Dr. Epstein's Awesome-yet-Painless-and-Uneventful Hair-Transplant Procedure

I experienced temporary-alopecia in late-June 2016; in early-July 2016, I went online & asked Dr. Epstein’s office about the possibility of using hair-grafts to cover a then-exposed scar on the back of my head. His staff quickly replied to my inquiry, & throughout July 2016 answered my questions, forwarded Dr. E’ evaluation/recommendations, & scheduled the date for my procedure (a 50% deposit was not required until my appointment was actually scheduled).

Dr. E. evaluated me in person in Miami on August 9, 2016, & recommended a total of 800 follicular unit extractions (FUEs, $8,000) to treat both the scar & some MPB on my crown & behind my hairline. The procedure, conducted on September 20, 2016, was uneventful (i.e., no pain or complications). Dr. Epstein’s staff performed the procedure over 7 hours; Dr. E. routinely checked on my progress, & by 3.00 PM told me that his original estimate of 800 FUE’s was sufficient to address all of my problem-areas.

Overall, I’m 100% satisfied. My original, uninformed-estimate for the procedure was $5,000 - $15,000; the final-cost, $12,400, is still considerably-lower than my anticipated out-of-pocket maximum. I highly-recommend Dr. E. & his staff for FUE procedures. I see him in 10-months, & will undergo additional FUEs if necessary.

The procedure itself is virtually painless (it’s less of an ordeal than visiting a dentist’s office). I imagined a somewhat-uncomfortable procedure, & opted for sedation ($1,100); half-way through the procedure, I discontinued the IV because my scalp was sufficiently-numb. I never felt pain afterwards; instead, I felt painless points-of-pressure whenever the techs extracted /transplanted the remaining 400 FUEs. Save yourself anxiety & money – the local-anesthetic is more-than-necessary to arrest pain completely. Additionally, I experienced no pain once the numbness dissipated. I took Aleve & antibiotics as instructed, but took neither the prescribed Tylenol w/Codeine nor Percocet. Moreover, I experienced no soreness in the days following the procedure; redness in the donor-area practically disappeared after 2-days (with the application of topical antibiotic). Finally, try not to worry about your donor-area; the techs shave it to find optimal grafts – limiting how much they shave also reduces the number of observable, most-suitable grafts. I recommend, regardless of hair-length, allowing the techs to “shave at their discretion” – I’d rather deal with a short-term, albeit somewhat unsightly, “buzz-cut” around my neck & ears to maximize FUE recovery/regrowth; true, it’s clearly-noticeable, but so what – I think it’s worth the anticipated final-result (plus it makes for a great story!).