Transplant surgery isn’t cheap, averaging about $7,000 but often rising to more than $20,000 depending on the area, the type of surgery and the amount of work needed, said Dr. Akash Chandawalkar, a former chief resident in plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins University, now in Manhattan.
To some men, that might seem a bit conceited.
“There’s still this old prejudice that men shouldn’t care about their appearance and shouldn’t spend a lot of money on it,” said Alex Virgi, another of the triplets, who recently had his hair done.
But that doesn’t seem to deter many men with thinning hair.
“This is the largest demand I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Mark Dauer, a hair restoration surgeon with practices in Los Angeles and New York City who has seen an increase of about 30% in hair transplant procedures and 50% in transplant consultations during the pandemic.
Beverly Hills Hair Group has also seen a 25 percent increase in inquiries in recent months, and other cosmetic surgeons interviewed reported similar spikes.
Part of this apparent boom can likely be attributed to the pandemic itself.
Extended time away from the office allowed the men to sneak out for surgery and then recover away from the prying eyes of their colleagues.
There’s also “Zoom dysmorphia,” where people feel the need to “fix” “flaws” in their appearance they discover during long video conference calls. “On FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, people are looking at themselves more than they are at the person they’re talking to,” Beretta says. “It’s like sitting at home all day looking in the mirror.”
