Now,hair restoration gets regulatory body

Hair restoration has come a long way since the Middle Ages when a rancid rhino fat and rosemary concoction was applied on bald pates by virgins!

3 min readPuneFeb 11, 2009 01:33 PM IST

Hair restoration has come a long way since the Middle Ages when a rancid rhino fat and rosemary concoction was applied on bald pates by virgins! Even as newer techniques have opened up an interesting field for surgeons who aid a patient’s quest for crowning glory,with no regulatory body controlling itinerant doctors,hair transplantation procedures are fast acquiring a dubious reputation. The recently set up Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons (AHRS) hopes to change all that.

Started in February by Pune based Col (Dr) Tejinder Bhatti,Associate Professor at Armed Forces Medical College and Command hospital along with others,the association is the first regulatory body in the fledgling field of hair restoration.

As per a survey carried out by the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India last year there are only three plastic surgeons practising hair restoration surgery exclusively while some 12 plastic surgeons do more than 30 procedures per year as an adjunct to their otherwise busy reconstructive and aesthetic surgery practice all over the country. However,with no regulatory body and an estimated 50-60 dermatologists performing more than 24 hair transplants a year,doctors strongly felt the need for some kind of regulation.

The Association plans to conduct several training programmes across the country to educate the public about the finer points of the procedure and give them safe options of hair care and restoration. The basic aim of the Association is to promote and direct the development of hair restoration surgery in India along scientific and ethical lines. The AHRS is the only body in the country recognised by the ISHRS- International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery- based in the US and now awaits government sanction,says Col Bhatti,Secretary,AHRS.

“On an academic visit to US at Southfield,Detroit in May 2008,I chanced upon a study by Merck which divulged an interesting statistic that only two per cent of balding people seek treatment and yet it is a 2-3 billion market. Hence there is a large upside market potential. With such market potential,come hordes of gold-diggers some genuine and some completely unethical. And with no regulatory body yet in India,things have already gone ugly,” Bhatti told The Indian Express.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

📣 For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on Instagram

Loading Recommendations...

Mar 14: Latest News

Live Blog