In the past few years, I've seen a steady increase in the number of enquires we receive at the Farjo Hair Institute. It's a clear indication that more and more men - and an increasing number of women - are seeking treatment for a variety of forms of hair loss.
Men, in particular, are becoming more aware of the cosmetic procedures that are available to them. This, combined with the decreasing taboo surrounding what would have previously been seen as pure vanity, has led to an increase in the numbers of men opting for hair transplantation specifically.
I'm delighted that this is the case. Male pattern baldness is a condition which affects around 75 per cent of men - however, the way in which men cope with hair loss can differ greatly. Some men find this change in their appearance deeply upsetting, particularly if it begins at a young age. A hair transplant is undeniably a cosmetic procedure, but for certain individuals it can provide a much-needed boost to their self-esteem and can offer a solution to an issue that some men find distressing.
It is perhaps no wonder then that hair transplant procedures are now the most popular form of cosmetic surgery for men in the UK. Over 4,500 procedures were carried out in 2011, which was 13 per cent more than those performed in 2010, and the number continues to grow.
This is over 300 per cent more than the 1,043 rhinoplasties undergone by men in the UK during the same year - a figured which saw it ranked as the UK's most popular cosmetic procedure for men by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).
When you think that hair transplants are more popular than liposuction, nose jobs and even surgery performed on the dreaded chest or 'man boob' area, it's evident that men are extremely keen to seek medical advice in order to combat the issue of a receding hair line.
Many people I've chatted to seem quite surprised about this, but it just goes to dispel the myth that hair transplants are quite niche. As mentioned above, we've got to remember that male pattern baldness is something that affects almost three quarters of men throughout the course of their life - whereas, I would say, nasal dissatisfaction is a rather more niche problem!
At its annual conference this September, BAAPS included hair transplant surgery in its program for the first time. This further demonstrates the growth of the hair transplants popularity, and next year, I hope that BAAPS give hair transplant surgery more exposure, as the growth in demand for the procedure, of course, goes hand in hand with a growth in the number of surgeons performing the surgery.
As more surgeons start to practice hair transplant surgery, this will rightly lead to tighter regulations within the industry. As we've established, more men than ever before are starting to consider transplants as a viable solution for hair loss, and I'd like to see appropriate measures put in place to protect them.
