In an evolving world of medical technology and beauty procedures that can be done to enhance your physical appearance, it’s important to choose your doctor or practitioner wisely. Many may be educated in the field at hand but when it comes to who will help you look your very best; you need that perfect combination of doctor and artist. One of those doctors, who specializes in the intricate practice of hair restoration, is Christopher Varona, of Newport Beach, California, and his clinic Varona Hair Restoration.
Now, Dr. Varona’s focus is on something very special and very technical – manual hair restoration. His unique and dedicated approach, as well as his commitment to doing the procedure himself and by hand, has earned him a stellar reputation in the field. He has helped men and women alike to get their looks back through his passion for hair, as he is someone who has been through the procedure himself. Dr. Varona uses no programs or machines and insists on doing the entire surgery himself, which can sometimes last a grueling 12 hours. But, his work speaks for itself and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
I am a patient of Dr. Varona’s – and I’m proud to say that. In order to understand the journey I have gone on with Dr. Varona, you must first understand my particular case. I was born with a lot of hair – too much hair in fact. My hair grows so fast that I spend a small fortune every ten days keeping it in-check, and in perfect form to always present myself, as I want to be seen. But, around the age of 25, I began to notice that my hairline, at the front of my head, was beginning to recede. I didn’t notice thinning or other hair loss at the top or back of my head, just a clear recession at the hairline and on the sides of my face, near my temples.
The older I grew (I’m now 35) I realized something had to be done to restore my hairline and halt the recession in its tracks. I have worked so hard on my skin and put a great deal of effort into my appearance on a daily basis, that I just couldn’t bare the thought of having my looks foiled by an unchecked receding hairline. I knew hair restoration was an option – but, to be honest, I was a bit scared of it. I have only known two individuals who have had it done, and they had a strip of their scalp removed at the back of their head, a procedure called FUT, and I was hesitant to have a large scar.
I began to research, and came across Dr. Varona – who had glowing reviews. After perusing his before and after gallery, I realized he just might be the right person to help me with my dilemma. I could tell just from the photographs of him on his various digital platforms that he was kind, talented and exuded good energy. I was correct.
I contacted his office and scheduled a consultation, which was done over Facetime as I am based in New York City and he is based on the sunny shores of Orange County. I spoke with him and his husband, Eduardo, who is also his business partner and manages Dr. Varona’s caseload. They were both lovely, and looked through pictures I had sent of my hairline and listened, attentively, to what my goals were. I wanted to bring my hairline down an inch, and fill-in the side recession to give myself a more youthful appearance. At the end of the call, after a detailed explanation of the procedure and what the outcome would look like, we scheduled an appointment for surgery and targeted nearly 4,000 individual hair follicles that would be taken from the back of my head, one by one, using Dr. Varona’s proprietary method, and transplanted in my front hairline.
I was both excited and nervous – but felt that I was in truly capable hands. Aside from his kindness, Dr. Varona’s explanation of the procedure and his clear desire to help me look my best was obvious. I couldn’t wait until the day of my surgery. In the next article I will present more detailed before photos as well as the surgery process, to explain exactly what Dr. Varona did and why it’s so successful. The journey has been fairly easy for me and each day more exciting than the last in terms of hair growth and the evolution of my appearance.
* This is the first article of a three-part series on the journey of hair restoration with Varona Hair Restoration