Hair Restoration Surgery Program

About the Program

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital offers the latest techniques for hair replacement and restoration.

Our patients enjoy the peace of mind that comes from undergoing all procedures—nonsurgical and surgical—at a world-class academic medical center.

Advanced Expertise from a Collaborative Team

Our Harvard Medical School-affiliated physicians are among the most experienced and skilled plastic surgeons in the United States. Our surgeons explore and develop leading-edge surgical procedures and noninvasive techniques and incorporate these advances into their practice.

Innovative Technology in Hair Restoration

To many people, a full head of hair represents attractiveness and desirability, both personally and professionally. For this reason, it is vital to understand what effects a hair restoration procedure can have on your daily interactions with people and in all other aspects of your life. Hair restoration should be unnoticeable to all but those you tell.

Approximately 50 million men and approximately 30 million women suffer from male/female pattern baldness or thinning hair. Many potential patients either do not choose or are not candidates for the traditional strip method of hair replacement because of the slow recovery time, the loss of feeling at the incision site, the tiny linear scar on the back of the head and the high level of post-operative pain.

After extensive research, we have chosen to offer the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) method utilizing the NeoGraft^® Automated Hair Transplantation system. The FUE method of hair transplantation removes individual hair follicles from the scalp in their naturally occurring groupings of about one-four hairs and are then placed in the areas of the scalp where balding has occurred.

Why Choose the NeoGraft^® Procedure?

• Superior Results – More natural-looking hair, with flexibility for short or long for both men and women
• Advanced Technology – Automated technology, least invasive procedure for hair transplantation
• Gentle – Patients who receive the NeoGraft^® procedure feel little to no discomfort. No scalpel incision, no staples, no linear scar
• Effective – Less activity restrictions than traditional strip methods
• Discrete – Patients can typically go back to work the next day because of the shorter recovery time
• Affordable – We have programs available to meet your exact needs

Patient Care

Before Your Procedure

You will meet with one of our surgeons to review your medical history and assess your emotional perspective toward hair restoration. This ensures that you have realistic expectations to the success of the procedure. The surgeon will thoroughly examine your hairline and scalp and may even take a sample of your hair or skin.

Our goal is to give you a realistic picture of what to expect so that you can make an informed decision. We also review what's involved in any surgery, including:

• Anesthesia
• Anticipated results
• Hospital care
• Postoperative recovery, including pain management

During Your Procedure

The procedure itself can take anywhere from four-five hours depending on the number of grafts (healthy skin from a donor site that is attached to the needed area) are being performed. The procedure is performed in our outpatient office under local anesthesia.

Following Your Procedure

Immediately after the procedure, the sites where the hair has been transplanted are going to be visible and appear as very small wounds. These heal quickly and within a few days will no longer be visible. You are sent home with a very specific post-treatment protocol and will wash your hair the next day.

Approximately three-four weeks later, the individual hairs in the transplanted grafts will start to grow and then will fall out. It generally takes up to four months for the new, permanent hairs to grow at the average rate of hair growth, which is about one-quarter to one-half inch per month.