Hair Problems

Hair Transplants and Hair Transplant Repair skin

Hair transplant surgery was introduced in the United States by Dr. Norman Orentreich in 1959. He showed that hair taken from the permanent zone in the back of the scalp would continue to grow even if transplanted to the balding area in the top of the head. This characteristic of hair, which he called “donor dominance,” is the basis for all hair transplants.

In spite of this important discovery, for many years hair was transplanted in large plugs that resulted in a very unnatural appearance. Even with significant advances in technology and the use of increasingly smaller grafts, surgical hair restoration procedures performed through the early 1990s never looked completely natural.

Hair Transplant surgery was revolutionized in 1995 with the publication of Dr. Robert Bernstein’s landmark paper Follicular Transplantation. In it, he asserted that hair should be transplanted exclusively in its naturally occurring groups called follicular units, in order to achieve the most natural results. This idea, together with the extensive micro-grafting methods of Dr. William Rassman and the stereo-microscopic techniques of Dr. Bobby Limmer, brought about the procedure, Follicular Unit Transplantation, that is used today by physicians around the globe.

Dr. Bernstein has subsequently written over 50 papers, books, text book chapters, reviews, and editorials on surgical hair restoration that have laid down the foundation for Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), as well as, the technique of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). This section explains, in an easy to understand way, what these procedures are, how they are performed and how they can help to restore one’s hair. The original scientific papers can be found in the section Dr. Bernstein’s Medical Publications.

Dr. Bernstein has given lectures on hair transplantation techniques at medical conferences around the world. He is now making his audio/video lectures on Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation available as free internet streaming media.

In addition to performing Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction, an important part of the modern hair restoration practice is to improve the cosmetic problems caused by older procedures. The section on Hair Transplant Repair explains the various types of hair transplant repair techniques that are available for patients who have had outdated surgery that left them with a pluggy or unnatural appearance.

The major limitation with today’s transplants is the finite donor supply. The next major advance in the field of hair transplantation will come when one’s donor hair can be multiplied. In the section on Hair Cloning we will discuss the exciting new field that had the potential to produce an unlimited supply of hair.

A thorough examination is critical before hair transplant surgery can be recommended. Dr. Bernstein discusses the importance of measuring density and miniaturization as part of the hair transplant evaluation.

Read a short interview with Dr. Bernstein where he answers a few of the more commonly asked questions about Hair Transplants.

There are many misconceptions about surgical hair restoration - read about the Top 10 Hair Transplant Myths.

Dr. Bernstein’s pioneering procedures are performed in New York at Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration. This facility is designed for patient comfort and to deliver the highest quality state-of-the-art care. You can have a private consultation with Dr. Bernstein at his Manhattan office, where he will give you an honest assessment of your hair loss and explain your best possible treatment options.