Can Any Doctor Become a Hair Transplant Surgeon?

November 21, 2016

What Do You Know About Your Hair Transplant Surgeon?

There’s a little-known fact patients exploring their options for hair transplant procedures do not know. It’s actually relatively easy to call yourself a hair transplant surgeon. In fact, there are many “hair transplant surgeons” who don’t do much surgical work at all themselves. Instead, these hair restoration “specialists” rely on automatic devices and robots to do the work for them.

Having a hair transplantation surgeon who is board-certified means the world of difference for our patients when they come out of our office with a professionally performed procedure that is going to last them a long time. There’s just no comparison to having your scalp handled by an artist versus trusting it to a piece of machinery or a doctor with no real experience or certification in hair transplant surgery specifically.

Can any doctor become a hair transplant surgeon?

Is Hair Restoration Right for Me?

Hair loss and hair restoration are great options to restore hair in both men and women. However, this form of cosmetic plastic surgery requires an expert hair loss surgeon or physician who is properly trained. When performed properly, a hair restoration procedure performed by a hair restoration doctor is one of, if not the best ways to permanently reverse hair loss in thinning and balding areas of the hairline.

Hair restoration operations like the Follicular Unit Extraction and Follicular Unit Transplantation give women and men the confidence they may have lost due to the hair loss process. Treating men and women with FUE and FUT surgery often achieve the goal of restoring a youthful look and increased self-esteem. While this varies for each individual patient, few options produce such amazing results as hair transplants do.

In fact, hair restoration surgery is not just for the head. You may be surprised to know that hairs can be transplanted from the donor area (usually the back of one’s head) to other areas of the body that may be lacking the natural hair coverage you’re looking for.

Other Options for FUE Fair Transplant Surgeries

Eyebrows (aka an eyebrow transplant)
Mustache (aka a mustache transplant)
Beard (aka a beard transplant)

Requirements to Call Yourself a Hair Transplant Surgeon

There are only two requirements to legally call yourself a hair transplant surgeon/dr:

A medical license, such as from graduating from medical school and completing one single year of internship in any medical area.
The desire to call yourself a hair transplant surgeon.
The desire to work at a local hair clinic or hair restoration organization.

This is all that is required! In other words, while it’s best practice for physicians or a hair restoration surgery professional to be part of the American Board of Hair Restoration and the American Hair Loss Association, many patients fail to ask about these high level qualifications. They fail to ask about additional training. Are they skilled or knowledgeable in the field of dermatology and wound repair? If the surgeons are ISHRS members (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery). If they are part of a professional organization related to the hair restoration procedure you’re looking for.

So if you’ve visited other hair transplant doctor sites, you may very well be visiting the site of a person with no real experience in hair transplant surgery specifically. While there is an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) that provides recognized Board Certificates in hair transplant surgery to deserving doctors if the doctor in question is not listing this on their site, it is very likely they have no such certification.

An inexperienced surgeon with no training in dermatorology, no certification, and no surgical expertese in hair treatments.

Robots vs. Real Surgeons

While robots often sound interesting to patients seeking to undergo hair transplant surgery, don’t let the technology fool you. Robots are there to get patients in and out without the “hair transplant doctor” having to break a sweat. They’re an interesting hair restoration surgery innovation, that’s a fact. However, the entire procedure falls in the hands of a piece of equipment and not a trained hair transplantation surgeon.

A robot will never have the precision of a surgeon and in many unique situations; a robot can’t be fully utilized anyway. It takes a trained eye to perform hundreds to thousands of grafts successfully. Why would you trust that work to a machine? Why pay more to have a machine do the work when Best Hair Transplant charges less? Additionally, we have a trained hair transplant doctor who ensures your procedure is done right. The choice is clear.

Consequences of Botched Robotic Hair Restoration Surgery

There are reasons why board certified plastic surgery collectives and professional organizations for hair restoration surgery exist. Esteemed organizations like the American Board of Hair Restoration, and the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery exist.

As we discussed above, nearly any doctor with minimal training can call themselves a hair dr. That’s why it’s important for prospective patients to do their research on plastic surgery, American board certified surgeons, and local hair transplant docs in general.

Keep in mind that the use of a robot typically requires very little skill or knowledge on the part of the surgeon or their staff. Typically, all they need to know is how to operate the robot. They lack the necessary skills and experience to deliver the results themselves. As a result, they may not know how to deal with issues that arise, both during and after the procedure.

Experiencing hair transplant complications

Issues You May Experience Using Robotics

Unnecessary Swelling
Linear Scarring or Pit Scarring
Strip Sensitivity from FUT
Lack of Care Instructions
Other Causes Due to Inexperience or Poor Equipment Maintenance

Have your hair restoration handled comfortably and skillfully by a hair loss surgeon with a background that ensures the best hair restoration results. Choose Best Hair Transplant and say no to robots! Say yes to a skilled hair restoration surgeon. A talented hair restoration doctor is still the best option.

Is Your Hair Doctor Qualified to Perform Hair Transplants?

Don’t Take a Chance… Get a Free Second Opinion with Us

We offer a free virtual consultation to all of our potential patients to speak to them about their options for hair transplant surgery. Whether it’s an FUE or FUT procedure, or you’re interested in thickening laser products or treatments like Xtrallux 352, we can point you in the right direction of the hair restoration products or services that will treat your scalp, and you as an individual, better than the competition. And saving a little money doesn’t hurt either.

In many cases, patients find that even if they are not located in the Los Angeles area, they may still save money traveling to us to complete their hair transplant procedure. Regardless of what your specific circumstances and treatment here may be, Best Hair Transplant aims to always be the best choice for your hair transplant procedure.

We’ll help you understand the treatment process and surgical options best for your type or extent of hair loss. By the end of our talk, you’ll understand the difference between FUE and FUT strip hair transplants. You’ll also be able to tell which surgeons or physicians provide the looks, operations, and prices that fit your treatment needs.

Book a second opinon hair consultation with our LA hair tranplant dr.

Inflated Costs of Wannabe Surgeons

Don’t let higher costs fool you. There are many doctors out there who charge more to create the appearance of a more upscale experience. Particularly in the Los Angeles area, many doctors use the desire for beauty and focus on appearance to create the illusion that a higher price means higher quality. This is simply not so.

At best, they’re working at a higher rate with the same skills, knowledge, and tools available to Best Hair Transplant. At worst, they’re working with lesser skills and shoddy equipment or robots. Why pay more to get less? Why trust your surgery to a doctor simply because he/she charges more and claims to be an upscale practice? A little research will reveal that the cost-effective priced option is actually of better quality.

If you’re looking for a great surgeon in Los Angeles for your hair transplant, Dr Greg Powell from Best Hair Transplant is a solid bet. Yes, we may be biased, but for good reason. We’ve been in the business for over 20 years and we know what it means to be a qualified hair transplant dr. He’s the real deal.

Hair Transplant expert and Emergency physician Dr Greg Powell

Choose the Best Hair Transplant

Best Hair Transplant is number one in hair transplant procedures and hair-restoring technology such as Laser Cap Me. We provide the best quality hair transplant and, in virtually all cases, we’re the best priced. For a free consultation regarding your options, contact us today. Our hair physician is not only skilled in hair restoration surgery but is also a trained emergency room dr.

If you need more information on natural hair restoration or have questions about can you do FUE twice, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Best Hair Transplant’s LA FUE hair restoration clinic is always here for you.