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By Alan J. Bauman, M.D.
A growing number of men and women are taking advantage of the many tools and treatments available to treat hair loss – and some are even making a Florida vacation out of it.
With a ‘hair restoration vacation,’ you are not only giving yourself a boost by permanently restoring your own living and growing hair, but also treating yourself to a little pampering and relaxation. The idea might seem strange at first, but combining your hair transplant with a relaxing vacation may be just what the doctor ordered.
Getting Started: Consultations and Preparations
The first step in the process is a preliminary evaluation of your hair loss status and a discussion about factors that are affecting your hair loss, which can be done easily in the office, or long distance via phone or Skype. During the consultation, your goals and expectations regarding hair transplantation will be discussed and whether you are a candidate for a hair transplant procedure. Next, a personalized treatment plan is created that will give you the best chance at achieving optimal results. Details regarding the size and number of recommended hair transplant sessions as well as effective preventative treatment options will be provided.
For those patients interested in upgrading their hair transplant into a ‘hair restoration vacation,’ they are able to choose from a variety of pre-assembled packages, which include various travel and accommodation options that can fit any individual style, time-frame and budget. Patients and their families are able to enjoy luxury accommodations and amenities while receiving state-of-the-art hair restoration procedures, and then able to return home completely healed and refreshed.
Choosing the Right Procedure
With today’s advanced surgical techniques, hair transplants involve minimal recovery and offer undetectable, natural-looking results. FUE or “Follicular Unit Extraction” is the least invasive type of hair transplant. The less-invasive FUE method is appealing to patients looking for an alternative to the “strip” or “linear” harvest transplants, and the hairstyle-limiting telltale scarring they leave behind. Artistic use of the harvested follicles by an experienced surgeon delivers a permanent restoration of your own living and growing hair that’s never pluggy or unnatural.
The two most advanced techniques that may be used for hair follicle harvesting and transplantation are:
• NeoGraft FUE: The FDA-approved NeoGraft FUE device is a tool used to extract individual follicular units and hair follicles from the donor area located at the back of the patient’s scalp – which are then implanted into the bald areas. This means no scalpels, sutures, or staples for the patient in the donor area. It also replaces the older “strip harvest” method of hair transplantation, which removes a large strip from the back of the patient’s scalp, resulting in
a long linear scar.
• ARTAS Robotic-Assisted FUE System: The FDA-cleared ARTAS robot is a state-of-the-art medical device that assists in hair transplant surgery by helping to safely and effectively extract intact hair follicles for transplantation using the FUE technique. The robot’s sophisticated micron-level precision allows patients to benefit from an unprecedented level of safety, accuracy, efficiency and comfort during their hair transplant procedure. The innovative ARTAS robotic FUE system uses advanced digital imagery to “see,” map and analyze the hair in natural groupings on the scalp for harvesting. The system features stereovision sensors to detect and analyze follicular units—calculating density, exit-angles, orientation and location and proceed with precision robotic harvesting based on algorithms programmed by the surgeon.
Choosing the Right Surgeon
and Surgical Team
While certainly exciting, new technology like NeoGraft or ARTAS robotic-assisted FUE is only one “piece of the puzzle.” The critical-to-quality step in hair transplantation is the artistic ability of the surgeon to recreate the natural angles, orientation and position of each individually transplanted hair. Errors in planning and artistic judgment can derail the best intentions of a surgeon through inefficient or wasteful use of the harvested follicles or, even worse, an unnatural looking result.
Recovery and Risks
One of the biggest benefits of FUE transplants is the shortened recovery period. Because there is no major incision and no stitches or staples used, the recovery phase is quicker and more comfortable—allowing for workouts and most athletic activities to resume after just several days.
Despite the advances in comfort and safety, patients should be advised that as with any surgical procedure, hair transplants do come with risks, including complications like infections, scarring, poor density and unnatural looking results. The risks are greatly magnified when an unqualified doctor or inexperienced teams perform the transplant. Patients should always look for full-time hair transplant surgeons who are ABHRS-certified in hair restoration, recommended by the American Hair Loss Association and have extensive experience in performing delicate hair transplant surgery. Due to the limited number of board-certified hair restoration physicians worldwide, prospective patients should be prepared to consult and travel long-distance.
Don’t Wait,
Book Your ‘Hair Vacation’ Today
Whether your decision is spurred by the desire to keep your transplant private, or you are simply looking to combine some R&R with your procedure, don’t wait to book your ‘hair restoration vacation.’ The sooner you treat your hair loss, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of a fuller, thicker more healthy and youthful head of hair.
If you are interested in a hair restoration vacation, or would like to learn more about Dr. Bauman
or to make an appointment, visit http://www.baumanmedical.com or call 1-877-BAUMAN-9 or 561-394-0024.
Boca Raton – known to locals by its first name “Boca,” has the best of what South Florida has to offer. Beaches, boating and golf courses, premier hotels & resorts like the world-famous Boca Raton Resort and Club, fine restaurants and art museums, jazz clubs and concerts at Mizner Park, glittery Town Center at Boca Raton shopping with over 200 upscale and elite specialty shops and countless family-owned boutiques around town. Located in the county of Palm Beach and in the heart of Florida’s Atlantic Ocean Coast, Boca Raton is a destination location for international travellers from across the globe. There are over 17 airports within a 50 mile radius of Boca Raton.
Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ~20mi
Palm Beach International Airport ~23mi
Miami International Airport ~47mi
Boca Raton Airport ~ 4mi [private and charter jets only]
“The idea was the brainchild of Boca hair doctor, Alan J. Bauman M.D.” – CNN 2002
“It’s like a pit-stop to give you a ‘spike of youth…’ new oil, new gas, new hair, there you are!” – Dr. R. Fischer, hair restoration vacation patient from the UK
“A hair transplant procedure is 90% art. You need the right tools, but you also need an aesthetic eye.” – Dr. Alan J. Bauman, hair transplant surgeon on CNN