The kind of clinic we want to become
- A clinic patients are willing to wait for in order to choose
- A clinic you would want to recommend to someone precious to you
- A clinic where good people gather and grow together
01A picture book kept in a safe
One night, I was sitting up in bed reading a picture book to the children. “I like windy days too.” It was such a pleasant phrase. It reminded me of patients who said they felt a bit more comfortable after surgery when the wind blew.
I put that picture book in a safe thinking I would use that name if I ever opened a clinic. It was the first thing put in the safe besides a child's first ring. When preparing to open the clinic there was opposition that the name was long and hard to remember, but Director Shin Seungkyu and my wife said they liked it.
Now that picture book hangs in the clinic elevator. The wind is not decoration but the everyday wish to be comfortable while tying up and moving hair around. The clinic's name asks us every day what we are practicing medicine for.
02Honesty is not just a promise to patients
Words we shared before opening became the root of the clinic. No fake marketing, honest care without deceiving patients, and paying taxes faithfully. Promises about the process do not end inside the consultation room.
Being honest about hair counts matters not only for patient trust but also for the self-respect of our staff. They should be able to explain our information confidently. Individual hair counts and follicular unit (graft) counts are not the same, so we clearly explain which unit the treatment plan uses.
We also know that positive words alone can never substitute for outcomes. That is why, from design and preparatory taping to anesthesia, harvesting and implantation, and the final finishing steps, one operating surgeon takes direct responsibility. We believe that the judgment of the physician chosen by the patient should be carried through from the very beginning of surgery to the end.
03We first listen to why the patient wants it
Doctors have standards based on experience. But the ideal proportions a doctor considers and the look a patient wants can differ. If you hear why someone wants that design, there may be areas they covered when taking photos or reasons they felt uncomfortable when styling their hair every day.
That does not mean we operate exactly as requested in every case. We explain difficult aspects such as hair thickness, the amount in the occipital area, existing baby hairs, and future hair loss. We do not stop with saying it cannot be done; instead, we look for other ways to reduce that discomfort.
There is a line that appears repeatedly in the manuscript: “We always learn from our patients.” We think design is finding the intersection between what the patient wants and what is medically possible.
04Not recommending surgery can also be care
Sometimes we recommend medication first to a person who came for hair transplantation. If they came expecting surgery they may be disappointed, but there are situations where preserving the hair that remains is the priority.
We do not ignore the potential of new scalp treatments, but we consider effectiveness and cost together. We do not recommend a treatment to everyone just because it might help a little. We examine basic treatments first and consider the order of adding others when necessary.
There are limits to naturalness. If hair is thick and baby hairs are few, the desired slicked-back style may be difficult. Rather than deciding based only on the possibility of improvement, it is important to know the difficult aspects and choose with that knowledge.
05A process created together by the operating surgeon and the surgical team
Three board-certified physicians with 13 years or more of experience in hair transplantation provide care. Many members of the surgical and follicular unit dissection team have been working closely together for 10 years or more. Hair transplantation is not a procedure created by the operating surgeon alone. The skills and coordination of the team that dissects, selects, and assists with implantation of grafts are equally important. A team that has worked together for a long time understands the surgeon’s operative style and even the preferred details of dissection technique.
One reason we do not fix the three directors to specific surgeries in introductions is that we want to show a team that shares the same clinical principles based on each person's experience, rather than giving the impression that only one director can perform certain care. Please confirm the responsible operating surgeon and the actual plan during consultation.
Why does a single physician stay in charge for the entire surgery? ↗06A space designed to reduce waiting and accidental encounters
We perform almost all consultations and treatments by appointment and do not overbook. We separate consultation, treatment, surgery, and recovery areas by floor and allow ample time for each person. By operating so that patients move to the appropriate area at their scheduled time, we reduce waiting and face-to-face encounters with other patients.
The single-building layout and windows opening toward the park are part of that care approach. Rather than expressing privacy as merely luxurious interior, we practice it through appointment spacing and movement paths. Depending on circumstances, waiting or encounters may still occur.
A wave found on a computer keyboard, a dust-free sky blue
We wanted a logo that could be easily created anywhere. We found the wave on a computer keyboard—like a breeze blowing, like hair gently swaying in the wind, softening even the most rigid messages.
The color of the logo is a dust-free sky blue. It reflects our commitment to honest, clean medical care, like a clear sky. The clinic’s name, the wave, and the sky blue color all point to the same promise.
This is an edited version composed based on the clinic-provided manuscript. Quotations in the manuscript that introduce medical staff use the provided wording. Medical staff and translations require verification before publication.