Dr. Paul J. McAndrews: The Los Angeles Hair Restoration Surgeon Behind the "McAndrews Method"

Dr. Paul J. McAndrews, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and hair restoration surgeon practicing in Pasadena and Beverly Hills, California. He is dual board-certified by the American Board of Dermatology and the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery, one of a limited number of physicians nationally to hold both credentials, and has focused his practice on hair restoration since the mid-1990s. Dr. McAndrews served as President of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) from 2020 to 2021 and President of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) in 2012, and has built his practice around what he calls the "McAndrews Method": performing a single Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) or Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) procedure per day, personally overseeing every step from start to finish.

Who Is Dr. Paul McAndrews?

Dr. McAndrews' path into hair restoration surgery runs through dermatology rather than around it. He earned his medical degree from the University of Southern California in 1990, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, and completed his dermatology residency at USC/LA County Medical Center, where he was awarded the highest position of Chief Resident. A dermatology residency is the only residency that requires residents to be trained in hair transplant surgery. That dermatology foundation, training focused on skin, hair follicles, and scalp biology, sets him apart from surgeons who enter hair transplantation from other specialties, and it remains the lens through which he approaches every graft he places today.

He has carried that foundation into teaching as well as practice, holding a faculty appointment in the Department of Dermatology at USC/Keck School of Medicine as a voluntary Associate Clinical Professor, where he received the Outstanding Teacher Award in Surgical Dermatology in 2010.

Over nearly three decades in hair restoration, Dr. McAndrews has treated patients, including high-profile celebrities and elite business and political leaders, from across the United States and internationally at his Pasadena and Beverly Hills locations.

His global standing within the medical hair restoration field is reflected in the leadership roles he has held: President of the ISHRS from 2020 to 2021 and President of the ABHRS in 2012, where he also wrote the recertification examination current Diplomates are required to pass. Dr. McAndrews is one of only two physicians worldwide to have held both presidencies. He has also received Top Doctor recognition from Castle Connolly, Los Angeles Magazine, and Pasadena Magazine.

What Is the "McAndrews Method," and How Is It Different?

Most hair transplant practices divide labor across a surgical team, with technicians performing most of the surgery under a surgeon's supervision. Dr. McAndrews built his practice around the opposite approach. Under what he calls the McAndrews Method, he performs only one FUE or FUT procedure per day and personally oversees every step himself, rather than delegating the majority of the surgery to unlicensed staff. He uses a stereoscopic microscope during graft preparation, a step he considers critical to graft survival and one that aids in achieving a natural-looking result rather than the symmetric, "pluggy," unnaturally low hairline associated with inexperienced and heavily marketed hair transplant clinics.

That same attention extends to case selection. Dr. McAndrews states that roughly half of the transplants he performs are corrective or repair procedures, addressing grafts, scarring, or design errors left behind by earlier botched surgeries elsewhere. Repair work of this kind is generally considered more technically demanding than a first-time transplant, since it requires working around existing scar tissue and altered blood supply while still producing a natural hairline and density.

Does Dr. McAndrews Perform FUE and FUT Hair Transplants?

Yes. For the last 27 years Dr. McAndrews has offered both Follicular Unit Excision (FUE), in which individual follicular units are removed one at a time without a linear incision, and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), which uses a strip excision technique to harvest a larger number of grafts in a single session. He evaluates which approach suits a given patient based on the extent and pattern of hair loss, scalp laxity, and the patient's preference regarding scarring and recovery, rather than defaulting to a single technique for every case.

His practice extends beyond scalp hair restoration to eyebrow transplantation, placing individual follicles at flat angles to replicate a natural eyebrow's growth pattern, as well as eyelash, beard, and body hair transplantation. Dr. McAndrews also treats a range of patient populations within hair restoration, including transgender patients pursuing both masculinizing and feminizing hairline procedures, and patients across the full spectrum of hair types and ethnicities, including Afro-textured hair.

What Conditions Does Dr. McAndrews Treat?

Dr. McAndrews' practice addresses hair loss stemming from multiple underlying causes, not only male and female pattern baldness. His documented areas of treatment include androgenetic alopecia (the hereditary, hormone-driven pattern most commonly associated with hair loss), telogen effluvium (temporary shedding often triggered by stress, illness, or hormonal change), alopecia areata (an autoimmune condition causing patchy hair loss), scarring or cicatricial alopecia, traction alopecia (caused by prolonged tension on the hair, such as from tight hairstyles), and hair loss resulting from prior surgery or trauma. Because these conditions differ significantly in cause and in whether surgical transplantation is an appropriate treatment, patients are advised to consult Dr. McAndrews directly to determine which conditions may be addressed surgically in their specific case.

Scheduling a Consultation with Dr. Paul McAndrews

Dr. McAndrews sees patients at two Southern California locations: Pasadena, at 50 Alessandro Place, Suite 115, and Beverly Hills, at 435 N. Roxbury Drive. He holds an active California medical license and speaks English and Spanish with patients. His practice states that consultations can be scheduled by phone and email, and that both in-person and remote consultations are available for patients traveling from outside the Los Angeles area.

For patients considering FUE, FUT, or revision surgery to correct a prior hair transplant, Dr. McAndrews' specialized training with dual board certification in dermatology and hair restoration surgery, his leadership within ISHRS and ABHRS, and his personalized single-procedure-per-day approach represent an uncommon combination of credentials. His reputation is built on decades of experience, academic contributions, and consistent delivery of natural, undetectable results. Those interested can contact his practice directly at appointments@hairgrowthdoctor.com or 877-HAIR-DOC to schedule a consultation, or browse more members in the Haute MD physician directory.