The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) has published the results of their biennial survey of hair restoration physicians from around the world. The survey — published in the November/December 2011 issue of Hair Transplant Forum International — asked members of the ISHRS to answer questions on patient demographics, surgical techniques, number of procedures, and more in order to gauge the state of the industry. Read the full article to see some of the key findings of the survey.

Q: What does the hair transplantation process do to your existing hair?

A: When we perform hair transplant surgery, we transplant into an area that is either bald or has some existing hair. The hair that is existing is undergoing a process called miniaturization. What this means is that the hairs are continuing to decrease in size – both in diameter and in length. When we perform a hair transplant, we don’t transplant around the existing miniaturized hair on your scalp, we transplant through it. And the reason why we do that is because the miniaturized hair, the fine hair that is being affected by DHT, is eventually going to disappear, so you don’t want there to be any gaps.

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Q: Can I tell before I start to bald if I will be a candidate for a hair transplant.

A: Usually not. The main reason one is either a candidate or not is the stability (permanency) of the hair in the back and sides of ones scalp – the donor area. Since the top of the scalp usually thins first, if the top has not started to thin, the donor area will always appear to be OK. It is only when you have significant thinning on the front or top of your scalp can we actually begin to assess the stability of the donor area with any degree of accuracy.