Hi all. I've finally decided to take the plunge and pursue a HT. I think I've read everything on this site and looked at every case study for every recommended doc and have narrowed it down to Hasson/Wong and Dr. Reed in La Jolla. I picked these two practices because of their patient cases/results. More people seem to recommend Hasson/Wong... but in looking at the photos, Reed seems to get superior results with fewer grafts. I'm not really worried about the money. I will go to whoever has the best outcome.

Any advice???? Bill, I've read tons of your posts and respect the advice you've given others. I would love you to weigh in if possible. Thanks all.

BTW, I'm 36 and thinning on front and top. I think it is a II on the Norwood scale.

Hey CalJudoka, I can't speak for Dr. Reed but as a patient of Dr. Wong, I can't recommend H&W highly enough. I would be biased but in terms of my own results but I would recommend H&W over anyone in a heartbeat. Those are my 2 cents. Cheers and good luck!

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong

Caljudoka,

Welcome to our community.

Coalition members Dr. Hasson, Dr. Wong, and Dr. Reed are all excellent considerations. Just understand that each and every surgeon has their own unique approach to restoration.

I'd advise you to consult with each of them, view patient and clinic posted results online, and talk with some of their patients which will ultimately help you decide on a surgeon.

Selecting a physicians amongst an elite group is very personal and will take some time and research on your part.

Best wishes in selecting a quality surgeon to help you meet your hair restoration goals,

Bill

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Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog and the Hair Loss Forum and Social Community

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

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

Thank you for the responses. I am going to go ahead and give the consults a try and see what they have to say.

Specifically though... does anyone have an opinion as to the results in regards to number of grafts. When looking through the case studies, it seems that Reed gets fantastic results with 2 to 3 thousand grafts. Results that appear to me as a layman, to be comparable to the 4 and 5 thousand grafts cases of Hasson/Wong.

Thank you again everyone for your input.

Cal,

I myself have never held the perception that it takes Drs Hasson and Wong 4k to do what Dr. Reed can do with 2, but if you can post/link a case that you have in mind I'd give my precise feedback, as I'm sure others would.

It might be that the cases you are referencing of H+W are of higher density, due to the sheer number of grafts, and that from pics a case from Dr. Reed (e.g.) is able to produce a comparable looking result through the oft mentioned "illusion of density". How much you value true-density vs. perceived-density and the grafts it takes to achieve both is something you'd have to decide for yourself.

If I had to guess, I would say this might be the root of the discrepency you are wondering; hair charachteristics, and comparable before and after pics (lighting, angle, etc.) could also be a factor when evaluating a result.

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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!

I am glad you are doing your research and are looking at the photos for both clinics. However, I disagree with your assessment.



Please post the photos that you are speaking about that you are using to making your assessment.

I believe you are not comparing apples to apples.

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1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong

2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong

3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar

My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong

Drew - Looks like you had a ton of grafts. You should update your site with another month of progress. Exciting!!

Hi guys and thank you again for the info. Here is a link to a case of Dr. Reeds that seems to mimic my situation. My hair loss is not at this stage yet but will be in 1 to 2 years. This case has 2578 grafts.

http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...tientID=1782&DrID=65

This patient below is Dr. Hasson's work. It has 4500 grafts. Not quite twice as many. His work on the patients crown looks a bit better to me but 2000 grafts better?

Is that twice as good. Obviously all these guys are fantastic surgeons. I just want to get the most bang for my buck. If I can get 700 more grafts from Dr. Reed than from Hasson/Wong, aren't I ultimately going to be better off going that route?

Please educate me if you think I am missing some pertinent info.

CalJudoka,

I hope you understand that achieving dense and natural looking results isn't just about the numbers. As I mentioned in another thread recently, I think many members truly underestimate how hair characteristics and placement can strongly influence the appearance of density.

I strongly recommend reading Coalition member Dr. Arocha's article on How Hair Characteristics Impact Hair Transplant Results which does a great job in explaining how patient's with thicker hair can easily get away with a smaller number of grafts and achieve the same illusion of fullness.

Best wishes,

Bill

__________________
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog and the Hair Loss Forum and Social Community

Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletters | How We Recommend Physicians

-----

To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

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

Thanks for the info. I submitted for an online consult yesterday to both practices. About how long does it take for them to get back to you generally?