Dr. Bernstein was consulted for the article:

Hair transplant: A possibility if your hair loss is concentrated in specific areas. Hair follicles (in groups of up to four) are surgically removed from an area on your scalp where growth is dense and then implanted in the thinning patches. Since female hair loss is often diffuse, only about 20 percent of female patients with thinning hair are candidates, says Robert Bernstein, MD, a New York City dermatologist who specializes in these surgeries. (The price tag can run from $3,000 to $15,000.)

In October 2008 Dr. Bernstein appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where he spoke about hair transplantation and gave a live demonstration featuring the hair transplant results of one of his patients.

Read the full article at Oprah.com.

Celebrities – especially the men – are getting comfortable with the idea of surgical hair restoration and we are seeing more famous men embracing the concept every day. The truth is that the majority of men will eventually lose hair, so this is nothing to be embarrassed about. But most men don’t have to depend on their appearance to pay their mortgage bill, or to ensure that their career continues. Celebrities find themselves in a unique position in this respect, especially when the world is watching them grow up or grow old.

Celebrity hair loss is becoming an increasingly hot topic in the media. The continuing demands on celebrities to keep their good looks, seems to be of great interest to the tabloids. This is evidenced by the recent interest in the hairlines of stars like John Cleese, Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Kevin Costner, Dennis Miller, Tom Arnold, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, David Beckham and many others.

For example, a Google search for “Mel Gibson hair loss” has almost 50,000 entries. This attests to the amount of attention the media – and the public – are paying to celebrity hair restoration.

Many celebrities don’t mind their hair loss when it comes to their own personal life, but they realize that appearance is paramount in the entertainment industry. Celebs worry that their looks are important to the fans, and they seem to be right.

Chat rooms and fan sites are abuzz with the hair lines of the stars, not to mention the TV, magazines and newspapers which seem to always know when to get a picture at the right (or the wrong) time.

Often celebrities have hair transplant surgery only to satisfy the demands of their careers. Soap Opera stars for instance, need those wonderfully youthful hairlines, something that would not be in such demand with the general aging public. The hair transplant design required by someone in this profession, however, might not be appropriate for the average person.

As a result, actors sometimes need to make some compromises on long-term results in order to achieve short-term career goals.

In order to create the illusion that time has simply stood still for people in the public eye, secrecy is paramount. Cosmetic Surgeons for the stars are very meticulous about maintaining privacy, and understanding the special needs of their celebrity patients.

“Though the public tends to perceive celebrities as temperamental and demanding, I have not found that to be the case. Celebrities recognize the importance of cosmetic surgery to their careers and are very pragmatic about having it done – for most it simply goes with their job.” says Robert M. Bernstein M.D., Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia University in New York and founder of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration in Manhattan.

Interest in celebrity hair transplants is not just reserved for film and TV stars, but for all kinds of professions in the public eye. Sports celebrities like Tom Brady, politicians, fashion designers, musicians, and now even top business executives recognize the importance of hair to their image.

Busy celebrities often have their PR people or handlers try to discover what their treatment options may be, but often the proper research is not done. After all PR people are influenced by the media just like the rest of us. The far better route is the more time consuming one, where academic credentials and hospital affiliations are checked and medical publications are reviewed. Without this level of research, the search for a hair transplant surgeon can lead to some pretty bad results.

According to Dr. Robert Bernstein of the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration in Manhattan, “Most Celebrities aren’t as concerned with how the process is done; they simply want it to be taken care of. One high profile patient of ours, however, was so curious about the process, that he actually left the surgical chair during his procedure so that he could watch how the graft dissection was done.”

In this very competitive society, youth and beauty are highly coveted bargaining chips.

One without the other can seem to be a considerable handicap. However, in the world of the rich and famous, where ones livelihood depends on physical image the stakes are even higher.

Fortunately, with modern medical breakthroughs, the image that is conveyed by a full, healthy head of hair is something that can be achieved, even by people who are not so genetically fortunate.

A: You’re referring to Hair DX (hairdx.com), which costs about $150 and came to market in January of 2008 as the first test for androgenetic alopecia, aka male pattern baldness.

The test screens for variations in the androgen receptor gene on the X chromosome, the gene that is associated with male pattern hair loss. The purpose of the test is to identify persons at increased risk of developing hair loss before it is clinically apparent – so that medical intervention can be started early, when it is most effective.

It is important to realize that, at this point, there is just an association with this gene and hair loss; the cause and effect has not been proven and the association is not anywhere near 100%. A danger is that patients may overreact to the relatively incomplete information that the test provides. It is best to have the test performed under a doctor’s supervision, so that it can be put in the context of other information that the physician gleans through a careful history, physical and a densitometry hair evaluation. As of this posting, genetic testing for hair loss is not permitted in New York State.

We all know that hair loss is common among both men and women, and that hair transplant and hair restoration procedures are becoming more and more popular around the world. But what thoughts go through the head of your average hair loss sufferer before, during, and after a hair transplant?

The answer to that question may now be revealed. ABC News correspondent Cari Nierenberg and associate producer Ryan Stevenson take us directly into the mind and life of Bernstein Medical patient Adam Khoudja in a three-part video diary and feature on hair loss and hair restoration. As for the diary:

You’ll hear from Khoudja — and his wife — in the days and weeks before his follicular unit hair transplant. You’ll see him undergo the procedure and meet his surgeon, dermatologist Dr. Robert Bernstein of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration in New York City. And then you’ll be privy to his recovery process as he heals afterwards.

View each video diary and accompanying article at ABCNews.com:

Before hair transplant:

• Coping with a Receding Hair Line — Video Diary
• Coping with a Receding Hair Line

During hair transplant:

• The Bald Truth About Hair Transplant — Video Diary
• The Bald Truth About Hair Transplant

After hair transplant:

• A New Outlook With a New Head of Hair — Video Diary
• A New Outlook With a New Head of Hair

While all three videos are well worth watching, the middle video — The Bald Truth About Hair Transplant — might be especially valuable to prospective patients as it shows Dr. Bernstein and staff performing the actual hair transplant and with commentary about the procedure.

Learn more about the hair transplant procedure and visit our own hair transplant patient photo journal.

The annual issue of New York Magazine presents the findings of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. — publishers of the guidebook, Top Doctors: New York Metro Area.

Dr. Bernstein is the only hair restoration surgeon honored to be included in this list of prominent physicians for nine consecutive years.