Getting a hair transplant is an important decision. Being a savvy consumer, you’re doing your due diligence by researching online about various procedures and clinics. Hopefully, you won’t base your decision solely upon a slick ad campaign, or the promise of a bargain price—especially at a foreign black market clinic. However, you’ve probably never had a hair transplant before. Without a basis of comparison or experience, it can be hard to judge the quality of the information you’re coming across.

If you’re thinking that it would be helpful to have a handbook to guide you on this all-important first step on your hair restoration journey, our Tempus Hair Restoration team has thought the same. We present the following as a comprehensive compilation of everything you need to know in order to make a well-informed decision about choosing a hair restoration surgeon who is worthy of your trust.

How to Find a Reputable Hair Transplant Surgeon

An excellent starting point is the website of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). This is a global non-profit medical association comprised of over 1,200 members representing 70 countries, dedicated to promoting the highest standards of medical practice and medical ethics. The leading authority on hair loss treatment and restoration, the ISHRS offers objective, unbiased information, and does not accept advertising or affiliate links.

The ISHRS website provides free resources for consumers—such as its Find a Doctor directory. This is maintained and updated with the name, location, contact information and link to the ISHRS member page of each doctor. The ISHRS does not charge doctors to be included in the directory, nor does it promote individual doctors.

Dr. Marco Barusco—Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Tempus Hair Restoration—is a Fellow of the ISHRS. This is a distinction that is only given to those who achieve certain landmarks on teaching and leadership. Currently, fewer than 10% of the ISHRS members are Fellows.

Whether or not you use the ISHRS Find a Doctor directory, you need to know about the education, training, credentials and experience that each surgeon you’re researching has in the field of hair restoration. Start this process by visiting the website of the surgeons you’re considering. Some of the following points should be in the doctor’s biography or elsewhere on the website:

Training and Credentials

• From what medical school did the physician receive his/her M.D. (Doctor of medicine, allopathic medical), D.O. (Doctor of osteopathic medicine) or M.B.B.S. (Bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery, also abbreviated as, M.B.Ch.B.) degree?
• What year did he/she receive the medical degree?
• When was the physician licensed to practice medicine? Is he/she licensed to practice medicine in your state in which the treatment will take place?
• Where (hospital or medical center) did the physician complete his/her internship and residency training?
• Did the physician have additional training in a medical or surgical specialty after completing residency?
• Is the physician board certified or a diplomate of a legitimate certifying board? Learn more about what this means.
• Does the physician hold membership in their related specialty professional society? For hair restoration surgery, this is the ISHRS. Do they attend scientific conferences and workshops? Membership and activity in such societies is not essential, but it is an additional indication of commitment and advanced training.

Scheduling a Consultation with a Hair Transplant Surgeon

Once you’ve found a surgeon who meets your criteria, schedule a consultation­—either in-office or virtual. This is a critical part of the process, as you’ll be able to ask questions and better evaluate the surgeon’s ability to perform the procedure. This is particularly important if you have a special circumstance—such as scarring that you want the hair transplant to conceal. Not every surgeon has the technical skill or experience to do so successfully.

A consultation also allows you to determine how well you and the surgeon communicate. A doctor can have all the right qualifications, but if you don’t feel that he/she connects with you, consider it a sign to continue your search. As they say, trust your “gut.”

But first, be sure that you’ll be talking to the surgeon who will be performing your procedure—not a salesperson or medical technician. If you’re told the doctor cannot or will not meet with you, don’t schedule the consultation—or leave if you’re already in the office and suddenly been informed you’ll be seen by someone else, instead. This is a red flag that should not be ignored!

Questions a Hair Transplant Surgeon Should Ask You

Hair loss is a medical condition, the cause of which requires a diagnosis in order to determine the right procedure—or even if you are an appropriate candidate for surgery. You shouldn’t be surprised that a good hair transplant surgeon will take your medical history. In fact, you should expect it! The following are questions that Dr. Barusco asks his prospective patients during consultation:

Hair loss history—Asking about when you started noticing your hair loss, which areas of your scalp were first affected, how the loss is progressing, etc., provides important information that can help the doctor start to form a complete picture of the cause and treatment options for your individual case. Even if you think a detail may be insignificant, mention it to the doctor.

Your family history of hair loss—You should be asked if your immediate family members (including females) had/have hair loss, and if so, what kind. How did it start and progress over time? This is important in order for the surgeon to provide the right diagnosis.

Your medical history—The doctor should ask for a detailed medical history. Such conditions as diabetes, heart or thyroid disease—and the medications you take for them—can affect or accelerate hair loss.

Your past and current medications—Some prescription medications can cause hair loss.

Your allergy history—Your doctor should ask if you are allergic to any medications or have had an allergic reaction to anesthesia. Knowing if this has occurred is important in prescribing an alternative medication.

Your surgical history—Your doctor should ask if you’ve had surgery of any type. Again, this can provide additional information about a medical condition that could be relevant to your hair loss, as well as your ability to tolerate anesthesia.

A timeline of your hair loss—A good hair restoration surgeon should start creating a timeline of your hair loss based upon all of the previous information he/she has gathered from your answers. A prescription medication you started five years ago may coincide with the time you noticed your hair loss was becoming worse. Such a timeline would provide evidence that the medication could be the cause.

During the consultation, the surgeon should also examine your scalp. If the consultation is in-office, he/she should look for miniaturization of the hair follicles, patchy areas, redness/inflammation, swelling, dandruff and skin cancer. The doctor should also have such tools as a magnification camera. If the consultation is virtual, you should be asked to take pictures of your scalp with a smartphone. An examination of your scalp is necessary for an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your hair loss. If the doctor doesn’t take this basic step, continue your search.

Finally, the surgeon should ask about your hair restoration goals. Dr. Barusco has had patients who wanted hair on areas of the scalp that he considered secondary—that is, not as obvious as the hairline—yet that was the area on which the patient wanted to see hair growth. Learning what the patient wants is an important part of the consultation. Moreover, an ethical surgeon will tell you if your expectations aren’t realistic—for example, if you want the volume and/or hairline you had at age 18.

Questions to Ask a Hair Restoration Surgeon During Your Consultation

A good consultation is a two-way process. The following are key questions you should ask the surgeon:

• How long have you been doing surgical hair restoration procedures?
• How many hair restoration procedures have you performed?
• How many types of procedures do you perform on a regular basis? The answer can reveal the surgeon’s limitations. Some perform only one or two types of procedures. This means the surgeon may not be proficient at the others, and can’t (or won’t) advise you if a different procedure would be more appropriate for your individual case. Moreover, if the surgeon only performs the Follicular Unit Excision (FUE), a robotic device may be used. The following paragraph addresses the risks involved.

• How many hair restoration procedures do you perform per month? A busy practice can be one indication that a surgeon is skilled and well-respected by patients.
• Is hair restoration surgery your only practice, or do you perform other types of cosmetic surgery?
• Will you provide names of patients who are willing to be references?

It is important to understand that unqualified, non-medical technicians and other staff are increasingly performing hair transplant surgery using robotic devices to harvest and implant hair follicles. The practice is becoming so prevalent, that consumers have come to accept this as a legitimate situation—which it is definitely not. On its Consumer Advocacy page, the ISHRS urges potential patients to ask the following questions during consultation, as well as questions regarding costs, risks, and short and long-term benefits and planning:

• Who will evaluate my hair loss and recommend a course of treatment? What is their education, training, licensure, and experience in treating hair loss? Only physicians, Physician’s Assistants and Nurse Practitioners are legally allowed to diagnose a patient and to recommend medical treatments. Otherwise, the person recommending procedures and/or treatments is practicing medicine without a license, a felony crime in Florida and many other states.
• Who will be involved in performing my surgery, what role will they play, and what is their education, training, licensure and experience performing hair restoration surgery?
• Will anyone not allowed by the State Medical Board be making incisions or harvesting grafts during my surgery? If so, please identify this person, explain their specific role and why they are legally permitted to perform it.
• Is everyone involved in my surgery covered by malpractice insurance?

During your consultation, the surgeon should answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, in a manner you understand. You should not feel that the surgeon is dismissing your concerns, or providing vague replies. Transparency is essential.

Other Ways to Tell if You’ve Found a Good Hair Restoration Surgeon

Assuming the consultation has gone well, here are other factors to look for in choosing a hair restoration surgeon:

Transparency about pricing—You should be told the cost of the procedure, with no “hidden” fees. Financing options—also without hidden fees—should be available.

A thorough discussion of your hair transplant plan—This should cover the type of procedure, as well as the amount of grafts to be harvested from the donor area and the distribution of grafts to be implanted to the recipient areas of your scalp. In explaining this, the surgeon should tell you that this plan is being made in anticipation of your next procedure. Hair loss will progress over time. A conscientious surgeon will plan to leave an adequate amount of donor hair for a subsequent transplant.

A discussion of possible risks—Your surgeon should disclose the risks of the procedure, including potential complications and side effects.

How to prepare for the day of surgery, and post-surgical care—You should receive printed instructions, but a good surgeon will discuss each point with you to be sure you understand, and to answer any questions you may have.

Post-surgery follow-up, and follow-up appointments—Your surgeon should call you soon after the procedure to make sure you’re comfortable and your immediate post-operative recovery is going as expected. You should also have your surgeon’s phone number in case of an urgent situation. You’ll be scheduled for follow-up appointments at certain intervals so the progress of your new growth can be monitored.

Knowledge is Power—Choose Your Surgeon Wisely!

Now that you have your Handbook to Hair Restoration Surgery, use your knowledge to choose your surgeon wisely! If this blog post is too long for you to print out and take to your consultation, our Hair Loss Consultation Checklist includes all of the important points to cover, in a convenient one-page format. Just click here to download.

We also invite you to visit Dr. Barusco’s YouTube channel, Hair Loss Medical Advice, where you can learn as he discusses such issues as the types and causes of hair loss, hair transplant procedures, and much more. And of course, our blog features informative posts, updated every month.

Ultimately, choose your surgeon based on experience, results and integrity. Dr. Barusco’s long list of accomplishments, his notable artistic ability and his successful surgical team make Tempus Hair Restoration a renowned practice. We understand that the main concern you may have is cost, which is why we offer financing options that can place this important goal within reach.

Contact us to schedule your free virtual consultation. Dr. Barusco conducts every consultation himself, giving you the opportunity to learn your options in the comfort of your home – or any location, on any internet-enabled device. 

Dr. Barusco conducts consultations in English, Spanish and Portuguese. For your greater convenience, Tempus Hair Restoration offers a two-night complimentary hotel stay to out-of-town clients who travel 100 miles or more to our Port Orange, Florida, surgical center. No matter how far the distance, we welcome the opportunity to help you on your hair restoration journey!