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Leading hair transplant surgeon warns against media inaccuracies

2nd September 2011 Print

One of the UK's leading hair transplant surgeons - Dr Bessam Farjo - has conveyed his concerns surrounding the recent criticism of celebrity hair transplant surgery.

A number of tabloid publications have deemed Wayne's surgery a 'failure' and pictures have been released showing the area where the surgery was performed.

Dr Farjo comments: "What the press are showing is images of the period of rest for the transplanted follicles, which may have broken off or fallen out. What's important is that the roots stay inside the skin and will be working on brand new hairs that will start to sprout around four months after his surgery. A proper result can take as long as 10-14 months to fully mature."

It is possible that Wayne may elect to have more surgery in the future because he may desire even more density to the same area. However, the more likely reason that he would have more surgery is that he loses more of his original hair resulting in new areas of loss.

Dr Farjo continues: "There will be a limit to how far he can chase the loss depending on the severity his baldness gets to. This is the primary reason why caution needs to be exercised in younger men and, if possible, managed with medications first to control the loss before contemplating surgery.

"A lot of patients are very anxious about this issue and insist on surgery at an early age. This is where proper advice and counselling comes into it - responsible surgeons should advise patients properly on the best cause of action for their hair loss."

Another concern raised by Dr Farjo comes from the comments that have stemmed from Jason Gardiner and his surgery.

Dr Farjo comments: "I recall in the press at the time it was claimed that Jason had 3000-3500 grafts, which usually means 6000-8000 hairs. Considering the size of his original baldness, it would be likely that his surgeon used the grafts to cover the front two thirds of the scalp. If they were to have spread the grafts to include the crown they would've risked diluting the effect, ending up with a thin looking result.

"Pictures of Jason's crown looking dense before his surgery may have been due to the fact that he was using a camouflage product such as Nanogen Nanofibres or Mane spray. These products are commonly used by make-up artists in the TV and film industry. It's possible to gain coverage in the crown area but that'd require at least one more transplant."

It is imperative that the correct medical facts are published by the media surrounding hair transplants. As it is such a delicate matter for so many, Dr Farjo has raised his concerns in the hope that further articles are printed with the correct information to avoid confusing anyone who is considering transplant surgery.

For more information, visit farjo.net