The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) released resutls of a new member survey that found 68 percent of members performed an average of one procedure per patient in 2021 to achieve the desired hair restoration result. This represents a significant improvement, as ISHRS members estimated an average of 3.4 procedures in 2019 and 5 procedures in 2016 were needed per patient to achieve the desired result.

“Over the last 30 years, the field of hair restoration surgery has experienced a considerable transformation resulting in enhanced results with fewer procedures for patients seeking a permanent solution for hair loss,” says Nilofer Farjo, MBChB, FISHRS, president of the ISHRS, in a news release. “In the early 90s, it was common for patients to undergo several small strip surgeries of a few hundred grafts. With now refined Follicular Unit Transplantation techniques – both linear excision and follicular unit excision – male and female patients are benefiting from the latest advances.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact non-essential surgeries in mostly the early part of 2021, the survey reported that ISHRS members treated more patients seeking nonsurgical treatments for hair loss than those opting for surgical procedures. Specifically, 1,592,588 nonsurgical patients sought treatment in 2021 (a 14 percent increase from 2019), with 628,604 surgical patients treated in 2021 (an 8% decrease from 2019). ISHRS physicians evaluate each patient’s hair loss individually and recommend treatment options based on the specific diagnosis and the patient’s expectations. The three most commonly prescribed nonsurgical treatments in 2021 included oral finasteride, topical minoxidil and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

Another consequence of the pandemic that has had an impact on the reasons people sought hair restoration treatment in 2021 was the “Zoom effect”. To gauge this new phenomenon of being more conscious of looking good on camera while working or socializing from home, ISHRS physicians were asked about how this trend affected new patients’ decisions to address their hair loss. In fact, 25 percent of ISHRS members reported that the majority of their new patients indicated regular Zoom/video meetings influenced their decision to seek treatment for hair loss.

“Our survey shows that for one-fourth of new patients seeking help for hair loss last year, becoming more aware of how they look during Zoom meetings impacted their decision,” says Dr. Farjo. “For those who opted for hair restoration surgery while working from home, the ability to heal at home rather than going into the workplace likely made this decision even more appealing since patients could hide signs of surgery easier by video than in person.”

Other notable trends and facts from the ISHRS 2022 Practice Census survey include:

•  The total market size for hair restoration surgery in 2021 was $4.5 billion USD
•  More than half of both male and female surgical patients worldwide fell between the ages of 30 to 49 years old, 57.2% and 54.8% respectively
•  In 2021, ISHRS members treated a higher percentage of men with surgical hair restoration procedures (87.3%) than women (12.7%)
•  Body hair transplantation remains popular
  •  Among men, 13% of procedures targeted non-scalp areas of the body, of which beards/moustaches accounted for 4% of procedures
  •  Among women, 17% of procedures targeted non-scalp areas of the body, of which eyebrows accounted for 11% of procedures
• 51% of ISHRS members reported there are Black Market hair transplant clinics in their cities
  • 5.4% of hair restoration patients sought treatment to repair previous surgery from another physician/black market hair transplant in 2021, up from 4.2% in 2019
  • 16% of ISHRS members changed their pricing structure as a result of the Black Market