Warning signs for HT Consultations

[PerfectFew]

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[PerfectFew]

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[Brav989]

Sounds like MHR

[PCC]

Hey All,

 

I'll add another "red flag". In the promotional literature or videos depicting couples, The "wife/girlfriend" will always be extremely attractive and the male "client" will be shown with an unrealistically full head of hair showcased during some strenuous sport like waterskiing or soccer.

 

Phil

[Guest]

I nearly made the same mistakes as many others when I saw the Bosely ads on late night TV. They presented it to be so easy and painless, and you can go back to work in a day or 2 and no one would notice! I was ready to make my Dream Date, so I got on the web to find their phone# when I found several web forums. I then researched their name, and holy geez! When I had read that they had a lawsuit from a patient against them, well that was enough to know that I could not even chance the slightest notion of going though a bad experience and paying so much money for that as well. thankfully there is a place where the patients can gather photo albums and stories to inspire patient confidence in Doctors with high success rates.

[Guest]

I agree with everything said here but there is an excpetion to the rule:

 

I had my HT done at H&W and talked to Mike Ferko. I know Jotronic and Doug also do consultations for them and all three of these guys are as good as gold. I evetually met with Dr. Hasson, but I can see how consultants can be used to handle some of the work to allow the doc have his attention focused on the surgery.

I've also talked with Matt at Shapiro's office, and he seemed very honest and helpful too.

 

I know that consultant was a dirty word for a long time thanks to Bosley, MHR, and the like, but I think there are some good ones out there that are breaking the mold.

[bezane]

The HT thing is always treated by "us" as a dirty little secret. Not here on this site thanks to Pat's great work, but a guy shops a car to death to get the best deal and to feel most comfortable and on and on with major appliances and so on. The medical field in and of itself is one of the least scrutinized fields there is. While the term "second opinion" is used by many, the actuality of doing it is another matter.

 

When it comes to HT, the main issue is ignorance. This site isn't hard to find. But men get so scared when looking for a surgeon that they see or hear an ad on TV or radio, get the nerve up to make an appointment, and go through it with their eyes closed. They just hope that when they come out the other end it's all okay. The slick promotional stuff becomes just a quick reference point in their brain. They don't always want to lay out a strategy. More and more men are finding which end is up, and that's less because of a change in their attitudes and more because of more of us getting top notch work done and giving them recommendations.

 

We're all able to spot a "sales job" in just about every aspect of our lives. All those slick ads do contain all the warning signs, but our ignorance and shame makes our focus one dimensionally.

 

If you buy a large screen TV and pay $500 too much or it's yesterday's model, no big deal. But it amazes me that people, myself included (high IQ, 2 masters degrees, not bragging, just making a point) will let a stranger pull out knives, punch holes in our heads and relocate parts of our body to other areas, and not give it more scrutiny than a fifteen minute watch on an infomercial. And when that Bosley commercial is over, some other product comes on the air and we dismiss it as junk.

 

There is a psychological reason for our minds to juxtapose clear thinking with outlandish impulse. It's called panic and fear. Something like baldness that we can't control and is no fault of our own, is one of the most mind altering dilemmas known to man.

 

Men will hardly ever ask questions face to face of friends, relatives and associates. We are embarrassed. So while many here call some of those promos slick, I think they're transparent, obvious and silly. But what mindset are you in when viewing it? The laundry list of "beware" signs is unecessary, although amusing, once anyone has gone far enough to find this site.

[pushing 40]

Nail on the head Bezane; absolutely on the mark.

[MarkEinstein]

I must say, I originally met with one of the coalition doctors and found numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 ( but didn't really flash the photos at me much ) and 11 to be true. That is what turned me off from this doctor who seemed to have a great reputation and credentials. But my gut told me to run.

 

I continued my research and eventually decided to travel out of town to Dr. Charles in Boca. I'm 5 months post-op and still anticipating more sprouting but have no doubt that things will continue to turn out great. Best scar line ever. Can't even find it.

 

Good post.

[Guest]

bezane,...brilliant post! you are stepping up higher on the podium..., closer to Pat,... who of course is right under God! PerfectFew, you have a great idea in creating a somewhat 10 Commandments for the Hopefuls. Every search engine should have this Linked to any word associated with BOSLEY, MHR, etc., so when people like me, a sheep running headfirst to the slaughterhouse, can see some sort of flashing red light, well...we might actually reconsider our choices. <Enter Pat>!

[dhuge67]

I had Polaroids taken in my consultation and the procedure and recovery have gone well so far...

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by PCC:

Hey All,

 

I'll add another "red flag". In the promotional literature or videos depicting couples, The "wife/girlfriend" will always be extremely attractive and the male "client" will be shown with an unrealistically full head of hair showcased during some strenuous sport like waterskiing or soccer.

 

Phil

Sometimes marketing is marketing though. A surgeon isn't bad just because his advertising is good.

[hairworthy]

Originally posted by hairForAll:

bezane,...brilliant post! you are stepping up higher on the podium..., closer to Pat,... who of course is right under God!

Actually Pat IS God. I realized that when I met him last week. Seeing is believing.

[bezane]

Okay. Here's my conclusion, while a bit of a generalization, I think it works. And probably the reason most men are getting bad or sub par HTs. Great surgeons don't even have marketing. You have to find them. I was blown away by some of Dr. Keene's patients for eample. Like I said before on this forum, I asked her why the pictures on her website didn't even come close to the stuff she's doing down there in Tucson. She shrugged her shoulders. She's not interested in asking a client to go get filmed water skiing, and then scoring the hot babe by the roaring fire. It's all silly to a surgeon.

 

Can you fathom Dr. Jarvic (famous cardiologist that invented the first artificial heart) running an ad with a guy in ICU and then 3 months later jogging around the track!!!!!

 

The surgeons in the coalition have the coalition. That's the extent of the marketing. An approach that holds their feet to the fire while getting down to the nitty gritty, where you can read extreme examples of bad and good and even hair splitting complaints like mudpuppy's. You decide. But it seems to me that you can choose a surgeon from the coalition blindfolded. And I think that's Pat's intent. So don't think his position with Dr. Williams is that severe. It's more Pat's rep than the Dr. W's. The Dr. gets patients from other resources than the website here. Pat lives and dies by this alone.

 

And H&W will bank a few more millions off of Jatronic. But how many of those guys are unhappy?

[bono43m]

Very well stated Bezane.....

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Excellent topic. In a nutshell it really comes down to getting past the hype to find what is real - substance over hype. Now if we could just have this message pop up on every hair infomercial like one of those emergency weather alerts.

 

Now as for dragging God down to my level. Let me point out just some proof of why I'm not God.

 

1) If I were God I would have simply wished myself hair like Elvis and for you my follicular comrades who are members on this forum (subject to restrictions ??“ i.e. those with over 100 posts). After all God is just.

 

2) If I were God I'd be omnipotent and actually know every thing about all hair transplant surgeons worldwide. But instead we are all doing our best together to determine who the stand out surgeons really are by reviewing their techniques and results, visiting their clinics and reading their patient reviews.

 

3) If I were God I'd be infallible and so I would never make mistakes. Those who have been on this forum for more than a week know that I'm certainly not infallible or all knowing.

 

The truth is it is the members on this forum who are the real heart and soul of this whole effort. You guys are really to be commended for the good you do for each other every day. For my part I will do what it takes to deserve the trust and faith you've shown in me.

 

Pat

 

P.S. Hairworthy It was a real pleasure meeting you in person last week. Who would have thought that you with that portly looking avatar would turn out to be a Sauv???© and debonair Frenchman who speaks four plus languages and posts on several forums.

[Gorpy]

Originally posted by Pat - Publisher of this Community:

 

1) If I were God I would have simply wished myself hair like Elvis...

 

Pat, with the way your hair looks, I thought that is what you did!