What is the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery)?

Pat I see that  when you went to  California lately  you attended a four day hair transplant conference sponsored by the ISHRS. What is this group and what is its purpose?

The ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery)  is a not-profit medical association  founded in the early 1990’s to provide hair restoration physicians with continuing education  about hair transplant surgery.

Each year the ISHRS sponsors a four day meeting/conference focused on hair transplantation. I have attended several of these international meetings over the years (view the highlights from my report on the October 2006  ISHRS meeting in San Diego, California).  

This educational group does not screen its membership and all physicians, even those who have never performed a hair transplant surgery, are eligible for membership. Thus the ISHRS’s membership of over 700 physicians worldwide includes some of the very best and worst hair transplant physicians in the world.

However, at least being a member of  this educational association indicates some level of interest in learning and progressing by the member. The ISHRS physician member profiles are presented on the ISHRS website at www.ISHRS.org.

The physician membership listings  also show how many of the past 14 annual international meetings the physician has attended. A high level of attendance can potentially indicate a higher level of commitment to hair restoration surgery.

On the other hand, most of these meetings are held in exotic locations such as San Diego beach, Hawaii, Barcelona Spain, etc which provides members with a tax deductible trip/vacation. So while most attendees are serious about improving their techniques, some  may be more  motivated by the travel.

To find recommendations for hair transplant physicians who are prescreened based on their reputation for providing state of the art techniques, visit the Hair Transplant Network.com

I suggest you use the “Find” feature on  our active hair restoration discusion  forum to search for  all posts regarding a hair transplant physicians you are considering. Research  all  hair transplant surgeons  carefully. For tips on selecting a physician, visit  http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/tips.htm.

Best wishes for great hair growth to all,

Pat, the publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center

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