Marc Dauer, MD is a leader in permanent hair restoration
utilizing total Follicular Unit Transplantation to
achieve the most natural results possible for its
clients. Dr. Dauer received his M.D. at New York Medical College,
and subsequently trained in the Department of Head
and Neck Surgery at UCLA Medical
Center. Dr. Dauer has also received additional training
in Follicular Unit Transplantation by some of the
world's leading innovators in the field.
Each and every consultation and procedure
is performed personally by
Dr. Marc Dauer. There are no "sales people"
or "marketing consultants," just Dr. Dauer
and his highly trained medical staff.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
For each patient that presents to us for hair transplantation,
our goal is to try and achieve as much naturalness
and density as possible. We feel these two goals are
best achieved when the plan is individualized for
each patient, depending on what we are presented with.
There are a host of factors that must be taken into
account with each patient before formulating the best
plan: Some of the more important factors are: the
patient’s age, the hair-to-skin color contrast,
the caliber of the hair, the patient’s goals
for later styling, and, perhaps most important, the
ratio of available donor hair in relation to the recipient
area in need of coverage.
Using a “Global Approach”
In transplanting our patients, we use a "global
approach" to planning - which means that at each
session we transplant the entire area that will be
covered with hair. We don’t "inch"
our way backwards over a great many sessions, doing
a "little bit at a time." After only two
to four sessions, most men (and women) are completed.
An important part of this concept is that we transplant
FU’s into the adjacent “good” hair
where a patient’s thinning/balding is almost
certain to expand during the next 10-20 years. By
placing hair in these adjacent areas, there will always
remain in place a natural transition of hair to the
nearby fringes.
How Many Sessions?
Besides the decision as to graft type, another important
decision regards how many sessions are likely to be
needed to achieve the patient’s goal of a “full,
natural head of hair.” With rare exceptions,
this process usually takes 2-4 sessions in our practice.
There are some who are very pleased with what two
sessions provides, especially those who had some pre-existing
hair on top to go with the transplants. There are
occasional patients who come as many as five times,
in order to satisfy the high density requirement they
want. In general, most women are completed in 2-3
sessions, and most of our male patients come 3-4 times.
We believe there are several good reasons to accomplish
a patient’s transplant over time in 2-4 sessions:
a) Such an approach respects the blood supply of
the scalp, leaving some space for blood to reach all
the grafts planted, with a resultant high-percentage
yield of survival for those hairs.
b) The surgeon can be more artistic, similar to a
painter, who goes back to his easel repeatedly, making
artistic “touches” to his work as he views
it unfolding.
c) Gradients of density can more easily be created.
In our transplanting, we try to reproduce a pattern
of hair that could be naturally seen on someone’s
head, such as in a man who is only starting to thin
in the crown or the crease areas.
d) Hair survival percentages are very high. Most studies
suggest that the Follicular Unit type of graft more
consistently survives in the high-90% range, and can
be an important contributor for later density.
e) There is less risk for a wide donor scar. By limiting
the width of the donor strip to 1cm in width, and
then going to whatever length is necessary for that
session, and spacing the sessions at least several
months apart, the scalp in the donor area once again
becomes lax. In this way, the hair in the next procedure
is obtained from just above the old scar, with a single
thin scar resulting at the end of the 2-4 procedures.
We feel that trying to obtain 3000+ FU’s at a
single session requires a much wider strip and carries
with it the risk for a wide scar later on.
Importance of the Front Hairline
From the start, we focus on creating a natural hairline.
At each session "follicular unit grafts"
are placed along the hairline in a natural, undetectable,
random pattern. 1-hair FU’s are always placed
at the outermost rim, quickly giving way to 2-hair,
and then 3-hair FU’s, so as to effect a graded,
natural density to the hairline. We give the same
attention to the other visible locations of the scalp,
namely the rear border and the two "crease"
areas. These other areas often become critically important
later in life, should the hair in that area thin or
recede. In all four of these areas, and also the crown
as a whole, we believe it is best to only use "follicular
unit" grafts, in order to preserve a natural
appearance and minimize any risk of detectability.
Importance of the Doctor-Patient Relationship
The relationship between physician and patient in
our practice is one in which there is a maximum opportunity
for communication and knowing what the other thinks
and desires. There is no pressure at all. Making a
sale or scheduling a surgery is not our goal or priority.
Establishing an open, trusting relationship for life
between doctor and patient is what is most important.
Follow-up calls or visits are always welcome. Direct
access to Dr. Dauer, either by phone, e-mail, or in
person, is always available.
We Are Conservative in Our Planning
And finally, we are somewhat conservative in our planning
approach. We appreciate and try to anticipate that
baldness is a relentlessly progressive condition that
goes on to some extent as long as you live. Because
of this, we plan your transplant design in such a
way that it will look good not only in the next few
years, but also in 15-20 years. We generally do not
transplant the vertex (crown) under the age of 38,
as we have no idea how large it will become when a
man is younger.
In summary, if a person was preparing to make a very
important purchase of something that had great personal
value – such as an engagement ring for his fiancé,
or a special painting for the foyer of a beautiful
home – he would not blindly pick out with his
finger an unknown Yellow Page listing, nor would he
shop around and automatically purchase it from the
merchant who listed a generic representation of the
desired object at the lowest cost. This same care
should be taken in choosing a hair transplant surgeon.
Above everything, what you should be looking for is
an artist – someone whom you will entrust with
the all-important task of creating a natural appearing
head of hair that will endure for your lifetime. Everything
we do – the time and care with which we approach
each procedure at our office – is geared toward
creating a natural result that is both priceless and
timeless.
TO SCHEDULE YOUR NO OBLIGATION,
FREE CONSULTATION, CALL 310.748.2224.
