Microsoft Word - September 2020 - DH 969 - proof.docx


SKIN 
	

September 2020     Volume 4 Issue 5 
 

Copyright 2020 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 489 

DERMATOLOGIC HISTORY 
 

 
Norman Orentreich: Father of Modern Hair Transplantation 
 
Michael Phan BS1, Jonathan Phan MS1 
 
1University of Texas Medical Branch, School of Medicine, Galveston TX  
 

 
 
Norman Orentreich, MD is universally 
regarded as the father of modern hair 
transplantation. He was born in New York 
City on December 26, 1922. He completed 
his undergraduate studies at the College of 
New York and served in the US Navy 
Medical Corps from 1943-1945.  Dr. 
Orentriech attended medical school at the 
New York University of College of Medicine 
and received his dermatology training at 
NYU’s Skin and Cancer Unit.1  
 
While studying the pathophysiology of 
diverse dermatologic conditions using hair-
bearing punch grafts in the early 1950s, he 
observed that autografts from hair-bearing 
areas of the scalp continued to grow hair 
when implanted in areas of physiological 
male-pattern alopecia.2 This observation 
established the principle of donor 
dominance: transplanted autografts 
maintained their integrity and characteristics 
independent of the recipient site. After 
successfully transplanting hair in 65 
patients, he published his results in 1959.2 
Dr. Orentreich understood the limitations of 
his technique and sought methods to 
improve his patient’s cosmetic outcomes. By 
1985, he created minigrafts containing three 
to five hairs and overlapped his grafts to 
address patchy hair growth. Dr. Orentreich 
also incorporated the use of intralesional 
corticosteroid to prevent hypertrophic and 
keloidal scarring and dermabrasion to treat 

elevated grafts.3 His follicle-preserving 
extraction technique paved way for the 
development of follicular unit transplantation 
and extraction.1  
 

 
 
Dr. Orentreich’s interests extend beyond 
hair transplantation. He founded the 
Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement 
of Science for aging and nutrition research 
in 1961. In 1968, the Lauder Family 
recruited Dr. Orentreich and Vogue editor 



SKIN 
	

September 2020     Volume 4 Issue 5 
 

Copyright 2020 The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine 490 

Carol Phillips to create Clinique, the world’s 
first allergy-tested, fragrance-free, 
dermatologist-guided cosmetic line. He was 
also elected the first president of the 
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery 
in 1970.1  
 
Dr. Orentreich established the current field 
of hair transplantation with his visionary 
discoveries. His contributions to 
dermatology have benefited many people 
with hair loss in the 20th century.   
 
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None 
 
Funding: None 
 
Corresponding Author: 
Michael Phan 
1005 Harborside Dr F5 
Galveston, TX 77555 
Email: miphan@utmb.edu 
	

References: 
1. Refs Orentreich Medical Group. Our Founder. 

http://orentreich.com/about-us/our-founder/. 
Accessed July 6, 2020. 

2. Orentreich N. Autografts in alopecias and other 
selected dermatological conditions. Ann N Y 
Acad Sci. 1959;83:463-479. doi:10.1111/j.1749-
6632.1960.tb40920.x 

3. Orentreich DS, Orentreich N. Hair 
transplantation. J Dermatol Surg Oncol. 
1985;11(3):319-324. doi:10.1111/j.1524-
4725.1985.tb03010.x