A: Yes. Oprah had wanted to know if hair transplants really worked, so I was asked to be on The Oprah Winfrey Show to explain the latest in hair restoration techniques.

They showed a film of me performing a follicular unit hair transplant and then brought the actual patient in the video on stage.

For more information on Dr. Bernstein’s appearance, read the press release, “Pioneering Hair Transplant Doctor Explains Procedure on Oprah Winfrey Show” on the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website.

A: Hair will grow in the scar but, as you allude to, the problem is often the abnormal hair direction rather than the scar itself.

Besides adding hair to the scar, if one transplants hair adjacent to the scar in a direction that causes it to lie over the scarred area, the visual affect of the “Red Sea” effect can be lessened.

How much improvement you achieve with the hair restoration will, in part, depend upon the amount of hair available to be transplanted (and the skill of the surgeon).

Robert M. Bernstein, MD, FAAD, is an Attending at the New York Presbyterian Hospital and specializes in surgical hair restoration. Dr. Bernstein is the founder and director of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration. His current research focuses on the refinement of Follicular Unit Transplantation, the revolutionary hair restoration procedure that he pioneered.

Dr. Bernstein graduated with honors from Tulane University in 1973, achieving the status of Tulane Scholar. In 1979 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of N.J. where he was given the Dr. Bleiberg Award for “Excellence in Dermatology”. Dr. Bernstein joined the staff at Columbia in 1982 as an Assistant in Clinical Dermatology, after completing his training as Resident and Chief Resident in Dermatology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, N.Y. Dr. Bernstein was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia University in 2000. Dr. Bernstein also holds an MBA from Columbia, a degree he received in 2004.

Dr. Bernstein is Board Certified in Dermatology and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. For his for his pioneering hair transplant techniques, Dr. Bernstein received the Platinum Follicle Award, the highest honor bestowed by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

Columbia University bestows honor upon its physicians in the form of new appointments and promotions within each department. The department of dermatology at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University was one of the first academic units established in New York City and is a major center for basic science and clinical research. Its faculty has made numerous contributions to the development of dermatology including pioneering work in the early use of ionizing radiation, advancing the technique of photopheresis for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and discovering the first human gene associated with hair loss.

A: The main problem is that the cultured cells may lose their phenotype with multiple passages, i.e. lose their ability to differentiate into hair follicles after they have been multiplied.

Another problem of hair cloning is that the orientation of hair direction must be controlled. With mouse experiments, the hairs grow at all different directions. Scientists need to find a way to align the hair so that it grows in the right direction. Hair, of course, must also be of a quality that is cosmetically acceptable and matches the patient existing hair. And the hair should grow in follicular units. Individual hairs will not give the fullness or natural look of follicular units.

Another problem is the issue of safety. Are we sure that cultured cells may not turn into something else – such as malignancy cells with uncontrolled growth?

Finally, FDA approval would be required and this takes time. It is true that you do not need FDA approval for using your own hair, such as a hair transplant; however, when you take cells from the body and manipulate it in the lab, this requires FDA approval.

A: We perform our hair transplant procedures using long-acting, local anesthesia, so after the initial injections, the patient doesn’t experience any pain or discomfort.

The local anesthesia (a combination of Lidocaine and Marcaine) lasts about 4-5 hours. For long sessions, we give additional anesthesia before the first wears off.

Before we start the local anesthesia, we give most patients IM Versed (also known as midazolam). This medication is a very fast acting sedative that is very relaxing. Some patients even doze off at the beginning of the procedure. This is very different, however from the deep sleep produced by general anesthesia.