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No Linear Scar. Natural Growth. Faster Recovery.

As a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and national educator in hair restoration, Dr. Yael Halaas offers SmartGraft® Automated FUE in NYC as part of her Science & Beauty philosophy. With decades of experience evaluating complex hair loss conditions and serving as a clinical investigator and trainer in emerging technologies, she integrates advanced follicular science with refined aesthetic design to deliver elegant, natural-looking results in a safety-first, AAAASF-accredited setting.

The Science Behind SmartGraft® Automated FUE

Hair growth follows a defined biological cycle (anagen, catagen, telogen phases). When follicles miniaturize due to androgen sensitivity or other causes, hair thins over time. Transplantation relocates healthy follicles that maintain their genetic resistance to hair loss, enabling long-term growth in the recipient area.

SmartGraft® is an advanced form of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). This surgical technique transplants individual hair follicles from a donor area (typically the back of the scalp, where hair is more resistant to androgen-related loss) to thinning or balding regions.

FUE differs from older strip harvesting methods (Follicular Unit Transplantation, or FUT) by removing individual follicular units rather than excising a linear strip of scalp. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), FUE avoids a linear scar and allows for more discreet healing compared to strip techniques.

SmartGraft® enhances traditional FUE through:

  • Automated follicular harvesting for precision and consistency
  • A closed-loop system designed to keep grafts hydrated and cooled, helping
  • preserve follicle viability during the procedure
  • Controlled implantation for natural angle, direction, and density
Smartgraft | Dr. Yael Halaas

Smartgraft | Dr. Yael Halaas

Yael Halaas MD

Benefits of SmartGraft® Automated FUE

  • Minimally Invasive: Performed under local anesthesia with minimal disruption to surrounding tissue.
  • Faster Recovery: Most patients return to normal activities within several days.
  • Natural-Looking Results: Follicles are implanted one by one to replicate natural growth patterns. Full maturation of transplanted hair is typically seen within 9- 12 months.
  • Permanent Hair Restoration: Transplanted follicles retain their resistance to pattern hair loss.
  • Versatile Application: Suitable for scalp, hairline refinement, eyebrows, beard, and select body areas.

Are You a Candidate for SmartGraft®?

You may be a strong candidate for SmartGraft® hair restoration in Westchester if you:

  • Have male or female pattern hair loss
  • Have stable areas of donor hair
  • Want to avoid a linear strip scar
  • Desire natural hairline refinement
  • Have thinning eyebrows or beard hair
  • Have hair loss from scarring (in select cases)

Hair restoration candidacy depends on the underlying diagnosis. Conditions such as androgenetic alopecia often respond well to transplantation, while active inflammatory or scarring alopecias require stabilization first. A comprehensive scalp evaluation, medical history review, and possible laboratory testing help ensure appropriate treatment planning.

Why Choose Science & Beauty for SmartGraft®?

Beyond technology alone, results depend on surgical judgment and aesthetic design.

Dr. Halaas brings:

  • Ivy League education (Columbia & Cornell, Alpha Omega Alpha honors)
  • Fellowship training through the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
  • Assistant Clinical Professorship in Otolaryngology
  • Published research in regenerative medicine and hair restoration
  • Experience training physicians in surgical and non-surgical hair therapies
  • A bilingual (English/Spanish) team serving local and international patients

Hairline artistry requires an understanding of proportion, symmetry, and long-term aging patterns, something Dr. Halaas has worked hard to cultivate over the span of her career.

What to Expect Before, During, and After

Consultation

Your consultation includes:

  • Detailed scalp analysis (often with magnification imaging)
  • Review of medical and family history
  • Evaluation of donor density and recipient needs
  • Discussion of graft estimates and customized design

Cost varies depending on the number of grafts, their complexity, and the treatment area. A personalized treatment plan will be provided after evaluation.

Procedure

  • Local anesthesia is administered
  • Individual follicular units are harvested from the donor region using
  • SmartGraft® automated FUE technology
  • Grafts are protected in a temperature-controlled environment
  • Recipient sites are artistically designed and created
  • Follicles are implanted with careful attention to angle and density
  • Most procedures are completed in a single day

Recovery and Results

  • Mild redness or swelling can be expected
  • You can typically return to work within a few days
  • Tiny extraction sites heal quickly without a linear scar
  • Transplanted hairs shed within weeks (a normal phase)
  • New growth typically begins within 3–4 months
  • Visible improvement progresses over 6–9 months
  • Full results generally appear around 9–12 months

Subtypes of SmartGraft® FUE

  • Scalp Hair Restoration
  • Hairline Design and Refinement
  • Eyebrow Transplantation
  • Beard Restoration
  • Body Hair Transplant (select cases)

Alternative or Complementary Treatments

Depending on the diagnosis, we may recommend:

  • Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy
  • Exosome or regenerative treatments
  • Oral or topical minoxidil
  • Anti-androgen therapy (when appropriate)
  • Low-level light therapy
  • Scalp micropigmentation
  • Combination of surgical and non-surgical approaches

Hair restoration is most successful when underlying causes are addressed alongside transplantation.

Experience Modern, Minimally Invasive Hair Restoration

In-office or virtual appointments available. Schedule your consultation at Science & Beauty in Manhattan or Westchester today.

COVID-19 Safety Measures

We understand that there may be times when you miss an appointment due to emergencies or obligations for work and family.

However, due to Covid 19. and the current CDC guidelines, we are implementing a new ” no exceptions” cancellation/no show/rescheduling policy effective September 1, 2020.

If any appointment is cancelled or RESCHEDULED less than 24 hours in advance you will be charged a fee of $100. This policy will be in place until further notice and applies to new AND existing clients We apologize for any inconvenience but look forward to getting through this difficult time together.

At Dr. Halaas office, we take our staff’s and patients’ health very seriously. We are implementing safety measures to ensure everyone who comes through our doors will experience the highest level of care and the lowest risk levels.

Safety of our Employees

Each day we are taking our employees temperatures and going over a questionnaire to make sure we are all in the best of health. If anyone has a temperature over 100.4, or has fever, sore throat, chills, loss of taste, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pains, or headache, they will be asked to leave and go see their primary care doctor, or go get tested.

If an employee has been in contact with someone with Covid, we will ask them to get themselves tested, or they will have to quarantine themselves for two weeks.

We have installed a sneeze guard at our front counter for the safety of both our employees and our patients.

Safety of our Patients

Patients must sign up for our patient portal before coming to their appointment

  • Information to get into the portal will be emailed immediately after making an appointment
  • Information to be completed will be medical history as well as a Covid questionnaire
  • Covid questionnaire must be completed for EVERY visit patient makes until further notice
  • We also have a patient app, MyPatientVisit, that we can communicate with the patient when we are ready to see them

All patients must wear masks to their appointment.

We ask patients to come to their appointment alone. Minors may be accompanied by an adult.

Temperature will be taken at the door.

  • If they have a temperature over 100.4 they will be rescheduled and asked to go see their primary care doctor

Once patient has been cleared, we will escort them to their suite where they will be treated.
We have removed water and snacks from our waiting area, as well as all pamphlets regarding services.

Each room will be thoroughly disinfected in between patients
We encourage telehealth consults beforehand, so we can make a plan for when patients do come into office.

Written by Dr. Halaas

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