Dr. Shelly Friedman
Leads the practice·Scottsdale Institute for Cosmetic Dermatology
Scottsdale, United States
$17,000 for 2,100 grafts ≈ €21,500 rough estimate for 3,000 grafts Patient reported, Mar 2026 · Cost detailsBackground
Dr Shelly Friedman is an osteopathic physician (DO) who leads the Scottsdale Institute for Cosmetic Dermatology in Scottsdale, Arizona 12. He received his medical degree from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and did his dermatology residency at Michigan State University/Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital 3. The clinic says he is board certified in dermatology 4. It says he has over 38 years of experience and has treated more than 20,000 men and women for hair loss 1. The clinic describes him as the founding president of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery 4. A second physician, Dr Tam Chu, also works at the practice and trained in hair restoration under Dr Friedman 5.
Procedures and techniques
The clinic offers FUT (strip) and FUE hair transplants for men and women, as well as beard and eyebrow transplants 61. It says it has offered ARTAS robotic FUE since 2014 1. The clinic says Dr Friedman was the first hair transplant doctor in Arizona to use the ARTAS system 7. Its procedure page describes recipient sites cut with custom-made blades sized to the grafts 8. It says technicians dissect and place the grafts and that the procedure is not performed solely by the surgeon 8. The site does not say which of its two doctors operates on a given patient 85. The clinic says its average surgery is about 3,000 grafts and its largest was 5,800 grafts 9. It also offers laser therapy and medical treatment for hair loss 1.
Booking and aftercare
Credentials and memberships
He is listed as a diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) 11. The ISHRS lists him as an Emeritus Member who joined in 1994 3. His national provider (NPI) record is active and gives Arizona licence number 2179 12. We could not read the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners lookup, so his current licence status is not confirmed here 12.
Sources
Facts on this page were compiled from these pages, checked October 2026. Archived copies are kept for every citation. Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction.
- 1. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/
- 2. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/contact
- 3. https://ishrs.org/doctor/shelly-a-friedman/
- 4. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/dr-friedman
- 5. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/about-dr-tam-chu
- 6. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/mens-hair-transplants-scottsdale-arizona
- 7. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/artas-fue/
- 8. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/typical-hair-transplant-procedure
- 9. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/megasessions
- 10. https://www.scottsdaleinstitute.net/complimentary-consultations-in-scottsdale-arizona/
- 11. https://abhrs.org/directory/categories/diplomate
- 12. https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/api/?version=2.1&number=1699982611
What patients say on reddit
10 people shared their experience with Dr. Shelly Friedman across 17 reddit threads between 2016 and 2026. Every graft count, price and verdict is linked to the original thread.
- 2,100 grafts
- Excellent results from first procedure source ↗
- Not too happy with second procedure's progress source ↗
- Expects to need a third transplant source ↗
Justin_STR had two FUT procedures with Dr. Friedman in Scottsdale, about 2100 grafts each, two years apart, and says they paid around $17,000 in total. After the first they wrote "I went to Dr Friedman and had excellent results". Four months after the second they said "I am not too happy with the progress" and felt they would need a third transplant, which they said would likely be FUE in Turkey, while acknowledging much may still grow back.
3 threads they wrote in
- 2,750 grafts surgery 2022
- great job so far at day 7 source ↗
- liked being asked in for first wash source ↗
- daily anxiety about the choice source ↗
- would pick Alexander if going back source ↗
FoxNikolas had a 2,750-graft FUT in Scottsdale, AZ (2,100 on the hairline, 650 on the crown) with Dr Friedman; no price is stated. At day 7 they wrote "Dr Friedman is my man. Great job..so far. 12 months to really assess." At 1.5 months they said they liked Friedman's education and experience and being asked in the day after for the first wash, but admitted daily anxiety about the choice and said they would pick Dr Scott Alexander if they could go back, only because they had seen his results personally. They also said both doctors told them they would need two transplants, and that they did not think you can go wrong either way.
3 threads they wrote in
- Feb 2023 Thoughts on Dr Scott Alexander in Arizona for a hairline touchup? ↗
- Feb 2023 Rate and Review Work: Is it 1800 Grafts? ↗
- Jan 2023 Day 7 post FUT. 2750 grafts, 2100 on the hairline and 650 on crown. Scottsdale, AZ. Red laser + FIN. shampoo like normal today for the 1st time. Hair still has tons of ointment in it. ↗
- male 2,600 grafts surgery 2020
- Recovery painless, staff amazing source ↗
- Scar super thin, hard to find source ↗
- Cost very reasonable source ↗
- Spots behind grafts still thinner source ↗
realdjemusic had a FUT with Dr. Shelly Friedman at Scottsdale Institute in June 2020 and said it cost about $9K, which he found very reasonable. The first report said the recovery was painless and the staff amazing, and at 4 months he said he was feeling pretty good about the progress. At 18 months he said he was very happy, though thinner spots remain behind the grafts and he expects to possibly need another procedure. A commenter said 2600 grafts was too few for his extent of loss, and he replied that his donor density was thin.
3 threads they wrote in
- Nov 2021 1.5 Year FUT Update! In July 2020, I had 2,600 graphs with Dr. Friedman of Scottsdale Institute. I’ve been very happy with my results. There are still spots behind the graphs that are thinner for sure, but I’ve noticed thicker hair that has grown in, does a great job for coverage. I hope this helps. ↗
- Nov 2020 4 Month FUT Update! I’m feeling pretty good about the progress, finally! (Ugh that wait lol) I know it’s still a long road, but happy so far. 2600 grafts. Done on June 26 with Dr. Shelly Friedman in Scottsdale. ↗
- Jun 2020 Just had an FUT hair transplant! 2576 grafts. Super excited for the future. AMA! ↗ removed on reddit
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JohnSacrimoni did not have surgery with Dr Shelly Friedman. In a May 2024 post praising a different doctor in Arizona, he says the least expensive quote he received was $5.75 per graft for FUE at the Scottsdale Institute, which at 3500 grafts would total $20125. He found that more than he was willing to pay and chose another doctor.
3 threads they wrote in
- male 2,800 grafts
- areas completely bald despite transplanted hairs source ↗
- surgeon took too much strip source ↗
- clinic told me to go away on refund source ↗
- reassured about diffuse thinning, native hair died source ↗
OfferSuspicious9047 paid $10k for a FUT with Dr Shelly Friedman in Scottsdale, AZ, giving the graft count as 2800 in one post and 2500 in another. At 14 months he calls it a failed transplant, saying some areas are completely bald, the surgeon underestimated his donor thickness and took too much strip, and his native hairs died despite earlier reassurance that diffuse thinning was not an issue. He says that when he asked for a refund the clinic pretty much told him to go away. He chose this surgeon over another only because the clinic replied faster.
- 750 grafts surgery 2009
- result beyond what I expected source ↗
- scar pretty rough and too wide source ↗
- blamed me for not washing hard enough source ↗
Equivalent_Fan1221, who has had four transplants over 16 years, had 750 grafts by FUT on the temples with Dr. Friedman in Arizona in 2009 for around $2k. They said the result was beyond what they expected, but the scar was pretty rough and clearly too wide, and Friedman blamed them for not washing hard enough. They later had Dr. Charles in Florida fix the scar, and wrote "Friedman’s scar sucked, Charles fixed it".
1 thread they wrote in
- male
Ok_Side_141 had an FUT with Dr. Shelly Friedman in Scottsdale, AZ, with no graft count, price or date given. In an August 2022 comment he said 'I had great result from my first', noticing better and better results until about 11 months when improvement stopped. He was by then having a second transplant, for mid-scalp and crown, with a different doctor.
1 thread they wrote in
- male
He had a poor FUE in Tijuana about six years earlier and consulted Dr. Shelly Friedman in Phoenix, who recommended FUT. He reports the reasons given were that a scar would not show with his medium-length hair, that FUT graft survival is higher and that it is cheaper. He was unsure and asked the community whether to choose FUT or FUE. He did not have surgery with Friedman and gives no verdict on him.
2 threads they wrote in
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- great result source ↗
psuthh commented in January 2023 on a Scottsdale FUT thread involving Dr. Friedman, writing that they had a great result with him. Our rows hold no graft count, price or date of their own procedure.
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- great job creating natural looking hairline source ↗
calinica1963 commented in November 2021 on a thread about Dr. Friedman of Scottsdale Institute, writing that he did a great job on creating a really natural looking hairline. Our rows hold no graft count, price or date of their own procedure.