Miami, FL – August 30, 2022 –  When performed by a qualified physician trained in the art and science of hair transplantation, hair restoration surgery is an excellent procedure for treating hair loss safely and effectively. In the wrong hands, hair transplants performed illegally on the black market can have devastating results.

To help people who have been victims of incorrectly performed of hair transplant surgeries done illegally by unlicensed technicians, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) — the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration — will host its second “World Hair Transplant Repair Day” on November 11, 2022. The event is part of the ISHRS’s Fight the FIGHT global consumer awareness campaign launched in 2019 in response to this widespread problem and the substantial risks posed to patients. Fight the FIGHT is an acronym for Fight the Fraudulent, Illicit, and Global Hair Transplants.

Art Katona, MD

ISHRS member Dr. Art Katona of Katona Hair Restoration is participating in World Hair Transplant Repair Day and encourages affected patients in the community to learn more through the campaign’s website at HairRepairDay.org.

“Each year, countless patients around the world suffer irreparable results due to hair transplants performed in the wrong hands,” said Dr. Katona. “I have seen firsthand how permanent visible scarring, infection, thin patches of hair, patches of bald spots and over-harvested donor areas can be devastating on patients. By participating in the ISHRS’s World Hair Transplant Repair Day, my goal is to help local victims of incorrectly performed hair transplants done by unlicensed technicians by providing them a chance to receive corrective surgery at no cost.”

Dr. Katona explained that many clinics around the world promote themselves as hair restoration experts — luring vulnerable patients with cheap prices and false advertising presented with misleading information — but are operating illegally and fraudulently and without the proper knowledge or training. In many cases, physicians are not even present to perform the surgery.

According to the results of a new member survey conducted by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), 51% of ISHRS members reported there are Black Market hair transplant clinics in their cities. In 2021, 5.4% of hair restoration patients sought treatment to repair previous surgery from offices where the physician did not perform the surgery, up from 4.2% in 2019.

The ISHRS is committed to patient safety and continually strives for the best outcomes for all patients, offering physicians superior education and training to improve their techniques. To help ensure patients have the information needed to make informed decisions about who performs their hair restoration surgery, the ISHRS urges potential patients to ask the following questions, as well as questions regarding costs, risks and short- and long-term benefits and planning:

• Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend a course of treatment? What is their education, training, licensure, and experience in treating hair loss?
• Who will be performing my surgery, what role will they play, and what is their education, training, licensure, and experience performing hair restoration surgery?
• Other than the licensed physician, will anyone who is not licensed by the state (or country) be making incisions or cutting my scalp to obtain grafts during my surgery? If so, please identify this person, explain his or her specific role and why this person is legally permitted to perform surgery without a license.
• Is everyone involved in my surgery covered by malpractice insurance?

“The best advice I can offer patients to avoid being a victim of black-market hair clinics is to do their homework when selecting a physician to perform their hair transplant,” said Dr. Katona.

For more information or to take part in this worldwide educational campaign and event, contact fightthefight@ishrs.org and visit www.HairRepairDay.org.

#HairTransplantRepairDay

About Dr. Katona: Dr. Arthur Katona is a leader and innovator in the field of hair restoration and the medical director for Katona Hair Restoration with offices in Miami and Orlando, Florida. He has become one of the most well-known and respected doctors in the hair restoration field. He is diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ABHRS) and a Fellow of the International Society of Hair Surgeons (ISHRS). Dr. Katona specializes in both FUE and FUT hair transplant techniques in Miami, Florida.

With over 20 years of hair transplant experience, Dr. Katona has completed over 12,000 procedures throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, making him one of the most experienced surgeons in his field. He has treated numerous celebrities and professional athletes, worked with the world’s top hair surgeons and completed some of the largest and most complex patient cases on record, continually setting new benchmarks for excellence.

For more information visit KatonaHairRestoration.com

About the ISHRS

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is a global non-profit medical association and the leading authority on hair loss treatment and restoration with 1,000 members throughout 70 countries worldwide. Above all, the ISHRS is dedicated to achieving excellence in patient outcomes by promoting the highest standards of medical practice, medical ethics, and research in the medical hair restoration industry. The ISHRS also provides continuing medical education to physicians specializing in hair transplant surgery and is committed to delivering the latest information on medical and surgical treatments to consumers suffering from hair loss, and most commonly from androgenetic alopecia – male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss. It was founded in 1993 as the first international society to promote continuing quality improvement and education for professionals in the field of hair restoration surgery. For more information and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org.

About the Survey

Conducted by Relevant Research, Inc., of Chicago, IL, USA, the ISHRS 2022 Practice Census is a compilation of information provided solely by participating physicians. The information published in this survey was developed from actual historical information and does not include any projected information. The margin of error for the sample is within plus or minus 6.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. For a full reprint of the ISHRS 2022 Practice Census Report, visit Hair Restoration Statistics.