Jk11k

Even if scarring is barely a problem you still have to watch for noticeable gaps in your beard. It makes no sense when I read about hundreds or even thousands of beard hairs removed. It will clearly have a visible effect. Just a few hairs missing from certain areas can create noticeable voids due to the subtle way the growth interacts. Most beards have natural areas of higher and lower density that aren't obvious on casual inspection. A doctor is typically extracting from a nearly shaved beard, so they can't see how the hairs will ultimately blend when grown out at various angles and densities. If they take too much hair from an already thin zone, or a place where growth-angles help with final density, it can disfigure the beard. I ended up with a "cure" almost worse than the original minor problem (beard-to-beard fill with FUE). Donor hairs can also get damaged (if not entirely transected) and won't grow as implants, leaving you with lost density and nothing to show for it. I recommend being very cynical about the whole process. Go for the most conservative result you'd find acceptable to minimize donor loss. The inability to get a refund for sloppy work is criminal, IMO. "Cosmetic" surgeries can have priceless psychological effects.

Methinks attractive women are no accident in this field, as they naturally inspire men to get hairier, so to speak. Not being cynical, of course.

Seriously, only 20 or so competent ones on the planet? How is that figure arrived at? Post a list if you have one. To reiterate, the main problem I had with this one was the placement of the grafts, with 75% ending up in areas I didn't really care about filling. It may have come down to mediocre eyesight and/or tumescence in the area causing confusion. I'd suggest showing all doctors and techs clear photos before the procedure to remove any doubts before starting. Verbal agreements of "yes, I see how you want it" may be misleading. They shouldn't have a problem with a patient deciding the aesthetics in cases like mine. Drawing a scalp or crown line might be a different matter because not everyone understands how it grows naturally. Artistic skill is critical when a purple pen demarcates your future!

That contradicts advice I've read on several doctors' sites, at least regarding beard transplants. They recommend keeping the recipient area "dry" for 5 days to avoid dislodging or rotating the grafts. You see "5 days" a lot and I wonder how that came to be recommended? Why not 4 or 6? Healing rates must vary. Maybe they want you to avoid harsh water impact from a showerhead vs. a film of water flowing over the area? They ought to differentiate between the effects of water itself vs. physical impact. And how "stuck-in" are the follicles after X number of days? Details are hard to come by but seem critical.

A costly trip to Spain is not an option for many people, of course.

As someone new to this concept (relatively small FUE transplant) I'm getting the impression that "techs" are doing far more of the work than doctors want to admit. How does one actually get qualified as a technician in an industry lacking various regulations? They are like stand-ins in any profession where it's hard to gauge their quality beforehand. Most look young and some don't even seem to have nursing backgrounds. Motor skills and intelligence varies widely, regardless of training. These transplants require subtle abilities to discern angles and depths, and I don't want amateurs messing with something this delicate! We should be offered the credentials of anyone who's going to be involved in these very personal surgeries.

Mine is a long-delayed response to this old thread, but I'd like to know how many hair doctors let their technicians (in various stages of training and competency) do the bulk of the actual grafting? It seems to be the norm, the more I read about it. To me that seems like ordering a world-class meal and finding out that temporary chefs cooked it. When you pay big money you expect that the doctors themselves will be doing the whole thing. It was never explained or really implied before my relatively small procedure (see other recent posting). Still, given the tediousness of so many grafts I can see why they portion out the "dirty work." They should just be more up front about who's going to do what.

Your advice may be good in hindsight but there were considerations of timing, distance from a rural area and a cost well under $1k (I'm not rich and don't want to take on credit debt). Others had a minimum of $2k or even $4k. They thought small jobs weren't worth the setup time, which to me seems arrogant vs. a "no name" who's at least willing to do that. This guy was not lacking for credentials according to certifications set up by this industry. I do understand it lacks regulation compared to other specialties, and that's another topic. My main point is about lack of communication, not necessarily ability, plus wildcard technicians who do most of the insertion work. You may not see them until the day of the procedure; is that common? Part of it was also the angle under my jaw, which they said wasn't nearly as easy as scalp work, plus neckline skin with more movement than scalp skin (no skull foundation). If others have had similar work and precision was lacking, please post stories.

This is a general warning for those who haven't tried FUE, and want very specific areas filled. I recently had a FUE procedure with about 70 hairs donated from a combination of beard and scalp hair. The purpose was to fill an irregular dime-sized thin patch on my beard under my right jawline. Some facial trauma years ago had damaged the follicles, though there was no obvious scar. The first attempt left about half the desired fill area too empty and I had to go back soon after. But the second attempt still left a remaining third sparse. They mistakenly used too much hair to fill up slightly thin areas I didn't care about. It's also not clear if they got enough usable (non transected) follicles to cover the whole thing, but they claimed so. I assumed it would be obvious where to place the most graphs, but no such luck! I'll try it once again but will wait until the implants mature so I can be sure. Based on my before/after photos, I reached several conclusions. Make sure you show the surgeon (and "technicians" whom I found out do most of the graft insertion) a clear photo of what you want done. There can be misunderstandings about aesthetics and exact hair placement. It wasn't explained beforehand that the doctor would mainly do the graft extraction step. The two techs had varying levels of competency and it felt like interns were using my small case to get some training. When the grafts are being inserted there may be enough blood or tumescence in the area to mask what really needs to be filled. I think this is what happened in my case. Coagulated blood spots may have been mistaken for inserted hairs, and when they scabbed over on the first round they got confused again on the second. Since you're not supposed to touch the area, it's easy to assume hair is underneath dark scabbed areas. I wasn't able to see enough detail myself after the first round. Also, the eyesight (with or without magnifier glasses) of the surgeon should be confirmed as good. I didn't realize they were doing these transplants without extreme closeup vision. You can probably see more with a macro photo than they see through binocular glasses. The locations of graft site holes are critical, since the technicians may just follow where the doctor punched, even if they notice gaps; fear of the doctor's judgement, etc. I'd let your hair/beard grow long enough for clear contrast. Don't leave it too short for any location vagueness. It looked clear in my macro photos but I didn't realize they'd lack adequate magnification on the chair. 5X lenses were mentioned; is that typical? Or was it a somewhat sloppy operation, I now wonder? They seemed professional enough and the doctor spoke like someone competent, with no red flags online. This wasn't Bosley or one of the other famous outfits. I am keeping details and photos private here. If you have any hints that the doctor doesn't know exactly what you want filled, or is hastily deciding it for you, show them hi-res photos to confirm the graft sites. They may mean well but this is not a realm where poor communication can be easily forgiven later. It's your money and your hair! They may be too cavalier unless you insist otherwise.