Dr. Christopher Varona, D.O.

Though he did not realize it at the time,Dr. Christopher Varona actually began his surgical training at just 5 years old. That was when he began to study the piano. Each day that his small fingers practiced, he was developing the dexterity and meticulous skill that would later serve him well as a hair transplant surgeon. After 13 years of extensive training in classical and jazz piano, he reached a crossroad when it was time to choose a college major. “My father is a physician and mother is a nurse so when choosing a college major, in my mind it was either medicine or music. I felt I had reached a peak in music by the time I was a senior in high school, so I chose pre-medicine,” recalled Dr. Varona.

He graduated from the esteemed DePaul University in Chicago, where he graduated with high honors, majoring in Biological Sciences. After attending medical school at Midwestern University, Dr. Varona reached another crossroad when the time came to select a specialty. Although he knew he wanted to do something that combined technical skill with artistic ability, he was also drawn to family practice because it offers a broad exposure to many different fields of medicine. Once he decided to pursue Family Medicine, he attended Northwestern University where he completed his residency. In 2005, yet another crossroad would shape the course of his career. Although his hairline had begun receding in his early 20’s, Dr. Varona was able to camouflage it by changing his hairstyle.

However, as the recession progressed, it became impossible to hide. “My father has been Norwood class 6 ever since I can remember,” said Dr. Varona, “I felt like I looked older than I was. I looked in the mirror and it didn’t look like the young guy I felt like in my mind. My confidence dropped, I didn’t feel as invincible as I once did, and socially, it made me feel awkward so I didn’t feel like doing as much as I used to do.” Dr. Varona chose hair transplant surgery to restore his hairline. The success of the surgery was so impressive that he knew he had found his calling. “I was amazed by the results,” he acknowledged, “I felt invigorated. My hair loss became a nonissue, so I was able to take all the energy I’d spent worrying about my hair and channel it into other things.”

Seeking to become a world-class hair transplant surgeon, Dr. Varona applied for the prestigious Medical Hair Restoration fellowship in Hair Transplantation Surgery. Upon his acceptance into the coveted program, he began training under the direction of Dr. Matt Leavitt, the Founder and Medical Director of Medical Hair Restoration, and Dr. Marco Barusco. “I was very impressed with the experience and knowledge of Dr. Leavitt and Dr. Barusco,” said Dr. Varona, “ and I received the best training possible through MHR. Their collective expertise has been invaluable to my understanding of all aspects of practicing hair transplantation.”

After having performed hundreds of hair transplant procedures, Dr. Varona knows he has finished reaching crossroads. He could not be happier with his chosen specialty that integrates detail and technical artistry with his classically trained hands. “Before I started medical school, I knew I wanted to learn something very specific that I could master. I enjoy work that requires precision,” he said, “But I also feel great empathy for my patients because I understand, from experience, what they are going through.”

For Dr. Varona, the most rewarding part of being a hair transplant surgeon is seeing the dramatic increase in his patients’ self-esteem and confidence. “I believe that the way a person perceives how they look directly relates to how they experience the world around them,” Dr. Varona smiled, “I like knowing that I took part in helping them achieve that.”


Education 

• Hair Transplantation Fellowship, Medical Hair Restoration, Orlando, FL
• Residency, Family Practice, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
  Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Rotating Internship, Midwestern University, Olympia Fields, IL
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
• Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downer’s Grove, IL
• Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, DePaul University, Chicago, IL

 Affiliations