Keeps Is Opening a State-of-the-Art Hair Transplant Clinic in NYC Next Year
One of the leaders in DTC hair loss solutions, Keeps, is going brick and mortar with a hair transplant clinic, opening in NYC in early 2022.
Keeps Hair Restoration is timed to a growing demand for the procedure, which saw a 30 percent uptick during the pandemic, along with a 50 percent increase in initial consultations, according to The New York Times. Market Research Future estimates the hair transplant market will be worth $24 billion in 2023, and Keeps’ core customer—men taking a proactive, and usually prescriptive, approach to hair restoration—is the primary demographic.
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It’s one very big, offline addition to their otherwise digital customer experience, which relies heavily on photo consultations and mail-order prescriptions. “Our first physical location will tailor every aspect of the experience to each patient’s unique needs to treat hair loss, leveraging the same patient-centric approach we’ve honed in nearly four years,” says Keeps general manager Matt O’Connor. “We know [these customers], we know their progress, we know their concerns, and we can then not only suggest care, but also make sure that care is tailored to that specific patient and their goals for the future.”
In line with their business model—and that of most hair restoration clinics—Keeps will assign an advisor to each prospective patient, who will walk them through the logistics, from day-of procedure to recovery expectations to cost. Prices will vary depending on each patient’s hair loss severity, donor site health, and hair type. “We’ll be priced competitively with the industry and will be transparent with patients to make sure they know exactly what they’re paying for,” says O’Connor.
The clinic will offer the advanced industry-standard follicular unit extraction technology, which allows for precisely angled and spaced follicles and smaller incisions—thus assuring realistic results and faster healing. It will staff around 10 people including a lead physician, client advisor, hair technicians, nurse practitioners and others. The head physician will be announced in 2022 before the clinic opens. “[This person] is an expert who has completed over 1,000 procedures with extensive five-star reviews,” O’Connor says. “They’ve led hair restoration procedures for nearly a decade and specialize in doing FUE by hand.”
Keeps
Candidates for hair restoration don’t need to be existing Keeps customers in order to receive the procedure. However, as is the case with all hair transplants, it is encouraged that hair transplant recipients prioritize a proactive plan to fight continued thinning and loss. (Transplanted hair, extracted from the sides and rear of the head, will not fall in the future, but the existing hairs up top are still susceptible to loss. Keeps may advise patients to consider their proactive post-transplant retention plan, which is a smart policy—I say this as a transplant recipient myself, relying on both minoxidil and finasteride prescriptions to retain my hair, even with a renewed, full hairline in place.)
While O’Connor envisions a primarily digital initial consult for customers, he says that the first few months of the clinic’s 2022 launch will focus on in-person advising. “[The future digital consults] may be complemented by an in-person visit to have a conversation with the doctor, to confirm the initial assessment and procedure. This makes the process efficient for the patient and, again, ensures they are the best candidate for the surgery.”
One perk of Keeps’ telemedicine model is that its doctors check-in at designated intervals to measure patient progress with any prescriptions and products. The post-transplant check-ins will look similar: “Through the Keeps portal, [patients] will have access to view and manage the treatments that they should begin taking once they complete their surgery, access to doctor messaging for any follow-up questions they might have, and progress tracking,” says O’Connor. “We’re also planning in-person follow-ups after the procedure to make sure patients are excited about their progress and understand what to expect.”
One other onside offering will be platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, wherein plasma is extracted from the patient’s own blood samples and in turn injected into the transplant site. It’s standard protocol for transplant clinics, and for many people who want to maintain fuller, stronger hair over time. “Patients who have surgery and supplement with PRP get the most ‘oomph’ to their result,” O’Connor adds.
As for anyone concerned about discretion, O’Connor notes that the facility is “tucked away in a medical office building in midtown, along with other tenants, with an absence of street-level signage.”
If you’re interested in learning more as consultations become available, you can sign up at Keeps’ site to receive updates.
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