Dr. Gary M. Petrus
Hair Transplant Surgeon
Hair Transplant & Facial Plastic Surgeon
With more than three decades of surgical experience since completing his residency, Dr. Gary Petrus is a dual board-certified facial plastic surgeon and one of the most experienced hair restoration specialists treating patients at Hair Restoration Institute of Minnesota. His practice is built on a simple standard: physician-led, scientifically grounded surgical and non-surgical hair restoration that produces natural, age-appropriate results.
Education & Training
Dr. Petrus earned his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology with Honors from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, before completing his medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He went on to complete a General Surgery internship at UAMS, followed by a residency in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery across UAMS, the John L. McClellan VA Medical Center, and Arkansas Children's Hospital. He then pursued advanced subspecialty training through a Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship sponsored by the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Foundation, training alongside leading surgeons at UCSF, California Pacific Medical Center, and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.
Board Certifications & Affiliations
Dr. Petrus is dual board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. He was inducted as a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), and the Arkansas Medical Society, and has been recognized with multiple "Top Doctor" honors over the course of his career.
Clinical Expertise
Dr. Petrus offers a full range of surgical and non-surgical hair restoration options, including both Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), tailoring each approach to a patient's individual hair characteristics, donor supply, and goals. Over the course of his career, he has planted more than two million grafts with a 99% graft survival rate, and is known for taking the time to walk patients through every step of a procedure and their at-home recovery. His surgical background in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery also gives him a detailed command of the facial and scalp anatomy that natural-looking hair restoration depends on.
Research & Academic Contributions
Beyond the operating room, Dr. Petrus has served as Principal Investigator on more than 30 FDA-regulated clinical trials, including Phase 2, 3, and 4 studies evaluating neuromodulators, dermal fillers, Latisse, and treatments for androgenetic alopecia — work that has kept him at the leading edge of dermatologic and hair restoration science throughout his career.
Community Involvement
Dr. Petrus has held clinical positions at Baptist Health Medical Center and St. Vincent Infirmary, volunteered his surgical services at the Baptist Health Free Clinic and Immanuel Baptist Church Clinic, and served on the Arkansas Trauma Advisory Council.
Personal Background
A native Arkansan, Dr. Petrus was born at St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock and raised on his family's rice and soybean farm in East Arkansas, where he graduated high school as valedictorian. That upbringing, he says, instilled the same work ethic and attention to detail he brings to every procedure — a combination he describes as pairing world-class training with deep, grounded roots.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Petrus
Patients turn to Dr. Petrus for the rare combination of a surgeon's precision, a researcher's rigor, and a genuinely patient-first bedside manner. At Hair Restoration Institute of Minnesota, he continues to bring that same standard of surgical expertise, scientific grounding, and compassionate care to every patient's hair restoration journey.