Greetings,
With the growing field of hair and eyebrow restoration procedures, and the abundance of new “automating” machines, companies are “pitching” doctors as not needing to know anything about hair transplantation, just buy the machine and we will provide some medical assistants to perform the entire procedure. This is taking place everywhere and I am seeing more and more cases of patients undergoing botched procedures in dermatology and plastic surgery practices that have no experience doing hair and eyebrow transplant procedures. I have posted some of these botched procedures and will continue to do so. It is imperative that the consumer stay vigilant and only go to an individual that specializes exclusively in hair and eyebrow restoration in order to increase the likelihood of an excellent result.
Now the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery has also issued a warning to consumers regarding unqualified individuals performing hair and eyebrow restoration. Just because you are going to see a Physician does not mean that the individual is well versed in hair and eyebrow transplants. Make sure your treating physician can show you at least 100 before and after photos of their own patients that look good to you before considering the physician for your procedure.
You can find the full text of the ISHRS press release below.
All the best,
Marc Dauer, M.D.
http://www.ishrs.org/content/consumer-alert
Seeking Hair Restoration Surgery?
Be sure that a properly trained licensed physician or properly trained licensed allied health professional practicing within the scope of his or her license is responsible for your treatment.
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is concerned about the growing risk to patients of unlicensed technicians performing substantial aspects of hair restoration surgery. The use of unlicensed technicians to perform aspects of hair restoration surgery which should only be performed by a properly trained and licensed physician or properly trained and licensed allied health professional (e.g., nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant) practicing within the scope of his or her license, places patients at risk of: (i) misdiagnosis; (ii) failure to diagnose hair disorders and related systemic diseases; and (iii) can result in the performance of unnecessary or ill advised surgery all of which jeopardizes patient safety and outcomes. There may also be a risk that unlicensed technicians may not be covered by malpractice insurance.
The ISHRS believes the following aspects of hair restoration surgery should only be performed by a licensed physician or licensed allied health professional practicing within the scope of his or her license:
- Preoperative diagnostic evaluation and consultation
- Surgery planning
- Surgery execution including:
- Donor hair harvesting
- Hairline design
- Recipient site creation
- Management of other patient medical issues and possible adverse reactions
To help insure patients have information needed to make informed decisions about who performs their hair restoration surgery, the ISHRS urges potential patients to ask the following questions as well as questions regarding costs, risks, and short and long-term benefits and planning:
Patients Should Ask These Questions:
- Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend a course of treatment? What is their education, training, licensure, and experience in treating hair loss?
- Who will be involved in performing my surgery, what role will they play, and what is their education, training, licensure, and experience performing hair restoration surgery?
- Will anyone not licensed by the state be making incisions or harvesting grafts during my surgery? If so, please identify this person, explain their specific role and why they are legally permitted to perform it.
- Is everyone involved in my surgery covered by malpractice insurance?
Be your own best advocate. Protect yourself.
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International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery
A non-profit medical association
303 West State Street, Geneva, IL 60134 USA
www.ISHRS.org
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery is a non-profit medical association exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Internal revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). The mission of the ISHRS is to achieve excellence in medical and surgical outcomes by promoting member education, international collegiality, research, ethics, and public awareness.