ISHRS: Hair Restoration Surgery at All-Time High

Hair restoration is having a moment.

The worldwide volume of surgical hair restoration procedures performed from 2014 to 2016 rose 60 percent, with 635,189 procedures performed worldwide in 2016, according to the latest’s statistics from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

"Like other forms of cosmetic surgery that can boost self-confidence and self-image, people increasingly are more open to talking about having hair transplantation and with that word is spreading how one can achieve permanent, natural-looking results with this proven surgical procedure," says Ken Washenik, MD, PhD, FISHRS, president of the ISHRS and the Medical Director of Bosley and the Chief Executive Officer of the Aderans Research Institute, a biotechnology firm involved in researching tissue engineered hair follicle neogenesis and cellular based hair restoration, in Beverly Hills, Calif. "In recent years, we have noticed a surge in physicians registering for our annual congresses to learn the procedure, and some techniques have helped newer physicians to the field perform the procedure with greater ease. More educated physicians translates to better results for patients, which I believe is the reason we're noticing such an increase in the number of procedures taking place."

According to the new report:

• The number of surgical and nonsurgical patients increased 74 percent from 2014 to 2016
• Asia performed the most hair restoration procedures in 2016, followed by the Middle East and the U.S.
• Hair restoration procedures performed on the face (moustache/beard) increased 101 percent worldwide, with the largest number taking place in the Middle East
• Chest hair restoration procedures increased 201 percent worldwide, with the Middle East reporting the most procedures
• Of the 21 percent of female procedures targeting non-scalp areas of the body, eyebrows accounted for 15 percent of those procedures
• Fully 60 percent of patients traveled more than 20 miles/32 km for a hair restoration procedure, including traveling to a different country
• Mila Kunis was voted as the celebrity with the best hair, beating out Taylor Swift, Eva Mendes and Priyanka Chopra