Silicon Valley Hair Institute

Silicon Valley Hair Institute was founded by Miguel Canales, MD, to bring advanced hair transplant technology, including the ARTAS robotic system, to patients in the San Francisco Bay Area. The clinic serves patients from San Mateo, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto and other nearby cities, and also lists patients from San Carlos, Dublin, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and Sacramento. Dr. Canales also offers consultations in Beverly Hills.

The main service is hair transplantation. Robotic transplantation with ARTAS uses software for 3D treatment planning and a robot to harvest follicular units and create recipient sites, and the clinic says the procedure leaves tiny round incisions with small white marks and needs no stitches or staples. Under long-acting local anesthesia it is done as an outpatient procedure. Sessions under 2,500 grafts generally take one day, while larger FUE sessions may run over two consecutive days, and the clinic also offers mega-sessions of more than 3,500 grafts in a day. FUE removes individual follicular units with a 1 millimeter punch, usually in one visit, and FUT removes a thin strip of scalp that is divided under a microscope and closed with stitches. After a free consultation, the surgeon decides which of these methods suits the patient. Final results usually appear within 6 to 12 months for transplants, and around three to six months after FUT. The clinic also offers EPIC micro-injections, a personalized mix of purified medications and nutrients delivered into the scalp, and scalp injections of plasma-derived growth factors. Hair dermoscopy, which uses high-definition video and photographic images, is used to assess hair loss. The HTX360 Experience includes post-procedure clinical visits and may combine low-level light therapy, EPIC micro-injections, and hair supplements and nutrients. Scalp micropigmentation uses non-permanent dyes to build dot patterns that camouflage thinning or scarring, in sessions of 1 to 3 hours under local anesthesia. Pricing for ARTAS and robotic transplants starts at $8,000, and the clinic describes its pricing as competitive for the care provided. It notes that transplants are cosmetic surgery and generally not covered by insurance, and it offers financing for qualified clients and a monthly payment plan arranged through its team. Free consultations are available in person, by phone at 650-638-1226, by email, or by video through Skype, Zoom or FaceTime, and include a personalized cost estimate. The clinic is open Monday through Sunday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, offers free parking at the Foster City office, and has Spanish-language content and staff who speak Spanish. Its website also has Chinese-language pages.

Surgical plans are individualized after a consultation with Dr. Canales, and the recommended procedure may be robotic, FUE, FUT, a mega-session or medical therapy, depending on the patient's needs.

The clinic calls its Foster City office state-of-the-art, and each operating suite has flat-panel TVs for patients watching movies during FUT surgery.