hello all.

been lurking for a while and after plenty of reading, am ready to start asking questions about further research.

My reading, mainly on here, started with the work of Dr Farjo - purely because he is based in Great Britain, as am I, and he has worked on some mildly famous men, all quite well documented. I appreciate i may have to travel to get a better result, should i finally decide that a HT is the course of action i take. with that in mind i have been looking at the work of Drs Rahal, Feller and Hasson, all highly thought of it seems. i'll continue to research the work of these gentlemen.

I decided to talk to my own GP about HTs, and whilst she didnt know a great deal about the subject, she had a collegue who is working in the cosmetic field with a chap called Greg Williams. I was wondering if anyone have any experience of Dr. Greg Williams? (of London Plastic Surgery Associates).

Ive dropped him an email through his website but in the meantime thought i'd enquire here whilst i wait for a reply..

all the best
moss

Hi Moss-

It's great to see that you are doing your homework and really checking into the hair transplant thing rather than going into it blindly as I did 11 years ago. You are extremely fortunate with the technology that is available today as opposed to back in 1998 when it was still micro mini's being state of the art. Today, the work that is done by excellent docs is truly remarkable.

I have never heard of Dr. Williams. He is obviously someone you might be considering or at least hearing what he has to say. You should make sure that he spends all of his time on one patient per day and does state of the art hairtransplants. He should have dozens of before and after pics and can offer a list of patients you can speak with and see the work that is done. You also should be sure that the majority or all of his work focuses on hairtransplants exclusively.You should check out the hairtransplant networks website to see what other things you should check for and ask when considering a surgeon.

You are absolutely correct in that travel should NEVER EVER be a consideration if you are going to have a transplant. I went to 2 local docs and finally decided that i wasn't happy with my results and donor scar so I did several months of scalp exercises and went to see Dr. Jerry Wong of Hasson and Wong and couldn't be happier. He improved my hairline and donor scar ten fold! There are some really great docs out there but I personally chose Hasson and Wong as they set industry standards by creating the lateral slit technique. Hope this helps.

Moss,

Though I agree that you shouldn't let location determine who you select for your hair transplant surgery, you are lucky enough to have Coalition members Drs. Bessam Farjo and Nilofer Farjo in your backyard. Both are highly esteemed and reputable physicians who've been consistent in delivering world class results. I'd suggest you at least consider consulting with them.

Best wishes in your research to select an excellent physician,

Bill

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Definitely consult with the Farjos. You should always consult with a variety of clinics, so in addition to the Farjos, and to broaden the geographic horizons some, I'd 100% consult with Hasson+Wong in Canada, Feller in East Coast, U.S., and Ron Shapiro in the Midwest, U.S.

Travel can be a + or a -, really depends on you individually, and the kind of deal the respective clinic offers. But travel should of course take a backseat till' the very end as a deciding factor, perhaps, that you take into consideration.

Gl going forward; take your time; and keep us posted.

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*A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics*

1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash.

Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician.

Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death!

Hello again gents.

thought i might add a little update. Have been in touch with Dr. Williams' office and seem to be drawing a blank, a pity because this is the route my own GP directed me in. Whilst the Dr. seems very highly qualified (working in one of Londons finest hospitals in Westminster), mainly as a cosmetic surgeon specialising in burns/scars etc, he wants to charge ??200 for a consultation. The only issue i have with this is that this is the only way i can get to see photos of his past work, seems steep for a photo session, if i dont like the look of his work im much lighter in the wallet area..

is this the norm i wondered?

seems not. I have had 3 online consultations with 3 Drs on here. and their work is available to see clearly. All are happy to perform an FUE proceedure, from between 1500 - 3000 grafts for a 'conservative hairline'. All seems cool so far.

Ive been informed that the Farjos don't do FUE. And then I'm just waiting on a famous gentleman in canada to reply..

So I guess I'll just sit tight and look at other peoples results for a while.. wasn't plan on going out anyway, too cold....

all the best
Moss

Dont even bother with the UK M8. IMHO no one in the UK touches the USA or Brussels.

I'll get told that the Farjo's are on par with the USA, but I've seen examples of both and the USA looks way better. I would say the Farjo's are the best in the UK though.

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moss, a few things:

Being charged for a consultation is *not* the norm, and being charged over 200 bones is pretty far-fetched.

There's a good chance your GP doesn't know anything substantive about hair transplantion -- this is the case for most GPs in my experience, and even many dermatologist specialists. Likewise, an otherwise "highly qualified" doctor can be a truly pitiful HT doctor, not capable of performing hair restoration on a world-class level. Many expensive and glossy doctors working out of seemingly classy places perform sub-standard work.

Which three doctors reccomended FUE for you? 1500 to 3000 is a pretty wide range to begin with, and for FUE even more so.

If you don't mind gambling 200 on a long-shot, I would still consult with Williams; just to get more info. But if you just stick to the most proven, elite clinics you won't be doing yourself any disservice.

__________________
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*A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics*

1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash.

Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician.

Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death!

youre quite right about the GP not really knowing much about HT, she was quite open about that actually.

I think i would rather keep the Drs anon at the moment, just whilst I research each one a little more.but, so far:

Dr 1 - 2000/2500
Dr 2 - 1500/2000
Dr 3 - 3000

these are all online consults and so I might expect them to change if i progress to a physical consultation.

I assume that the figures are so varied because of the limitations of online consults maybe?

perhaps i should have mentioned that all 3 Drs are coalition members of this site...
cheers
Moss

HT's are very specialised so i am not surprised your GP doesn't know much about them. You have found the forums so you are fortunate to be able to really understand HT's and the process ahead of time. When considering a HT you do not want to be opting for a "jack of all trades" surgeon - you only want a HT surgeon IMHO and one that has proven to be very good consistently time and time again. You also want to meet patients in person to see the results to get a feel for the docs work and not go off a recommendation.

Be aware also if you are planning to go FUE that you need to be aware that its only on the day the exact number can be determined based on your goal and eligibility to FUE. Think LONG term - not short term however and use YOUR donor supply wisely as if your ACTUAL requirements are 3000 based on your goal now then you should strongly consider strip over FUE IMHO. FUE is great for small surgeries - not large ones. FUE supply will soon run out over strip supply.

Strip is a MUCH better way to utilise YOUR donor area much more efficiently and effectively LONG TERM - so keep an open mind based on your goal (whatever that may be). FUE is only really suitable for small sessions up to around 1000 grafts - This is all you may require. Strip on the other hand enables you to use your donor supply safely and enables you to achieve more grafts in one session whilst managing it effectively for further sessions if needed.. Once you have used up the strip donor sufficiently THEN its a better idea to go in via FUE to tap in to further donor supply. FUE is not magic you will soon run out of it as a supply of donor hair.

Think of it like a grid of marbles. Removing marbles at random from all over (FUE) compared to a line through the middle (strip) which then you close up leaving the grid uniform as it was. Much more efficient way to UTILISE your LIMITED donor supply.

It's basically YOUR goal that will determine the ACTUAL number of grafts required - so until a Doc can see you physically in person as assess ALL the variables it's impossible to get an accurate figure.


Hope this helps.

Best Regards
Spex

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I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own. "Research-Research-Research"

Moss - the doctor you mention knows me. He is a great guy and does great work in skin grafting etc but to find the best HT docs you have to cross the atlantic imo. UK docs may be among best surgeons in world for life saving ops but when it comes to cosmetic work imo you have to travel.I spent ??500 for 3 seperate consultations in London - cheaper to get a consult in USA ! I went to Dr Feller and Greg should remember because I went to his clinic to get my staples removed and he took some photos for me. Because the UK health system is based on the NHS, hair transplantation is years behind but don't expect any UK doctors to admit it - and it's not their fault - just the way it is. That's my penny worth - best of luck.