Who is Qualified to Do a Hair Transplant?

Any physician can technically do a hair transplant. What you want to look for is a physician who understands hair loss and can create a natural looking hair line that will last for 10-20 years, not just 2-3. Most patients want to fill in bald areas, but an experienced and trained physician knows that just filling in bald areas will create an unnatural appearance as natural hair loss progresses. Qualified physicians are those that have trained in hair restoration, understand natural hair loss... more

You might think that to be qualified to do a hair transplant you need a particular qualification. Fact is, as long as you have an MD after your name you can technically perform hair transplants. Because of the lack of regulation in the "hair transplant industry"  you need to make your decisions very carefully.  The American College of Surgeons do not recognize hair transplants as a specialty. Therefore you can't become "Board Certified" in... more

Technically, any licensed physician can do a hair transplant.  That's were it gets tricky.  Since anyone can advertise for it, it's imperitive that you find those MOST qualified.  As a physician who is dual fellowship trained in both facial plastic surgery and hair restoration I think this is optimal training.  Hair transplant is more than a technical challenge, but artistry.  Creating a hair restoration plan that will maintain flexibility for the... more

Since hair transplantation is not recognized as a specialty within itself, any board certified doctor can technically perform hair transplant--only as far as medical certifications go. But a qualifying certificate does not denote the skill, experience, or artistry of a surgeon. When looking for a hair transplant doctor, be sure that he/she has--in addition to the proper certifications and licensing: Ample experience Video and/or photo documentation of past cases High... more

Many physicians can perform a hair transplantation procedure for a patient. The skill of the surgeon for the procedure, however, is to be able to outline a proper hairline pattern for the patient that will maximize the available grafts taken from the posterior scalp to give the appearance of the greatest density of hair for the patient. Needless to say, the quality of the surgical techs assisting in the preparation and placement of the grafts is paramount to the... more

Doctors who specialize in hair restoration or hair transplantation are usually plastic surgeons or dermatologists.  The bottom line is just like any other type of procedure, the physician must be an expert in selecting the right patients for the procedures and having the experience and skill to achieve excellent results.  Hair transplantation is also dependent on a team of skilled technicians to help the physician cut and place the grafts.  The keys to good results are... more

When you're looking for a hair transplant surgeon, do a thorough background check (much of this can be done on the internet.)  Board certification in a medical specialty (eg plastic surgery, dermatogy) is important as well as experience.  Having a state medical license and priveleges at a local hospital are also very important characteristics to have if you're a hair transplant surgeon.  Finally, talk with some previous patients of your chosen doctor to get a... more

Any plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or other surgical specialist who has had the necessary training in hair transplantation techniques may be qualified to do the work; however as with any other surgery those with the most experience, and the best most qualified assistants, are likely to produce the best results.You are best off with a surgeon whose practice is dedicated to hair work...who has hundreds of photos of patients and who has a team of trained technicians to i more

With the advent of commercialization of hair transplant at a ridiculously large scale, almost any physician seems to be ready to venture in the field of Hair Transplant. "Dermatologists" are the specialists of the "Skin, Hair and Nail" and one of the Dermatologist invented the technique of hair transplant. But just being a Dermatologist is not sufficient. After one gets Board Certification in the field of Dermatology, one has to perform a fellowship... more

Although the procedure of hair transplantation seems technically very simple, the results MUST look good cosmetically in both the short term and the long term. Your hair transplant surgeon should have an excellent understanding of future thinning patterns and how these will look not only 1 year but 20 years from the time the procedure is done. Definitely research your physician to be sure they have extensive experience (and preferably a fellowship training) in the area of hair... more

A qualified hair transplant doctor can be any licensed physician that has trained in hair transplant surgery. Typically, in a private practice setting the hair transplant physician is a plastic surgeon, a facial plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. In the setting of a hair transplant clinic the physician can be any of the three already mentioned but also the physician could be an internist, an emergency medicine physician or a pediatrician. The most important factor s when choosing a hair... more

Unlike almost any other cosmetic procedure, an excellent hair transplant requires an excellent team. The surgeon is only part of the equation. I am responsible for hairline design, donor harvesting and closure, and recipient site creation (where the grafts go into). My team is responsible for graft dissection and placement. Having an excellent team is mandatory. Almost any surgeon/physician can do hair restoration, but as the other physician has answered very few do it well. Looking... more

Qualifications are determined by experience. Hair transplants are easy to do, but it is difficult to get a good result. Remember, hair loss is progressive. Unfortunately, I have seen many patients who had hair replacement surgery at a young age and subsequently had severe additional hair loss. Without adequate donor area, the final result may be deforming. A qualified surgeon has the experience to estimate the ultimate extent of alopecia.