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Hair transplantation. 3rd ed.
544
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology March 1996
Book reviews
conceptual and practical issues are covered. Detailed algorithms are provided. Regimens are tailored to the type of defect needing correction. Those more experienced are sure to pick up improvements and nuances in technique. Key points are highlighted in bold, bulleted lists, sidebars, and tables. Useful checklists, lists of product information and suppliers, consent forms, and patient information sheets are included and can be adapted for use in your practice. The photographs and diagrams, more than halt" in color, are well selected and illustrate the teaching points ably and honestly. The publisher could have done a betterjob controlling color correction, darkness and contrast, as well as digital retouching of scratches and dateprinting. However, these are small detractions to an otherwise mastefftfl book. No matter your level of sophistication, there is much to learn from this excellent tutorial and reference. It may very well become the standard text on this subject.
Daniel W. Collison, MD Lebanon, New Hampshire
Hair transplantation. 3rd ed. Walter P. Unger, MD, editor, New York, 1995, Marcel Dekker, Inc. 848 pages. $195.00. The third edition of Hair Transplantation is a welcome update of the most complete book on the subject. It is a thorough source of information on all aspects of hair transplantation written by leaders in the field. The techniques used in hair transplantation have dramatically changed and evolved during the past 5 years. This new edition has several new chapters on the latest techniques being used in the field as well as updated information on the complexities of planning surgical hair restoration. The book's format is the same as in previous editions, with the editor giving his personal approach to each component of hair transplantation. He does include chapters written by other respected surgeons whose approach differs from his. I found new valuable information on anesthesia, minigraffing, scalp reduction, scalp extension, and improvements on insmunentafion and equipment. The chapters on laser hair transplantation and scalp extension cover the most recent advances in the field written by the pioneers of each respective technique. One of the most interesting chapters was the alternative approaches to graft transplantation written by several authors. Each author gave his perspective and technique with a thorough explanation. This book covers some specific topics within the field of hair transplantation that are rarely covered in other sources. It does include information on transplantation into eyebrows, eyelashes, the temporal area, scar correction, and many others. It has sections on transplantation
in women, blacks, and Orientals, all of which have special criteria and involve specialized techniques. All aspects of hair replacement surgery appear to be covered in the text. The editor has tried to give the most up-to-date informarion by including a chapter on new horizons that covers information that appeared while the page proofs were being reviewed. Overall, I highly recommend this text to anyone who is performing hair replacement surgery or is contemplating entering the field. It has information for the novice and experienced. The novice would certainly obtain a foundation from experienced sui-geons from which he or she can develop his or her own technique. For the experienced surgeon, the book is full of invaluable pearls from colleagues. It belongs in the library of every hair transplant surgeon.
Craig S. Schauder, MD Charlotte, North Carolina
Practical contact dermatitis Jere D. Guin, MD, New York, 1995, McGraw-Hill Inc. 812 pages. $100.00. The book that Dr. Guin has assembled has remained true to its stated purpose--to be very practical, a true friend of the patient-oriented dermatologist. The book is multiauthored and has the strengths and weaknesses of any such attempt. Some chapters are stronger than others, and that is nowhere more evident than in the patient-oriented instructions that accompany each chapter on specific allergens. These patient-oriented instructions can be useful, but they can be difficult to find. Rather than being collected into one area of the book, they occur throughout the book, within each chapter on a specific allergen. Sometimes these instructions span several pages. Occasionally a chapter has been written by a nonclinician, causing the patient care instructions to suffer a bit. There is a chapter on formaldehyde written by Feinman who has produced a fine monograph on the subject of formaldehyde allergy; however, because her background is not in patient care, her patient care-oriented instructions are slightly confusing. In one place she tells patients that according to one author 100% cotton items may be safe for formaldehyde-sensitive patients. Most work has demonstrated that cotton retains the highest residue of formaldehyde, and therefore this instruction can be misleading. Some patient care instructions are highly technical, such as the mercaptobenzothiazole insmactions in which patients axe given the scientific name of the latex tree Hevea brazi4iensis. Likewise, the patient handout on chromate sensitivity discusses the concentrations of iron sulfate necessary to reduce chromate concentration to less than 5 og/gm of cement. Although this is useful informa-
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology March 1996
Book reviews
conceptual and practical issues are covered. Detailed algorithms are provided. Regimens are tailored to the type of defect needing correction. Those more experienced are sure to pick up improvements and nuances in technique. Key points are highlighted in bold, bulleted lists, sidebars, and tables. Useful checklists, lists of product information and suppliers, consent forms, and patient information sheets are included and can be adapted for use in your practice. The photographs and diagrams, more than halt" in color, are well selected and illustrate the teaching points ably and honestly. The publisher could have done a betterjob controlling color correction, darkness and contrast, as well as digital retouching of scratches and dateprinting. However, these are small detractions to an otherwise mastefftfl book. No matter your level of sophistication, there is much to learn from this excellent tutorial and reference. It may very well become the standard text on this subject.
Daniel W. Collison, MD Lebanon, New Hampshire
Hair transplantation. 3rd ed. Walter P. Unger, MD, editor, New York, 1995, Marcel Dekker, Inc. 848 pages. $195.00. The third edition of Hair Transplantation is a welcome update of the most complete book on the subject. It is a thorough source of information on all aspects of hair transplantation written by leaders in the field. The techniques used in hair transplantation have dramatically changed and evolved during the past 5 years. This new edition has several new chapters on the latest techniques being used in the field as well as updated information on the complexities of planning surgical hair restoration. The book's format is the same as in previous editions, with the editor giving his personal approach to each component of hair transplantation. He does include chapters written by other respected surgeons whose approach differs from his. I found new valuable information on anesthesia, minigraffing, scalp reduction, scalp extension, and improvements on insmunentafion and equipment. The chapters on laser hair transplantation and scalp extension cover the most recent advances in the field written by the pioneers of each respective technique. One of the most interesting chapters was the alternative approaches to graft transplantation written by several authors. Each author gave his perspective and technique with a thorough explanation. This book covers some specific topics within the field of hair transplantation that are rarely covered in other sources. It does include information on transplantation into eyebrows, eyelashes, the temporal area, scar correction, and many others. It has sections on transplantation
in women, blacks, and Orientals, all of which have special criteria and involve specialized techniques. All aspects of hair replacement surgery appear to be covered in the text. The editor has tried to give the most up-to-date informarion by including a chapter on new horizons that covers information that appeared while the page proofs were being reviewed. Overall, I highly recommend this text to anyone who is performing hair replacement surgery or is contemplating entering the field. It has information for the novice and experienced. The novice would certainly obtain a foundation from experienced sui-geons from which he or she can develop his or her own technique. For the experienced surgeon, the book is full of invaluable pearls from colleagues. It belongs in the library of every hair transplant surgeon.
Craig S. Schauder, MD Charlotte, North Carolina
Practical contact dermatitis Jere D. Guin, MD, New York, 1995, McGraw-Hill Inc. 812 pages. $100.00. The book that Dr. Guin has assembled has remained true to its stated purpose--to be very practical, a true friend of the patient-oriented dermatologist. The book is multiauthored and has the strengths and weaknesses of any such attempt. Some chapters are stronger than others, and that is nowhere more evident than in the patient-oriented instructions that accompany each chapter on specific allergens. These patient-oriented instructions can be useful, but they can be difficult to find. Rather than being collected into one area of the book, they occur throughout the book, within each chapter on a specific allergen. Sometimes these instructions span several pages. Occasionally a chapter has been written by a nonclinician, causing the patient care instructions to suffer a bit. There is a chapter on formaldehyde written by Feinman who has produced a fine monograph on the subject of formaldehyde allergy; however, because her background is not in patient care, her patient care-oriented instructions are slightly confusing. In one place she tells patients that according to one author 100% cotton items may be safe for formaldehyde-sensitive patients. Most work has demonstrated that cotton retains the highest residue of formaldehyde, and therefore this instruction can be misleading. Some patient care instructions are highly technical, such as the mercaptobenzothiazole insmactions in which patients axe given the scientific name of the latex tree Hevea brazi4iensis. Likewise, the patient handout on chromate sensitivity discusses the concentrations of iron sulfate necessary to reduce chromate concentration to less than 5 og/gm of cement. Although this is useful informa-