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About William Reed, M.D.

William Reed, M.D. was born in Kingsport, Tennessee. He graduated from Tulane University with a BS degree in 1969 and from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1973. Following graduation he did a surgical pathology internship and residency at Stanford University and a clinical pathology residency at University of California, San Diego. He changed his career path in 1976 by beginning to practice emergency medicine. He practiced emergency medicine in San Diego for the next nineteen years when he stopped to begin the full time pursuit of a career in hair transplantation surgery. In 1982, he broadened his interests in clinical medicine by co founding La Jolla Medical Clinic and beginning to practice family medicine there.

Dr. Reed's interest in hair transplantation began in 1993, when, motivated by his own hair loss, he discovered the emerging use of small hair grafts. He had two hair transplantations himself in 1994 and opened La Jolla Hair Restoration Medical Center in 1995.

Dr. Reed feels it imperative for a transplant practice to adhere to the following:

  • to perform only one procedure a day
  • to have the physician performing the surgery perform a thorough preoperative consultation with the patient
  • to have a careful quality assurance program as part of a hair transplant practice.
  • to have careful follow up to assess patient satisfaction

Dr. Reed is board certified in emergency medicine. He has served on executive committees and primary care advisory committees of different IPAs (Independent Physician Associations). He is an active member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and their annual conferences. He has made presentations annually since 1998, has been on the faculty for its Beginner's Workshop and has served as co-facilitator in its workshops program. He has served on its Science and Education Committee. He has also been on the faculty and has made presentations at the society meetings of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery and the Live Surgical Workshop sponsored by the World Hair Society and the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. He has performed studies and made presentations on the survival of minigrafts, on the comparison of survival and other parameters of follicular unit grafts produced from multi-blade harvesting/loupe dissection vs elliptical excision/microscopic dissection as a well a study assessing the use of intentional transection of the hair follicle to assess the survival, miniaturization and aesthetics of the transected follicle for use in feathering the hairline. Dr. Reed submitted two chapters for the definitive text on hair transplantation: Hair Transplantation edited by Unger and Shapiro and released in 2004. He was asked to present his approach to hairline design for the Beginner's Workshop at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery's Scientific Assembly in 2004. He will make presentations at the Society's meeting in 2005 in Sydney, Australia on "The consultation: when is the patient not a candidate for transplantation" and on "Mixed grafting and the use of the multiple unit follicular unit graft".

Dr. Reed enjoys participating in many sports as time allows: kung fu, inline skating, skiing, hiking, yoga and weight training. He enjoys studying their associated medical disciplines: sports medicine, anti-aging medicine and mind/body medicine. He enjoys reading nonfiction, particularly regarding metaphysics and science.

Academic and Professional Accomplishments

Education:

  • Tulane University, BS 1969
  • Tulane University School of Medicine, MD 1973
  • Internship and Residency, Surgical Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine 1973-1975.
  • Residency, Clinical Pathology, University of California, San Diego 1975-1976
  • Board Certification:
  • American Board of Emergency Medicine
  • American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery

Societies and Organizations:

  • Emergency Medical System's Base Station Physician Coordinator for Paradise Valley Hospital, San Diego, CA 1984-5.
  • Executive Committee representing primary care, Primary Care Physicians Medical Group, (an IPA), 1994.
  • Primary Care Advisory Committee, Sharp Community Medical Group (an IPA), 1994-5.
  • International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS)
  • Science and Education Committee
  • Pro Bono Committee.
  • American Society of Cosmetic Surgery, 1995-2005.
  • Chairperson for Workshops for Scientific Assembly, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, Las Vegas, 2007
  • Member, Committee for Continuing Medical Education, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, 2006-7

Awards and Recognitions:

Research, Publications and other Presentations:

  • Survival of hair follicles harvested by the multi-bladed knife. ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Washington, DC, 1998
  • Rethinking some cornerstones of hair transplantation. ISHRS Forum 1999;9(5):1
  • Survival of intact and intentionally transected follicles when transplanted as minigrafts. Presented at American Society of Dermatologic Surgery's Scientific Assembly, Miami, FL, 1999.
  • Minigraft survival: implications for micro/minigrafting vs exclusively follicular unit grafting techniques, presented ISHRS Scientific Assembly, San Francisco, 1999.
  • Cell culture, the hair follicle and hair transplantation: fundamental concepts, presented at ISHRS Scientific Assembly, San Francisco, 1999.
  • A comparison study of density, hair shaft diameter and survival rates of follicular unit grafts produced by elliptical excision/microscopic dissection vs multi-bladed harvest/loupe dissection, presented at ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Kona, HI, 2000.
  • Intentional hair follicle transection: a forward step in the aesthetics of feathering the hairline? Presented at ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Kona, 2000.
  • Faculty, Beginner's Workshop, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Kona, HI, 2000, HI, 2000.
  • Co-director : “Hair follicle cloning: an introduction to tissue engineering for hair loss”. Workshop presented at ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Kona, HI, 2000.
  • A comparison of microminigrafting vs follicular unit transplantation in their ability to produce exclusively follicular unit grafts when performed by experienced technicians, presented at ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Puerto Vallarto, Mexico, 2001.
  • Ode to the Dermal Sheath, Graphic Presentation, ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2001.
  • Faculty, Beginner's Workshop, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Chicago, 2002.
  • The micro/minigraft spectrum of possible densities: a reason to reevaluate exclusive use of follicular unit grafting? Presented at 8th Annual Live Surgery Workshop sponsored by ISHRS, Orlando, 2002.
  • Surgical Coordinator, Combination Surgery, 8th Annual Live Surgery Workshop sponsored by ISHRS, Orlando, 2002.
  • “Product evaluation: Zeiss Stemi DV4 vs Meiji vs 4X loupes” Hair Transplant Forum International, 2002, 12:4, 144.
  • “Micro/Minigrafting: the Substance and Theory for Its Use”, Hair Transplantation, edited by Unger and Shapiro, 2002.
  • “The Evolution of a Hair Restoration Perspective”, Hair Transplantation, edited by Unger and Shapiro, 2002.
  • Determining the frequency of telogen/exogen and a consideration of its significance. ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, NYC 2003.
  • When to Use Combination Grafting: a question of balance.ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, NYC 2003.
  • Combination Grafting.Beginner's Workshop . ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, NYC 2003.
  • The Micrometer: a blinded assessment of its inter and intra-observer reproducability in assessing hair fiber diameter. ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, NYC 2003.
  • Director, Workshop on Combination Grafting, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Vancouver, 2004.
  • When total follicular unit transplantation; when combination grafting? Presented to theWorkshop/Board Review, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Sydney 2005.
  • The Consultation: when is a patient not a candidate for surgery? Presented to the Beginner's Workshop, ISHRS Scientific Assembly, Sydney, 2005.
  • The spectrum of hair transplantation-from total follicular unit grafting to combination grafting.presented to the general assembly of the ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Sydney, 2005
  • Theoretical considerations for and against various grafting techniques. Scientific Assembly of American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Orlando, FL, January 2006.
  • "Graft density and survival" Panelist. ISHRS Scientific Assembly, San Diego 2006.
  • Combination Grafting. Scientific Assembly of American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, Phoenix, January 2007.
  • Faculty: Beginner's Workshop, ISHRS Annual Scientifc Assembly, Montreal, 2008.
  • Faculty: Beginner's Workshop, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Boston, 2010.
  • Presenter: Pearls for Maximizing Graft Survival and Avoiding Poor Growth, ISHRS Annual Scientific Assembly, Boston, 2010.

A NOTE FROM DR. BILL REED

Do you remember the commercial that went "...I liked the product so much that I bought the company..."? Well, that's how it was with me. Several years ago I was amazed to see an infomercial that showed scalplines with micrografts, grafts of 1 or 2 hairs. The commercial showed pictures of hair transplantations that were essentially undetectable to the casual observer. I interviewed the various physicians performing hair transplantation in southern California and was sufficiently satisfied that hair transplantation was "as advertised" and is the only reasonable solution for male pattern balding. I then underwent two procedures totaling 1000 grafts and was so satisfied with the results that I decided to "buy the company!" I have diligently continued my study of hair restoration and am happy to offer the service to those of you interested in getting yourself a permanent, natural head of your own hair! I am happy to have gained control of my balding process and am happy to participate in helping you do the same. For a time I told myself that I shouldn't be concerned about balding. Caring about personal appearance is too close to vanity and certainly men aren't supposed to be that. Don't you think, however, that balding men who aren't bothered by going bald are either lying, fooling themselves or are prematurely wise? Most of us seem to be irritated by seeing ourselves go bald and after a couple of decades either get bored with the problem, stay bothered, find peace and wisdom or do something about it! In the 1990s, being bald is a choice! I encourage those of you who want to do something about it to call for more information and for a complementary consultation.