One on One

Speaking with Dr. Bauman was an exciting experience. His enthusiasm for his profession was contagious. Dr. Bauman, besides being extremely knowledgeable about all facets of hair restoration, is one of the profession’s greatest advocates. This is a man who always looks forward to and gets huge satisfaction from his work with his patients. Every single procedure is a step forward to Dr. Bauman. The interview that follows will highlight his enthusiasm and experience.

H.S. Looking back on your education and career in general did you ever imagine that you would become a leader in this industry?
Dr.B. Before I entered the medical field, I always knew that I would give 110% to my patients, but becoming a specialist in hair loss and hair restoration was not something I originally planned on!

Alan J. Bauman, M.D. looking through a microscopeH.S. Did you always know that you wanted to become a hair transplant surgeon?
Dr.B. Well, not exactly… I first began with a great interest in cosmetic surgery as one of my early mentors was a talented plastic surgeon whom I admired. What initially sparked my interest in hair restoration was after meeting a very happy hair transplant patient with a 100% natural hairline result. He told me about the microsurgical procedure that he had undergone (in layman’s in terms) and allowed me to look at and study his experience and results. Since this was not my field of expertise I began to slowly look into the technology and artistry of the procedure that had comfortably produced his natural, “non-pluggy” hair transplant results.

While I was a surgical resident I researched, attended conferences and lectures and often went out of my way to observe various procedures being performed by transplant surgeons and my excitement began to grow. My own father had had extreme hair loss and I watched his struggle with lotions, potions and hairpieces that were available in the mid 90’s and realized that this new hair transplant technology could give him, as well as others, a full head of hair. This realization clarified my interest in becoming a hair restoration specialist and my career as a hair transplant surgeon began. Working closely with an established hair transplant surgeon, I soon realized how good modern surgical results could be, how these procedures impacted people’s lives and I wanted to be a part of it.

Alan J. Bauman, M.D.H.S. How does it make you feel to have changed so many lives and to be a leader in your field?
Dr.B. Over the past 20 years I have measured my success only by the last hair transplant that I have performed. By not being satisfied with the status quo, keeping up with new methods, always pioneering and pushing forward, and not resting on our laurels, my team and I have been successful in changing lives and that feels exciting and rewarding every single day.

H.S. What is your goal in treating your patients?
Dr.B. My goal is to help patients look good and feel great by preserving and restoring their own living and growing hair. Helping patients reach their hair restoration goals is how we measure our success. It’s really just one transplant at a time…always learning and improving our skills, utilizing the latest methods and treatments.

H.S. Many hair restoration businesses have struggled when it comes to marketing; however, you seem to thrive in this area. What is your marketing method?
Dr.B. Transparency and passion! Educating the public via videos, information, answering questions and providing accurate information. The goal is to de-mystify the process of hair restoration. I like to call us “the ‘mythbusters’ of hair!”

H.S. What advice would you give to someone who is trying to build their business in this field?
Dr.B. Get out there and provide the necessary information to potential patients. Don’t hold back, have confidence in your skills and your methods but always strive to improve. Use your own before and after photos, not someone elses. Always be transparent and explain the risks and benefits of all procedures.

H.S. Who has inspired you?
Dr.B. My family. First and foremost, my wife has always been supportive and encouraging as are my parents and the rest of my family. They always backed me up when I decided to change direction early on and in all of my endeavors throughout my career. I was inspired tremendously by my Grandfather on my Mom’s side who was an analytical yet creative man.
He voluntarily served his country as a WWII vet, inventor, scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, college professor, held a PhD, and had a personality that was larger than life. He taught me to approach problems with logic, yet be creative enough to find solutions that were often not immediately obvious. He always thought out-of-the-box and encouraged me to do the same. I think it is a huge asset to combine being creative with being analytical.

H.S. What is it like to work at Bauman Medical Group?
Dr.B. The Bauman team and facility is truly like a combination of Star Trek and Canyon Ranch. In other words, there is a high-tech side (the mothership) with lots of action, and a spa-like side where patients and staff can relax and focus. For example, the Operation Rooms in our new 11,000 square-foot facility are state-of-the-art but with lots of natural light. Overall, it’s an extremely dynamic place with never a dull moment. We certainly work hard, but I think we have fun at Bauman Medical Group because it’s like working in a candy store. What’s ‘sweeter’ than providing new hair and changing hair loss patients’ lives for the better?!

Bauman Medical Facility
H.S.
Tell us about your staff:
Dr.B. We have eighteen employees and still growing, but we are a tight knit group that works hard with a single purpose… to serve our patients. We have hair transplant technicians on the surgical side, a Clinical Trial Coordinator, a caring team of front office administrators, a full-time IT person, a Director of Education, a Patient Coordinator who schedules surgeries and initiates treatments, a VP of Business Development, a combination bookkeeper/human resources person, and even an in-house Trichologist who analyzes and evaluates the scalp and refers patients for medical treatments. We have a common goal to keep the patient’s best interests in mind and everyone is treated like family.

H.S. Do you find that Trichology is important in your practice?
Dr.B. Yes, absolutely! While there’s still more education about Trichology needed amongst the general public, it gives us a clearer picture of the overall health of the hair and scalp. Clinically, it adds to the entire evaluation process and on top of that, trichology treatments make your hair and scalp feel great!

H.S. You have a growing line of “Bauman-branded” products. Can you tell us about them?
Dr.B. The “BaumanMD” line started with high quality shampoos and conditioners and expanded into therapeutic shampoos, daily vitamin complex treatments, as well as healing mists and ointments for post-op hair transplant care. There are some very exciting things happening with regard to “BaumanMD” products so stay tuned!

H.S. Tell us about your “Bauman Certified HairCoach Program.”
Dr.B. We have over 100 certified HairCoach locations nationally and internationally so far, and the demand for this program is continuing to surprise us. There are several parts to this educational program:

1. HairCoachPro is a training program offered to cosmetologists who want to learn about hair loss, integrate scientific hair loss and hair breakage measurements at their salon or spa and track the results of products that support healthy hair growth.

2. The HairCoachMD certification is for medical professionals and their staff who want to help patients by offering the latest in medical hair loss management treatments in their offices.
Basic courses include workshops at the Bauman Medical training facility where they participate in lectures in the morning as well as hands-on teaching and training in HairCheck™ measurements and PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments with live patients in the afternoon.

H.S. Laser hair therapy and PRP treatments have really come a long way. What are your thoughts on these and all current treatments in hair restoration?
Dr.B. We’ve successfully used laser therapy for hair growth since the 1990’s, so it’s exciting to see the clinical research, acceptance of this technology and the development of new/better devices continue to progress. For our clientele, now almost equally 50% men and 50% women, thankfully there are a variety of effective non-invasive medical treatments available. In the realm of “cell therapy,” PRP hair growth treatments are rapidly advancing as we learn more about the growth factors that regulate hair growth and how to make the results from these treatments last longer.

On the pharmaceutical side, there’s a whole gamut of new compounded topical and oral medications as well as nutritional treatments. Like hair transplants, I think the progress in non-invasive treatments over the past 20 years has come lightyears and will continue to advance into the future.

H.S. How do you view the future of the hair restoration field?
Dr.B. I am excited about new treatments and procedures and how rapidly we are moving forward. We now have technology that we never dreamed of and that will only continue to grow. This is an amazing industry that is doing so much to improve lives and I am proud and happy to be a part of it.


Location:

Bauman Medical Group

Hair Transplant and Hair Loss Treatment Center
1450 S Dixie Hwy
Boca Raton, Florida 33432 USA

Contact:

Nationally or Internationally: +1 561-394-0024

Toll Free: 1-877-BAUMAN-9 -or- 1-877-228-6269
Fax: 561-394-4522
[email protected]

Related Links:

Bauman Medical Group, P.A.
Bauman Medical Group on Facebook

Alan J. Bauman, M.D. on Twitter

Bauman Medical Group on YouTube

Alan J. Bauman, M.D. on LinkedIn
Alan J. Bauman, M.D. on Google+