AESTHETICS: HAIR RESTORATION

THE NEXT BIG THING: HAIR RESTORATION

The hair restoration industry is growing at a rapid speed, so is this a treatment you should offer at your clinic?

Every 5-10 years there seems to be a new treatment that is sweeping the aesthetics industry (think CoolSculpting about 10 years ago, or the rapid rise of HydraFacial). Right now, the next big thing is forecast to be hair restoration. Technology has come far and the days of unnatural looking hair transplants are over, instead, the results that can be achieved nowadays are virtually undetectable. Global Market Insights valued the international hair transplant market at US$8.1 billion in 2019 and expects it to grow 25.8 per cent annually to reach US$40.1 billion by 2026.

Dr Richard Chaffoo is a California-based Plastic Surgeon and expert in hair restoration. In fact, around 60% of treatments at his practice in La Jolla is hair restoration – and it’s growing.

Dr Richard Chaffoo with S+C Editor Nadine Dilong

“I think right now we’re only hitting about 2% of the male market. The male market, as you know, is a very small segment of the aesthetic market, but it’s growing. And what I found is that men’s initial introduction into the aesthetic industry is offered through hair restoration. So they can do that, and then they may have eyelid surgery or injectables, something else, and then they usually have significant others who will come in for some other type of procedure. So it’s great. I think it’s great in terms of being able to help build your aesthetic practice, because it’s been kind of an ignored field for a long time. With the great technology we have now, with the NeoGraft and the Artas robot, it’s such cutting edge technology that I think it’s going to grow exponentially in the next 10 years,” says Chaffoo.

It’s important to note that, while currently you have to be a doctor to perform this treatment, in the US, legislation is about to change, allowing nurses to do hair restoration, which, as Dr Chaffoo says, is “not a great idea for patients”, but he also notes that it will make this part of the industry grow even quicker. But how exactly do NeoGraft and Artas work? In Australia, both technologies are distributed by Venus Concept, with Dr Nik Davies being one of the first to use the NeoGraft Down Under. “I think this area of medicine is going to be massive this year and the years to come.

It is a huge issue for millions of people and I think the problem may be the lack of knowledge of options for treatment. I get so much out of treating aesthetic patients – there is nothing more rewarding than patients telling me how my treatments have changed their lives and most importantly given the confidence that they used to have. Something the NeoGraft will do so well!” says Davies.

NeoGraft’s success lies in its simplicity. The device works by extracting individual hair follicles, which are then sorted by size and placed into the recipient site. While this sounds relatively straight forward, a treatment takes many hours as a transplant usually requires thousands of hairs.

And then there is the Artas. A robot which not only does the hair extraction automatically, but it can also tell which hair follicle is best suited to be transplanted - something our eyes can’t see. Dr Chaffoo thinks there is a time and place for both technologies, but loves the Artas.

“If you’re going to start with hair restoration, you want I think, at least the NeoGraft device because it’s a manual device, and it’s a little bit less expensive. But there is a relatively steep learning curve, it’s a little difficult to learn. It takes a bit of time. The nice thing about robotic technology is the robot is doing the harvesting, which makes it easier and quicker,” says Chaffoo.

“When you reach age 40, 40% of men begin to suffer from male pattern hair loss. At 50, 50%. And so yes, a large segment of men are candidates for hair restoration. It depends on obviously the extent of the loss and age. But I think many men are not aware of the technology or not aware that today we can do hair restoration that’s virtually imperceptible; and that’s what men are afraid of. They don’t want to look strange or different, they just want to look a little bit more youthful. And when you’ve recreated the frontal hairline, if you think about the face, the chin frames the lower part of the face, and the hairline frames the upper part.

So it really is a youth defining procedure,” he continues. While a lengthy procedure like this obviously comes at a cost, Dr Chaffoo says plenty of people are willing to spend a lot of money on this life-changing treatment, mentioning a survey that was done where men were asked: If they could only pick one of the three: sex, money, or have a full head of hair, most men chose hair. So there you go, maybe it’s time to introduce hair restoration to your clinic.

One of those clinics that has made the decision to add hair loss treatments to their list of services is Absolute Cosmetic Medicine. Dr Glenn Murray says he is in the “business of building confidence and body positivity - which is why we are excited to expand our scope of treatments to include hair loss. Knowing the far-reaching effects amongst both men and women, it was obvious to us that we needed to offer treatment solutions that are effective and wouldn’t cause further emotional and psychological trauma."

Dr Glenn Murray

“Since the Oscars incident on April 8 [editor’s note: where Will Smith slapped Oscars host Chris Rock after he made fun of Smith’s wife’s Alopecia condition], we have noticed a significant spike of enquiries relating to treating forms of Alopecia and other auto-immune conditions that impact hair growth. To our surprise these enquiries have not come solely from women who relate specifically to Jada Smith’s diagnosis and the 2022 Oscars incident – enquiries from men have been just as prominent, of all varying age groups. What is encouraging about this spike is that people are becoming educated, less ashamed, and are beginning to understand hair loss as a prevalent medical disorder that requires professional support from a hair restoration/trained specialist,” explains Murray.

“We offer both non-surgical, and FUT, FUE surgical permanent hair loss solutions. Our services are world leading and optimise graph survival rates through our patented technique; The Martinick Technique™, which is a world leading technique for hair transplant surgery, developed and perfected through years of research by our principal surgeon and educator, Dr Jennifer Martinick.”

“The takeaway from this event (Oscars 2022) should be the importance of raising medical awareness on hair loss conditions such as Alopecia. Particularly when seeking medical treatment early is of monumental significance, not just within the scope of treatment results but to the benefit of the diagnosed patients’ quality of life. Let’s start the conversation,” Dr Murray concludes.

HAIR HELPERS

For patients that don’t quite need a transplant yet, these products encourage hair growth.

Vida Glow Hairology

Vida Glow Hairology marks the brand’s ground-breaking move into haircare. The second sku launch from their specialised Advanced Repair range, Hairology is a once-daily ingestible capsule that targets thinning, lacklustre hair – at its root cause. Working internally to replenish hair health and optimise the environment necessary for hair to grow and thrive.

With trademarked active AnaGainTM, and a comprehensive blend of targeted vitamins and minerals, such as biotin, selenium and zinc, Hairology reduces hair shedding and loss, supports hair growth, and helps maintain healthy hair follicles for longer, thicker locks.

WelleCo Hair Elixir

The Hair Elixir thickens, strengthens and nourishes right down to the follicles to minimise hair loss and reduce breakage, while encouraging the formation of keratin and boosting your body with powerful minerals and adaptogens to fast-track growth. The unique vegan formula promotes hair growth and thickness with a potent blend of proven ingredients including biotin, amino acids, zinc, omega complex, rhodiola and iodine from organic seaweed.

KeraFactor Scalp Stimulating Shampoo & Conditioner

KeraFactor Scalp Stimulating Shampoo & Conditioner exfoliates the scalp and hair using a unique combination of conditioners and growth factors. The patented complex of seven biosynthetic polypeptides helps promote healthy-looking hair and scalp.

The customised formula helps enhance the appearance of the scalp skin leading to hair that appears fuller, with visibly more body and healthier-looking. The proprietary and patented technology allows each growth factor to be individually wrapped into its own nanoliposome for increased absorption. This promotes significant visible improvements in scalp and hair revitalisation.