Our Medical Process
Aqua Clinic Hair &
Aesthetics Annapolis, MD
Discover our doctor-led treatment process in Annapolis, Maryland—from initial private consultation through precision hair transplant surgery and aesthetic follow-up care.
At Aqua Clinic, every hair transplant begins with a personalized medical evaluation. Our goal is to determine whether you are a good candidate, carefully plan your procedure, and guide you through every stage of the process.
Initial Photo Evaluation
The first step is to send our team clear photos of your scalp from several angles:
- Front hairline
- Top of the scalp
- Both sides
- Crown
- Back of the head — the donor area
These photographs allow our medical team to perform an initial assessment of your hair loss pattern and evaluate the quality and density of the donor area. A healthy donor area is essential, because this is where the follicles used for transplantation are obtained.
Medical Consultation
After reviewing your photos, we schedule a consultation with one of our medical providers. This may be completed in person at our clinic, or virtually through a video consultation.
During your consultation, your hair loss, medical history, expectations, donor area, and potential treatment plan will be reviewed. You will also have the opportunity to ask the doctor any questions about the procedure.
Pre-Procedure Blood Work & Medical Clearance
Before scheduling the procedure, required laboratory testing is completed to help confirm that you are medically prepared for a hair transplant.
Additional medical clearance may be requested depending on your medical history, medications, or health conditions.
Reserve Your Procedure Date
Once you have been medically approved, a deposit is required to secure your procedure date. The amount is confirmed with you at consultation.
The deposit:
- Is applied toward the total cost of your hair transplant
- Reserves your scheduled procedure date
- Is valid for six months
- Is non-refundable, except where the patient is medically unable to undergo the procedure and appropriate physician documentation is provided
The remaining balance must be paid in full before the procedure begins.
Pre-Procedure Instructions & Prescriptions
Before your scheduled procedure, our medical team will provide detailed preparation instructions.
Where appropriate, prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications needed before or after the procedure will also be provided.
Procedure Day
On the day of your hair transplant, our medical team completes several important steps before the procedure begins.
Pre-procedure testing
On arrival, the patient undergoes required urine and/or blood testing as clinically appropriate. This may include pregnancy testing where applicable, and screening intended to identify substances or other factors that could affect the safe administration of medications or local anesthesia.
The medical team reviews the results and confirms that it is appropriate to proceed with the procedure.
Personalized hairline design
Once the patient has been cleared, the doctor and medical team work with the patient to design the new hairline. It is customized according to the patient’s preferences, while also considering facial proportions, existing hair pattern, donor availability, and the goal of achieving a natural-looking result.
The proposed hairline is carefully marked and reviewed with the patient. The procedure does not begin until the final design has been approved.
Local anesthesia
Once the hairline design has been finalized, the donor area is prepared and local anesthesia is administered to keep the patient comfortable throughout the procedure.
A large hair transplant of up to approximately 5,000 grafts may take around eight hours, although the exact duration depends on the number of grafts and the patient’s individualized treatment plan.
Phase one — follicular extraction
After the donor area is fully anesthetized, individual follicular units are carefully extracted and prepared for transplantation.
Break
After the extraction phase, the patient is given a break to rest, eat, use the restroom, check their phone, and prepare for the implantation portion of the procedure. Patients may bring food of their choice, or arrange for food during their procedure day.
Phase two — DHI implantation
The recipient area is then anesthetized, and the previously extracted follicles are carefully implanted using the DHI (Direct Hair Implantation) method, following the approved hairline design and treatment plan.
Careful attention is given to the angle, direction, distribution, and density of the implanted follicles to create a natural-looking result.
PRP or Exosome Treatment
If PRP or an exosome treatment has been included in the patient’s treatment plan, it may be performed in conjunction with the hair transplant procedure.
These regenerative treatments may be recommended as part of an individualized hair-restoration plan.
Going Home After Your Procedure
Patients cannot drive themselves home after the procedure. A responsible adult must be available to collect the patient and provide transportation after treatment.
Detailed postoperative instructions are provided before leaving the clinic.
The First Days After Your Transplant
Our team remains in contact with the patient throughout the early recovery period.
Day 1
We check on your recovery and answer any questions regarding swelling, discomfort, medications, or postoperative care.
Day 2
The dressing is removed when appropriate, and the patient is shown how to carefully wash the transplanted and donor areas. Protecting the newly implanted grafts during this period is extremely important.
Day 3 and beyond
Most patients can gradually return to normal daily activities while continuing to follow their postoperative instructions. The transplanted area should not be rubbed, scratched, or disturbed while the grafts are healing.
The Shedding Phase
During the first several weeks after transplantation, many of the transplanted hairs will naturally shed.
This does not mean the transplant has failed. The implanted follicles remain beneath the skin and gradually begin producing new hair as they enter a new growth cycle.
New Hair Growth
Hair-transplant results develop gradually.
New growth typically becomes more noticeable over the following months, with continued improvement in thickness, coverage, and density as the transplanted follicles mature.
Final maturation can take approximately 12 months or longer, depending on the patient and the treatment area.
Maintaining & Supporting Your Results
PRP, exosome treatments, and other physician-recommended hair-restoration therapies may be incorporated into your long-term treatment plan to support the health of your existing and transplanted hair.
Your medical provider will determine which treatments are appropriate for you.
Additional Hair Transplant Procedures
Some patients may benefit from an additional hair transplant to achieve greater density, or to address other areas of hair loss.
Where a second procedure is appropriate, it is generally considered only after sufficient healing and hair growth have occurred.
Our medical team typically evaluates patients for an additional procedure approximately 12–18 months after their previous transplant, depending on their individual progress, donor area, and treatment goals.
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