Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Do all the good doctors on this site require you shave your head before transplant? Does Feller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Do all the good doctors on this site require you shave your head before transplant? Does Feller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mmhce Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 NO. and don't do it. If the doctor wants to cut your hair...let him. take care... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 I don't understand your reply... Don't do it, but then you say let him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Leeson Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 He means if the dr. requires it, then let the doc do it there. Not all dr's require, but yes, Feller does. My Hair Loss Website - Dr. Hasson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Is there a doctor as good as feller in the Florida area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 also, is there a doctor as good as feller that doesn't require shavinf your head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Leeson Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Check out the recommended members on the top left of this site. I know Dr. Charles is a coalition member here and is in Florida. Not sure about his shaving requirements. My Hair Loss Website - Dr. Hasson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BigBill1234 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Does anyone have an opinion on whether the doctors that require you to cut your hair do a better job? I would think it would benefit, but it's just so hard to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Leeson Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 http://hair-restoration-info.c...861/m/5291039383/p/1 My Hair Loss Website - Dr. Hasson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member M&M Posted May 13, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 BigBill, I'd agree with mmhce, don't shave your head prior to a HT or consultation with a surgeon as by leaving your native hair in place, it will give them a good idea of your density. As for surgeons that don't require shaving your head at all for a HT, it depends upon the density you are seeking and the coverage and number of grafts. That being said, some doctors require shaving regardless. Dr. Ron Shapiro at SMG doesn't require shaving, but may trim some hairs to allow for easier and denser transplanting. Not shaving was one of the key items for me in selecting a surgeon (along with top results, naturally). I believe Janna has quoted 2500 or less grafts is manageable without shaving ... but please don't quote me on that. And as for results, just take a look at some of their recent posts. Good luck in your search! M&M ___________________________ 1662 with Dr. Ron Shapiro - Spring 2006 1105 with Dr. Ron Shapiro - Fall 2009 M&M Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Glenn Charles Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 There are some great hair transplant doctors who require the patients shave the hair and other excellent doctors who do not require shaving. One thing for sure is that the surgery is easier to perform if there is no hair to work around. The question is what is more important? Making the surgery easy for the doctor and staff or keeping the patient happy even though the surgery may take a little longer. When a mega session of densely packed grafts are placed into an area that has existing hair. There is often the development of post operative shock and significant thinning. This can be very upsetting to the patient. Some physicians may choose to require shaving prior to surgery to avoid the potential patient complaints. Interestingly enough I have heard that some docs actually charge more if the patient does not shave. Dr. Glenn Charles is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairDew Posted May 14, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 14, 2009 Dr. Alexander doesn't require shaving and I consider him as one of the elitist in world (in the same range as H&W, Feller, Shapiros, Rahal). For me personally? I wouldn't be able to shave, I'm very self conscious and I don't want people to know I had anything done. The only person who would know about me having HT is my wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member miked Posted May 15, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 15, 2009 no shaving required for Dr. Ross in La Jolla. I too live in Florida and traveled to him. My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Dr. Paul Shapiro Posted May 15, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted May 15, 2009 Hair transplants can be done with or without the head shaved and at SMG we do transplants both ways. When doing a megasession of 3,000 grafts or more, or in cases in which we plan to do dense packing, I think it is important to be able to shave the head. Our goal in these megasessions is to get the patients total hair density (the patients native hair plus the hair we transplant) up to at least 40 FU sq.cm and in some cases we even get their total hair density up to 60 FU sq.cm. If I we are going to plant hair at these densities I believe it is important to shave the head in order to avoid transection of existing hair and get the high densities desired. I do agree with Dr. Charles that it is easier to perform the surgery when the head is shaved. For the sake of hair survival when doing a meagassession I think it is important to do everything possible to make the surgery as easy as possible and to keep the time the follicles are out of the body as short as possible. Now that we are doing cases up to 4,000 FU it is important we do everything we can to make the surgery go smoothly. Studies show that the hair survival decreases the longer the hair is out of the body. The most sited study shows that at 4 hours out of the body, FU survival decreases to 95% and at 6 hours it decreases to 90%. After 6 hours out of the body, FU survival continues to decrease by another 2% every hour. In all my hair transplant cases I try to have the FU's planted within 4 to 6 hours of removing the strip. That is why when I do large sessions I take the strip out in two pieces and have the FU's from the first strip planted while the second strip is being divided into Follicular Units. I tell patients that we can perform a surgery with or without shaving the head, but that we can pack more densely and the amount of hair we transplant will be greater if we can shave the head. In general I use the following guidelines: In transplanting the frontal 1/3, if the patient has existing hair and will not allow us to shave the head I will transplant 1,500 FU. If the patient has little hair or allows us to shave the transplanted area I can transplant 2,000 to 2,500 FU. In transplanting the frontal 1/2, if the patient has existing hair and will not allow us to shave the head I will transplant 2,000 FU. If the patient has little hair or allows us to shave the transplanted area I can transplant 2,500 to 3,000 FU. In transplanting the frontal 2/3, if the patient has existing hair and will not allow us to shave the head I will transplant 2,500 FU. If the patient has little hair or allows us to shave the transplanted area I can transplant 3,000 to 4,000 FU. Of course this is just a guideline and the numbers varies depending on donor, quality of hair, patients health status, patients goals, etc??¦ I do not perform surgeries in the 5000 FU range. I am not sure the benefits of such a large case out weigh the risk. In these large cases we still can not cover the total crown area and many patients will still need a second surgery to achieve their goals. I am concerned the survival may decrease in these cases because they take so long. Unfortunately it is difficult to accurately measure survival and I am not saying for sure the survival is compramised but it is a concern of mine. I also find that many patients have a difficult time sitting in a chair once the surgery goes greater then 8 hrs. Remember even if one gets 85% survival on a 5000 case that still gives a final yield of 4,2500 FU and will still look better then a 4,000 case. But there is a potential for depleting donor that may be needed in later years. In summary, what I tell patients is that we can do a lot in one session without shaving ones head, but the remarkable dense packing one sees on the internet can only be done with shaving the head. So it is up to the patient to decide which way they want to go. Some patients can not shave their head and we can still get very good results. But if they want to get the maximum density possible and the biggest bang for the buck it is better to shave the head. I hope this information is helpful Dr Paul Shapiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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