair transplant technician, we cannot think of a more deserving candidate for the ISHRS Distinguished Assistant Award.

Please join me in congratulating Tina for winning the Distinguished Assistant Award at the 2012 ISHRS Meeting in the Bahamas.

In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Latisse (Bimatoprost) for the cosmetic purpose of lengthening and darkening eyelashes. Because Bimatoprost (a prostaglandin/prostamide analog) seemed to induce new activity in eyelash hair follicles, researchers and hair restoration experts immediately began evaluating the use of the drug on human scalp.

After several years of research, it seemed like Bimatoprost presented some efficacy in regrowing scalp hair and inducing activity in scalp hair follicles (i.e. treating hair loss), but the mechanism and efficiency of the therapy was poorly understood.

However, recently, several hair loss researchers, including Coalition hair transplant surgeons Drs. Nilofer and Bessam Farjo, found an exciting connection between Bimatoprost treatment and new hair growth, and also believe they’ve finally demonstrated how the drug actually works.

In a study published in the FASEB Journal, the hair loss researchers sought to evaluate the effect of Bimatoprost on non-eyelash (scalp) follicles, and found the following:

First, Bimatoprost increased hair synthesis in both scalp follicle origin culture (follicles isolated outside of the body) and in living mouse models. Second, after adding an element that blocked the Bimatoprost-sensitive prostamide receptors in follicles, new hair synthesis ceased (indicating a direct Bimatoprost-to-receptor mechanism in hair follicles). Third, using DNA analysis, the team located  three genes for the Bimatoprost-sensitive receptors, which, according to the team, are likely expressed near the regenerative dermal papilla region of the hair follicle.

Only hair restoration physicians with an outstanding reputation for producing the best results are approved for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. In this article, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Patrick Mwamba of Brussels, Belgium has been approved for recommendation by our online hair loss community. To learn how we prescreen and recommend hair transplant surgeons, click here.

Dr. Mwamba has a background in general surgery and worked with several leading surgeons including Coalition members Dr. Paul Rose and Dr. Jean Devroye. In 2006, Dr. Mwamba opened up his own clinic “World Hair Transplant Center” where he performs exclusive, state of the art hair transplantation.

Dr. Patrick Mwamba, his technique and results were carefully reviewed by our patient community. Visit the “Potential Recommendation of Dr. Patrick Mwamba of Brussels, Belgium” to see what our members are saying.

After careful consideration in evaluating his technique and receiving positive feedback from patients and quality physicians, we are excited to announce that Dr. Patrick Mwamba has been approved for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. You are encouraged to congratulate and welcome Dr. Mwamba to our community by visiting his potential recommendation forum topic above.

For those interested in state of the art surgical hair restoration in Belgium and beyond, you are encouraged to consider Dr. Mwamba for your next hair transplant procedure. To view his recommendation profile, click here.

Onwards and Upwards,