Newbie Guide

[EmuSteve]

EmuSteve's Newbie Guide

 

It took me a LOOONGGG time to learn enough stuff to the point that I was comfortable moving forward with setting an appointment date with a surgeon, and part of that was because it just takes so much effort to wade through all the info related to Hair Transplantation.

 

Even now, I am not sure I know everything thats out there, but I do remember what it was like to be a newbie with nothing to go on but a late night Bosley commercial and the hope that one day I wouldn't look balding anymore.

 

So with that in mind, and after seeing guides for everything under the sun BUT newbies, I thought I'd put together a post that points people brand new to the idea of hair transplantation in the direction they need to go.

 

By "direction they need to go", I mean the direction to get the most relevant information to their situation that will allow them to make an educated decision as to whether hair transplantation is an option.

 

Good places to Start

 

The Forums

 

A great place to start is where you already are... the forums. I've had the opportunity to meet people who have had a HT preformed in person, as well as talk to people from all over the world who have traveled this road before me. Being able to talk with patients is invaluable. Be aware, there ARE posters out there with motives that are less than noble, so use discernment. However, I think there are a lot of people who genuinely want to help and share what they've learned, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of this.

 

Live Chat

 

At the time of this writing, this is more of a recent phenomenon, but well worth your time because occasionally, some of the top doctors in the nation show up in the live chat room and are available to answer your questions. What an opportunity!

 

In addition, real time chat with people who have had the procedure done before you can answer a lot of your questions.

 

Books

 

Some books have been published that I found really helpful.

 

Spencer Kobren, a self proclaimed consumer advocate (although as Joetronic wisely says, don't rely on anyone else to be a consumer advocate for you), wrote a book called "The Bald Truth" that is a great starting point for educating yourself about all the different types of solutions out there.

 

James Harris, MD, and Emanuel Marritt, MD, also wrote a book called "The Hair Replacement Revolution" that is very educational.

 

In both of these books, there are a lot of nuggets to glean. A lot of it will also be more of a recap for more experienced HT researchers and vets.

 

Radio

 

Sunday nights, Spencer Kobren does a radio show called "The Bald Truth" (just like his book), that talks about hair loss. Recently, its become more of a "lets talk about the emotional effects of hair loss and how we live our lives in spite of it" type show, so don't count on it being a treasure trove of information. It is, however, pretty therapeutic to hear people talking openly about something that is a huge source of insecurity for most of us.

 

For you fellow tech nerds, you can also download the podcast by searching for "The Bald Truth" in iTunes.

 

YouTube

 

I found a lot of stuff on YouTube (although be warned, once you see a video of a donor strip extraction, you can never go back).

 

Dateline NBC did a report where they tested several hair replacement treatments, including hair transplants, that I thought was pretty cool. You can view it in five parts here:

 

Part 1:

 

 

Part 2:

 

 

Part 3:

 

 

You can also find awesome resources on preparing for your procedure. Joetronic posted instructions for scalp exercises here:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOQX_WyLosA

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

There is no better resource than a face-to-face meeting with a previous patient of the doc you are considering. If a clinic won't set you up to meet one, or if you are promised that they will and then neglect to get back to you, be very wary.

 

A face to face meeting with a previous patient is something you can't fake, and there really is no substitute. I work in graphics design and work with Photoshop all day long. I could create before and after photos of MYSELF with a great hairline. That's not to say that photos from the top docs recommended here are created to deceive you. In fact, most are really good representations of their work. However, if given the choice between trusting and seeing for myself, especially when it comes to how I am going to look for the rest of my life... I'd choose seeing for myself.

 

One last thing that worries newbies (or at least worried me), is exactly how the financing works. Most doc's do offer financing through companies like Capital One Healthcare (http://www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com/), Travelers Medical Finance (http://www.travelersfinancial.com/medical/), Patient Link (http://www.patientlinkfinance.com/), or Unicorn Financial (http://www.unicornfinancial.com/). You can learn a lot about terms and conditions just by browsing a few of those sites.

 

I am personally scheduled for a procedure with Dr. Ron Shapiro on Nov 30th, 2007, so if anyone has any questions about that, I'll be happy to answer them. =)

 

Hope this guide is helpful to those of you just starting out. Feel free to PM me with questions (or many others on this board). Good luck!

[EmuSteve]

EmuSteve's Newbie Guide

 

It took me a LOOONGGG time to learn enough stuff to the point that I was comfortable moving forward with setting an appointment date with a surgeon, and part of that was because it just takes so much effort to wade through all the info related to Hair Transplantation.

 

Even now, I am not sure I know everything thats out there, but I do remember what it was like to be a newbie with nothing to go on but a late night Bosley commercial and the hope that one day I wouldn't look balding anymore.

 

So with that in mind, and after seeing guides for everything under the sun BUT newbies, I thought I'd put together a post that points people brand new to the idea of hair transplantation in the direction they need to go.

 

By "direction they need to go", I mean the direction to get the most relevant information to their situation that will allow them to make an educated decision as to whether hair transplantation is an option.

 

Good places to Start

 

The Forums

 

A great place to start is where you already are... the forums. I've had the opportunity to meet people who have had a HT preformed in person, as well as talk to people from all over the world who have traveled this road before me. Being able to talk with patients is invaluable. Be aware, there ARE posters out there with motives that are less than noble, so use discernment. However, I think there are a lot of people who genuinely want to help and share what they've learned, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of this.

 

Live Chat

 

At the time of this writing, this is more of a recent phenomenon, but well worth your time because occasionally, some of the top doctors in the nation show up in the live chat room and are available to answer your questions. What an opportunity!

 

In addition, real time chat with people who have had the procedure done before you can answer a lot of your questions.

 

Books

 

Some books have been published that I found really helpful.

 

Spencer Kobren, a self proclaimed consumer advocate (although as Joetronic wisely says, don't rely on anyone else to be a consumer advocate for you), wrote a book called "The Bald Truth" that is a great starting point for educating yourself about all the different types of solutions out there.

 

James Harris, MD, and Emanuel Marritt, MD, also wrote a book called "The Hair Replacement Revolution" that is very educational.

 

In both of these books, there are a lot of nuggets to glean. A lot of it will also be more of a recap for more experienced HT researchers and vets.

 

Radio

 

Sunday nights, Spencer Kobren does a radio show called "The Bald Truth" (just like his book), that talks about hair loss. Recently, its become more of a "lets talk about the emotional effects of hair loss and how we live our lives in spite of it" type show, so don't count on it being a treasure trove of information. It is, however, pretty therapeutic to hear people talking openly about something that is a huge source of insecurity for most of us.

 

For you fellow tech nerds, you can also download the podcast by searching for "The Bald Truth" in iTunes.

 

YouTube

 

I found a lot of stuff on YouTube (although be warned, once you see a video of a donor strip extraction, you can never go back).

 

Dateline NBC did a report where they tested several hair replacement treatments, including hair transplants, that I thought was pretty cool. You can view it in five parts here:

 

Part 1:

 

 

Part 2:

 

 

Part 3:

 

 

You can also find awesome resources on preparing for your procedure. Joetronic posted instructions for scalp exercises here:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOQX_WyLosA

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

There is no better resource than a face-to-face meeting with a previous patient of the doc you are considering. If a clinic won't set you up to meet one, or if you are promised that they will and then neglect to get back to you, be very wary.

 

A face to face meeting with a previous patient is something you can't fake, and there really is no substitute. I work in graphics design and work with Photoshop all day long. I could create before and after photos of MYSELF with a great hairline. That's not to say that photos from the top docs recommended here are created to deceive you. In fact, most are really good representations of their work. However, if given the choice between trusting and seeing for myself, especially when it comes to how I am going to look for the rest of my life... I'd choose seeing for myself.

 

One last thing that worries newbies (or at least worried me), is exactly how the financing works. Most doc's do offer financing through companies like Capital One Healthcare (http://www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com/), Travelers Medical Finance (http://www.travelersfinancial.com/medical/), Patient Link (http://www.patientlinkfinance.com/), or Unicorn Financial (http://www.unicornfinancial.com/). You can learn a lot about terms and conditions just by browsing a few of those sites.

 

I am personally scheduled for a procedure with Dr. Ron Shapiro on Nov 30th, 2007, so if anyone has any questions about that, I'll be happy to answer them. =)

 

Hope this guide is helpful to those of you just starting out. Feel free to PM me with questions (or many others on this board). Good luck!

[Bill - Seemiller]

Steve,

 

Great thread! It sounds like you have learned and are continuing to learn a lot.

 

Thank you for giving back to our community!

 

Bill