Alessa Avec Fashion

Alopecia in WomenI'm heading to Florida today for an unusual hair transplant... we're broadcasting it live at 10:00 EST and 1:00 EST on Friday, November 18. Details below on my second hair transplant with the lovely and talented Dr. Alan Bauman. It will also be broadcast by Hair Guru Spencer Kobren.

The event kicks off at approximately 10:00am EST when Dr. Bauman will harvest individual hair follicles from the back of Nalty’s scalp using the Follicular Unit Extraction, or FUE, method.  A second broadcast will take place at approximately 1:00pm EST, where he will show how those follicles are carefully implanted into Nalty’s scalp to produce a permanent, natural hairline. The 1:00pm webcast will also include a live ‘call-in’ Q&A segment hosted by best-selling author and The Bald Truth’s radio talk show host, Spencer Kobren.
Bauman and Nalty are anticipating even more response to Friday’s event as consumer interest in hair restoration is higher than ever, and new techniques like NeoGraft FUE, which will be used again for Nalty’s procedure, have made hair transplantation a less invasive and less detectable option for the estimated 100 million American men and women with thinning hair.What is NeoGraft/FUE?FUE or Follicular Unit Extraction is an advanced minimally-invasive hair transplant technique which, according to ISHRS statistics, has experienced an exponential increase in volume worldwide over the past several years. FUE eliminates the need for doctors to remove a large strip of skin from the back of the scalp—a procedure known as a linear or strip-harvest—and therefore leaves no linear scar.The FDA-cleared NeoGraft is a dramatic advancement over previous manual FUE methods which were more time consuming and less accurate.  Years ago, Dr. Bauman became the first Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery to routinely use NeoGraft device for mechanical FUE which comprises 90% of all transplants he performs today.“FUE is an extremely effective surgical option for patients that allows for a quicker, more comfortable recovery, less post-op activity restrictions, as well as avoiding the tell-tale linear scar associated with traditional hair transplants,” says Dr. Bauman.  However, patients should keep in mind that a natural FUE hair transplant still requires keen artistry and precision and should be performed by a surgeon with extensive specialized hair transplant training, certifications and experience.Key Benefits of NeoGraft FUE:

Least invasive hair transplant available No ‘tell-tale’ linear scar where the donor hair is harvested Shorter, more comfortable recovery No stitches or staples to be removed Less activity restrictions after surgery Very short haircuts are possible after surgery Transplants more than twice as many hair grafts in a single surgery as the previous manually-performed FUE surgery in the same amount of time

While the benefits of FUE hair transplantation are undeniable, celebrity endorsements help build consumer confidence and awareness.“My celebrity patients are usually reluctant to reveal their hair restoration work,” says Bauman. “However Nalty and Benson are part of a more open generation of celebrities… or weblebrities. Like ABC‘Anchorman’ Jim Abath and NBC Dateline’s ‘Follicle Five,’ they’re helping de-stigmatize hair transplants as a viable hair loss treatment, and help people understand that so much has changed with hair transplantation since the days of old ‘hair plugs’ or ‘strip’ scars.”
“The procedure was pretty much pain free, and it’s actually an engaging process that’s more art than science,” says Nalty. “I love sharing it with my viewers because I feel like Fred Rogers doing a tour of a candy shop.”

Hair loss can be a painful experience for both men and women, but today, scientific advances have made hair loss a treatable condition and hair transplants can now be performed 100% undetectably without the pain, scars and long recovery times that used to be associated with the procedure,” explains Bauman. “I hope viewers can learn from Nalty’s public journey and discover the abundance of resources available from the relatively small number of qualified doctors who specialize in hair loss.”
ABOUT DR. ALAN BAUMAN:Alan J. Bauman, M.D., founder of Bauman Medical Group in Boca Raton, Florida, is a full-time board-certified and internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon whose pioneering work has been featured extensively in the national and international print and television media, such as Newsweek, The New York Times, Cosmo, Vogue, Allure, Men’s Health, Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, Extra, Access Hollywood and Dateline NBC.Dr. Bauman is recognized within the medical profession as top U.S. medical expert on the treatment of hair loss in men and women. A board-certified hair restoration surgeon, Dr. Bauman was the first to demonstrate ‘live’ the FUE method of hair transplantation at the 2003 International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Orlando Live Surgery Workshop and the first to demonstrate the NeoGraft FUE device at the ISHRS Orlando Live Surgery Workshop in 2010. His practice is divided equally between male and female patients, and Dr. Bauman provides state-of-the-art diagnostic procedures and a multi-therapy approach to the medically treatable condition of hair loss. Dr. Bauman is a member and often a featured speaker at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Annual Scientific Meetings.

"Who's the best hair transplant doctor?" is a question I get a lot.

Poor Jeremy Piven (Runaway Jury, SpyKids, etc.). The guy knows the criticality of hair to his career. So he discretely gets a hair transplant, then has TMZ up his ass (see photo courtesy of Boss for Hairloss).

The article mentions me (Nalts) and Greg Benson (Mediocrefilms). I haven't talked to "The Best U.S. Hair Transplant Doctor" in a while, but I'm guessing Dr. B has his hands full with "Donor Scar Camouflage" treatments (I'm going to trademark that).

Bauman is one of the leaders of "follicular unit extraction" (FUE) using NeoGraft, which was shown on Rachael Ray “Plastic Surgery Breakthroughs." That's how he harvested my follcicles from the donor area without the use of a scalpel, stitches or staples. He told me last year that he's been increasingly asked to use FUE hair transplants to hide bad donor scars. Poor Dr. B. He's the best in his field, so he's gotta clean up other people's mess.

Boss of Hairloss writes, "no procedure can be 100% scar-free, after a matter of days healing is complete and undetectable from a social distance–even with a very short haircut."

I'd go a step further. I had some of the globe's leading hair transplant experts scrutinizing my head with their fingers, magnifying glasses and combs. Ain't nobody finding my scar! :)

Check out the Dateline episode featuring The Follicle Five. Surgeonofnalts (Dr. Alan Bauman) makes an appearance, and you can see the difference it made for his patient.

According to a recent RealSelf.com survey (see press release by Dr. Bauman), guys want better hairlines second only to whiter teeth... and 20% of the 2000 plus adults said they wanted hair transplants.

Doctor Alan Bauman, who did my hair transplant, commented on my recent post about hair loss and it brings up an interesting issue:

Countless patients come through our doors each year after being shunned or even ridiculed by their dermatologist for wanting to do something about their hair loss. The most help any of them ever got from their Derm was a bottle of rogaine as they were sent out the door. Seek the advice of a trained medical professional who SPECIALIZES in hair restoration.

It's true that the majority of primary-care and dermatologists aren't interested in hair loss treatment, and find it a distraction. It's not covered by insurance, and a typical PCP or dermatologist won't profit from treating hairloss. More importantly, they often lack insight into a simple fact: if the patient had the courage to ask a physician, he likely is highly concerned about his hair-loss even if he appears otherwise. So when he's dismissed or ignored, he probably loses some trust for the physician.

That trust can undermine the doctor-patient relationship in ways the doctor never sees. Kinda sad, so here are some tips:

1. See a specialist if you can. Even if you're not interested in a hair transplant, a physician who specializes in hair is ideal (if your dermatologist or PCP has hair-loss informational resources in the front office, you're probably safe).
2. If you talk to your primary-care physician (or some derms), you're likely to do so at the end of an appointment discussing another medical issue... so don't wait until the doctor is reaching for the door handle.
3. Educate yourself before going, and let the physician know what you've tried already. This will help him/her know you're concerned. Trust me: unless he's treating his own hairloss, he's not going to know you're concerned about yours if you're subtle.
   
4. Ask for a recommendation and not options. Many physicians feel they're serving the patient if they list a variety of treatment approaches. While this demonstrates the physicians knowledge, the patient wants the doctor's advice.
5. If all else fails, go to another doctor. It's a lot easier to find another doctor than to try to change your doctor's personality or methods.

It's hard enough to decide whether to get a hair transplant and how to afford one. Choosing the right doctor can be overwhelming. A Google search reveals countless objective and biased sources, and who has time to sort them all out?

Here are a dozen sample resources on picking a good doc, in no particular order. But I've summarized practical guidance below in 10 tips, so you don't have to go on a web safari to find the key considerations.

1. WebMD: Picking a Surgeon
2. US Hair Restoration
3. OmniMedical Search
4. Hair Restoration Advice
5. Skin Treatment Guide
6. eHow: How to Rate Them
7. International Hair Surgical Group
8. International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery: a leading organization with the world's worst logo.
   
9. Life Tips: Finding a Hair Restoration Doctor
10. International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
11. American Hair Loss Association
    

Whew- that's a lot of content to "comb over." Now before I give you my own top 10 approaches, I should explain my two potential biases. First, I title this blog "The Hair Insider" because I gained some inside perspective while working as Product Director of Propecia (the only prescription product proven to save and grow hair). I met many of the leading physicians -- some made me cringe, while others seemed sincere. Still, I'm more likely to have a favorable view of those larger affiliations like MHR or Bosley (mostly due to the impressive Medical Director Ken Washenik, who struck me as a well regarded leader, despite a whole anti-Bosley site).

Second, I'm obviously partial to (Bauman Medical) because I had a positive experience with Dr. Alan Bauman this week (and I didn't need to pay full price because I am helping him market via online video). But in my own due dilligence (2 years considering getting a transplant), Dr. Bauman and his team in Boca Raton, Florida came highly referenced, well credentialed on television and print, and were often identified by peers as the guy they would choose. I felt like that mattered more than anything.

Biases disclaimed, I'm a former journalist who is sincerely trying to give fellow male-pattern hairloss folks thorough and objective advice to picking the right doctor or practice. Here is "the least you need to know":

1) Nothing beats a reference. True, I can't compare my Bauman experience with other doctors, but I was treated well, liked the staff, and I fully expect positive outcomes. If I hadn't heard so many positive things about Bauman, I would have wanted to speak with his patients -- both the ones who returned, and the ones that might have had a less positive experience, assuming they exist. If you get a reference, put the most stake in the one that comes from someone who had the transplant a year earlier, and can vouche for not just the experience but the ultimate outcome. And put less stake in the references you get from the practice, since those are clearly not drawn randomly.
2) Listen to "The Bald Truth" by Spencer Kobren, an author and founder of IAHRS. Kobren charges doctors for the exhaustive work he conducts to weed out the wackos from the credible surgeons with good reputations and patient experiences. I'm not sure all of the best surgeons are part of IAHRS, but I doubt many hacks are among them. Initially I called Spencer for a reference, but then decided to go with my gut, and called the guy I had met and had been well referenced by my colleagues as somone sincere, progressive, and talented.
3) Remember what's important. If someone is pitching you hard on a specific doctor, take a step back. Don't shop by price-per-graft, or you'll get what you pay for. You want an experienced physician not a noob, but you also one who's not so late in his career that he's unlikely to keep current on the latest technology.
4) The doctor isn't the only factor. Hair transplantation involves a variety of roles: a doctor, a counseler, technicians, specialists, assistants. A good surgeon keeps his staff, and they become a well-oiled machine. Although the responsibility rests in the hands of the physicians, the tech team does a variety of critical work... from harvesting to implanting the hair. It's a team job, so ask about the entire team and don't get woed by the doctor alone. Now consider this tip when you assess the Bosley's or MHR. They've probably got good training, but ultimately the franchise name is less important than the doctor and team you get.
5) Don't worry about location. Hair transplantation can be done anywhere, but proximity isn't vital. It's convenient to have someone close, but far more important that you find the right team. The cost of a flight is trivial in the grand scheme.
6) Don't get pressured by the "consultants." These guys are important to keep doctors doing what they do best (surgery) and they can help you assess your needs. But they're often glorfied sales people, and they want to close the deal. I could not fathom approaching a chain via a consultant, because I'd feel like I was buying time share.
7) Look for passion not profit pursuit. My surgeon, who is about my age, always knew he wanted to be a hair transplant surgeon, and found his calling after dabbling briefly in cosmetic surgery. But there are other physicians that were doing general medicine, and decided they were sick of managed care and wanted the hours and money of cash-paying cosmetic patients. That's not the ideal profile for me.
8) Plunge into a community (Kobren's is called the The Bald Truth Talk forum). Here's a nice post that has some advice for the noobs. Another is the Hairloss Help Forum. These forums will help you learn from people that have, or are currently in your same boat. If you're the guy that likes Consumer Reports and ePinions, then you'll want to conduct thorough reference checks and ask loads of questions. But the references are certainly hand picked by the practice, and who has time for that? I believe in crowdsourcing, so if I see lots of posts and threads that are favorable about a doctor, I'll hope it's not someone "gaming the system" but real patients praising the best doctors (or slamming the worst).
10) It's a Buyer's Market. The transplant industry is not booming like breast augmentation or Botox, and some of the poor surgeons are fading away... while even the good ones are eager for new cases. That doesn't mean you want to haggle or shop and compare, but it means you don't need to feel rushed or pressured.

I long for a day when physicians can be rated by patients on such key attributes as "bedside manner" and "technical excellence." Indeed, perhaps there's a Trip Advisor for hair surgeons that isn't really a disguised pitch for one group or practice. Let me know, and good luck!