Who can carry out hair transplantation? Kerala HC to decide

Kochi: Who can carry out hair transplantation –– dermatologists or oral and maxillofacial surgeons? The issue is now before the Kerala high court which has sought instructions from the Dental Council of India (DCI).The bench of Justice P M Manoj also issued notices to the central govt, the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Indian Dental Association (IDA), and adjourned the petition to April 9 for further consideration. HC was hearing a petition by Dr Ruxana K of Palarivattom, Kochi, along with three other dermatologists, challenging the guidelines and circulars issued by the DCI and IDA regarding the practice of hair transplantation and aesthetic/cosmetic surgery.The petitioners claimed that DCI had issued guidelines on Dec 6, 2022, stating that oral and maxillofacial surgeons can perform aesthetic procedures. Subsequently, IDA issued a circular on Jan 1, 2025, advising all its members — except oral and maxillofacial surgeons — to refrain from performing hair transplants and aesthetic procedures.While challenging both the guidelines and circular, the petitioners pointed out that the NMC had already issued specific guidelines for performing hair transplantation and aesthetic surgery. These guidelines categorically state that any procedure involving a skin incision for tissue removal, including follicular unit extraction (FUE), donor strip excision, etc, is a surgical procedure that can only be performed by properly trained and licensed "registered medical practitioners." Additionally, the petitioners argued that oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained to operate only on the teeth, oral cavity, jaws and facial structures, and cannot perform treatments involving skin or hair, as these fall outside the scope of their curriculum.