“What inspires me is the end result and seeing how a hair transplant changes the way people feel about themselves, it is very rewarding.” Dr. James Aronovitz has been performing hair transplants for thirteen of the twenty years he has been a practicing doctor and has earned a reputation as one of the top experts in the field. After completing his undergraduate studies at The University of Michigan, Dr. Aronovitz attended the Medical School at Michigan State University. Dr. Aronovitz explains, “I am a Michigan boy from the start; I decided to stay local because I knew I would end up here – my family is here also – so I knew I was staying here.” He trained locally, including an ENT residency in Pontiac. He also spent time at the DMC, Wayne, and University of Michigan hospitals. He is also a staff doctor at St. John’s Hospital.
While Dr. Aronovitz was working a double residency as an Ear Nose and Throat specialist and Facial Plastic Surgeon, he started started to explore other avenues and decided that hair transplants would be a great fit. “I love it. It’s artistic – it’s not just plugging away hairs, it’s making it so it comes out right and flows with the other hair perfectly.” The doctor goes on to explain that having a background in plastic surgery gives him an advantage to other doctors who may be performing hair transplants. “A lot of doctors jump into things that are cosmetic because they think it’s easy… and that is problematic to me. There are guys out there doing things they shouldn’t do; I think people should really do their homework when they are looking for people to do the procedure. Make sure you know the doctor’s background. As a plastic surgeon, I have the confidence to do it.”
So what is a hair transplant? It is a surgical technique that involves moving individual hair follicles from one part of the body to the bald area. The transplant procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and typically takes about six hours to complete. There are several techniques available for harvesting the hair follicles, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. After two to three months, new hair will begin to grow from the moved follicles. The patient’s hair will grow normally and continue to thicken over the next six to nine months. This procedure is primarily used in the treatment of male pattern baldness, but women can also benefit from the operation.
Dr. Aronovitz had two offices in which he performed the procedure but recently decided to consolidate everything into his Warren, Michigan office. “The decision was more personal than anything; I decided I wanted to be able to focus more on patient care and less on driving back and forth to appointments.” Now the doctor is available five days a week in his new office and has more time to spend with his family. His new office has a brand new, state-of-the-art operating room featuring the most up to date technology. He splits his time performing hair and facial plastic surgery and ear, nose and throat procedures. “I like the differences every day – it mixes it up – just doing one thing a day can burn you out and I don’t want that to happen.” To stay current, Dr. Aronovitz also maintains affiliations with many important medical societies, including The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) and The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).
“When someone comes in for a free consult, they have so many preconceived notions. I want patients to feel comfortable with the procedure – I try my best to make them feel at ease.” The doctor goes on to explain some of the red flags you may want to watch for when deciding whether to go forward with the procedure. “If you go in for the procedure and do not meet the doctor, it’s a huge red flag. People come into my office all the time and say, ‘what are you doing here? I never even met with the doctor last time – I met with some type of marketing guy.’ The patient refers to how they didn’t even see the doctor until the day of the procedure. This can be due to marketing techniques used by big conglomerate companies; doctors are assigned to patients and may come from out of state to perform the surgery. To me it can show a lack of the dedication to the patient. If you come into an office and the physician cannot answer your questions, that is a huge red flag. He should be able to answer every question in that field.”
“Be aware of bargain prices or offers – I understand that people are looking to save money and it is an expensive procedure. I usually tell people after my free consultation to go talk to other doctors and they will find that my pricing is not even an issue. My office has four technicians working with me – it is a very detailed long procedure – my prices ensure everything I need to do the job the right way. If people are out there price checking, I feel I am not too expensive or too cheap; I am somewhere in between. After the free consultation the patient leaves my office with everything they need to make a decision and I encourage patients to take their time with the decision. I think they leave knowing I will be there for them when they need me.”