Rhino3

I had a HT performed about a year ago and the results weren't good. I've visited with another HT doc recently, and after looking at my scar he said there's no way they could have gotten the supposed 1500 grafts out of such a small area unless they split the grafts, which he claimed was a horrible technique. I can't recall for sure if anyone at the prior clinic told me they split the grafts, but it seems like they may have explained how their technique enables them to use less donor area -- which sounds like graft splitting. Does anyone know more about this? Is graft splitting a poor technique? Thanks!

I think if you search for posts by Janna, at Shapiro Medical Group, you will see some pics of a long haired patient. I think he cut his hair a little shorter as time went on though. You'll want to do your research, I'm no expert, but I think that the general rule is that people with thinning hair look better with shorter haircuts. It was certainly true with me, although I never had hair like yours -- but my dad had "jesus hair" years ago and ultimately trimmed it way down as he lost his healthy head of hair with age.

I'm no lawyer, but I don't think so. I think this is common, and both my regular doctor and my HT doc have done this for me. It's not as if you or the doctor determine what is or isn't covered under your plan, or tell the insurance company all the details behind why the doctor provided it to you -- it's the insurance companies job to justify coverage, and you haven't provided them with any misinformation. My old insurer covered it, but my new insurance doesn't cover proscar for anyone under the age of 30. I think the insurance companies are catching on...

CBN, was this your first procedure? What are you comparing the customer service to? I get the feeling that most clinics offer good customer service -- it's kind of the nature of the business. At the end of the day, I think I'd take great results over good customer service. Please please keep us posted on your results -- I'm anxious to hear more stories from VSC. Good luck...

All, I tried to post this a few minutes ago and didn't see it pop up -- I apologize if this appears twice for some reason. My understanding is that certain doctors specialize, or might be known for, different types of HT's. One doc might be particularly adept at mega-sessions, while another might be know for crown work or dense packing, and another might do great hairline work. I'm interested in having some work done to my hairline. Is anyone aware of a doctor who is known for doing exceptional work on the hairline specifically? Any recommendations/advice is appreciated... Thanks!

My general physician claims that oral minox has provided significant growth on his scalp, as well as his nephews. He gave me a prescription and I began to take 2.5 mg in the morning and 2.5 mg before bed. I stopped taking it because I thought it was making me feel tired and weak, and I couldn't find very much information on it through my research. After reading some of this I might give it another shot at a lower dose. Would anyone recommend not taking oral minox along with topical minox?

I had my doc go through Care Credit, and the bank was GE Money. I signed up for a 12 month 0% interest loan. At the end of the day I paid the exact cost of the HT, but there were some headaches along the way. I asked for a 12 month 0% loan, but was setup for a 5 year loan with interest, and the base dollar amount was higher than it should have been. It took me months to get this corrected, and then they charged penalties for unpaid bills during this time (I was being billed for money I didn't owe and refused to pay it). This affected my credit and took a long time to fix. Eventually I filed a report with the better business bureau and the credit agencies and it was all corrected, but cost me a lot of time and frustration. Also worth noting is that GE Money told me that I didn't need to maintain a certain monthly balance -- they said I could pay the full amount on day 364. They then reneged on this and charged me penalties. Again, I eventually got it all corrected, but it was a pain. Not sure if this is indicative of these companies in general -- this was just my experience. It's worth noting that the original problem could have been created by my doc and had nothing to do with GE Money or Care Credit...although they certainly could have been more competent in correcting the mistakes and following through on their action items.

Thanks so much for the info, I appreciate you guys taking your time to share this stuff... I'll make sure to post my decision...

Thanks for the advice. The research I was referring to related to figuring out how the website worked, not on HT docs, although I haven't met the standards you guys suggest for that either. I've only been able to find one doc that charges less than $5 per graft (the doc I went to for my first HT). The results aren't great after 13 months. Can you guys recommend anyone?

Taking the Plunge, thanks for the info and advice. Sorry I haven't done what now looks like some basic and easy research -- I don't have much free time and am a rookie here!

I don't understand what makes doctors on this site superior to doctors who aren't (?). I don't know how this industry works, but I know that I've worked in industries that claim to have some "elite professionals" listed on a website but it's really just a bunch of smoke. Not saying that's the case here -- I just don't know any better. Also, when the doctors are approved on these websites, is the staff thoroughly evaluated as well? Since they actually perform the HT it seems like this would be important. I didn't rush into my first HT -- I did some research and visited with VSC several times, as well as several other doctors, some of whom were listed on this site, and they didn't discourage me from going to VSC. I ultimately chose VSC to save money and because they seemed to be experienced professionals. They showed me some good before and after pictures of past patients and were confident that they could help me. They explained that the reason you don't hear much about them is because they don't advertise much -- which makes sense considering their low rates probably make for a limited spending ability. I'm still not sure if VSC is a hack shop or not -- I've done some more research and found some good reviews and some bad. I also know of a bad transplant from Dr. Lindsey's office (so bad in fact that the patient wanted to sue) and I believe Dr. Lindsey might be the best HT doc in Virginia. It seems like sometimes HT's just don't go as well as expected for whatever reason. Not sure if something about my physiology doesn't allow for me to be a good recipient or if I got a bum procedure -- but I'd like to figure it out before deciding what my next move will be!

Also, since the doctor just strips from the donor area and leaves, aren't the results more a reflection the staff who are actually transplanting the hairs than the doctor himself? VSC has very experienced staff., all non-MD's who have more experience than the doctor himself in HT's.

And it seems like you would assume there was a typo and not that I forgot when my surgery was -- not helpful. It was 13 months ago, 1500 grafts, whatever good that will do you now.

Thanks for the response. I did go in to see a doc recommended on this site, and he said it was hard to tell if the reason I'm not seeing great results is because of a poor transplant or because of my physiology -- both the VSC and this doctor said it is possible that I'm someone who just doesn't respond well to hair transplants. I also wonder if I was scratching my head in my sleep the during the first week after the procedure and possibly damaged the newly inserted follicles -- I remember my head being very itchy. It's hard to tell what exactly the problem is -- maybe it's possible that I'm just a late bloomer, although 13 months seems like a long time. I plan to keep researching and seeing what I can find, but I think I'm probably going to end up making a gut decision -- give the VSC a 2nd chance in hopes that I can save some money, or foot a much larger bill in hopes that I'll see better results. Thanks again...

All, I had about 1500 grafts done at the Virginia Medical Center 15 months ago -- all in the temple region/hairline, and the results are disappointing thus far. What little hair has come in is still wispy and immature. My donor scar, however, looks great. The doctor said the results might be from some stress I've endured over the past year, and that I will see the results I'm looking for over time. He wants to do a megasession soon to fill in the first HT and work on my crown in the meantime. I'm obviously conflicted... I haven't found any bad reviews of the VSC, but also haven't heard anything good about someones final results. I am tempted to go back to them in hopes that my first HT was an anomaly and because they have the most affordable costs I've been able to find anywhere -- $3 per graft in the first session and $2 per graft for repeat customers. I've checked with other HT docs and can't find rates this low anywhere else. Does anyone have any intel on the VSC, or know of anyone, anywhere, who has a good reputation and charges rates this low? I know Dr. Lindsey in McLean is highly regarded, but his rates are just a bit much for my tight budget right now. Surely there is a reputable doc somewhere in the country that can match VSC prices? Responses appreciated!! Thanks...