FuriousGeorge

I have consulted with both Gabel and Hasson in person. Spoke with reps of Cooley and Shapiro via phone. Will those doctors take video consultations? I have leveraged this forum to find past patients of all doctors. Majority have a good experience, so will mark that up as a wash in terms of decision making. Cost and travel are not an issue (aside from Konior’s outlier of price). Quality and long-term satisfaction is my highest priority. Thanks Melvin! Keep up the good work!

Top pic is Gabel, bottom pic is Hasson

Love this forum - been so helpful for me. Now I need some wisdom and advice: I keep watching the Canada border news and it’s not looking positive for the near term. I have a date with Hasson that keeps getting pushed due to border closure. Now I’m waffling if I should just commit to Hasson for whenever that will be, or if going to another top surgeon would still yield similar results. My goal is a one-and-done FUT session. Hasson quoted me 4,500 grafts. I’m NW 4V and need some dense grafts in frontal third. He also wants to fill in the temples. Gabel isn’t far away from me, but he quoted me 3-3.5k grafts and had a more conservative approach, and looks to have openings in December. I was able to visit his clinic and consult with him in person - trustworthy guy. Shapiro and Cooley’s reps also quoted me at ~3k grafts. Would I regret going to others when Hasson is so beloved on this forum and appears to be world class? Bottom line - how much BETTER would Hasson be than the others and is he worth the wait? Or is there enough parity here? I’ve added pics of Gabel’s quote and Hasson’s for reference. (Hasson’s has the temple line drawn in). Thank you in advance!

Thanks - I did consult with them about a month ago - they both quoted me 3,000 grafts, which I'm not sure will suffice based on being a Norwood 4V and both aren't available until the New Year last I checked. Wondering why H&W quote so much higher? Does anyone have insight into this?

I am in the same boat - Gabel is only three hours away from me and he was second on my list, but he quoted me for 3,500 grafts and Hasson said 4,500+. The main thing I am struggling with now is if I go somewhere else I’ll always wonder what Hasson could have done since he is so revered on this forum - but would appreciate any advice on how MUCH of a difference there is between these surgeons and if Hasson is REALLY worth the wait. Being able to heal up during the ugly duckling phase without anyone noticing during working from home, etc would be amazing.

I’ve tried googling this but found various results - wondering if anyone has experience or data that shows causation between taking SSRIs (anti-depressants/OCD meds) and increased hair loss? I was on Zoloft for 9 years in my 20s and curious if it contributed to my receding hairline. I am the thinnest, most receded in my family (dad and brother have full heads of hair, as did both grandfathers) and can’t seem to figure out what the main contributors are. Maybe just drew the lucky Ace in the generic lottery 😂 or was it more environmental? Thanks in advance.

I’ve considered the cream - will buy the travel size and give it a try. 👍🏻

Just for clarity, is “extraction” is defined as once the strip has been taken out, they extract the follicles from the tissue? Or is extraction something different like taking the strip out entirely? I also am curious about this, as a popular Canadian clinic in this forum has quoted me 2k+ above all other of the top rated US clinics here and since it will be a while before we can go to them, trying to figure out why the major difference.

LOL - love the much needed humor. Will start popping those BC pills like candy - thanks for the tip!

I've noticed after styling my hair with American Crew Fiber (thick paste that really helps thicken up my hair) that I count ~10 or so strands of hair in my hand daily. I know the typical response is "you lose hair every day" and there isn't sure method for proving if it is really loss or not. Just wanted to throw it out there to compare experiences. I'm a NW 4 and have been on the mighty Fin for 3 years and haven't seen any major receding (yes, I measure it from my brow ridge occasionally), so I would opt that is just the natural hair lifecycle - but then again, cognitive dissonance is a b**ch. Any advice or thoughts are welcome.

One more from me: H&W consistently shows amazing work. I typically see larger megasession results in your portfolio than other also highly-skilled, reputable doctors. Can you share your philosophy for this and the long term implications? For example, many doctors quote/perform more conservative procedures with the idea of "Don't waste what you don't need" and that patients will come back for an additional procedure to fill in the gaps with an additional 1-2K grafts - whereas it appears H&W can do it in one major procedure (assuming the patient is a good candidate). Some professionals in the field would argue densely packing a mega-session is wasting grafts and can jeopardize what patients can use in the future - can you help us understand the differences in philosophy and the benefits for the patient both in the short term and long term?

How many transplants do the doctors do per day? How long have your techs been with you and what are their strengths? What is the tech involvement for each procedure (extracting, packing, etc)? Can you share why? It seems you are able to consistently perform larger and denser sessions than most other clinics. Can you provide insight into WHY that is the case? (What is your main differentiator?) What current emerging trends you are seeing and how are you thinking to implement in your practice?

Just a heads up - you say March 16th in the post - may want to update as I initially thought this was an old post. 😊 Will send questions in a bit today.

Hasson & Wong (Dr Hasson, specifically)

How painful are the needles? Is it like getting a shot for a cavity or is it much more intense? (For the record, needles don't really scare me that much and I feel my pain tolerance is in the higher range - it's more the ANTICIPATION of pain that always gets me ).

I'm prepping for an FUT within the next few months. As my date gets closer, one thing that has spiked lately is my anxiety on the pain/stress of getting the strip removed. Can any veterans share their experience? How are the needles? What does it feel like/sound like when the strip is removed and how did you react? How long does it usually take? What's the suture/staple process and how did that feel (tightness, pain, etc.) The more I know going into it, the better I think I can manage the stress level. Thanks in advance!

Update: Looking like Canada and US agreed to extend to July 21.

Everything I’ve heard is off limits. I saw another news story that people who live near borders and get their insulin in Canada (for much cheaper) are getting more concerned.

Looks like June 21 will probably be extended to late July: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-canada-exclusi-idUSKBN23G301

Looks like US-Canada border is closing another 30 days. ☹️ Dang - I was really hoping to get into Hasson and Wong for a procedure and heal up during work from home this summer. Does anyone know of other clinics open that are US-based? I would really prefer Dr Hasson as I need 4-5k grafts and I love his work, but considering Cooley, Gabel and Shapiro if they can get me in within the next month or so.

I think that would be the ultimate test to show real results AND to help educate people on what makes a good restoration vs subpar vs needs improvement. They can then judge for themselves when consulting with doctors and cut through all the marketing or lingo that will be thrown at them.

What are the major factors in a bad scar and how can one know if you are a risk factor? I see many time the reference to a "tight scalp," but that is somewhat subjective - how tight, etc.?

Let me know how I can help - it's amazing how much I've learned the past few years from going to just a random doctor for my first consultation to finding this forum to consulting with the top doctors and previous patients. SO glad I didn't pull the trigger too early and treat this like a regular dental appointment.

Hi all, I've been researching hair transplants for over 3 years now and I feel like I am informed enough and ready to pull the trigger - but the one thing nagging at me is - with everything in life - having finally gone through an experience, you always look back with a little more knowledge (this includes buying a new car, negotiating salary at a new job, getting married, having kids, etc.). This community has an amazing wealth of knowledge that I have been so grateful to learn from! To learn even more I'd like to know - what did you learn after taking the plunge OR what did you wish you knew before you got a hair transplant? I think this question can really help us noobs make the best informed decision based on what others have learned and experienced (both positive and negative). Thanks in advance!

Do we know if many of the more popular restoration clinics are closing for the time being? ie, H&W, Gabel, Rahal, etc?