International Society of Hair Restoration Workshop 2018 – Dubai
The 2nd workshop of the International Society of Hair Restoration was held in Dubai, UAE on March 8-10, 2018.
At the workshop, Dr. Mohebi taught as faculty, lectured, and demonstrated a live operation. The workshop is one of the major annual restoration workshops that surgeons from all over the world attend to learn and share their unique experiences. This allows for a variety of perspectives on relevant topics in the field such as FUE, FUT, scalp and facial hair, male and female, and repair cases in order for doctors to provide the best possible care and quality results.
Dr. Mohebi lectured on his revolutionary method of simultaneous extraction and placement of follicular grafts as well as the topic of “Dynamics of FUE Hair Restoration.” In addition to that, he was also the moderator of the session titled, “Efficiency in Hair Restoration.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, there was also a two-day operating in a local cosmetic hospital in Dubai. During this time, there were 5 surgeries being performed in operating theaters for those attending to rotate cases including usual cases, intermediate cases, and special cases. Viewing this progression deepens the knowledge and enhances the experience. Dr. Mohebi demonstrated how the FUE grafts are harvested using the Travellini (Mamba) FUE device. He described the use of this multi-mode system which combines different modes of extraction. For example, the modes may be rotation, oscillation, vibration, and mamba. Having these optional modes to individualize each treatment improves the quality of the FUE grafts.
All in all, it was a successful and fun weekend for both didactics and live surgery!
International Society of Hair Restoration FUE Workshop: Polanica, Poland
A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of attending the FUE workshop of the International Society of Hair Restoration (ISHRS) as a faculty member in Polanica, Poland. This amazing event hosted many hair transplant surgeons from around the world as faculty and trainees.
The workshops involved many different procedures being done in-person for discussion, comparison, and teaching purposes. As a faculty member, I walked many trainees through the procedures, teaching them proper technique. While the trainees are learning the methods, the faculty members compared and discussed the procedures.
With increasing popularity of FUE hair restoration, there is more and more demand for training platforms for this surgical procedure worldwide. Events like this one are amazing opportunities for professionals from around the globe to share knowledge and promote progress in the field of hair restoration. It was also very interesting to learn the about other cultures and their view on hair restoration!
I am also very pleased to announce I was elected as the next Chairman of the Annual meeting of the International Society of Hair Restoration in 2018, to be hosted in Hollywood, CA. This is the most prestigious global medical conference in hair restoration surgery field.
Brazilian Congress of Hair Restoration – May 2014
May 21st to 25th 2014 – Maresias, Sao Sebastiao, Brazil
I had the pleasure and honor of being a part of the invited faculties for the 5th Brazilian Congress of Hair restoration in Maresias, Brazil. Prior to the meeting, I spent a few days in Sao Paulo and visited the offices of two of my good friends, fine Brazilian hair transplant surgeons Dr. Ricardo Lemos and Dr. Antonio Ruston. I have learned several great things from these doctors that I will use in my day to day practice back in LA.
Brazilians are considered the inventors of hair transplantation with long hair. They have surgical techniques which differ from other countries that are favored for a variety of reasons. One of these techniques is the stick and place, the process in which the hair transplant surgeon and hair technician work closely to make sites and place grafts at practically the same time. I enjoyed observing how these two doctors were able to achieve their results using these specialized techniques. It is always insightful to see how other experienced hair transplant surgeon perform their procedures.
The meeting in Maresias has been a great experience. Maresias with its tropical climate is having some of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil and South America. My presentation was on my novel method to approach donor closure in FUT procedures through partial trichophytic closure. The technicalities and advantages of this method were reviewed during the meeting. The meeting had other interesting presentations on a variety of hair transplant techniques that were invented and are heavily practiced in Brazil by most Brazilian hair transplant surgeons. Some of these special techniques are not usually performed in America, even though they have
proven to be quite effective treatments. They are:
- Long hair transplantation
- Stick and place hair transplantation
- Performing hair restoration surgery in hospital setting unlike U.S.
- Strip popularity vs. FUE transplantation. FUE hair transplant is done very minimally in Brazil for a variety of socio-environmental reasons.
In addition to the general seminar, we had one of our regional meetings of the FUE Research Committee (FRC) of ISHRS where we discussed the progress of our initial FUE research comparing the long term growth rates of FUE and Strip.
Dr. Mohebi is now a FISHR!
Did you think since Dr. Mohebi ran the LA Marathon, he now has a new hobby? Fishing! That was what I thought when I first heard it. The reality is Dr. Mohebi has added one new title to his earned titles, FISHRS (Fellow of International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery). Dr. Mohebi along with only 60 other hair transplant surgeons worldwide have made up the first class of fellows for ISHRS. Along with having the American Board of Hair Restoration (ABHRS) certificate, he had to serve in a leadership position, as well as write scientific papers and educate through different scientific programs in order to qualify for this title.
Dr. Mohebi, the first chairman of the FUE Research Committee of ISHRS, has given various lectures in a variety of medical scientific meetings, presenting new techniques and innovative advanced devices in hair restoration. He has been an active member of ISHRS since 2006 and is honored to receive this title. Dr. Mohebi looks forward to working with his colleagues in order to further educate other professionals about the new advancements in the field of hair restoration.
News from ISHRS Scientific Annual Meeting in San Francisco 2013
The 21st Annual meeting of ISHRS was held in the Regency Hotel in San Francisco. The meeting was very productive with many useful presentations and scientific involvements.
This year the general session had many lectures on FUE transplant and the newest innovations in the field of hair restoration.
Partial Trichophytic Closure

I presented a novel method in management of donor wound in strip hair transplant. I have called this method, “Partial Trichophytic Closure” in which a traditional trichophytic closure is performed on the upper edge of the wound, while the lower edge is examined microscopically and only sections that have hair follicles with distal transection are de-epithelialized.
The advantage of this method is that the scar will appear smaller, because of the possibility of transected hair at the edges. This is the first time that this method has been presented in any medical meeting.
Among the interesting lectures, Dr. James Harris reviewed the FUE Research committee and its goals. He named the hair transplant surgeons who helped shape the current state of the art FUE techniques.
Dr. John Cole, the other hair transplant surgeon and member of FUE Research Committee commented about different punch sizes based on the classes of hair loss. He also reviewed the transection of hair follicles and in which situations we can be generous with our transections.
What is Piloscopy?
One of the interesting subjects discussed was the novel method in hair restoration presented by Dr. Carlos Wesley. Dr. Wesley introduced an endoscopic method for removing hair follicles. He called this method Piloscopy. Piloscopy is a tool that helps remove hair from below the skin surface. This device removes the grafts from inside which, unlike current techniques of hair restoration, can minimize the hypopigmentation at the skin level.
How does Piloscopy work?
- Insert the scope underneath the skin
- Visualize the hair follicle
- Cannulate around the hair follicle from below
- Clip the superficial epidermis on top that may get stuck to the hair follicle
Dr. Wesley is still working on the mechanics involved with this procedure as well as evaluating the scarring that may happen underneath the skin secondary to this procedure.
FUE Research Committee Meeting

As a tradition of the ISHRS Society, the Award Ceremony was held on the last night of the meeting. The winners of the golden and platinum award were announced.
Platinum Follicle Award: Dr. Sharen Keen
Golden Follicle Award: Dr. John Cole
Research Award: Dr. James Harris
2nd Mediterranean FUE Workshop – Spain – May 2013
Passion & Excellence in FUE Hair Restoration
The passion for the transformation that takes place from my work as a hair restoration surgeon drives our work at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration centers throughout southern California. Our practice focuses on maintaining best practice through research, education and remaining at the forefront of advances in the field of hair transplantation.
Recently, I attended the 2nd Mediterranean FUE Workshop program that is one of the most famous FUE transplant workshops for hair restoration surgeons. I was invited as the chairman of the FUE Research Committee of International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). What a tremendous educational program held in Madrid, Spain in May of this year. I really enjoyed the city’s rich history and wonderful old world charm. It was a thorough and enriching educational session held over three days that still left time for fascinating entertaining activities in the evening.
We also had one of the important meetings of the FUE Research Committee during this meeting. We have been able to finalize the initial research project of the committee during this meeting. FUE Research Committee Members who were present in this meeting were: Drs. James Harris, Bijan Feriduni, Marcio Crisostomo, Alex Ginzburg, Jean Devroye, Jose Lorenzo and myself (Parsa Mohebi).
The opportunity to exchange knowledge and share techniques with renowned hair transplant surgeons on the furtherance of advancements in FUE hair transplant surgery held to its promise. Attending surgeons participated in educational sessions and shared a variety of FUE techniques through live hair transplant procedures. Reviewing individual techniques by the teaching faculty provided a dynamic opportunity to further advanced techniques of FUE hair restoration.

Drs. Jose Lorenzon and Alex Ginzburg introduced the workshop with a fine welcome and a thorough context regarding the evolution of follicular unit extraction as a hair restoration procedure. This was followed by the sessions peer instructors summarizing their methodologies and instrumentation that would be demonstrated during the live surgical trainings to come. Drs. Jim Harris (the S.A.F.E. system), Jean Devroye (motorized extraction), Miguel Canales (the ARTAS robotic system), and Koray Erdogan (manual extraction) served us well in this capacity. Dr. Vicenzo Gambino also presented on behalf of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons a leading global body of hair restoration surgeons.
The second portion of the day was held in the nearby Medilor Clinic, where an efficient staff headed by Our peer instructors, surgeons Jim Harris, José Lorenzo and Alex Ginzburg provided live instruction at our host hair transplant center, the Medior Clinic. Discussions and comments were freely made and questions answered during the procedures, making the workshop a dynamic teaching experience.
There was also an interesting panel discussion on selection criteria in FUE procedures, including the quality of donor area and FUE complications and disadvantages. Additional live sessions were conducted on succeeding days by Drs. Koray Erdogan, Bijan Feriduni and Jean Devroye. The intricacies of placing the grafts with implanter were demonstrated and discussed in these cases.
There was much more to learn before our workshop intensives ended. It is sufficient to say that the tremendous commitment and dedication by the coordinators and presenters of the 2nd Mediterranean FUE Workshop – May 2013 proved to be a worthwhile and beneficial service for the attendees and the future of FUE in hair restoration surgery.
We did have opportunities to enjoy the regalia and splendor of Madrid after our intensive workshops. A gala dinner was held and we enjoyed a great meal and wonderful music and dance including Spanish dance that was performed with some of the talented guests.
What is new in Hair Restoration Surgery 2012
Report of ISHRS 20th Annual Scientific Meeting
OCT 17-20 2012– Atlantic City, Bahamas
The annual meeting of International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery is the most significant hair restoration meeting worldwide. This year’s meeting was one of the best in terms of the content of the information discussed. The meeting was held in Atlantic City, Bahamas.
Hair Restoration Surgery is evolving rapidly with newer technologies that enhance our understanding of hair growth and the tools that help us expect better growth. This year’s conference hot topics had five areas of focus. These topics are reviewed below:
Robotic hair restoration
ARTIS or Robotic Hair Transplantation was actively promoting its robotic arm that helps the surgeon to extract the FUE Grafts for hair transplantation. The Robotic hair transplant update for 2012 was not as significant as many attending physicians anticipated. Considering that the robotic hair transplant is being promoted and used in several offices actively for over a year, most surgeons expected to learn more about the scientific evaluations that can differentiate robotic procedures with other techniques of hair restoration.
The doctors who used robot in their offices in the last year discussed their personal experience with robotic hair restoration. Some discussed that the numbers of grafts have been improved, but there was not a significant evaluation on the quality of grafts to other methods of FUE hair harvesting or to compare the robotic grafts with grafts from strip hair transplants.
Stem Cell and hair multiplication
We have had a few discussions about new advancements in Stem Cell research in 2012. Some of the familiar faces gave lectures about the status of hair stem cell research and where we are standing on hair multiplication. At present it appears that no one has started the phase III level of research. In practicality this means we are unlikely to be able to have a way to multiply hair in the next 8 or 10 years. Until we hear the phase III level of hair multiplication studies are successfully completed our patience and our practices will be reliant on our present hair restoration methods.
FUE transplantation
Many doctors discussed the increased rate of FUE hair transplantations worldwide. However, comparing different countries, it is apparent presently FUE is being used mostly in Asia and Europe in comparison to the United States. I (Parsa Mohebi, MD) presented result of the study of the effects of delay in extracting follicular units on viability of FUE grafts. I have discussed the conclusion of our study on 3 patients in which FUE grafts were initially punched and then removed in 5, 30, 60 minutes and 4 hours.
This study was the only study conducted to compare the in-situ viability of the follicular unit grafts. The study showed that keeping the punched grafts in scalp longer than a few minutes may decrease the survival of the grafts. The results of this study may help the design of the next generation of FUE devices and robotic surgery to try to be more efficient with the time that grafts are punched and before they could be removed from the scalp.
Methods for improving the aesthetics of hair restorations
I had another presentation on the advantages and disadvantages of extracting hair from temporal areas. I have brought up the “Mad Scientist Phenomenon” which refers to the situations that hair transplant surgeons harvest maximum number of grafts from the donor area on the back and not take any hair from temporal areas in patients who have a high density of hair on the temporal areas. The thickness of hair on the temporal areas may undermine the drastic changes that a hair transplant may have on restoration on the front and top areas.
Hair Transplant News from Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons – AAHRS 2012
Seoul, South Korea was the host of the second Annual Meeting of Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (AAHRS), which was held in May 2012. The president of AAHRS, Dr. Sungioo “Tommy” Hwang did an exceptionally commendable job organizing the meeting along with the president of Korean Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Dr. Jung-chul Kim. The meeting was well planned with many well researched and presented lectures including presentations on the advanced techniques of hair restoration surgery such as FUE transplants with new automated devices and hair multiplications methods.
I had the privilege to be one of a select group of medical professionals invited to serve as faculty from the United States. This provided me an opportunity to give two presentations. The first discussed the safe method of hair transplantations and secondly the use of Laxometer and its benefits to patients and the advancement provides in increasing the safety of hair transplant procedures.

Some of the other interesting topics were on the characteristics of patterned hair loss in Asians by Dr. Won-Soo Lee from Korea and female alopecia by Dr. Seok-Jong Lee. The topics related to the ethnic hair loss and the ethnic hair restorations were among my favorite subjects since at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration we have a diverse group of patients in our California Centers including patients of Asian and Middle Eastern ethnicity.
Another interesting topic that was presented was the “Baldness Gene”. It has been hot subject in the field of hair restoration in last few years. Many people have been focused on the gene therapy techniques in hair restoration or the use of stem cell research in hair multiplications in last decade.

Dr. Moon-Kyu Kim had a very elaborate lecture on “Baldness Gene” in which he discussed the paradoxical effects of androgen hormones on hair growth. Dr. Kim and his group compared the gene expression difference between frontal and beard Dermal Papilla after stimulation with DHT. They proved that the protein DKK-1 is being regulated differently in different area that can be one of the pathways involved in male patterned baldness.
Dr. William Rassman was another USA hair transplant surgeon invitee to the AAHRS Annual Meeting. Dr. Rassman discussed his innovative method of Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) as a useful method to hide baldness in particular patients. He discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques and presented several before and after pictures of the patients with hair loss who were treated with scalp micropigmentation.
Dr. Ali Abbasi, one of the pioneers of hair restoration surgery in Iran, presented the safe methods of removing strip in hair transplant surgeries including the techniques of measuring scalp laxity and the use of the Laxometer. Dr. Jerry Wong who is one of the leading hair transplant surgeons who performs gigasessions also stressed the importance of proper measuring of scalp laxity before performing the surgeries to increase the number of grafts while enhancing the safety of hair transplantations.
Dr. Jack Min Yu from China discussed the intricacies of beard FUE Transplant and the do’s and don’ts of such a procedure. I found this particularly interesting and his research was mostly aligned with what we discovered in our practice.
I would like to express my appreciation to the organizers from Asian hair transplant surgeons for their great hospitality and in particular to our Korean host surgeons who were involved in organizing the session. During my stay in Seoul, I had a chance to see a few historical locations in the city and become more familiar with this beautiful country and its great history. I look forward to the following meetings of the Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgery in the future.