Category: Other Surgical Procedures

I am a 33yr old, health male, with no health problem. I am interested in getting facial hair augmentation. I am missing large clumps of hair which have never developed on my face, much like hair growth patterns seen I have seen in Asian men. I would like to complete the hair line from my sideburn to my chin and then up around to add to my mustache.

It is possible that you have either a late onset beard that you understand may still yet develop. It is also possible that your genetic pattern has produced this facial hair distribution. What does your family look like? Are there relatives with this beard pattern? Is there Asian genetics in your family line? The dilemma here is to differentiate genetics (most probable cause) from other causes. Before embarking on such a path there are a number of steps that you need to get done. These steps are:

1. Establish a relationship with a doctor where mutual trust is established. The doctor must feel comfortable with your goals and expectations and they must be realistic from the doctor’s point of view. You must understand all of the risks and downsides of such a procedure.
2. Get testosterone and DHT blood tests to determine hormonal issues related to the facial patterns of hair distribution.
3. Get an assessment of the status of your eventual hair loss with a close examination of your scalp under high-powered magnification.
4. Get a second opinion from an endocrinologist to determine if exogenous DHT is available and/or advisable.

First, of course, I would start with #1, then work with the doctor you selected and extend to the rest of the list. If I was the doctor and agreed that this is a procedure I would be willing to perform, then I might start by extending your sideburns down the face and if that met your needs, I would consider another more aggressive step. I would love to engage you with further dialogue.

For examples of transplanted sideburns, please take a look at:

• Patient MT
• Patient UK

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I am a 22 year old male with a widows’ peak that I would like removed. I also have bad acne if you take care of that at all. Please let me know costs, etc…

Thanks

Removing a widow’s peak is not easy and has side effects which include scarring, depigmentation, pitting, etc. That of course, depends upon the mechanism that you chose to remove the widow’s peak. FUE works, but may leave small depigmented areas, just like electrolysis might do. Laser hair removal may work but also runs the risk of depigmentation and the failure rates with laser hair removal and electrolysis is higher than 50% per hair treated.

With regard to acne, you need to see a good dermatologist. Costs are not appropriate to discuss at this time, because there is much to do to determine if you are a candidate for any of the treatments I discussed above. At 22, I am concerned about a focus to remove a widow’s peak.

just want to get a ball park figure for eyebrow transplant. I am a 38 year old male and want more thickness and shape to my brows, like had when I was younger.
thanks.

Generally, we have a $3,000 minimum fee that will cover the eyebrows easily. On occasions we can reduce the fee if the work is really minimal.

I am interested in transplants using body hair. Does it work and do you do it? Thanks

Chest hairs and pubic hairs can be harvested for hair transplantation. However, you must realize that body hairs are not ideal for transplants because they tend to be shorter than hairs from your scalp, there are not many of them despite the sense that a very hairy chest is hairy by density, and these hairs do not grow in large groupings like scalp hair does. Body hair transplants must be considered experimental at this time, until some well published sciences stand behind them. Most people who ask me questions about body hair transplantation have depleted donor supplies from the scalp. Is this what you are facing? If it is not, body hair transplants would be completely inappropriate. Since you are in Los Angeles, I want to mention that we have a local office to you, if you would like to setup a free consultation. To schedule an appointment, please call 800-NEW-HAIR or visit the Request Additional Info page at the New Hair Institute website.

There is a post out of the UK that says there is a cure for Baldness called the Fleming-Mayer Flap. Please see the link and give me back your comments. See “An end to baldness – for those who can stomach it“

The original procedure was actually ‘invented’ by Dr. Jose Juri in South America. It was widely performed around the world with, at times, terrible consequences. Dr. Juri has been quoted by doctors I know as believing that this invention was a terrible mistake and I believe he apologized for the damage his procedure did to the many victims that the radical surgery produced.

As there is no cure for baldness, certainly a radical scalp moving procedure has many opportunities for problems. Worse, it can not cover all of the balding area, for that would take God’s hands, and not this technique.

• A banana-shaped piece of hair-bearing skin is marked out on the side of the head
• Incisions are made and the flap is loosened, always remaining attached to the head in order to maintain the blood supply
• The bald area is cut out of the patient’s scalp and removed
• The flap is twisted, flipped over the top of the head and sewn into place where the bald patch was. Surrounding skin is stretched lower down to compensate

I would not recommend this procedure for many people with ordinary male pattern balding. Even if their balding pattern does not look too bad at the time they have the procedure, as they get older, the flap will make them look freakish and I have treated many patients for deformities resulting from this type of surgery as they continued with an advancing balding pattern. The article you sent is very misleading; the flap is not a cure for baldness.

For more information about the flap procedure, please visit:

• Flap info at NHI
• Juri Flap illustrations from Dr. Kabaker
• Fleming/Mayer Flap information

How many sideburn transplants have you performed and what is the success rate? How much do you charge per follicular unit? Where are you located?

Although I couldn’t guess the exact number, we have done many sideburn transplants, more in women who had plastic surgery problems following a face lift, rather than men. However, they work wonderfully for both sexes (see Other Hair Restoration Photos).

The fee is $6/graft, or for those with more flexible schedules we have a Standby fee at $5/graft. We have a minimum surgical fee of $3000 (this includes everything except a basic blood test. Our fee includes anesthesia fees, medications after surgery, etc). My personal charge is higher per graft; the minimum fee is $3,500 with me at $10/graft, whichever is greater. We have locations in Los Angeles and San Jose, California.

For more info on pricing and locations, please see:

• NHI Fees & Financing
• NHI Large Session Discount
• NHI Office Locations