IAHRS accepted Member Bessam Farjo, M.D., currently the UK’s leading hair transplant surgeon, is calling for appropriate age restrictions after seeing a disturbing trend of teenage boys wanting to undergo hair transplantation.
Whether it’s reality TV or gorilla marketing on the internet, Dr. Farjo has seen a 23 percent increase in young men contacting his practice for consultations in the past 12 months alone.
Dr. Farjo is currently the only hair transplant surgeon in the UK who is recommend by the American Hair Loss Association and is the past President of The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.
Dr. Farjo’s clinic receives calls from the parents of boys as young as 16 years old who desperately want to help their child restore their receding hairlines, but Dr. Farjo thinks it’s the responsibility of the professionals to better educate these families and to “just say no.”
Dr Farjo explained:”Hair loss can be quite unpredictable in its early stages, with the full extent of loss difficult to determine in men under the age of 30. Men under this age should consider taking preventative drugs such as propecia, in an effort to slow down or stop their hair loss. However, a few online sources and commercial clinics are encouraging very young men to consider surgery to restore both their follicles and self-esteem.”
He added, “Surgery may improve the hairline of very young men in the short term; however, if further hair loss occurs they could find themselves with inconsistent coverage, giving them a ‘patchy’ look.”
Dr. Farjo further states,”Sadly, some clinics appear to be taking advantage of these vulnerable patients by agreeing to perform surgery and not advising them of the potential long-term results.”
Listen to Dr. Farjo’s take on this growing trend of young men seeking out hair transplantation:
at 2:09 pm
Dr. Farjo is right! To a point… This is the reason why I have held back on getting a hair transplant. As a 23 year old i am worried that the short term fix will look great at first, but i know eventually i will loose much more hair in the years to come. To me the idea of being bald sounds a lot better that having random patches of hair on my scalp. I applaud doctors like these who warn those of this possible and most likely outcome, but i do not believe there should be an age limit. I believe it should be undoubtedly the patient’s or doctor’s choice to go forth with the procedure. No restrictions. Only warning of the possible outcome is necessary.