Note:  Regrowth will be attending and covering the 1998 ISHRS meeting and will be providing daily coverage of all important events!  Stay tuned for more details!

The 1998 annual meeting for the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is to be held September 16-20, 1998 in Washington, D.C. As this is the largest society of physicians and medical assistants for hair restoration surgery, this is the largest meeting of its kind. Over 500 physicians from around the world attend. Starting on Wednesday the 16th there will be a Beginner’s Program aimed at introducing the novice surgeon to the fundamentals of hair restoration surgery. This meeting is aimed at the intermediate and advanced physicians so the beginner’s course is an excellent opportunity to get the novice physician up to speed. Dr. Ron Shapiro from Florida is the moderator of the Beginners Program.

The opening ceremonies commence on Thursday the 17th. Special guest lecturers giving perspectives on hair restoration will be Dr. Richard Shiell (Australia), Dr. Carlos Uebel (Brazil), and Dr. Dan Rousso (Alabama). Dr. Angela Christiano (New York) will be giving a special talk entitled The Molecular Basis of Inherited Alopecia. Ms. Christiano is the lead researcher who discovered a gene that causes a rare and extreme form of hair loss in certain people.

In addition to having numerous talks on the newest and latest advances in techniques and instruments in hair restoration surgery, there will also be some special highlights. Dr. Matt Leavitt (Florida) will give a 6 month follow-up of a comparison of various procedures performed at the WAHRS annual meeting last March. A comparison of various lasers used on the same patient, various grafting techniques of donor area closure as well as various sorts of illumination to aid in cutting the donor strips will be compared. There will also be a presentation of new procedures and where we’re at with reductions, flaps, and lifts.

The Debate Section has returned. There will be a debate regarding the use of consultants - whether or not they are appropriate - Dr. Paul Straub (California) and Dr. Matt Leavitt (Florida); there will be a debate on the binocular stereoscopic microscope and the transection issue will be debated by two experts in the field - Dr. David Seager (Toronto) and Dr. James Arnold (California). Certainly to be of interest will be a debate by Dr. Robert Bernstein (New York) and Dr. Walter Unger (Toronto) regarding the total use of micro and follicular grafts compared to combination grafts and whether there is still a role to play with the use of the larger grafts.

A special section entitled Surgeons and Their Patients will have experts in the field bringing with them patients they have performed procedures on so that everyone in the audience can look at their results.

In addition to performing hair restoration surgery, I was also an investigator for Upjohn regarding the Minoxidil trials years ago, and am currently an investigator with Merck Frosst and the Finasteride drug trials. I will be giving an update on Propecia and its current efficacy in combatting male pattern baldness.

Live surgery has been arranged to be performed at the George Washington University Hospital in Georgetown close to the hotel where the conference will take place. I have enlisted an array of international talent to perform their surgical procedures. Dr. Rolf Nordstrom (Finland) will be performing a scalp reduction using the innovative technique of the Nordstrom suture. Dr. Michael Beehner (New York) will be performing a frontal forelock on a patient, as well Dr. Martin Unger (Toronto) and Dr. Mario Marzola (Australia) will be performing a joint scalp reduction employing the Unger Pate Procedure and the Marzola Scalp Reduction. Dr. William Rassman (California) will be doing a megasession with follicular grafts using his new Automated Carousel Implanter. Finally, Dr. Patrick Frechet (Paris), well known for his work on extenders and flaps, will be performing a microstrip hair transplant.

There will be panels centered around complications where physicians will be presenting worst case scenarios and how this can be avoided or corrected, as well as a panel discussion on ethics and advertising in hair restoration.

There will be a new section entitled Philosophies of Follicular Grafting. Follicular grafting has come into its own over the last couple of years and there have been many attempts at classifying and distinguishing this technique from others.

This is the most intensive meeting of its kind with over 70 presentations to be given. Running each morning between 7:15 and 8:45 will be Didactic Workshops which will deal with subjects including lasers in hair transplantation, new instruments in hair transplantation, computers in hair restoration surgery, etc.

Occuring at the same time as the Scientific session is the Medical Assistants program which runs for two days. Nurses and physicians alike will be discussing hair restoration surgery as it pertains to the medical assistants. As anyone knows who performs hair restoration surgery, the medical assistant is indispensable when it comes to performing this procedure.

A lot of work has been put into this meeting and I hope to presenta very informative and comprehensive presentation.

Yours sincerely,

Paul C. Cotterill

About the author:

Dr. Cotterill is a physician with offices in Toronto and New York specializing in hair transplantation in women and men for the last 13 years. He is Board certified in hair restoration surgery and was trained by Dr. Walter Unger 13 years ago. He has written numerous papers and chapters for textbooks on hair restoration surgery and is involved in many cosmetic surgery societies. He is an honorary lecturer with the University of Toronto department of dermatology program. I have been involved with the ISHRS since its inception and this year am the Chairman of the upcoming annual meeting of the ISHRS to be held in Washington, D.C., September 16-20, 1998.

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