About Us
We are your partners on the journey to hair restoration
Biography of
Cesar A. Aristeiguieta, MD, FACEP
Dr. Aristeiguieta is the founder of ILEA Hair Restoration. “Dr. Cesar,” as his patients call him, is Board Certified Emergency Physician and Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He has practiced for over 23 years at facilities in Texas, Louisiana, and California.
Dr. Cesar has been passionate about understanding and treating hair loss since medical school. He trained in general surgery with one of the leading hair restoration experts in the nation. Over the years Dr. Cesar has continued expanding his understanding of hair loss, and has developed a unique approach to helping patients affected by alopecia. He is a member of the prestigious International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), which focuses on promoting the highest ethical and surgical standards in the industry.
Dr. Cesar brings a unique background to medicine. He was born in Venezuela and emigrated alone to the United States at the age of fifteen seeking better opportunities. After high school, Dr. Cesar developed his love for medicine by working as an Emergency Medical Technician, a National Ski Patrol volunteer, and as an American Red Cross disaster volunteer. He later served as a police officer while simultaneously attending college full-time. Dr. Aristeiguieta received the “Top Gun” award as the leading graduate of his police academy class.
Dr. Cesar earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the California State University, Bakersfield, and his medical doctorate from the University of Southern California. Dr. Aristeiguieta has served as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, and the University of California, Davis. Dr. Aristeiguieta’s clinical research has been published in several medical journals, including JAMA, the prestigious journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Aristeiguieta is a passionate community volunteer. He has served the American Red Cross since 1984, rising to become a member of the National Red Cross Board of Governors. He has also been a volunteer with Goodwill since 1999, and most recently served on the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Southern California.
In 2008, Dr. Aristeiguieta was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame of the California State University, Bakersfield, and also received the United States President’s Volunteer Service Award, both for his lifelong commitment to community and public service. Dr. Aristeiguieta was awarded the California Department of Transportation 2003 Excellence in Transportation Award for his leadership in the creation of the Angeles Crest Highway Traffic Safety Corridor. This project led to a significant reduction in injuries and fatalities on California’s “most dangerous roadway.”
Dr. Aristeiguieta has been a contributing health writer for La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the nation, as well as a medical correspondent/commentator for various Spanish language television stations, including those affiliated with the Telemundo and Univision networks. Dr. Aristeiguieta has also appeared in ten episodes of the popular television series Untold Stories of the E.R.
President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Aristeiguieta to the 2002 – 03 class of White House Fellows. As a senior member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Aristeiguieta served his fellowship year as a direct advisor to Secretary Tommy Thompson on a wide variety of health, safety and welfare matters. Secretary Thompson subsequently appointed Dr. Aristeiguieta to his technical advisory group on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Dr. Aristeiguieta to the Medical Board of California on August 19, 2004. The California State Senate subsequently confirmed his nomination on August 18, 2005. Dr. Aristeiguieta served as the Vice-President of the Board, President of the Division on Medical Quality, and as a member of the Board’s Physician Diversion Committee, the International Medical Schools Committee, the Medical Errors Taskforce and the Executive Committee.
On June 21, 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also appointed Dr. Aristeiguieta as Director of the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA). The EMS Authority is a department of the state government responsible for administering an effective statewide system of coordinated emergency medical care and disaster medical response. As Director of EMSA, Dr. Aristeiguieta was responsible for a $45 million budget and 73 employees. During his tenure EMSA, Dr. Aristeiguieta oversaw the acquisition of three 200-bed mobile field hospitals, the development of state-wide ambulance strike teams, the creation of the California Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, increased funding for the state trauma system, and improved funding support for the poison control system. Dr. Aristeiguieta served as the eighth Director of EMSA until December 31, 2007.
Dr. Aristeiguieta is an award-winning nature photographer, whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including the prestigious National Geographic Magazine. His images focus on capturing the beauty and drama of the wild, thereby exposing viewers to complexities of the natural world. In recent years he has translated this approach to human subjects, thus producing creative character-based lifestyle images for advertising campaigns.
In his free time Dr. Aristeiguieta likes to be active and outdoors. He has competed in numerous triathlons, marathons and fun runs. Over the past 14 years, he has also backpacked over 1300 miles in the California Sierra Nevada. Dr. Aristeiguieta enjoys shooting sports and regularly participates in sporting clays, IDPA and three-gun competitions. He is a Master Class sporting clays competitor and was named to the Texas All State Team in 2018.
Dr. Cesar's Hair Journey
I started losing hair in 2003. You can see the front corner of my hairline disappearing. I decided to buzz cut my hair and be like Vin Diesel, who was a popular actor at the time. Yes, those are two cheetahs that I was petting. 🙂
The problem is that 2 years later, I had lost a significant amount of hair. I went from a Norwood 3 to a Norwood 3V in just 2 years. I was at Norwood 4 by the time I had my first hair transplant.
I had an FUT hair transplant of about 2,300 grafts in 2006. My results were good, but I felt that I needed a little more hair. FUE hair transplants were not widely available at the time, so I had an unsightly scar after the procedure. I have also been using minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia) since 2005. The goal of such medications is to maintain the natural hair I still have. I switched from finasteride to dutasteride (Avodart) earlier this year as dutasteride tends to work better than finasteride.
In January of this year, I decided to undergo a 2,500 graft FUE procedure to address my hairline again and add a little density to my crown. I had a little additional hair loss at the hairline (my own hair, not the transplanted hair). I looked good, so frankly, I only did the transplant because I am in this line of work now.
Prior to the surgery, you can see the scar from my old FUT procedure. We removed the scar during my FUE hair transplant so I can wear my hair short again. You can also see my temporal recession and the small bald spot in the crown.
