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New Hair Transplant Group Protects Patient Care

A group of plastic surgeons launched the North American Society for Hair Restoration to ensure quality hair transplants for patients.

A new medical association is making sure hair transplant patients have a good hair day every day.

The North American Society for Hair Restoration was recently founded to educate the public about hair restoration and the importance of going to properly trained physicians for the procedure, as well as to gather physicians who are specially trained in hair transplants.

“Over the years it has concerned me that physicians without formal training in the aesthetic industry and without formal training in hair restoration surgery have been performing these procedures. This often results in less-than-desirable results for the patients suffering from hair loss,” Dr. Stephen Ronan, a plastic surgeon and NASHR founder, said in a statement. “NASHR will educate the public regarding the importance of physician training in the core aesthetic fields.”

Legally doctors with a medical license can perform any procedure they want—though they would not receive hospital privileges to do so, Ronan explained in an interview. To combat this practice in hair restoration, NASHR membership will only include those core aesthetic physicians: plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, and dermatologists. “We think that if you’re not trained in one of these core fields, then you need to stick to what you’re trained to do,” he said.

It’s time that we have a national society made of aesthetic core members for this field of medicine.

Additionally, to become members, these particular physicians must be certified by their respective boards and members of their respective national societies in either the U.S. or Canada—a condition Ronan said should be a minimum standard when selecting a physician for hair transplantation surgery. “So if you want an aesthetic hair restoration procedure, you need to see someone who’s trained in this aesthetic field, and that would include members of those core specialties,” he said.

While hair transplants used to carry a negative reputation due to their outcomes and related physicians, thanks to new technology that produces better results, the procedure has gained more interest from both prospective patients and mainstream aesthetic physicians.

With the industry’s growth, the new association will enter this space to promote high ethical standards and responsible patient care by essentially building a list of physicians best trained to perform hair restoration. “It’s time that we have a national society made of aesthetic core members for this field of medicine,” Ronan said.

Currently, NASHR is visiting meetings and conferences held by related societies to meet potential members and raise awareness of the new association. So far, there has been high levels of interest in the group among aesthetic physicians and the medical industry, Ronan said.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Alex Beall

By Alex Beall

Alex Beall is an associate editor for Associations Now with a masters in journalism and a penchant for Instagram. MORE

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