Are there any side effects from a hair transplant procedure?
- There are minor side effects such as post-operation swelling for 3 to 5 days after the procedure. However, it is not as common as it once was. At True & Dorin, we use a diluted steroid to reduce risks of serious swelling. 1 in 10 people will experience swelling of minor degree.

Will a hair transplant cause disfiguration?
- Hair transplants are not disfiguring. They are visible to others in the first 10 days after treatment, but after that the skin and hair appearscomletelt normal.

Will there be any discomfort from the hair transplant or will I get headaches?
-There may be minor discomfort in the donor area for 3 to 5 days. Generally, no reoccurring headaches will occur.

Where does a hair transplant procedure occur? Will I have to go to the hospital?
-Hair transplantation is an outpatient procedure. The procedure occurs in a surgical suite and is completed under local anesthesia. You’re awake during the entire procedure.

Will I develop an infection from hair transplantation?
-You are not likely get an infection. You take an antibiotic to help prevent infection. Infections are extremely rare and readily treatable without consequence.

What about after the surgery? Are there any special care procedures?
- After the surgery, you have to take care of washing your hair differently for 3-5 days, just to get rid of any scabbing. After 7 days, you can return to normal washing. By day 10, most of the scabs will have fallen off.

Will there be a lost of sensation after the surgery?
- There could be decreased sensation but it’s only temporary. It resolves within a a few months if it occurs. There could also be some minor tingling but if it occurs, the tingling resolves rather quickly.

What about scarring?
- In the recipient area, there is no scaring–no disfiguring or visible scars. In the donor area very fine scars do remain but are not visible unless the head is shaved.

Hair transplantation is a very safe procedure. Larger procedures can be lengthy, starting around 8 a.m. and finishing around 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. But it’s not painful. People are often afraid of the cutting but it does not hurt and it works for both men and women.

Terry’s hair transplant is a great example of how natural a hair transplant can look. With 2,012 follicular units transplanted, Terry’s hair looks great and is an example of the wonderful work of The Hair Loss Doctors.

The examination was held in Capri, Italy and was sponsored by the Italian society of Hair Restoration, under the leadership of President, Piero Tesauro M.D. , in conjunction with its annual meeting, May 20 & 21, 2010. Dr. Tesauro and the ISHR members extended gracious support and assistance. We can’t thank them enough for their professionalism, unparalleled hospitality and the opportunity to visit such a beautiful locale. In particular we will remember the wonderful reception Dr. Tesauro and his lovely wife Gabriel held for examiners and examinees at their Capri villa overlooking the Mediterranean.

The ABHRS was founded in 1997 and has grown to 150 certified diplomates, thirty five of whom come from outside North America. The annual certifying examination is held every year in January in Houston, Texas. Over recent years the Board has been hearing from increasing numbers of hair transplant surgeons who reside outside of North America that they are very interested in pursuing certification but find traveling to Houston in January to be very difficult. It was in response to this need that the ABHRS decided to offer the exam outside the US.

Eight hair restoration surgeons from eight countries, from the Middle East, Asia, and South America came to Capri to take the examination. The written portion was in the morning and the three oral examination cases were in the afternoon. Board President, Robert H. True, M.D. , was Joined by Robin Unger, M.D., Bessam Farjo, M.D., Michael Vories, M.D., Dan Didocha, D.O., and Robert Reese, D.O. as the examiners. All examiners are volunteers and travel at their own expense.

Based on the success of this experience and the continued high level of interest, the directors of the ABHRS are considering holding additional certifying exams outside North America. The model of holding them in conjunction with regional society meetings seems to offer many advantages both for examinees and examiners.

The Mission of the ABHRS/IBHRS is to act for the benefit of the public, to establish specialty standards and to examine surgeons’ skill, knowledge and aesthetic judgment in the field of hair restoration surgery. It is the largest worldwide entity to have established standards for certification for education, training and experience in Hair Restoration Surgery. The ABHRS/IBHRS is the only certification recognized by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

From left to right ABHRS examiners in Capri: Bessam Farjo, M.D., Michael Vories, M.D., Dan Didocha, D.O., Robert Reese, D.O., Robert True, M.D., and Robin Unger, M.D.

Physicians who are eligible to apply for ABHRS/IBHRS certification have demonstrated the accumulation of significant experience in the field of Hair Restoration Surgery and have all shown a commitment to high standards of training and education. Those who have achieved certification have demonstrated advanced knowledge in the art and science of hair restoration through peer-reviewed examination.

Those who are interested in pursuing certification or who may be interested in setting up a certifying exam through their regional society should visit www.abhrs.org for application and contact details.

Another option is to accept the balding pattern. Some people shave their head on a regular basis and consider it as a stylish hair look.

If you want to restore your lost hair, the hair transplantation surgery is the only way.

Answer: Primarily, people go bald because of the sensitivity of the hair follicles towards DHT. When DHT binds to the follicles, the follicles don’t grow fast or long. Also, the diameter of the hair shaft starts shrinking. And over a period of life cycles, the hair starts falling out and stops growing.

People experience different patterns within the balding process. Of course, there are different degrees of severity of balding: some thinning, some generalized thinning, hairline recession, crown thinning, or complete baldness. It also depends on the follicles that you’ve inherited from your mother or father.

African-American women often experience this due to constant pulling secondary to tight hair braiding. Also, hair loss among African-American women can arise because of the constant use of relaxers, some of which are very harsh and can kill the hair follicles in the skin.

The common hair styling trends of African-American women such as the straightening of hair and hair braiding has really led to a significant increase in African-American women who have experienced significant hair loss.

When this occurs, most women will initially turn to oils and creams in an effort to try to stimulate the hair to grow. These efforts are uniformly unfortunately unsuccessful. Others may consult with doctors and dermatologists who might prescribe creams and ointments to be used. These creams and ointments typically have very poor results.

Before Hair Restoration

The case that we link to shows a typical situation where a patient has lost the entire front of her hairline, across the front and top of her hair—that’s probably the most common area that the traction will express itself.

After Hair Restoration

As you can see from the After pictures, one session of hair transplantation can solve the problem. The patient in this case has regained all of the hair she has lost.

As long as the problem is relatively confined, a single session of hair transplantation can resolve the situation.  With larger areas two to three sessions may be needed. And, unfortunately for some women, the hair loss has been so great that there won’t be sufficient donor follicles to cover the area that is missing hair. These women then must turn to using hairpieces.

Once the new follicles have been transplanted and are growing, the hair will grow for the rest of the patient’s life— as long as the patient does not return to the use of relaxers and the tight hair braiding that caused the problem in the first place.

So, hair transplantation in the hands of experienced hair restoration surgeons who routinely work with African-American women is consistently a successful way to deal with this problem.

Women who suffer from hair loss contact the doctors at True & Dorin Medical Group, P.C. almost every week. Treating cases such as these is actually one of our favorite things to do because the transformation is so beautiful.

Before Hair Restoration

After 1 Hair Transplant Procedure