To travel or not?

[Guest Jetair]

I am 48 and have looked into the Greek clinic in Europe as I am from the Uk.

 

I would like to get as much done as possible in one go rather than spreading the transplants over a number of sessions.

 

I have thick dark Brown hair and was told I had a good donor area by the Greek clinic consultant in the uk.

I have a balding crown and front temples

 

Has this clinic got a good reputation as I have been left some money and luckily can afford the best.

 

Is there anywhere in the Uk that do Megasessions or failing recommendations for the Greek clinic who is the best in the USA for dealing with visiting patients ie "short time"

 

Thanks its hard to find who is the best as no one will tell you about anyone else other than saying that they are.

[Guest Jetair]

I am 48 and have looked into the Greek clinic in Europe as I am from the Uk.

 

I would like to get as much done as possible in one go rather than spreading the transplants over a number of sessions.

 

I have thick dark Brown hair and was told I had a good donor area by the Greek clinic consultant in the uk.

I have a balding crown and front temples

 

Has this clinic got a good reputation as I have been left some money and luckily can afford the best.

 

Is there anywhere in the Uk that do Megasessions or failing recommendations for the Greek clinic who is the best in the USA for dealing with visiting patients ie "short time"

 

Thanks its hard to find who is the best as no one will tell you about anyone else other than saying that they are.

[Guest]

Hi Jetair,

 

I was in the same situation as you, living in the UK and wanting a mega-session. In fact, I went to DHI in Greece 7 months ago and had 3,000 grafts done. I'm fairly pleased with the results so far.

 

I actually visited them, met the surgeon and viewed 2 surgeries close-up, before booking my own. If you are unsure, I recommend you do this too. Have a holiday at the same time.

 

The reason I decided to travel were that there were no surgeons in the UK doing mega-sessions of follicular units, and like you I wanted to get a lot done at once. The surgeons I know about in the UK only do much smaller sessions.

 

DHI are very well set up to receive foreign visitors as I think this is a large part of their operation. They arrange transport, provide accommodation, pick you up from the airport, arrange entertainment etc. I arrived early one morning, they had a cab waiting for me at the airport and someone to let me in to the clinic at 5am!

 

They have good English speakers there on the nursing staff fortunately, and the staff are generally extremely friendly.

 

The alternative would be one of the US surgeons and I've heard that many of them are well used to receiving patients from abroad, including Shapiro and others on this site. You could contact them directly to get more information. I chose against this route on the basis of cost, as DHI were cheaper especially when factoring in the cost of flights and accommodation. This may not be a deciding factor in your case.

 

Just curious, who did you see in the UK, was it Malcolm or Lorraine? And where did you hear about them?

 

Regards,

Dom

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Dom,

 

Thanks for your detailed insights on DHI and the transplant options in Europe. I have been researching DHI for a possible recommendation on this site and so far every thing looks good. They really stand out from the many other clinics in Europe that only seem to do small mixed sessions.

 

However, Jetair, you may want to do a free consult with Dr. May and the clinic of Drs. Farjos. They are both in London and do follicular unit work. They appear to the best of my knowledge to be the two best clinics in Britan.

 

I met them both at the annual conference in Mexico and was impressed with what I learned about them both. I?‚??m now reviewing them for possible recommendation on this site.

 

Keep us all posted on what you learn. And good luck in getting the results you want. Pat

 

Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

[Guest]

if you go to that Greek clinic, just watch out for yourself ....don't let one of 'em get behind you!

(just kidding, don't all you serious people with no sense of humor get all worked up)

[arfy]

If I were you, I would find out which doctors are "THE BEST" and travel to see them. If you were getting a heart transplant, you'd fly halfway across the globe to find the best doctor. Hair transplantation is as much a specialty, and although cost is a factor, it should not be one of the deciding factors in which doctor you choose. Also, I know flights to New York are especially cheap right now ($250 round-trip, or less) so I would consider Dr. Bernstein in New York as well. Don't base your decision on convenience or cost, or you increase the risk of being less-than-thrilled with your result. Don't gamble with your appearance, decide who is "#1" and give your business to them.

[Guest]

Dom and all

 

Thanks for the replies, Dom I saw malcom and have been thinking of this procedure for the last three years.

 

Running up to fifty I decided to have eye bag surgery and the hair transplant.

 

I had the eye surgery last feb and this was surrounded by both the loss of my father and then wife The eye surgery had complications and while now its great it made me a little cautious of people who say any procedures are a doddle.

 

I saw Doctor may a couple of years back but didn realise he did megasessions.

 

As my name suggests I am a pilot so cant afford much down time hence part of the desire to have a megasession (I dont really want this to be a multiple session thing)

 

When making enquiries everyone thinks they or their methods are the best so its difficult to know who is actually acclaimed as being the leader in that field in the trade.

 

I can set aside a week to go to the states.

 

What concerns me most is the removal of the strip from the rear of the head.

Does this effect balance in any way (pilot)and is it really just a matter of a couple of weeks then get on with your life and forget it.

 

Again thanks

 

Jetair

[Guest]

Jetair,

 

How many grafts are you looking for? I've heard that Shapiro do up to 2,000 in one go (Pat can verify this). However, you may well need more than 1 session to get the density you require (in an email to me they said a maximum of 20-30 grafts per square centimer is possible in 1 session).

 

I heard that Dr. May does up to 1,500 grafts in one go.

 

A week should be plenty of time to stay. I stayed over for 5 days only, and then went back to work on the 6th day. I managed to hide any redness with existing hair which I pulled forward, although I was a bit self-conscious.

 

I understand the difficulty deciding on which surgeon to go for as they all say how good they are! Other patient recommendations must count more than anything and there is much more information about the US surgeons than any elsewhere (witness this site). Also, if possible go to see them. DHI will send you a list of past patients, and I think also an email list.

 

Regarding the donor area I didn't have much pain there, although numbness lasting quite a few months, gradually diminishing. I did notice it on the plane flying back 4 days after the surgery with my head against the plane seat cushion. Now, after 7 months it is still slightly tender above where the scar is, but only if I massage it. This is still diminishing. The scar is certainly small and hard to find. Regarding possible dizziness I didn't have any but you will need to check with a surgeon, perhaps the anaesthetics have some effect for a short while afterwards.

 

Regards,

Dom

[arfy]

You may want to look into Dr. Ray Woods in Sydney, Australia, if the removal of the donor strip is an issue with you. Dr. Woods has pioneered a unique method of removing single Follicular Unit grafts (the best kind of grafts BTW) from areas around the back and sides of your head. Only the graft is removed, with no excess tissue being taken. There is no donor strip removal, and his procedure is much less invasive than a strip excision surgery. Woods does small sessions (600 grafts or so per day) but can actually do several over the course of a few days. He recently did over 4000 grafts on a fellow, over the course of ten days. Even though that doesn't seem like a lot of grafts per session, Woods' method can actually be completed in a much shorter time than a traditional strip excision. A strip excision session can only be done once every ten months or so, because of the time required for healing, and to regain a normal laxity in the scalp. Keep in mind that each graft is removed and placed personally by Dr. Woods and Dr. Campbell, there are no technicians involved, only the two physicians.

 

Also, many guys who get strip excisions get swelling in the forehead and around the eyes, several days after the surgery. Woods claims that is not as big of an issue with his technique, and that healing is faster with his method.

 

Two factors seem to put some guys off of Woods: Cost and distance. However, if you are an airline pilot, plane fare will not be a factor, and price should not be either. If you do some internet research on Dr. Woods, I believe you will be suitably impressed. Many claim that he is the best in the world, and his method is certainly unique. Many patients are willing to pay a little more, in order to not have a linear donor scar. Although Woods' method has drawn criticism from other surgeons, (mainly because he has kept it a secret) patients of his report that they are very pleased. Spencer Kobren recently had a Woods patient on his radio show, and he commented that the fellow looked "amazing", with a frontal hairline as good as anything he had seen from Dr. Bernstein or Dr. Shapiro. That is high praise.

 

Read this interview with Dr. Woods to find out more: http://www.hairlosshelp.com/html/survivordoctor.cfm

 

[This message was edited by arfy on January 03, 2002 at 11:31 PM.]

[Guest Jetair]

Arfy,

 

Dr Woods technique if it as good as it sounds would deal with a lot of my concerns.

 

I believe I need 2000 grafts and would be prepared to travel and have these grafts done there.

 

He claims there is no dormant time with his method and that most of the hairs start growing straight away.

 

Very interesting site and article does anyone know of a downside?

 

Jetair

[arfy]

Dr. Woods has his detractors, mostly other doctors (who feel threatened by his method) and some patients are angry that he won't reveal his techiques to the general community, where they could become widespread. People will claim that Woods' method will "transect" a lot of follicles (damage them) but this has not been born out by the reports of patients, who seem generally thrilled with their results. These claims of transection have yet to be substantiated. Claims of excellent results are readily available. Also, every hair transplant doctor in the world requires their patients to sign a legal waiver, before the surgery, EXCEPT Dr. Woods. That should tell you something.

 

Downsides... Woods method is time consuming. Each graft is removed individually, and with care (to NOT damage them), so sessions can sometimes last all day. Woods is also more expensive than the typical strip excision doctor. Unfortunately for many men, cost is a factor for them. Also, Sydney is quite a ways away. There is more information on Woods, including patient reports, and an "Ask The Expert" column, at www.hairlosshelp.com