Research:

Hair restoration today has become a general science in which these medical facilities have popped up on every corner and performing the work isn't rocket science. However, there are several things to consider when having hair restoration; these include:

1.) Plasic surgeon vs. general doctor

2.) Shaved head or no shaved head

3.) Head Wrap / no Head Wrap

4.) Doctor performs the recipient area incisions / hair techs perform each incision.

5.) Stitches versus Staples

The cost for a plasic surgeon will be more expensive based on the type of education the doctor has received and work that he does. You can expect a 3-5K difference if you are particular about scarring. I learned a long-time ago, that some things in life are definately worth the extra money. There have been many of cases of bad scarring in the donor area, so be careful on an unknown doctor or facility. Next, you have to determine how you want to be perceived in public, specifically at work.

Since I am a consultant, I was concerned how I would look with a new half/shaved head. However, in my opinion, to get the most out of the procedure, I decided grafting around existing hair would be messy and uneven, especially if the old hair began to shed.

Some doctors will provide you a head-wrap for the first night. This isn't essential; however, its nice to have should your donor area bleed a little (this might save you a pillowcase).

Note: Some businesses are setup by marketers (yes, fancy talking salemen) and hire doctors to perform the incision on the donor area, and then hair techs who insert the grafts in the recipient area (who said you needed to be a doctor to have your own hair business). Many hair techs operate independently and travel, but usually do have the experience necessary to perform the work. However, I don't want a travelling doctor performing incisions in the donor area, but thats just me.

I recommend researching the doctor and make sure that he/she isn't just a face on the Internet. The doctor should have an established location and meet/greet them in person, not just on the day of the surgery.

Additionally, if you are trying to decide between stitches and staples, I prefer a plastic surgeon using a fine stitching technique over the Frankenstein method use of staples, but to each their own.