Questions after my consultation in Dublin, Ireland

[Recession]

Since this is my first post I should first of all introduce myself and explain my hair loss history. I am 41 years of age and I live in Dublin, Ireland. I have had a high forehead since childhood and my hairline has been receding slowly since my twenties. In the last five years, the front of my hairline has started to thin out quite noticeably so I guess I am now closest to a Norwood 3 but so far I've managed to conceal the extent of the loss through the way I keep my hairline.

 

I am currently weighing up my options with regard to whether I should proceed with having a hair transplant procedure and, if so, which surgeon is the best option for me. Since I live in Ireland the majority of the top recommended practitioners are not easily accessible so my first instinct was to try to find a non-coalition yet qualified and reputable surgeon closer to home. I fully understand that distance should not be a major determinant in the decision making process. However it is an issue nonetheless.

 

From reading through many of the contributions on this forum it appears to me that there is a widespread consensus that hair transplant surgeons in the UK and Ireland, with the possible exception of Dr. Farjo, should be avoided at all costs. Despite this advice I made the decision a few months ago that I would have a consultation with each of the two transplant surgeons operating in Ireland, Dr. Conor Kiely and Dr. Maurice Collins.

 

I won't go into any great detail on my consultation with Dr. Kiely since I was brought up to believe that, if you haven't got anything good to say, you should keep your mouth shut. Maybe that's not the most helpful philosophy to adopt on this forum but old habits die hard.

 

What I can say though is that my consultation with Dr. Collins was very impressive. First of all, he operates out of a brand new facility in Dublin and, to my uneducated eye, it looks as if no expense has been spared. I filled out a small questionnaire prior to the consultation and then, once the meeting began, we discussed my and family's medical history, my own experience of hair loss and the history of hair loss on both sides of my family. Dr. Collins then thoroughly explained the options available to me and asked me if I had any questions that I'd like to ask. I had spent quite a bit of time reading through this forum prior to my visit and, thanks to the fantastic depth of information and opinion on here, I was well prepared and knew more than enough about the relevant issues to ask some pertinent questions. Dr. Collins then examined my hair and laxity and took some high quality photos which he immediately transferred onto his computer so that he could explain on screen and in greater detail the nature of my hair loss and what could be achieved through surgery. He told me that I had decent laxity, very good donor quality and quantity and he estimated that he could restore an age appropriate hairline with approx. 2000 grafts on the front and temple areas. This was based on his opinion that, judging by my age and my hair loss to date, my future hair loss was more likely to follow a path closer to my maternal grandfather than my father who is a Norton 6. He also showed me a number of before and after photos of his patients in order to show me the quality of the work that he carries out (Dr. Collins doesn't have any photos on his website as he claims that the results that can be achieved are dependent on each patient's specific physiology and, as a result, website photos can create unrealistic patient expectations). I was particularly impressed with his immediate post-op photos, both in the donor and recipient areas and it seems that one of his main goals is that the surgery should not be noticeable. I guess this probably seems somewhat fanciful to some veteran board members but Dr. Collins background is as an EMT surgeon and he claims that he is very experienced at closing wounds and minimising scarring. Overall I have to say that I felt very comfortable with Dr. Collins as a potential surgeon and with the standard of his work and the quality of his results. There was no hard sell at any point of the consultation. In fact, he went to great lengths to emphasise that I should not make any quick decision and instead that I should continue my research in order to gather as much information as possible and to think long and hard about the solution that is right for me. His tag line was that hair loss and hair restoration surgery is not so much a medical issue as a psychological one, involving self image and self esteem and that therefore it requires a great deal of self-examination and thought before deciding on whether or not to resort to a surgical solution.

 

Having said all of that and, in view of the many opinions expressed on here about the relative merits of coalition and non-coalition surgeons, it would be remiss of me not to investigate all other options. So of course I have been looking closely at the coalition surgeons on this site and have already drawn up a shortlist of surgeons in North America plus Dr. Pathomvanich in Thailand, a country to which I regularly travel on vacation.

 

Apart from their expertise and experience, the big attraction of these surgeons is cost. Allowing for the tax returns available in Ireland for medical procedures, the costs at Dr. Collins clinic work out at approx. ?‚¬6.80 per graft so the approx. cost for my 2000 grafts would be ?‚¬13,500. Obviously I could achieve the same number of grafts for a much lower cost at any of the clinics I've shortlisted so now I have to decide just how much importance to place on the cost element of the decision making process. There are other issues that play into that process, such as the pre and post-op care (and possibly corrective or additional treatment) that would be easily accessible at a local clinic. I would also like to be able to recuperate in my own home and to have the staples removed at the clinic where the procedure is carried out.

 

One other factor that impacts on my decision is the continued availability of prescription medication. As part of my consultation with Dr. Collins, he prescribed and provided me with a year's supply of Finesteride. Now that I've already begun taking the drug I understand that I need to continue taking it as long as I want to protect my remaining hair. So the problem is that, should I decide to go with an overseas surgeon, I may be unable to source Finesteride in my own country. Dr. Collins surely won't prescribe the drug if I go with another surgeon and my own GP has reservation about the long term use of Finesteride as a treatment for hair loss so he may also refuse to prescribe it.

 

Therefore, I would welcome feedback from:

 

1) anyone who has had surgery with Dr. Collins

2) anyone who can provide some insights on the merits or the experience of travelling overseas for ht surgery

3) anyone who has information on whether Irish GPs will prescribe Finesteride for hair loss

4) anyone who has an opinion on my predicament

 

Many thanks in advance for any opinions offered and my apologies for the considerable length of my opening post.

[youngsuccess]

Originally posted by Recession:

Dr. Collins doesn't have any photos on his website as he claims that the results that can be achieved are dependent on each patient's specific physiology and, as a result, website photos can create unrealistic patient expectations.

 

Individual physiology will always be a factor, but ultimately it is still incumbent upon the surgeon to produce consistent results in a variety of patients.

 

I honestly believe that if you're truly proud of your work, you are going to want people to see it. Pictures can be deceptive if they're not taken properly; however, I don't think the solution is to avoid posting photo galleries on the website. The answer is simply to take better photos.

 

I dug up a couple cases involving Dr. Collins:

http://www.irishtimes.com/news...5/1224250692845.html

 

http://www.independent.ie/nati...nsplant-1250186.html

 

The second article includes a photograph of one of his patients a couple years after his procedure. You'll also have to read the first one carefully, but it might be worth it to take a look.

[dublinguy]

Hi, I came across your thread a while ago and am only replying now as I had my HT yesterday by Dr Collins. I posted the following on another thread and though u might be interested.

Also they have a testimonial from actor James Nesbit on their website now which gives some good information and advice. His hair looks great too! You can watch it here

(Promotional Link Removed)

 

 

 

I have been a patient of Dr Collins in Dublin for some time and I have only ever heard good things mentioned about him and I have always been very impressed by him and his entire team.

They very carefully managed my expectations too which made the whole process over the years a lot easier for me.

 

I had a Hair Transplant there yesterday! And I feel great after it.

I have no scabs, swelling, pinkness or pain, my hair was not shaved in the recipient area and even though it was just over 24 hours ago it is undetectable.

My scalp is in perfect condition and my friend could not see anything there, I had to point out a graft to him as he could not notice anything there even close up.

 

I wanted to share this experience on here as it has been so amazing and positive. The internet can be a source of fear for those going through this, to my mind having a good surgeon is essential to the success.

 

Good luck!

Edited September 24, 2010 by TakingThePlunge
Promotional Link

[RCWest]

Dr. Collins worked on actor James Nesbitt. He has a large team working for him. His work looks pretty good, but I've only seen that one patient. I haven't read much good stuff about Kiely though. If you search there will be a lot of dissatisfied patients.

[dublinguy]

Dr. Collins worked on actor James Nesbitt. He has a large team working for him. His work looks pretty good, but I've only seen that one patient. I haven't read much good stuff about Kiely though. If you search there will be a lot of dissatisfied patients.

 

There are more videos on Dr Collins website where u can see 3 more patients tell their stories on National TV with before and after shots as well as James Nesbitt and a female patient.

 

I had mine done there last week and last night, after 3 days, I went out with friends to the pub and nobody noticed a thing it has been an amazing experience so far.

They go to great lengths to make sure that the procedure is undetectable thats a major part of their goals and something I was anxious about.

 

As for photos, looking at photos on the internet before my procedure was the worst part of the whole experience as it made me un-necessarily anxious about what I would like like post-op.

[Recession]

I had a Hair Transplant there yesterday! And I feel great after it.

I have no scabs, swelling, pinkness or pain, my hair was not shaved in the recipient area and even though it was just over 24 hours ago it is undetectable.

My scalp is in perfect condition and my friend could not see anything there, I had to point out a graft to him as he could not notice anything there even close up.

 

I wanted to share this experience on here as it has been so amazing and positive. The internet can be a source of fear for those going through this, to my mind having a good surgeon is essential to the success.

 

Good luck!

 

Hi Dublinguy,

 

I'm pleased to hear that you had such a good experience at Hair Restoration Blackrock and I'm not at all surprised.

 

As I mentioned in my original post, I was very impressed with Dr. Collins when I had my consultation with him and I would have no hesitation in putting my trust in him if I could afford to have my surgery there. Unfortunately, like many people here in Ireland, my paycheck is considerably lighter now than it was a few years ago and the outlook isn't very good. If I were to have the 2500 grafts that Dr. Collins estimated, the cost would be over €21,000 and that's way out of my league right now. I understand that cost should not be the only consideration when choosing a surgeon but I can get the same number of grafts with the top surgeons in North America (including travel and hotel costs) for less than half that price or with the top surgeon in Asia for one third of the price.

 

If Dr.Collins were to reduce his prices by maybe 30 or 40% then I might be willing to meet the extra cost in order to have my surgery at home in Dublin. However the differential as it stands right now is way too big and I just cannot justify the expense when the alternatives are so much more reasonably priced. I have to admit that I'm a little surprised, in the current economic climate, that Dr. Collins has been able to maintain his price structure and still be in such demand.

 

Anyway, I hope everything goes well with the growth phase and that you achieve the results you're hoping for. I look forward to seeing a few pics.

[dublinguy]

Thanks Recession.

I hope that you are making progress in your research.

I didn't do very much research on foreign clinics as I didn't feel very comfortable with this but the clinic that most impressed me was the Farjo Clinic in Manchester.

The patient blogs on here look good and are the closest to my experience with Dr Collins I have seen on this site.

 

I am 2 weeks post-op and extremely happy nobody can tell as there are no scabs redness or anything in the recipient area and they didnt shave my head ( I actually need a haircut) I have seen similar post op photos and stories from Farjo, but I haven't come across any from other clinics that look as good post-op.

[vc]

Hi Recession,

 

thanks for the very detailed account of your consultation with dr. collins.

There are now pre and post operation pictures on his new website (not the best quality pictures though)

It seems that he is a great doctor but also too expensive.

Could you please tell me what was the cost of the consultation and if the 1 year's supply of finasteride was included in the consultation fee?

 

thanx

[Recession]

Hi vc,

 

No doubts about Dr. Collins' credentials but, as you say, the price is the big stumbling block.

 

I noticed the new pics on the website...not quite Hasson & Wong but better than nothing I guess.

 

The consultation fee was €250 with an option to buy a year's supply of Finesteride for an extra €50.

[harry01]

Hi, i have also been to Dr.collins for a consultation. I am doing plenty of research on this site as i also feel Collins prices are very costly. Iwas quoted 1500 graphs at 12, 500 euro-too costly for me considering i may indeed need further work in years to come.

Can any body tell me does Dr.Farjo in Manchester offer reasonable rates? I read on this forum he does quality work.

[baldyed]

Would you mind telling me when you met with Dr Kiely? I thought he was no longer practicing due to ill health?

 

Thanks so much.

[Recession]

Yeah, no problem...I met with Dr. Kiely just over a year ago in early November

[Reseeding]

I agree, his price is comparitively still up there with 2005-06 house prices in Ireland! ie. way overpriced. How can he charge $11 per graft when most in the US are $5-7.

I sent an email asking why they charge so much compared to top New York surgeons and received a replay stating, 'As the service, surgery and facilities are not duplicated, the price comparison would not be the best indicator for the results experienced, as duly written by James Nesbitt a recent patient at our clinic'. While Im sure his work is very good I will be seeking a HT in NewYork or Vancouver.

[wb280]

USD11? Thats rough. A session of 3k grafts will set u back by a whopping USD33k. Although everyone is saying not to compromise on the price when selecting a good surgeon but the amount is still tough to swallow...