• A physician who offers you FUE and FUT technology is ideal because you want the ability to choose the right technique for your goals and your budget. Any physician who only offers one is usually not experienced or not up to date. You deserve to be able to choose.
• You want a physician who evaluates your family history of hair loss from both sides of your family. Your physician shouldn’t solely be worried about your hair loss today but where it’s heading in the future. We like to call this “planning ahead.”
• You want to make sure your physician has years of experience sculpturing hairlines, which is arguably the most important part of the procedure.
• Make sure your expectations are tailored to the amount of donor hair available, so the appearance you end up with is equal to what you want.
• Realize you might need multiple procedures to ultimately complete your look and expectations.

The FUT (follicular unit transplant) is the traditional procedure used by physicians around the world. It is also called the “strip” technique and is the most common hair restoration procedure. The strip takes a section of hair that is excised or cut out of the back of the scalp in the donor area. With today’s technology, the strip is usually hidden within ten minutes or so. The strip of hair follicles is put under microscopes and dissected into single, double, and triple hair follicles. The singles are used in the hairline for a soft wispy look, and doubles are set behind. The doubles and the triples are used on top for major density. With this technique, we ask you to take it easy for about three days depending on your profession.

FUE (follicular unit extraction) is a relatively new technique that has received a boost thanks to massive marketing campaigns. The FUE procedure eliminates the long scar in the donor area and extracts follicles one at a time. This means that the length of the procedure time is basically doubled. Also, the back of your head has to be completely shaved because we only want the follicle for the front and top. The shaved area in the back is totally exposed for three to four weeks. The amount of labor used in the procedure is also doubled and the time spent in the chair by you, the patient, is basically doubled as well. Some patients only want the newest techniques and are willing to pay for this new technology. The robotic technique basically uses the same procedure as the FUE.

The results of the FUE and the FUT are basically the same, assuming that you are using an experienced physician.

At Male Medical of Chicago, the FUT procedure typically takes about six hours, depending on the number of grafts, and the FUE takes about nine hours but typically involves fewer follicles in a procedure.

Only a local anesthetic called lidocaine is used during a hair restoration. This is similar to what a dentist uses. You are awake the entire procedure unless you decide to nap, and we normally have lunch together since it is a long day. Most patients watch movies while waiting for the procedure to be completed.

Those who do not have enough donor area from which to extract the necessary hair are excluded. Also, those with a limited donor area who have expectations that cannot be realized may not qualify.

Results are amazing. In men, they will usually last for the rest of your life. This is the same for women, although occasionally women may thin in their mid-to-late 70s.

This depends on how much hair you have when we do the procedure, your genetic make-up, and/or how much hair you are destined to lose. If you have a lot of hair, you will probably lose more, but if you are almost or completely bald, then you don’t really have more to lose.

You can resume your normal activities about a week after your hair restoration, although most people feel good enough to go to dinner or work in about two days.

Temporary bruising, minor swelling, and mild to moderate discomfort are the most common side effects but are always very limited. Temporary loss of sensation in the operated area resolves within a few months after surgery, and you may experience some itching during recovery.

Surgical fees depend on the extent of your particular procedure, but a typical hair restoration cost ranges from $4,500 to $15,000, depending on whether it's an FUT or FUE, the amount of hair you need, and how many grafts you choose to purchase.

Rest and avoid exertion for three or four days. Sleep in a recliner or with some pillows propped up under your head for at least three days after your surgery. You will receive post-op medication that will last four to six days and should be used for proper healing and faster growth.

Schedule your free consultation at one of our four locations or via phone call. Our experienced team of surgeons and staff members is here to meet all of your cosmetic needs.

• Men who have thinning hair and do not want to be bald
• Men who are bald and do not want to go through life looking older than they are
• Women who are suffering from female pattern baldness and are distraught about how they look and feel about themselves
• Anyone who wants facial hair, thicker eyebrows, and/or enhanced eyelashes

Hair restoration is a wonderful procedure for anyone older than 18 who experiences hair loss, hair thinning, and/or balding. It provides phenomenal results for men as well as women. If your hair loss is on your mind, it is usually because it is not on your head.

Hair restoration is the most contemporary term for hair transplantation, although hair restoration integrates more modern technology and techniques than its predecessor. The usage of more sophisticated anesthesia, surgical tools and techniques, anti-swelling medication, lasers, and other medical prescriptions available today truly allow Male Medical of Chicago's physicians to restore your hair growth and, in most cases, reverse, slow down, or prevent future hair loss.

In most cases, good candidates for hair restoration can be identified during a free consultation and examination by our Male Medical of Chicago specialists. Just by the fact that you are visiting our website means you are serious about the effect baldness is having on your life. This positive mental attitude makes you a very good candidate for hair restoration, and now you should schedule a one-on-one consultation so we can evaluate exactly what can be done for your unique situation. The consultation is noninvasive and really is essential to discovering what hair restoration can do for you and determining that your expectations are in sync with what can be accomplished.

Years ago, people used to avoid hair transplants because they were somewhat painful, but today, virtually all our patients are amazed that there is little, if any, discomfort in the procedure. Even the anesthesia can now be delivered virtually pain-free. Our physicians ask every patient to quantify their procedural pain on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being unbearable. Over 95% of the patients score their procedural discomfort at 2 or less. At Male Medical of Chicago, "pain" is a word that patients rarely ever mention.

Long recovery times are yesterday’s news! Many people are able to return to work the next day and most activities within three days. All activities, including most exercises and regular hair care, can be resumed in four to five days. Tiny scabs, like a razor nick from shaving, will form and be gone in about a week if the post-operative instructions are followed carefully. Depending on your degree of baldness or how you style your hair, most people will never notice or see them.

Just like when you move a plant from the backyard to the front yard, it takes a while for the plant to come out of the shock of being moved. Then it starts to grow again. All we move is the hair follicle, and just like the plant, it will take a little time for you to notice the growth. Within 90 to 120 days, you will see tiny hairs growing, and within about four to eight months you will be ecstatic. Every day, you will look forward to combing your new hair. Once you have your first major haircut, the look and feel will begin to totally enhance your appearance and the way you feel about yourself.

Once the doctor determines that you have a sufficient donor area (where the transplanted hair comes from) and that you have realistic expectations as to what can be accomplished, the hair restoration procedure is guaranteed to take and grow. Under the very rare circumstances that a small percentage of the grafts do not take, we will replace them at no charge as long as there is appropriate donor area available.

If you can tell that an individual has had a hair restoration procedure, then it was not performed at Male Medical of Chicago, and it may not have been performed properly. Using artistic state-of-the-art techniques and technology should provide you, our patient, with a completely natural, age-appropriate head of hair that can be styled, colored, and changed to fit your lifestyle and all the changes that you may want.

With today's technology, frontal scarring is not an occurrence you should expect. Our physicians use the most contemporary and innovative techniques to close the donor area site. Most patients can have the trichophytic closure, a technique where 90% of the patients have a donor scar of less than 2.5 mm WITH HAIR GROWING THROUGH IT, so it is often only visible to an experienced hair restoration expert.

Other patients may choose to do the FUT (follicular unit extraction) technique that extracts one hair follicle at a time. There is virtually no scar with this technique, but there are some limitations when choosing this method.

When it comes to women, hair restoration is one of the most important options they have for a permanent real result. Hair loss in women may be hereditary, hormonal, a combination of both, or some form of an infection. This means seeking the care of an experienced physician who will take the time to make the correct diagnosis is critical for women with hair loss.

The procedure for women is similar to the one performed on men with some important variations in the technique. These can and will be discussed with your doctor during the consultation. We are also a frequent choice for women with scarring hair loss from facelifts or other surgeries. Women have also discovered us for filling in their eyebrows and eyelashes. The most important part is they love the results — and why wouldn’t they?