Summer 2018

LUXLIFE MAGAZINE | 41 Summer 2018 In general, there are lower numbers of grafts available per operation if sticking to the ‘safe’ donor area and there can be a higher follicle transection rate. There can be prolonged dysaethesias over a wide area of the scalp with numbness, pins and needles, and shooting pains occasionally reported. There is a disproportionate bias towards FUE on the internet and many patients who do their research online, have come to the conclusion that it is better and more modern. This is not true as both techniques have pros and cons, and FUE is just a refinement of the old plug transplant method by using finer punches. There are different methods of performing FUE – using manual punches oscillated between the fingers, using automated drills, and using robotic devices. Undoubtedly, when I use the Artas robotic device in my practice, it is the most sophisticated method of harvesting hair but that does not make it the best. Doctors without a surgical background wanting to offer hair transplant find it easier to learn how to do FUE and since less staff are required, they often just offer this technique rather than providing patients with the choice. In doing so, the promotion of FUE eclipses that of Strip FUT. There is also widespread misleading information on the internet with multiple websites claiming that FUE is scarless, painless, non-invasive and does not involve cutting, none of which is true. When deciding which donor hair harvesting option is best for them, patients should ensure they are fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of FUE and Strip FUT. They should have a consultation with a hair transplant surgeon, such as myself, who offers both techniques and can appropriately counsel them on suitability for either method. When smaller numbers of grafts are required, it is often the case that either procedure will work well and give equivalent results. However, when there is a large area to cover with a limited width to the safe donor zone, Strip FUT will often yield more grafts. It will therefore be possible to transplant to a larger recipient zone, and the result may then be perceived as ‘better’. On the other hand, if a patient is clear that they do not want a cut at the back of the head or a permanent linear scar, then FUE is the best method for them and the limitation to area of recipient site coverage is the price they will pay to get a ‘better’ result for them. Hair transplant surgery cannot be delivered in isolation and requires a team to deliver procedures involving several thousand grafts. The team I work with are hand-picked and trained according to specific competencies. Not everybody has the patience and hand- eye coordination required, not to mention the professionalism and inter-personal skills required for delivering a high-end service. My practice has a philosophy which emphasises patient care and high standards. Team members have regular appraisals both to feedback performance, but also to take on board staff ideas for clinical and procedural improvements. Currently, Hair Transplant Surgery is becoming increasingly popular. This is, in part, due to the fact that a modern hair transplant, well performed, should look completely natural and transplanted hairs should be difficult to differentiate from naturally occurring ones, but also because many celebrities and individuals in the public view have been open about having had it done. Of course, hair loss is a dynamic, on-going process and so any procedure needs to take in to account future hair loss, thinning, and hairline recession. This is true for both men and women. Unfortunately, there are numerous rogue practitioners who perform substandard work with inappropriate patient selection that can lead to aesthetic disfigurement. Hair transplant surgery does not form part of the Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, or any other medical specialty curricula. In fact, there is no specialist training in this field in the UK and no special qualifications required to perform it. This leaves patients at risk of having the procedure done by somebody with little experience and there are even some individuals without a medical degree offering hair transplant surgery. There is no statutory regulation of the Hair Restoration Surgery sector in the UK, and I often see patients who have had extremely poor quality work done elsewhere lured in by impressive websites, testimonials, guarantees and fake ‘before and after’ photographs. My background as a Plastic Surgeon gives me a skill set in understanding and handling skin that the majority of hair transplant surgeons do not have. I am the only member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) who does hair transplant surgery on a full-time basis, and I have authored the BAAPS patient information leaflet on hair transplant surgery. Prior to being a full-time hair transplant surgeon, I was a Burn Surgeon and was the clinical lead of the only Burn Centre in London at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. It was treating patients with burn scar alopecia that initiated my interest in hair restoration and my part-time private practice eventually evolved into a full-time commitment. The Farjo Hair Institute prides itself as a leader nationally and internationally not only providing cutting edge surgical and non-surgical hair restoration techniques, but also for being at the forefront of research to do with hair loss and hair restoration. Its doctors, including myself, are sought after to teach around the world and to participate in conferences and surgical workshops. I was the Chair of the ISHRS Basics Course in Las Vegas in 2016 which was designed to teach new doctors fundamental concepts in hair restoration surgery. I was then the Co-chair of the same course in Prague in 2017 in order to mentor the new Chair and provide continuity in content and delivery. Currently, I am the President of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS) and as part of this position represent the Association on multiple committees and provide advice to multiple agencies such as the British Standards Institute (BSI) and Care Quality Commission (CQC). I have led the development of criteria for voluntary registration for the Hair Restoration Surgery modality in the UK at the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) and the development of the only Standard to do with Hair Transplant Surgery in the UK for the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority (CPSA). I am the Chair of the ISHRS Ethics Committee and the ISHRS Sub-committee on European Standards, I sit on the ISHRS Best Practice Committee and the ISHRS Ad Hoc Committee on Regulatory Issues, and I write a regular column for the ISHRS Hair Transplant Forum International publication on Medical and Professional Ethics. It is this wealth of expertise, knowledge and dedication that contributes to the professionalism that patients experience whether having a consultation or surgery with me at the Farjo Hair Institute. Company: Farjo Hair Institute Contact: Dr Greg Williams Address: 152 Harley Street, London, W1G 7LH, UK Phone: 08453 132 131 Website: www.farjo.com LUXlife Magazine’s Ones to Watch for 2018 as the Best for Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Treatments