Market Wire, July, 2009
The International Society of Hair Restoration
Surgery (ISHRS) — the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and
hair restoration — today issued a statement in response to the federal
government’s proposed tax on cosmetic surgical procedures in order to help
offset the massive cost of health care reform.
The ISHRS believes the 10 percent tax on cosmetic surgery, including
elective cosmetic procedures such as hair transplants, would unfairly hurt
a disproportionate number of working and middle-class men and women who
seek help for hair loss to improve their self-esteem and their competitive
edge in today’s tough job market.
“We know from previous research that the median income level of people
undergoing hair restoration surgery is $69,700.00,” said Edwin Epstein, MD,
president of the ISHRS. “Clearly, it’s not just the wealthiest men and
women getting hair transplants, but average, hard-working people who are
tired of suffering from hair loss. This type of tax is simply bad medicine
and would hurt millions of people who undergo cosmetic procedures for
personal and professional reasons.”
The ISHRS has found that the desire for more hair is still strong, even in
tough economic times. In a recent online consumer survey conducted by the
ISHRS, 59.8 percent of people who were asked whether they would rather have
more hair, more money or more friends chose more hair. Specifically,
slightly more women (64.2 percent) than men (59.1 percent) indicated they
wanted more hair than more money or friends.
An estimated 80 million American men and women suffer from male or female
pattern hair loss. Since hair is universally viewed as a sign of youth and
vitality, hair loss can cause a diminished sense of self-esteem and poor
self-image that can significantly impact one’s overall quality of life.
Founded in 1993, the ISHRS is a non-profit medical association dedicated to
the advancement of the art and science of hair restoration. With a
membership of over 750 physicians worldwide, the ISHRS provides continuing
medical education to physicians specializing in hair loss and restoration
surgery and serves as a resource for the public on the latest medical and
surgical hair restoration treatments for hair loss. For more information
and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org .
Editor’s Note: The survey referenced above was made available on the ISHRS
website to visitors interested in participating in the Hair Transplant
Challenge Survey (HTCS). Data collection began in late May of 2008 and
continued through January of 2009