Choose your advice about hair loss treatments wisely

• November 20, 2018
• Dr. Joshua Wee

Last updated on June 3, 2024

If you are concerned about hair loss, you will find there’s no shortage of offers to restore your hair to its former glory.

Choice can be a good thing, however as one leading medical expert in the field warns, ‘it’s important to choose your source of advice wisely when it comes to something that is essentially a medical condition.’

Be mindful that 90 percent of money spent on hair restoration often goes to large organisations run by non-medical salespeople who may offer an array of over the counter lotions and potions, wigs and shampoos.

Only doctors, particularly ones with specialist training in hair loss and clinically proven treatments, can diagnose the cause of hair loss and prescribe proven treatments.

Unlike the companies selling non-medical solutions, doctors have a limited advertising budget and strict guidelines about how they can promote their hair loss treatments.

No one should begin treatment until they understand the medical causes of their hair loss and the best solution for their circumstances.

While hair loss, particularly in men, is often genetic, there can be other contributing factors which can only be identified by a medical professional.

Long-time advocate for greater regulation surrounding the promotion and sale of hair loss treatments, Dr Jennifer Martinick, says it is no accident that complaints about providers of hair loss treatments have grown considerably since 2016.

Dr Martinick, a former president of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) and Australian Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ASHRS), says there are a number of worrying trends relating to the treatment of hair loss around the world.

These include the rise in medical tourism, the use of lock-in contracts for hair loss solutions, a growing trend for technician (rather than medically trained) run hair loss clinics and promotions for ‘state-of-the art’ surgical techniques which are not necessarily the best for every patient, she says.

These developments, as well as reports of how the Australian consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), is cracking down on unfair hair loss providers, highlight how critical it is for hair loss sufferers to see their doctor before a salesperson.

Greater regulation of the hair loss treatment industry can be forged if hair transplantation is taken under the umbrella of mainstream medicine.

Deeper understanding of the psychological implications of hair loss among the medical profession will facilitate more effective communication between medically qualified hair restoration surgeons and other medical professionals, health groups, mental health groups, and hospitals.

“Given that few general practitioners refer patients to doctors qualified in the field, it is little wonder that hair loss patients often find themselves in the hands of unscrupulous people.

“At present, only some general practitioners and specialists are aware of medically trained hair restoration surgeons.”

To learn more about natural hair restoration, the only proven permanent treatment for hair loss, please call 1800 694 481.