ByWhat is the HAIRCON event all about?
HAIRCON 8th Scientific Conference AHRS is an unrivaled event for hair restoration experts in India, bringing together specialists from across the globe and India to create a unique learning experience. Any medico currently performing hair restoration, aspiring to excel in the field, or aiming to stay updated with the latest advancements cannot afford to miss this prestigious gathering.
AHRS India actively fosters research and awareness in the field of hair transplantation surgery. It established the first Congress of its kind on October 27th, 2008, with the following motives.
- To promote and manage the development of hair restoration surgery in India along robust, scientific, ethical, and successive lines.
- To stimulate, control, and coordinate training and research in Hair Restoration Surgery
- To advise the Distich Hair organization of teaching programs in the respective field in India
- To stimulate dissipation and dispersion of knowledge of the teaching of science and art of hair restoration surgery amongst associated members of the medical and paramedical professions.
- To spread awareness and deliver scientifically appropriate information about hair transplantation to the general public.
In India, the hair transplant surgical procedure was typically a new idea that only a few surgeons were performing. As time, emerging medical talents, and innovative techniques landed, awareness about the transplant procedure increased among Indian physicians and the masses alike.
As hair transplants became more popular in society and medicine, the need for a common platform grew. Experts needed a space to discuss concerns and advancements in hair transplantation. In that period, in the year 2008, the founder members of AHRS India, to name a few: Dr. Kapil Dua, Dr. Aman Dua, Dr.Tejinder Bhatti, Dr. Sanjiv Vasa, Dr. Lakshyajit D. Dhami, Dr. Rajendra Singh Rajput, and Dr. Ashok Vardhan Reddy, identified this need and established a platform that also received international accreditation by the name of “Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons of India.”
New & modern techniques now coming up
Constant developments in hair restoration surgeries in India and abroad have accelerated growth in the field. This progress has created new opportunities for the rapid expansion of the association. Let’s take a brief look at the huge strides taken by AHRS:
- Position Statement on Cell-based hair restoration Treatments, such as stem cell-based therapies
- Hair doubling
- Hair multiplication
- Hair cloning.
The AHRS recognizes the fact that, with the existing evidence and at the ongoing stage of research, stem cells, hair multiplication, and hair cloning cannot be regarded as “acceptable treatments” for any form of hair loss issues.
Any physician wishing to perform such treatment must do so as an experimental treatment after acquiring applicable ethical clearance and legal permission from verified governmental bodies according to standard guidelines for clinical trials.
New Challenges and Solutions in Hair Transplant
Understanding the science behind stem cell-based therapies:
Hair transplantation is one of the surgical procedures of hair restoration that involves the transfer of permanent hair follicles from the sides and back of the head to the bald area. The most prospective restriction of hair transplantation is the fixed amount of donor area that can be utilized in a specific individual. Hair restoration specialists and patients alike have aspired to have a never-ending supply of hair for restoring bald areas in suffering people.
Converting thousands of hair follicles into a single follicle was one such process. People mistakenly called this method “hair cloning,” believing it creates hundreds of follicles from a single one. However, it is not true hair cloning but rather laboratory-engineered cell growth or cell-based therapy.
Best practices to adopt in a hair transplant
In the last decade, developments in tissue engineering methodologies and stem cell biology have elevated the hope of possible cell-based therapies that could bring under control the donor area limitation.
The distinct conceptual theories proposed by AHRS on how stem cell-based therapy would work:
- These stem cells may be able to generate new hair follicles
- They may trigger the remaining existing follicles, transforming the vellus (thin) hair follicles into thicker terminal follicles.
Until now, no broadcast or report has expressed the creation of new follicles in the bald scalp of humans. Most of the clinical experiments in humans have illustrated that infusing stem cells into the scalp resulted in some thickening of existing vellus hairs.
This outcome is similar to that obtained with traditional treatments (oral finasteride and topical minoxidil). The exact mechanism that results in this thickening is unknown. Since the duration of benefits is unknown, predicting the number of treatments needed is difficult. Patients may require a single session or multiple treatments to maintain results. As a result, these cell-based therapies may not be cost-effective due to their temporary benefits.
Qualified speakers from around the globe share their expertise with participants and doctors. These experts are masters in the hair restoration industry.
Dr. Alex Ginzburg, Dr. Koray Erdogan, and Dr. Ali Abbasi, renowned international delegates, attended the first HAIRCON conference in 2009. The event took place in Ahmedabad under the leadership of Dr. Sanjiv Vasa (President, AHRS India), Dr. Bhatti (Secretary), and Vice President Dr. Rajendra Singh Rajput. Around 100 delegates attended this conference. The focal point of the conference was the live surgery workshops for hair restoration using both Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) techniques. The seminar turned out to be a mega success, with discussion over different methodologies of hair restoration from different countries sharing a common platform for the first time in India.
The recent 7th Haircon was held in the scenic hill station, Lonavala, in 2015. Over 200 delegates from India and other countries attended the seminar that Dr. Narendra Patwardhan organized. The highlight of the seminar meeting was the live surgical demonstration and an exclusive academic discussion on different topics of hair transplant that went on for two days. The seminar was time and again a big hit and was highly appreciated by the international as well as national participants.
International Faculty and Speakers at HAIRCON
Expert doctors and speakers at HAIRCON have made significant contributions to hair restoration. They have played a vital role in advancing the field and transforming lives worldwide. Here, you will get to know these industry leaders and their impactful work.
Dr. Alex Ginzburg, Israel
Dr. Alex completed his dermatology studies in Israel in 1987 and earned his medical degree in Argentina. Since 1992, he has successfully performed over 3,500 hair transplants in Israel. Presently, his major practice is mechanized FUE, but the expert is well equipped in the expertise of strip FUT as well.
Dr. Alex is a faculty member and an active participant in many congresses all over the world. He has personally trained many doctors in the science and art of hair transplant surgery at his clinic in Israel. He is a former and fellow board governor of the ISHRS.
Dr. James A. Harris, United States
The past president of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS), a fellow member of the ISHRS, and a fellow sponsor of the American College of Surgeons are clinical controllers and consultants of hair transplantation at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. He has also been the principal instructor and investigator for Restoration Robotics, a company that has introduced the ARTAS System.
Dr. James is the chairman of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery’s FUE Research Committee and directs the organization’s research practices in the field of FUE. He also won the most coveted Golden Follicle Award in 2014 for important medical contributions to the domain of hair restoration. He is currently an MD at Fishers, United States.
Dr. Sajjad Khan, UAE
A Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS), possesses 20 years of professional experience in hair transplant. He is widely known to have successfully performed numerous burn trauma, reconstructive, and cancer survivors’ hair transplant surgeries. Dr. Khan’s strong skills in the field helped him restore the facial features of burn patients. Dr. Khan is the pioneer behind the invention of the PMP (graft preparation) mechanism for making follicular units with an LCD-projected video scope. The mastermind is responsible for both the growth technique for density in hair transplant procedures and the depth control instrumentation.
Dr. Nilofer Farjo, Manchester
She currently serves as the Founding Director of FARJO Hair Institute (MBChB, BAO, LRCPI). With 23 years of experience in the hair restoration field, she has made significant contributions. In 2015, she chaired the annual scientific meeting of the ISHRS held in Chicago. She is also a board member and treasurer of the European Hair Research Society (EHRS). In 2012, the ISHRS honored her with the Platinum Follicle Award for outstanding contributions to hair-related scientific research. An expert in mechanized, manual, and robotic FUE, she also specializes in strip FUT procedures.
Dr. Antonio Ruston, Brazil
He is a pioneering plastic surgery specialist who has received accreditation from the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery. He is an active member of various International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery associations. Dr. Ruston has a hands-down specialization in performing a single high-volume hair transplant surgery per day, a “Megasession,” in which up to 2,500 grafts can be transplanted.
He has gained valuable experience by visiting prestigious hair transplant centers worldwide. Experts highly respect and recognize him across the globe. He has a firm belief that by utilizing existing technology and implementing his aesthetics or skills, hair restoration surgery can offer outstanding and completely natural results.
Dr. Vincenzo Gambino, Italy
Dr. Gambino actively participates in various internationally recognized medical associations. He has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Many consider him the best doctor for performing low-level laser hair loss therapy. He was the first surgeon in Italy to have performed head-to-pubic-area transplantation, and he recently spearheaded the chest-to-head-hair transplantation surgery in Italy. He initiated his specialization in hair transplantation with the Elliott-Thomas Medical Group in New York City and is presently serving a 3-year term as president of the Italian Society of Trichology ( S.I.Tri.).
Dr. Ronald Shapiro, USA
Ron Shapiro, MD, serves as the Medical Director of Shapiro Medical Group. He is globally recognized as a leading surgeon in Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation (FUT). In 2003 and 2010, he co-authored the crucial medical text Hair Transplantation, 4th Edition (Marcel Dekker). Doctors from all over the world use this textbook, which is known as the “Bible” of hair restoration.
At their annual meeting in Sydney, Australia, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) certified Dr. Ron with the Golden Follicle Award. The organization honors Dr. Shapiro with this prestigious award for his outstanding contributions to advancing hair transplantation surgery. He is widely recognized as one of the top physicians in the field. There are numerous posts and listings by patients in the forums of clinical websites witnessing the surgeon’s skills and the quality of the staff at SMG.
Dr. Bessam Farjo, United Kingdom
Dr, Farzo is a Founding Director, of FARJO Hair Institute (FISHRS, MBChB, BAO, LRCPI). The specialist is recognized to have extensively performed hair restoration surgery since 1993. He is currently mastering both FUE and FUT including Robotics. He is the past co-founder and president of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery and the Past Board Director of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery.
Dr. Jean M. Devroye, United States
Dr. Jean has exclusively specialized in hair restoration practices for more than 10 years, which has now become his devotion. The scholarly specialist has developed a device for deriving follicular grafts. He uses two techniques of hair restoration, i.e., FUT and FUE.
Dr. Devroye was a program chair for the ISHRS European Hair Transplant Workshop in Brussels in 2014 and is also a fellow member of the Board of Governors of the ISHRS. He has been actively participating in and sponsoring several congresses and workshops around the world.
HAIRCON 2017 is the most anticipated event of the year for hair restoration experts from all over the world and patients alike. So brace up to get the most out of it and get rid of the hair loss issues.
