Hair Doctor Offers A New Approach To Restoration Therapy

The innovations since the first search for hair rejuvenation – at least 1550 B.C. when ancient Egyptian doctors anointed bald scalps with black lizard oil – have come a long way. In the mid-1950’s a young dermatologist, Norman Orentreich, pioneered a simple experiment: transplanting hair from a dense section of the head to the hairline. The transplanted hair grew back in the formerly barren place, and since then a multibillion-dollar global hair transplant industry exists, providing permanent and semi-permanent solutions for receding hairlines, thinning, and hair follicle miniaturization.

Hair restoration treatments performed by board-certified doctors in the U.S. veer on the high end of aesthetic pricing scales, but those in the Los Angeles-area who can afford to spend between $10,000-$20,000 on a treatment often provide the same referral: Dr. John Kahen, Chief Hair Surgeon and founder of Beverly Hills Hair Restoration.

I spoke to seven performers and public personalities who had sought hair restoration treatment, some from Kahen’s Beverly Hills Hair Restoration clinic. Former and current NFL stars, the professional dancer and performer Corey O’Brien, and the plastic surgery enthusiast and reality TV star Justin Jedlica all said they enjoyed the improved confidence they felt from a Smart PRP procedure.

When asked why Kahen is the doctor-of-choice for those in-the-know, patients attribute the lack of downtime. And while many doctors have been using platelet-rich-plasma for hair regeneration, Kahen’s office was awarded a patent last month: Smart PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma). The exclusive treatment suggests a more proactive healing solution for hair restoration surgery. Unlike traditional transplant procedures, Smart PRP uses the body’s own tissue to stimulate fresh follicles, suggesting a higher survival rate for the hair follicle graft.

Over the last five years, hair loss patients have turned to newer and alternative treatments like PRP for treatment. Even though hair loss disorders range in commonality from the ordinary to the infrequent, typical patients seek to regain their once-full hairline and templar regions. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as female pattern hair loss, for example, is a common hair loss disorder caused by genetic and hormonal factors. Injected sub-or intradermally into the affected scalp regions, PRP is one of the many newer technologies that has been proven to treat AGA patients.

But unlike other hair restoration experts, Kahen takes his treatments a step further, applying new tech with customary restoration procedures, ensuring the best of both worlds.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 80 million Americans today deal with hair loss. A deeply personal issue, Kahen understands it intimately. Kahen sought out to treat a personal affliction: “After medical school and during surgical training, I started having my own experience with hair loss. After having a hair transplant surgery myself, I immediately felt like I got my confidence back and knew that I wanted to help people experience hair loss as it’s a common condition,” explained Kahen.

What exactly is hair miniaturization?

“Hair loss starts with follicle miniaturization,” Kahen described when asked about why hair thins as we age. A common misconception among hair loss patients is that they are balding, when in fact the hair follicle itself is shrinking giving the appearance of baldness. “The hair follicle is getting smaller over time. We first notice the diameter of the hair follicle getting thinner, which ends up thinning out our hair before it ultimately falls out.”

What is Smart PRP?

The inpatient procedure takes thirty minutes, and patients experience no downtime upon completion of the treatment. But what exactly is it? “Smart PRP therapy uses tissues from our body to stimulate new hair follicles. Many find this treatment innovative as it also promotes the hair’s natural color and density while at the same time improving the scarring from the procedure, which helps the healing process look more organic.”

But hair restoration therapy is not exclusive to the scalp, head, hairline, or gender. As of 2021, the hair loss industry has seen a massive uptick in eyebrow hair transplant and rejuvenation. Kahen assures that his treatment and newly patented method will help achieve results on eyebrow hair as well, a procedure commonly requested by women, but any individual can be a candidate. “SmartPRP can be used in eyebrow surgical procedures to stimulate growth where there is hair loss. It’ll be a quicker process since the area is not as dense with hair.”

In 2022, the global Hair Restoration Market size was valued at $17.75 billion, and is projected to reach $53.17 billion by 2028 according to market research. A quick search on TikTok for “hair transplant surgery” yields over 810M views. Social media continues to fuel consumers’ desire to save money on surgical tourism to aesthetic hotspots like Brazil, South Korea, and – specifically for hair restoration – Turkey. Although treatments can lure and appeal through 60-second clips on social media platforms and TikTok, Kahen urges prospective patients to always seek treatment with a Board-Certified expert.