Mariek

Well I also had the same concerns, he said he has done about a 100 Hair Transplants over the last 5 years. While it may not compare with some of the factories which are out there, he is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. He had a PA and Two nurses using the Lighted Microscopes to cut out the grafts into Follicle units. Trust me I was quite informed (and yes I did get a lot of info from this site on questions to ask). He made all the sites with a needle. He verified the angle for the part of my bald spot which was in the front hair line and then he let his staff place the rest. My whole point of this forum post, was to point out the fact that New Patients need not be frightened by all the Shills into only believing that everything you say is 100% correct. Most of the doctors on here could not hold a candle to what most plastic surgeons can do. And i am sure there are "approved" doctors who are also well qualified plastic surgeons who are part of the "in-crowd".

What does that even mean? Doesn't the reverse also hold true? The guy re-attaches body parts, fixes faces as they go through windshields, makes peoples faces look younger and changes people's bodies. He has Hospital privileges and is on call for emergencies. From what I read, techs do the bulk of the work with a strip or fue. so what is the really saying about Hair Transplants anyways? You have "Techs" with NO Medical Degree doing the bulk of the work. Maybe not in all cases but I would say the bulk of all the Hair Docs do it the same way.

Joetronic, Where can I find the CV for Hanson and Wong. I can't seem to find it on their web site. I guess I should have expected the Shills to come out in force. Anyone questioning the status quo gets attacked.

I have been a hair loss sufferer for the last ten years. As a woman having a balding area is not the most flattering way to wake up in the morning. Like most people going in for a surgical procedure, you want to do all your research you can so you are informed and do it right the first time. After reading your forum and others I have come to believe that the value which you propose to provide is a lot less than what the average person getting a hair transplant is expecting to get. Your web site seems to be filled with Shills from all your member doctors. When you repeat the same things over and over, na?ve people will tend to believe it. I did a few consults with some “Hair Only” doctors and was not impressed, one of my friends said that her plastic surgeon also did Hair Transplants. I went to the Plastic Surgeons office and did not get the “Hard Sell” that I got with the Hair Docs, however I was concerned because he did not specialize in only doing Hair Transplants. The Doctor explained that he was a board certified plastic surgeon, He does Breasts Augmentations, Face Lifts, Lipo Suction, Butt Implants, and even re-attaches hands and fingers as well as being on call at the local hospital for emergency facial surgery. He explained what it took to do a hair transplant, and explained that on the Level of Plastic surgery it was at the bottom of the list as far as the necessary skill level required to perform and outstanding hair transplant. He explained that a lot of the current “Hair Only” docs are what he calls “Used To Be’s”, because they Used to Be some other kind of doctor and found out they could not make it, in that field and then switched over to Hair Transplants. He said the barrier for entry into Hair Transplants was very minimal just needed to be an MD or even worse a DO with nothing special required. He told me to go with anyone who I feel comfortable with and have a high degree of confidence that I would be happy afterward. But told me to look around and see the CV of the doctors who I am considering and see what their actual background is, and sure enough. They “Used to Be” something else. He also said that he would be very concerned that a Surgeon was only capable of doing only one kind of procedure. And then even more concerned if that surgeon/Docotor/”Used to Be” then criticized you for even thinking of going to a physician who was capable of performing multiple kinds of procedures. I also found out that ISHRS and the other one is not a Recognized board. You pay your Dues and you become a member and then you can market to the lemmings. After getting a consult with Dermatologist Friend of his, I ended up going with the plastic surgeon, got a nice little 1200 graft strip procedure and will be looking forward to my hair growth over the next 12 months. I asked him if he wanted me to promote him on a forum. His response was God no, telling my girlfriends would be enough. For New Patients considering a Hair Transplant. Don’t let the scare tactics of the Trolls/Shills scare you off, from going to a “Board Certified Plastic Surgeon”. It seems like anyone can become a hair transplant surgeon by attending a seminar. And I am sure anyone can get skilled over time. But I would put more faith in a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with a successful practice than a Hair Only doc who is struggling, no matter how may golden follicle awards they have.