A celebrity hair transplant is a highly advanced procedure undergone by many well-known movie stars and public figures. The minimally-invasive surgery involves harvesting healthy hair follicles from the back and sides of the head, then reimplanting them into the hairline and crown. Once these follicles are transferred, they continue to grow permanently.
At California Hair MD, we offer the latest in hair transplant technology: follicular unit extraction (FUE). If you’re looking to FUE for a solution, you’re not alone; about 40% of women and 85% of men will experience some form of hair thinning at some point. (1)
America’s first triple board-certified hair transplant plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Chaffoo, has extensive knowledge of hair anatomy coupled with the precision of the SmartGraft, NeoGraft and ARTAS devices give him an edge over the many other hair restoration professionals in Southern California.
To find out how you can get a fuller head of hair like the Hollywood stars you admire, call our Newport Beach, La Jolla, or Beverly Hills, CA location at (800) 373-4773, or book a consultation with us online.
Contents
- 1 Before and After Photos
- 2 Which Celebrities Are Rumored to Have Had a Hair Transplant?
- 3 Why Does Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Work?
- 4 Benefits of Hair Restoration with FUE
- 5 Are You A Candidate for FUE?
- 6 Personal Consultation
- 7 Preparing for FUE
- 8 How are the Hair Follicles Transplanted?
- 9 Hair Restoration Recovery
- 10 How Much is a Hair Transplant in San Diego?
- 11 FAQ
- 12 References
Before and After Photos
Which Celebrities Are Rumored to Have Had a Hair Transplant?
Well-known actors, musicians, public figures, and internet celebrities are almost always in the spotlight, being judged by paparazzi and others alike. And although male celebrities are not usually as heavily scrutinized for their appearance as their female counterparts, the “Have they?/Haven’t they?” questions that surround celebrity hair transplants are often the source of many tabloid news articles and blogs.
Believe it or not, many of your favorite celebrities are rumored to have had an FUE procedure. They include David Beckham, John Travolta, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, and Elon Musk. You may not have even noticed that these celebrities have undergone procedures because their hair looks so full, dense, and natural. Still, many of their past photos suggest otherwise. Celebrities are notorious for being private about cosmetic surgery, but many plastic surgeons and hair restoration experts have closely examined and compared their photos and found it highly likely that these famous figures have undergone a hair restoration procedure.
Why Does Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Work?
Celebrity FUE, like any FUE procedure, involves the transplantation of hair follicles into a new area. But how exactly does this work? Firstly, it’s important to know what a follicular unit is. It is a structure that not only contains 1 to 4 individual hairs, but also a “bulb” for hair production, a sebaceous gland that lubricates the hair, and an arrector pili muscle so that the hairs are able to contract and provide heat insulation for this skin.
About Donor Dominance
In the 1950s, Dr. Norman Orentreich found that hair follicles have “donor dominance”, the concept that individual hairs keep their same characteristics when removed and repimlanted in another area. When this process is done correctly, the hair follicles continue to grow. (1) With this discovery in mind, modern hair transplantation procedures are mostly completed using harvested hair follicles from the back of the head so that it looks as natural as possible.
Another reason that follicles are taken from the back of the head is because the hair in this location is not androgen-sensitive. Androgens are hormones that cause androgenic alopecia (AGA), the leading cause of hair thinning. The fact that these follicles do not respond to androgen fluctuations make them durable and ideal for hair restoration.
Benefits of Hair Restoration with FUE
FUE hair transplantation is an incredibly popular procedure that appeals to celebrities and private citizens alike for a wide variety of reasons:
- You can return to work the next day.
- Results are permanent.
- It is minimally invasive.
- It only requires local anesthetic.
- Tiny dot-sized scars from the procedure can be covered with surrounding hair. There is no long, linear scar.
- Up to 3000 or more follicular units can be removed and transplanted.
- It requires only 3 days of downtime.
- The resulting hair growth looks remarkably natural and not like a hair plug.
Are You A Candidate for FUE?
Whether you’re Brad Pitt, or Brad from San Diego, FUE works for a large majority of patients who want to restore their hair growth. FUE is ideal for those with a stable, patterned form of hair thinning, such as androgenic alopecia.
Men and women with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), an unpatterned and random form of hair thinning, may not be good candidates because they do not have enough viable hair follicles in the back and sides of the head.
Patients should ideally be non-smokers and in good overall health. Finally, those under the age of 25 are not good candidates for the procedure since their form of hair thinning may be occurring at an unstable rate. In these cases, Dr. Chaffoo may work to stabilize this condition before considering treatment with FUE by creating a custom medical treatment program to stabilize and even regrow hair in many cases.
Personal Consultation
Each patient has a personal consultation with Dr. Chaffoo and not just a consultant to help you determine the most ideal treatment options for your specific hair loss and to determine if FUE is right for you. During your consultation, the professional medical staff at California Hair MD will ensure that you receive the highest quality care and information available. Each and every day, we change patients’ lives and give them the confidence they need to succeed. To get started, request your consultation online, or call one of our locations in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, or La Jolla, at (800) 373-4773.
Preparing for FUE
FUE is an intricate, lengthy process that requires some preparation work beforehand. Dr. Chaffoo will first review your medical history and ensure that you have no conditions that affect healing processes. He will make some adjustments to your medications; you will be required to stop taking blood-thinning medications and anti-inflammatories since they can increase bleeding during FUE.
If you smoke regularly, you will have to stop around 4 to 6 weeks before your hair restoration procedure. Cigarettes and other nicotine products have been known to affect the circulatory system, so ceasing their use will improve the speed of your recovery.
How are the Hair Follicles Transplanted?
California Hair MD gives patients a range of options for treating their condition, but the essence of hair transplantation remains the same. Prior to any FUE procedure, you will be given a local anesthetic for maximum comfort. With Artas, NeoGraft, and other devices, Dr. Chaffoo has every option available to obtain the best outcome for you based upon your anatomy and hair loss. He will use microsurgical tools to remove hair follicles from the donor site. Hair restoration surgeons measure their procedure through follicular units (FUs), which are made up of 1 to 4 hair follicles.
Once the follicular units are extracted, they are suctioned into the device and preserved in a solution. Next, they will make tiny incisions in the area of hair thinning so that the follicular units can be placed within. Throughout your recovery process, you will begin to see how your hair follicles adapt to their new location and grow to provide the fuller hair you’ve been looking for.
Although NeoGraft and SmartGraft are the standards for FUE handheld devices, ARTAS is a revolutionary robot designed for faster procedures. Using AI technology and 3D imaging, ARTAS can accurately identify healthy hair follicles and the exact angle of extraction needed to harvest them. Without any risk of human error, up to 500 follicles per hour can be harvested– more than NeoGraft or SmartGraft. (3)
Hair Restoration Recovery
For optimal long-term FUE results, we highly recommend following these recovery steps:
- Take over-the-counter medication to relieve any tenderness and irritation.
- Avoid showering your head for a few days.
- Avoid strenuous activities for around one week.
- Avoid hair brushing and scratching your head for roughly 3 weeks.
- Use a mild shampoo for the following 8 weeks after your procedure.
How Much is a Hair Transplant in San Diego?
Not everybody has a celebrity budget to work with, so we aim to make hair transplantation accessible to a wide range of patients. The cost of your hair transplant will depend on the number of follicular units transferred and the method of harvesting and transplantation. For an accurate estimate, book a consultation with hair restoration expert Dr. Richard Chaffoo. If you want to gain a hairline like the Hollywood stars, California Hair MD delivers results you’ll admire for many years to come.
To learn more about the work we do and what you can expect from a hair restoration procedure, read through our blog.
FAQ
Is FUE suitable for both men and women?
FUE works for both men and women, so long as they have a stable, patterned form of hair thinning.
When will I see the results of FUE?
After roughly 3 months, you’ll begin to see significant hair growth. After 6 months, most patients see the final result.
Does some hair fall out after FUE?
If your surgeon is careful to only harvest viable, complete follicles, then your hairs should not be falling out long-term. However, during the first few weeks following FUE, you may experience “shock loss”. At this time, some hair may fall out, but it will be replaced with new hair growth. This is able to occur because the bulb of each follicle remains healthy and intact within the skin, so they will be able to produce new hairs with time.
Is FUE an uncomfortable process?
During the procedure, you’ll be given a local anesthetic in the donor site and the area of hair thinning, so you will only feel pressure during the procedure. During recovery, it’s common to feel numbness, itchiness, swelling, and scabbing. You will be able to manage this with doctor-approved over-the-counter medications, but most patients will not need to use them for more than a few days.
References
- Zito PM, Raggio BS. Hair Transplantation. PubMed. Published 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547740/
- Dua A, Dua K. Follicular unit extraction hair transplant. Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery. 2010;3(2):76-81. doi:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21031064/
- Rose PT, Nusbaum B. Robotic Hair Restoration. Dermatologic Clinics. 2014;32(1):97-107. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.det.2013.09.008