How to Choose a Hair Transplant Surgeon in Northern Virginia

Medically reviewed by Dr. William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS  |  Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon  |  IAHRS Member  |  Last reviewed: November 2026

To choose a hair transplant surgeon, check three things: their board certification and training, who will personally perform each step of your procedure, and photos of results from patients with hair loss like yours. Then compare written estimates and ask how complications and revisions are handled before you book.

A hair transplant is surgery, and the result is meant to last, so it is worth taking time to compare surgeons before you commit. Below are the things we would check and ask about for any surgeon you consider, including us. A list of questions to bring to your consultations is near the end.

1. Check Board Certification and Training

Hair transplants are performed by physicians from several specialties, including facial plastic surgery, plastic surgery, dermatology and otolaryngology. Ask which medical boards certify the surgeon and in what specialty, where they completed their residency and any fellowship, and what additional training they have in hair restoration. You can confirm a Virginia license through the Virginia Department of Health Professions license lookup. Check each certification with the board that issued it. Many boards are members of the American Board of Medical Specialties, which offers a certification lookup, and others publish their own directories.

Dr. Lindsey is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (1996) and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (1999), and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons, and his CV lists hair restoration research, including a 2009 Investigator Grant from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. His training and credentials are on our about page and in his full CV.

 2. Ask Who Performs Each Step of Your Procedure

A hair transplant has several stages: designing the incisions, preparing the donor area, removing the grafts, creating the recipient sites and placing the grafts. In some practices, trained technicians perform some of these steps while the surgeon oversees. That is not automatically a problem, but you should know exactly who does what, and you should be able to meet the people who will do it. Ask in plain terms: “Which steps will you perform yourself?”

At Dr. Lindsey’s practice, Dr. Lindsey is the only surgeon and performs one procedure per day. He creates the recipient sites himself, while his in-house team prepares the grafts under microscopes.

3. Look at Results That Match Your Hair Loss

Ask to see before and after photos of patients whose hair loss, hair type and donor supply resemble yours, and ask how long after surgery each photo was taken, because transplanted hair takes 12 to 18 months to grow in fully. The photos should show the surgeon’s own patients, with consistent lighting and angles. Results vary from patient to patient, so photos show what happened for others, not what will happen for you. Our photo gallery shows results from Dr. Lindsey’s patients.

4. Ask Why the Surgeon Recommends a Particular Method

 FUE and FUT suit different patients, and a good surgeon explains why one fits you rather than recommending the same method to everyone. Ask whether you are a candidate for both, what each would mean for scarring and recovery, and how many grafts are realistic for your goals. Dr. Lindsey performs both FUE and FUT, and our guide to FUE vs. FUT explains the differences.

5. Compare Written Estimates

Ask for a written estimate and compare what it includes: the surgeon’s fee, the facility, anesthesia, the number of grafts, follow-up visits and any revision. Per-graft and per-session prices are hard to compare, so ask for the total for your plan. Dr. Lindsey’s pricing is all-inclusive, with no separate consultation, facility or graft fees, and his consultation is free; see our hair transplant cost page. Also ask what is required to reserve a date and what happens if you cancel. At Dr. Lindsey’s office, a $1,500 non-refundable first payment places a procedure on the schedule, and $1,400 is refunded if you cancel within 3 days of scheduling; the terms are in the new patient registration form. If you want to spread the cost over time, ask about financing options.

6. Understand the Risks, Complications and Follow-Up

Every surgery carries risk. For hair transplants these can include infection, scarring, uneven or poor growth and temporary shedding of existing hair. Ask what complications the surgeon has seen, how they are handled, whether revisions or touch-ups are included or charged, whether a second session may be needed and when, and how you can reach the surgeon if a problem comes up. At Dr. Lindsey’s office, in-office follow-up visits are included in the price, and patients can call the office during office hours or Dr. Lindsey’s cell phone if a problem comes up. If you have had a transplant elsewhere that did not turn out as you hoped, see our page on hair transplant repair.

7. Read Reviews With Context

Reviews can help, but read them for specifics. Look for detail about the consultation, the procedure and follow-up care, check more than one platform, and notice whether the practice responds to criticism. Be cautious of reviews that read like advertising. Patients describe their experiences with Dr. Lindsey on our reviews page, which includes video interviews, and on Google.

8. Meet the Surgeon Before You Decide

Your consultation should be with the surgeon, not only a sales coordinator. You should leave with an honest assessment of your hair loss and your realistic options, including advice to wait or not to have surgery if that is the right call. You should not feel pressure to decide on the day. At Dr. Lindsey’s office the consultation is free and is with Dr. Lindsey himself, who evaluates every case personally and gives you a personalized graft estimate at that appointment.

Questions to Ask at Your Consultation

• Which boards certify you, and what training do you have in hair restoration?
• Which steps of my procedure will you perform yourself, and who will do the rest?
• Am I a candidate for FUE, FUT or both, and why do you recommend one for me?
• How many grafts will I need to reach my goals, and can they be placed in one session?
• Can I see results from patients with hair loss like mine, and how long after surgery were the photos taken?
• What is the total cost in writing, and what does it include?
• What are the risks for someone with my hair and health history?
• What happens if I am not happy with the result, and are revisions included?
• What does recovery look like, and how do I reach you after the procedure?
• Should I treat my hair loss medically, in addition to or instead of surgery?
  
  

Warning Signs to Watch For

• Pressure to decide on the same day
• Guarantees about results or graft survival
• A price far below other estimates, with no explanation of what is left out
• No clear answer about who will perform the procedure
• Photos that cannot be traced to the surgeon’s own patients
• The same method recommended to every patient before anyone has looked at your hair

Choosing a Hair Transplant Surgeon in Northern Virginia and DC

Patients come to Dr. Lindsey’s McLean practice from the Washington, DC area and from other states and countries. If you are comparing surgeons across the region, ask each practice how follow-up works for patients who live some distance away and how many in-person visits to plan for. At Dr. Lindsey’s office, patients are generally seen the day after surgery, FUT sutures come out about a week after surgery, and follow-up visits at about four weeks, six months and one year are free. Our pre- and post-operative instructions explain what to expect. The McLean office is at 1401 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 303, McLean, VA 22101, with free on-site parking.

Frequently Asked Questions