How long will the hair transplant procedure take?
Hair transplantation is an outpatient procedure. The length of the procedure depends on the extent of the hair transplant. The average hair transplant is 3-4 hours. Think of the procedure as either a morning or an afternoon in the day.

What will my scalp look like the morning after the procedure?
Immediately following the procedure a temporary dressing is placed over the transplanted hair. The dressing is to protect the hair from accidental scratching or trauma during the first night. The morning after the procedure, the dressing is removed as easily as a cap from your head.

The sutures in the back of the scalp, where the donor hair was taken, is covered by your own hair and is not visible. On the frontal part of the scalp where the transplanted hair was placed, small scabs/crusts are evident. If you have existing hair, it covers the scabs. Those who are completely bald will have some visible crusting for 6-8 days.

90% of our patients return to work 2-3 days after the procedure and report no cosmetic difficulties at work.For those who want absolutely no one to have any knowledge of the procedure, we recommend taking one week off.

What is the maximum number of hairs/grafts that can be done in one surgery?
Dr. Avram believes as much hair as safely possible should be transplanted during each surgery. The number of transplanted hair/grafts performed during surgery depends on a combination of available donor hair and the extent of hair loss. Surgeries vary from 300-2000 grafts per procedure and an estimate can be made during the consultation.

Can I drive or fly home after surgery?
After the overnight dressing is applied, you are free to go home. We recommend all patients have a family member or friend drive them home. If this is not possible our office will arrange for a car service.

For patients from outside the New York metropolitan area we recommend an overnight stay in New York. The next morning patients can fly.

How many procedures will I need?
The number of procedures depends on the rate of ongoing hair loss, the amount of donor hair, hair type, caliber and desired density. All these factors are discussed during the consult and an estimate will be given to achieve your goal.

How soon after the procedure can I resume normal activities?
Each patient can resume normal activities immediately after the surgery. There are no restrictions on every day activities. The only limitation is on heavy exercise to allow optimal wound healing. After 3 days light exercise can be done and after one week, when the sutures are removed from the back of the scalp, all patients can resume strenuous physical exercise.

Is there a better time of the year to do hair transplant procedure?
There is no particular time of year which is better or not better to do a hair transplant.

How do Minoxidil and Propecia help or hinder a hair transplant?
Both Propecia and Minoxidil are effective medications to help maintain and, in some cases, regrow hair. By using Propecia and/or Rogaine the density from the hair transplant will be maximized. If hair loss continues without medical treatment, the density from a hair transplant will be dependent on how much existing hair is lost in the future. Therefore, we believe in patients with existing thinning hair, medical treatment in conjunction with hair transplant will provide the maximum density.

Dr. Avram plans each hair transplant session assuming that at some point the only hair left on your scalp will be the transplanted hair. This gives each patient the cosmetic option to take, or not take Propecia and/or Minoxidil or stop it if they choose.

How long after the procedure can I get a haircut?
Two weeks after the procedure, when the staples/sutures are removed from the scalp.

How long after the procedure can I dye my hair?
Hair can be dyed two weeks after the procedure.

How painful is the surgery?
We believe all patients should be comfortable throughout the entire procedure. Our entire staff is dedicated to making each patient comfortable and relaxed. 90% of our patients have their hair transplant under local anesthesia, and report having some pain while the skin is being numbed but otherwise being comfortable during the procedure.

10% of our patients opt, at their request, to have sedation administered by a board certified anesthesiologist. Sedation allows the patient to breathe on his own but be in a "twilight." It is an excellent option for patients that wish to feel absolutely no discomfort during the procedure.

In the immediate post-operative period all patients are given a mild pain medication, 50% of patients take 1-2 pills the first day, and the other 50% of patients do not need to take their pain medication. We do not expect any pain the day after the surgery.

How long after the surgery until I see a difference?
It takes 6-8 months for the transplanted hair to begin to make a cosmetic difference. Each individual hair follicle grows at a slightly different rate and therefore the change will happen gradually. In all cases, the hair will grow in naturally and be undetectable.

Often, patients note the difference from a hair transplant by comparing a picture before the surgery or by seeing someone they have not seen for months who notices "something different."

What are the long term risks of the surgery?
The most common longterm side effect of hair transplantation is a failure on the part of the physician to transplant hair in a way that will look natural one and twenty years after surgery. A transplant that looks good one year after surgery may not look appropriate twenty years later. This is because male and female pattern hair loss is progressive. As hair loss progresses our hairlines slowly change. This is why a hair transplant must be designed for both short and long term, cosmetically undetectable, naturally distributed hair.

What is Low Level Laser Light Therapy (LLLT)? 
Low-level laser light therapy is a low energy light source. It has been used to treat a variety of different medical problems from ulcers to join pains. Over the past few years, it has been advocated in the treatment of male and female pattern hair loss. In 2007, it was approved and received 510K clearance from the FDA as a safe device to use in male pattern hair loss. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive studies as to the long-term efficacy of the low level laser light sources for male and female pattern hair loss.