Dr. Robert Leonard, who is a board-certified hair transplant surgeon, owns Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, which has seven offices – one in Cranston, one in Salem, N.H., and five in Massachusetts. A founding trustee of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, Leonard is a fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and his medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Leonard spoke recently with Providence Business News about the business of hair restoration and new developments in the field.
PBN: What inspired you to enter this field and how long have you been working in it?
LEONARD: I was introduced to hair restoration surgery during my internship 30 years ago. I saw that it was a niche in cosmetic surgery that was under-represented and one in which aesthetic advancement was necessary. I was blessed to have met my mentor, the late Dr. CP Chambers, in 1986. It’s history from there!
PBN: What are some of the most common causes of hair loss in men and in women; do you treat both men and women in your practice?
LEONARD: By far, the very most common cause of hair loss is genetics. You can’t change those genes, either! Ninety-eight percent of hair loss is due to this cause. Other much less-common causes are skin conditions, medication and trauma.
At Leonard Hair Transplant Associates, we treat men and women for both medical and surgical treatment of their hair loss. In fact, 25 percent of our surgeries are for women, which is high for our profession.
PBN: Tell us about the case you recently presented at the 24th World Congress of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery; what made it newsworthy?
LEONARD: It was an honor to present at this prestigious event. Our presentation was about a patient who developed an infection with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – more commonly known as MRSA, a bacterium that is resistant to many antibiotics – that was not treated. It was my first and, hopefully, my only such experience in my long career. Thank God, everything turned out well with the patient.
PBN: What are some of the latest developments in hair restoration surgery?
LEONARD: There is a different method to harvest transplants called follicular unit extraction, which is always evolving. Currently, we use three different instruments to perform this procedure: the Vortex, the NeoGraft and the ARTAS Robotic System devices. As we always want to be on the cutting edge for our patients, we will be adding another offering in the near future.
The other huge step forward is the Capillus272 Laser device, which has revolutionized hair-loss treatment by using low-level laser therapy. This device has the most number of lasers of any similar device in the world; it works extraordinarily well to stop progression of hair loss and to re-grow lost hair … and, it’s used in the privacy of one’s home.
PBN: What makes a potential patient reluctant to seek help – embarrassment, lack of vanity or hair replacement costs – and how do you overcome those obstacles?
LEONARD: For men, at least, there is still – though much less than in the past – a perceived stigma to undergoing hair transplantation. They tell me that they shouldn’t feel that way, but they do. Others, like professional athletes Wes Welker, Rob Ninkovich and Sebastian Vollmer, are very open about their hair loss treatments, as are thousands of other men and women. The more we can talk about hair loss and hair replacement, the less prevalent that stigma will be.
