Board Certification for Hair Transplant Surgeons

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Note - This message was recopied by Pat the editor from the original discussion group to this vastly improved online community.

 

The name of orginal poster and the date posted are listed below:

 

From: CD, MD, Board Certified

Date: 7/4/01

Time: 7:56:29 AM

Remote Name: 12.79.195.57

 

The results of the transplant surgeon are the ultimate test of skill. I work with many board certified surgeons, but, realistically, board certification does not guarantee skill or good outcomes any more than SAT scores guarantee sucess in life. As this industry is largely unregulated and unreimbursed, it's the ultimate medical buyer's market. One can only judge the surgeon by their experience and outcomes, no matter what their original training and educational background.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Note - This message was recopied by Pat the editor from the original discussion group to this vastly improved online community.

 

The name of orginal poster and the date posted are listed below:

 

From: CD, MD, Board Certified

Date: 7/4/01

Time: 7:56:29 AM

Remote Name: 12.79.195.57

 

The results of the transplant surgeon are the ultimate test of skill. I work with many board certified surgeons, but, realistically, board certification does not guarantee skill or good outcomes any more than SAT scores guarantee sucess in life. As this industry is largely unregulated and unreimbursed, it's the ultimate medical buyer's market. One can only judge the surgeon by their experience and outcomes, no matter what their original training and educational background.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

From: a board certified surgeon

Date: 7/4/01

Time: 12:52:41 PM

Remote Name: 4.3.163.132

 

 

Comments

C.D. board certified M.D.: I agree with you. Certainly, one is ultimately judged by the quality of work and board certification does not necessarily guarentee a perfect result. However, I suggest patients be very careful about who they choose to perform their surgery because a poor result can lead to permanent disfigurement. Furthermore, you and I realize (particularly if you are a surgeon) that proper wound closure and wound healing are critical to prevent scarring, infection and preserve a limited donor area. A good surgeon is able to handle complications and does not overestimate results. I find it hard to believe that you would reccommend patients not to seek out well trained doctor's who have a surgical background. I reccommend people stay away from ER doctors, family practice doctors and physican assistants. Stay with reputable dermatologists, general surgeons, and plastic surgeons. I know their are probably some good hair transplant doctors I may be eliminating but I think the odds are in your favor if you stick with the above mentioned doctors. Fortunately, some of the doctors in Pat's list fit the bill. Still be very careful ask the doctors what their original training is in, ask if the doctor performs the entire surgery, particularly graft harvest and closeure of the donar area and he better be arranging the grafts. Avoid places where you don't meet the doctor from beginning or are unsure of which doctor is going to operate on you. Anyplace that promises too much-- run for your life. See actual patients and not just the salesmans transplant. See before and after pictures. Of course notheing beats a good result on a family member or friend. If necessary travel and meet at least 3 transplant doctors prior to beginning replacement. Once this journey is started it is very difficult to stop and a bad result ultimately is your choice. FYI- A patient of mine was a owner of a hair transplant company (one of the largest in the area). You would think all of the centers are owned by doctors but many are hair replacement centers turned into transplant centers. Anyway, he offered me a job doing hair transplants because one of his doctors left town and he had a good result from my surgery. Although I am a very experienced surgeon I had no experience in transplant surgery. He said he had a book I could read and I could practice my first couple transplants on him. That is when my skeptisim began. I would get 50% of the income generated. I mean what kind of unethical person does surgery so uninformed and untrained. I have a feeling many are brought into the buisness with the lure of money and poor training. Of course he was turned down- In fact he had trouble finding a doctor to do it noted by the fact that he called me repeatedly for months to join him. I appoligize for the length. I see a large volume patients in my office each week and part of my history includes previous surgery and many a man has had transplants with bad results. My friends and brother included. None with "undetectable, thick, own groing hair" results. Most I think wish they had done nothing. Most went to clinics with the greatest advertising never looking for a doctors credentials or training and never seeing a doctor untill surgery. They believe the pictures and advertising is proof enough. That may be the way they buy shampoo but not the way you search for a doctor in cosmetic or any other surgery. Finding a well trained doctor in this field is not easy. But limit your choices of failure by sticking to basic backgroud training. I'm all for hair restoration surgery but be realistic, save up your money, wait until your at least 30 to begin. Understand that even good surgery can have complications and poor results. Most of all pick a good doctor.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

From: CD

Date: 7/4/01

Time: 3:41:16 PM

Remote Name: 12.79.245.87

 

 

Comments

I agree with you. It would be best if all hair transplant surgeons were trained via fellowship in hair transplant surgery following training in dermatology or surgery. Unfortunately, such training programs don't exist, formally, and this makes judging transplant surgeons more difficult. In addition, the stigma of hair transplants keeps most physicians from even contemplating going into the field. Even most dermatologists who specialize in facial peels and plastic surgeons who do face lifts and breast augmentation look down on hair transplants. Every kid wants to be a cardiologist, cardiothoracic or trauma surgeon; almost no one who's gone to medical school wants to be a hair transplant surgeon. There's a schism between the general medical community and hair transplantation that keeps it in the dark corners of medical practice. I agree with you absolutely one must be meticulously thorough in choosing a doctor. The aforementioned problems make it all the more difficult.

[arfy]

Credentials mean nothing in this field, I went to a Doctor who later became President of the AHRS, and he did a terrible job on me, no rhyme or reason to the placing of the grafts, they are also growing straight up from my head (an unnatural direction) and there was no finesse at all in my hair line. This Doctor is recognized and respected by his peers, has published articles, and is considered one of the "pioneers" in the field (meaning he has screwed up thousands and thousands of guys over the years). His name is Carlos Puig, and he works for MHR (Medical Hair Restoration, Dr. Matt Levitt's company). I credit Dr. Puig for ruining my life.

[Timetested]

The overwhelming majority of physicians performing hair transplant surgery belong to and are certified by the ISHRS. There are only a handful of physicians on an "accepted list" and they are also members of and certified by the ISHRS.

 

Dr. Bernstein states that 50% of his surgery is corrective. All these doctors belong to the same organization where the majority of the membership is certified but "not acceptable"

So what's wrong with this picture?

imetested

 

Timetested

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Just to clarify. About 800 physicians are members of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). The ISHRS does not certify its membership. Membership is open to all who want to learn and contribute.

 

The American Board of Hair Restoration, however, does certify physicians for the specialty of hair transplant surgery after an intensive written and oral test. Physicians must also demonstrate that they have performed a fairly large number of successful surgeries.

 

I think this relatively new process of certification is generally a positive development. But once again as pointed out above, it does not guarantee results. Do your own due diligence, always.

 

Pat

 

Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

[Timetested]

Every hair transplant doctor advertises that they are members of the ISHRS and board certified. The physicians responsible for the most hidious hair transplant surgery are still members in good standing with all "hair organizations"

 

I have a letter from the ISHRS regarding my complaints against the doctor(s) responsible for my situation. The ISHRS response is they are a teaching organization do not police their membership. Really?

 

Maybe the ISHRS should "teach" their membership to be ethical & responsible. My question is, what good is the ISHRS or any hair organization and what exactly do they do other than be self serving?

Timetested

 

Timetested

[pdm68]

American Board Of Hair Transplant surgeons or whatever it's called --doesn't neame Shapiro and has a bunch of butchers from MHR on it

[arfy]

These organizations like the ISHRS and the AHRS are "straw" organizations created by the doctors themselves, to create a sense of "instant credibility". Everyone should know that!

 

Here's what John Satino, the clinic director for Dr. Paul Riggs said in an interview with hairsite.com, regarding these organizations:

 

"HairSite>>> Can you tell us something about the International Society of Hair Surgeons ? Also, recently Medical Hair Restoration generated a lot of publicity claiming that all of their surgeons are board certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS). Do you think this is going to be a prerequisite for all hair restoration surgeons in the future ? Is this the first thing that a patient should inquire when he or she is looking for a surgeon ?

 

Response>>> The International Society of Hair Surgeons was formed in April 1993 and I was at the meeting in Texas. Since that time much progress has been made in education and standards in our chosen field. Now it seems every medical clinic that employs more than one doctor has formed some kind of society to further their cause. That is why I have formed the Intergalactic Hair Transplant Society for doctor that have egos that are out of this world. Of course, I am not only a client but the president. But seriously..."

 

(He then goes on to explain it is FAR more important to see the doctor's results in person, etc.)

 

Even the doctors will admit that membership in these organizations means nothing! Any bozo can join or even form his own "Hair Society" as a cover for his own incompetence.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Arfy,

 

I would agree that end results are vastly more important than credentials (degrees, memberships, awards) of any kind - credible or not.

 

But if you ever attended the intensive 5 day annual conference that the ISHRS sponors you?‚??d realize they are anything but a "straw" organization. These events are impressive in both in scale and depth of information.

 

Personaly, I give the surgeons that spend long hours teaching and learning from each other at these events a lot of credit. They are there to learn, not to pat each other on the back.

 

And would having no organizations, training, workshops, or certifications be better? I think not.

 

Yes, people can join organizations and not actively participate. But they are only cheating themselves and their patients.

 

The vast majority of those surgeons I recommend are actively involved in teaching and learning with the ISHRS and other reputable groups.

 

Yes, one large chain has created an anual workshop that it repurposes agressively in its marketing. But that does not mean all workshops and conferences are invalid. Far from it.

 

Pat

 

Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.