ABHRS vs ISHRS - What is the main difference between these two accreditations?

Thank you for posting this question. There is a huge difference between the two organizations. The ISHRS stands for the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. ABHRS stands for American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. The ISHRS is comprised of physicians and technicians who practice hair restoration surgery. They hold educational meetings around the world on topics related to hair restoration surgery. Any physician in good-standing may join; it’s about $800, which is very much in line with similar medical societies in other specialties. Doctors who are involved over many years and have contributed to the Society may apply for Fellowship status. A Fellow of the ISHRS has achieved the maximum level of participation in the society, and physicians with this designation have a “FISHRS” as a part of their formal title, which stands for “Fellow, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.” It takes years of participation and dedication to the specialty to earn the FISHRS distinction. There are many experienced physicians (some of whom even answered this question) who do not have the FISHRS designation. I takes a lot of effort on the physicians applying for this designation, and some prefer not to go through the process.
The ABHRS is the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. It was formed in 1996, around the same time as the ISHRS. It is a certifying board in both surgical (hair restoration surgery) and non-surgical hair treatments for hair loss. Physicians who pass the board exam are Board Certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. Currently about 200 doctors world-wide are certified, and there are 88 in the USA. It costs about $1000 for the application to take the test. The text consists of a 4-hour written exam that’s 81 pages long (I took the text last October...it was a massive test with hundreds of multiple choice questions, including clinical scenarios, and patient photographs.) In addition to the written exam, there is an oral-exam portion of the exam, which is 4 hours in length. In this portion, which is usually held in a large hotel with meeting rooms, there are tables set up in large rooms, with 3 chairs on 1 side, and 1 chair on the opposite side. The board exam candidate spends 30 minutes in each room, moving from room-to-room as the different modules are completed. Each module consists of a 30 minute block where the candidate sits in the lone seat on one side of a large table, and 3 doctors who have already passed the ABHRS exam are on the other side of the table. The candidate is presented with various clinical questions and problems, including photographs, and is tested by the 3 doctors on the other side of the table. It’s a serious undertaking, and takes 8 hours in total. It took a great deal of effort to successfully prepare to take and pass that exam. Many experienced doctors, including some who have answered this question, are not willing to put in the effort to study that hard to earn the ABHRS achievement and get board certified. These doctors often downplay the significance of the ABHRS, but in reality it is the world’s ONLY certifying board in the specialty of hair restoration surgery. Doctors who earn a board certificate in Hair Restoration Surgery often add “ABHRS” to their formal title to signify the accomplishment. At all the ISHRS meetings, doctors who hold an ABHRS certificate are even given special tags for their meeting credentials badge to let others know that they are board certified; it’s that important.
That’s a long answer to a short question but I felt all this needed to be added to the other answers given by other doctors. I hope this information is helpful to you.
Kind Regards,
Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS, ABHRS
Board Certified Hair Restoration Surgeon

ISHRS and ABHRS are organizations that hair restoration surgeons belong to by paying a fee or passing a test.One is an International organization.Other is an American organization.Neither pertain to the expertise or experience of the surgeon since anyone can join.

Only about 200 hair surgeons worldwide have achieved the designation of Diplomate of the American Board Of Hair Restoration Surgery. To become a Diplomate and receive Certification by the ABHRS a physician must demonstrate surgical experience, aesthetic skill and a comprehensive clinical understanding of hair loss and it’s treatment modalities.
An applicant must present prior hair transplant cases, with surgical
details and before and after photography and also complete a
comprehensive oral and written exam to show knowledge and expertise in
both physiological causes and treatment for hair loss and a thorough
knowledge of hair restoration surgical technique.

These are both societies that gather members (Physicians and Assistants-ISHRS only) and charge a fee to be a member. Both societies are independent of one another and the ISHRS is more internationally recognized. These societies attempt to design an algorithm of laws and ethics that each hair restoration clinic should follow. This is because for the most part there are no guidelines or statutes that govern hair restoration to the fullest. a hair restoration does not have standards as would a cardiac bypass. These rules and guidelines are not enforced by law in any country and the only sanctions that can be placed on a physician or a clinic is banning from activities of the societies, apparent bad work and complaints followed by an expulsion however this is rare. For instance a physician in 2015 disrupted a particular talk during the ISHRS in Chicago, Illinois. This massive disruption and bullying cause them to sanction him by not letting the physician participate in selling his FUE products at the next convention Exhibits in Las Vegas, Nevada. This cost the participant potentially thousands of dollars in equipment sales. Additionally he was not allowed to give lectures or attend that years conference at all. The next year these sanctions were lifted and he still attends to this day.CAN THERE be good transplants from clinics that are not apart of either of these societies? Yes. The benefits that comes with at least the ISHRS is the sharing of the newest technologies, seeing clinics showcasing their work with live patients attending, buying equipment and tools in the exhibits section, and training of newbies to the industry.

As a long time member of both ABHRS (Board certification) and the ISHRS (a society to foster ethics and education) they are both very helpful to patients and hair specialist.

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is a member organization dedicated to education of it's members in hair restoration surgery both medical and surgical. Most dedicated hair restoration surgeons belong to the ISHRS, but the ISHRS is open to all medical doctors to join and even smaller number board cerified by the ABHRS. The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery is the only board recognizing training and understanding in hair restoration in the USA. Currently, there are 281 US based members in the ISHRS and there are 91 US based board certified members of the ABHRS.

The ISHRS is an international society set up for education of doctors in the hair restoration field, The ABHRS is an examination taken by doctors that get a certificate to certify them for having passed and qualified for the ‘Board’ issued by the ISHRS. Many doctors in the field may not have been certified by any specialty board; however, for me, as an example, I have been trained for 5 years and then have been certified by a formal Board of Surgery recognized world-wide by the formal certifying agency for surgeons. The ABHRS is such a board that has not been formally approved by the certifying agency for Boards because there is no such multi-year training required such as for the Surgical Board which I have, but it is the only certifying agency for a hair surgeon that reflects any formal understanding of this field and qualified those holding it as having been qualified and passed the ABHRS examination.