Male Hair Transplant Miami, FL

Miami’s Recognized Male
Hair Fue Transplant Expert

Dr. Epstein explaining FUE on a Hair Transplant Patient
one day out from a procedure.

Hair Transplant Candidates

Hair transplantation is most commonly performed for individuals with male pattern baldness, and in fact is the most frequent plastic surgery procedure performed on men. It can restore density to or lower a thinning hairline, build up temporal points, and fill in diffuse areas of thinning, and repair the less than aesthetic results of prior hair transplant procedures. , Individuals with thin or missing eyebrows, mustaches or beards, as well as those with hair loss due to scars from trauma or prior FUT strip hair transplants are are also appropriate candidates. Reasonably good health and realistic expectations are important, which will be provided by Dr. Epstein so you will understand what to expect. The procedure can be safely performed on individuals from the mid to early 20s to the late 70s and beyond. Of course, each case is evaluated by the doctor for appropriateness, along with the providing of alternative or combined therapies.  In the occasional case, Dr. Epstein will advise the patient receive clearance from his internist or cardiologist, and if indicated the procedure can be performed under the supervision of an anesthetist who can monitor the patient as well as administer twilight sedation if desired. 

Options For Your Evaluation

CONSULT IN PERSON  –  You can meet with Dr. Epstein in the Miami office if you live in or will be visiting south Florida.  Here you can not only have a chance to discuss your goals and undergo a full evaluation, but also see the modern facility that is designed with patient comfort and safety in mind.  Our office is located in South Miami close to Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, downtown Miami and Miami Beach, and is just 20 minutes from Miami International Airport.  The office is on the campus of South Miami Hospital (affiliated with Baptist Health), and provides covered underground parking and sufficient privacy.  Please be sure to bring your parking ticket for validation.  You can schedule a consultation or learn more by clicking HERE. 

CONSULT BY WEBCAM – Dr. Epstein is no stranger to webcams, having provided hundreds of patients consultations over the past five years.  Today, this has become the most popular method for patients to “meet” Dr. Epstein, especially considering that most patients are traveling from out of town.  Your consult can be performed just like a regular in-office consultation, with the doctor discussing with you your goals and explaining his recommendations in a formal manner from the comfort of your home, your office, or even your car.  The most common formats for the webcam are FaceTime or Zoom, but other modalities are available.  You can schedule a consultation or learn more by clicking HERE. 

EVALUATION BY PHOTO REVIEW – This is an easy way to have your case evaluated, without any charge.  By sending your photos, along with information on your age, hair loss history, any prior therapies or procedures, family history of hair loss, and your goals, Dr. Epstein can provide his recommendations and advice.  If desired, once you receive his recommendations, you can have a webcam or in-office consultation to learn more, however by photo review you will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak with his assistant Roxy or Dannette who will be able to guide you through this process.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT BY COMING TO DR. EPSTEIN

One phrase sums it best:  Commitment to Excellence in Hair Restoration Surgery since 1994. 

What that means is you can be confident that your procedure will be performed to the highest aesthetic and technical standards, and from the moment you walk into our office on the day of your procedure, you will feel like your results are the most important thing that matters. 

Our office also follows the strictest CDC and WHO guidelines to assure a Covid19-Protected environment.

HOW YOUR PROCEDURE AND THE ENTIRE PROCESS WILL PLAY OUT

All patients are assigned a patient advisor, either Roxy or Dannette, who will be a point of contact and assure that the entire process runs smoothly, from initial contact to setting up the consult and obtaining the doctor’s recommendations, to scheduling the procedure and helping with hotels, to diligent follow up.  Dr. Epstein is obviously actively involved with all steps, focusing on making his recommendations, answering questions, and of course performing your procedure to the highest standards.  He also follows up with all patients on the morning after a procedure, and is available by his cellphone or email throughout the entire post-procedure process and in follow-up.

Your consult can be done either in person in our Miami office, or by webcam.  All procedures are performed in our Miami office in our certified procedure suites.  Most patients have the procedure done under oral sedation and local anesthesia, and it truly is a virtually painless, easy experience that takes 4 to 8 hours to perform in most cases.  Intravenous twilight sedation is available if the patient chooses, requiring nothing by mouth from midnight.  Our doctors work with one of the world’s most experienced men’s hair transplant teams that consist of nine full-time hair technicians, two RNs, and three licensed Nurse Practitioners.  These are not hired per-diem technicians, but full-time team members who average over 13 years working in our practice.  From Karelia to Jackie to Jose to Mari to Carmen to Lourdes to Vicky to Jessenia to Jessica to Andrea to Mercy, everyone is committed to helping you achieve your desired result.

FUE Techniques

No-Shave, Partial-Shave, and Conventional Shave

Conventionally, FUE is performed by most surgeons with shaving of the entire scalp, donor area (back and sides of the head) and recipient area (area into which the grafts are being transplanted.  In Dr. Epstein’s hands, there is no need for any shaving at all if the patient chooses to have the No-Shave FUE.  With a Partial-Shave FUE, only the lower back of the head is shaved, and finally with standard FUE the entire sides and back of the head are usually shaved.  No matter how the donor area is treated, there is NO reason to shave the areas into which the grafts are being placed, except when the patient is agreeable to this in order to shorten a bit the duration of the procedure. 

No-Shave FUE 

This is a technique advanced by Dr. Epstein, in which only the hairs for each graft that are to be transplanted are trimmed, leaving all the surrounding hairs in the donor area intact.  While somewhat more time-consuming and requiring of a particularly meticulous approach, the No-Shave FUE leaves the donor areas appearing completely untouched, so patients are typically presentable the very next day without any sign of having had a procedure Because of the technical challenges, when having a large procedure the patient will often need to return the next day for additional work.  While somewhat more pricey due to the time and expertise required, the No-Shave is the procedure of choice for the patient who wants to get right back to work and social situations.

Partial-Shave FUE

In Partial-Shave FUE, the only hairs that are shaved are those in the lower back of the head.  This permits the hairs above this area to cover over the shaved area, or to blend in with the shaved area as in a “fade” hair style, thus allowing most patients to be presentable within a few days of the procedure without wearing a hat. 

Finally, regular FUE

In standard FUE, particularly in larger procedures, the back and sides of the head are shaved to permit the most expedititous harvesting of the grafts.  In a single day procedure, as many as 2600 or more grafts can potentially be transplanted, and for this reason as well as the lowest cost per graft, some patients choose this as their technique.  The donor area is typically full healed up in two to three days, after which the areas just looks like it had a very close shave.  As stated above, no matter the FUE technique, it is not necessary to trim the hairs in the recipient area, allowing the existing hairs to conceal the tiny crusts where the transplants were placed until they fall out after one week or so.

Technology of FUE

Finesse and excellence in FUE requires:

1. The lowest rate of transection of the grafts.  Low transection rates translate into a higher rate of growth of the transplanted hairs.  A transection rate of over 5% is usually due to poor technique and or poor instrumentation.
2. The least amount of scarring in the donor area.  FUE is often mislabeled as “scar free” when in reality where each graft is harvested, there is left behind a typically small “dot” scar.  Minimizing this scar is achieved by minimizing the trauma to the donor area, using the very smallest “punch” to remove the graft, properly spreading out the harvesting of the grafts, and optimal care of the donor area
3. The least amount of scarring in the reciepint area, as well as minimizing “shock” male hair loss.  This assures the most natural appearance, and is achieved by proper trimming of the skin around the graft and or the use of the smallest punches to assure that the grafts cause minimal scarring.  Shock loss, characterized as a loss of the original existing hairs in the area being transplanted, while usually temporary can be distressing to the patients, and should be avoided as much as possible.
4. And finally, and not least, the aesthetics of recipient site formation to assure ideal angulation, distribution, and feathering of the transplanted hairs.  There is no single step more important in the men’s hair transplant than the creation of recipient sites.

So, how will we perform your procedure?

1. The use of the most sophisticated FUE devices in the hands of an experienced FUE extractor assures optimal grafts.  At our office, we rely primarily on the WAW system (developed by Dr. Epstein’s Belgian colleague and the Trivellini system (a Paraguayan colleague), both which utilize an oscillating rather than a rotary motion, and a “hybrid” or trumpet punchy that minimize hair transection to less than 4%.   These systems work well not only on typical straight or wavy hair, but also on ethnically curly hair including Afro-ethnic hair. This is superior to any of the “robot” or other proprietary “automated” drill systems that are heavily promoted and that are typically used by doctors who have little experience with FUE hair transplantation.   Here we will insert the photo of the close up of the grafts, and the video of the side by side comparison between the different FUE punches-  both of which are attached to the email that this was sent to u with

2. The smaller the punch, the less the scarring.  Our use of punches 0.8 and 0.85mm in size, occasionally 0.9mm in select cases, assures minimal scarring.  The use of the WAW and Trivellini systems, because of their superior method of graft extraction, permit the use of these smaller punches.  Also, when determining the size of the procedure to be performed, one factor is that which will minimize the over-harvesting of grafts that can result in a patchy appearance of the donor area.
3. Scarring of the recipient area is usually due to trauma to the skin in the process of making recipient sites, and or the use of grafts that are too large.  Using such tiny punches permits Dr. Epstein to use very tiny blades to make the recipient sites, typically 0.5mm (one-half millimeter) for one and usually two hair grafts, and 0.6mm for three and sometimes two hair grafts, and the occasional use of 0.7mm blades for larger three hair grafts.  The other factor that allows for the making of such tiny recipient sites is the experience of the assistants in graft placement, a process that is facilitated by the use of implanter pens that minimize trauma to the grafts.  Smaller recipient sites are one of the main factor sin reducing “shock loss” of existing hairs, along with several other steps the doctor takes.   Here show video of graft placement – 4 person team-  using implanters

4. And finally, the “art” of recipient site formation is not merely making tiny slits, but also having those slits made at the ideal angle and pattern and distribution.  Every single recipient site is made by Dr. Epstein to assure the transplant creates the final result as he pictures it to look. 

Hair Transplant
Recovery and Results

There is little downtime after hair restoration surgery. Most patients are able to return to work and other normal activities within just one to two days, and exercise can be resumed on the sixth day. eare Tiny crusts are at the site of each graft that fall off by seven to eight days. The transplanted hairs typically fall out by two to three weeks, then start to regrow at four months.   As the hair continues to grow, it will gradually beome thicker and longer.  Depending on the patient’s goals, occasionally a second procedure is desired to achieve more coverage, which can be performed as soon as 10 months later.