donx310 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 (edited) So hey, I've done my research on hair transplantation for awhile now and decided to go with Dr Umar in Redondo Beach California. I did an online consultation about 2-3 years ago and was told I will need about 1500-2000 graphs. I'm 30 years old now, and have finally saved up a bit of cash for the surgery, however I've been doing more research as of late, and found that his $8 per graph is a bit expensive. I live in Southern California, and because of work obligations, traveling is not an option for me. I was wondering if some of you would be nice enough to help me out with finding alternate Drs, who are just as good, and may charge a little less. Of course I understand that there is no price you can put on a full head of hair, but I've heard rave reviews about Dr Mike Meshkin, who is also located in So Cal, and Dr Kahen. Any help would be of greatly appreciated...I've literally been doing research on hair transplantation since I've started losing hair when I was 23...now I actually have a bit of cash to go through with it, any doctor is able to upload a nice portolio, so I was hoping to get a little bit of feedback for those of you who has done even more research than I have, or better yet someone who has had first hand experiences with doctors in the socal area. Thanks in advance! Don. Edited November 22, 2011 by donx310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Cant decide Posted November 22, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted November 22, 2011 Bill Reed is out of La Jolla. He is one of the best IMO and will charge much less than $8/graft. Good Luck My Hairloss Web Site - Procedure #1: 5229 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Oct, 2010 Procedure #2: 2642 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Aug, 2013 7871 Grafts http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2452 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted November 22, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted November 22, 2011 Bill Reed is out of La Jolla. He is one of the best IMO and will charge much less than $8/graft. Good Luck Agreed! Newhairplease!! Dr Rahal in January 19, 2012:) 4808 FUT grafts- 941 singles, 2809 doubles, 1031 triples, 27 quads My Hairloss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted November 22, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted November 22, 2011 Recommended Hair Transplant Surgeons in California. Honestly, all excellent physicians. Please let me know if you'd like any additional information on a particular doctor. "Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc" Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donx310 Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks for the input fellas. I'm wondering why Dr Umar isn't a recommended Dr on this site? I've seen some of his work and he's unbelievable. I'm also wondering why his pricing per graph is so high compared to other doctors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member wylie Posted November 23, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted November 23, 2011 Do you want FUE? If you want FUE then Dr. Umar is the best choice. There is a huge difference between FUE and conventional strip surgery, and if you dont have a problem with a scar and dont plan on ever buzzing your hair short then perhaps you can get away with a strip but you need to ask yourself these questions first. Saving a few bucks is entirely understandable and something we all can relate to, but we often don't think about whether or not we will be happy 10 years from now. As an Umar patient and a veteran of many strips, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't see anyone but Dr. Umar. You have to weigh the added costs versus the benefits of having someone like him work on you. He does things other doctors cannot, I know this from experience. Good luck on your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member folliclehero Posted November 25, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted November 25, 2011 Do you want FUE? If you want FUE then Dr. Umar is the best choice. There is a huge difference between FUE and conventional strip surgery, and if you dont have a problem with a scar and dont plan on ever buzzing your hair short then perhaps you can get away with a strip but you need to ask yourself these questions first. Saving a few bucks is entirely understandable and something we all can relate to, but we often don't think about whether or not we will be happy 10 years from now. As an Umar patient and a veteran of many strips, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't see anyone but Dr. Umar. You have to weigh the added costs versus the benefits of having someone like him work on you. He does things other doctors cannot, I know this from experience. Good luck on your search. To be honest...it seems like the fear of scarring from strip is a little overblown. I've seen tons of before and afters. The scar is almost always very minimal when the surgery is performed by a top doc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donx310 Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 I normally buzz my sides with a 0 clip, is scarring really that visible if done by a good doctor? I'm very seriously considering my options at the moment and am very close to going ahead with the transplantation. This decision has been years in the making and it literally has taken me years to save up for this. I need as much input and help as I can get... If I do opt to go to Dr. Bill Reed or Dr Meshkin over Dr Umar, will strip scarring be a big issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member wylie Posted November 26, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted November 26, 2011 I normally buzz my sides with a 0 clip, is scarring really that visible if done by a good doctor? I'm very seriously considering my options at the moment and am very close to going ahead with the transplantation. This decision has been years in the making and it literally has taken me years to save up for this. I need as much input and help as I can get... If I do opt to go to Dr. Bill Reed or Dr Meshkin over Dr Umar, will strip scarring be a big issue? If you normally buzz your sides with a 0 guard and you are considering a strip then I don't think you've done the right research up to this point. No offense, but you should have long ago considered this. I don't say Dr. Umar is the best solely because you won't have a strip scar, I sat it based on ability. As a repair patient who have numerous options with Dr. Umar (none with other doctors) admittedly I'm biased, but there are lots of surgeons out there who give fantastic strip results with a small linear scar that is not a big deal for for those who don't plan on shaving their back and sides with a 0 guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member fortune11 Posted December 6, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 6, 2011 I would recommend Dr Ziering in LA / Newport Beach. I had an HT #2 w him recently (search under my handle to see other posts on this topic). Regarding your 0 buzzcut, the scar will be very visible at a 0. I keep a #3, but at #2 there is some visibility at the sides where my hair is thinner than at the back. Note that your hairstyle preference might change as well once you have a fuller head of hair, so dont get married to that 0 buzzcut and decide solely based on that. In my opinion -- strip surgery offers a lot more bang for your buck, if you can live w a thin scar, which seems manageable for most of us on this forum except for the few FUE fanatics and those w cash to spend. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUT #1, ~ 1600 grafts hairline (Ron Shapiro 2004) FUT #2 ~ 2000 grafts frontal third (Ziering 2011) FUT #3 ~ 1900 grafts midscalp (Ron Shapiro early 2015) FUE ~ 1500 grafts frontal third, side scalp, FUT scar repair --300 beard, 1200 scalp (Ron Shapiro, late 2016) http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185663-recent-fue-dr-ron-shapiro-prior-fut-patient.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Atticus Posted December 6, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 6, 2011 Dr. Umar in Redondo Beach. Top notch. Atticus 600 FUE - 12/07 - Performed by Dr. Umar of Redondo Beach, CA *****300 leg hair FUE implanted 7/12 to the eyebrows - 150 each eyebrow. Performed by Dr. Umar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted December 6, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 6, 2011 Don, At a "0," even the best, most "pencil thin" follicular unit transplantation (FUT) scar would be visible. However, keep in mind that while scarring is very, very minimal with follicular unit extraction (FUE), I wouldn't be surprised if you could see some scarring in the donor region with a "0" buzz post-FUE as well. Obviously the type and overall visibility of the scarring will be different, but at this point in time, both these techniques are surgical procedures and will leave "some" type of scarring. However, if you are an acceptable candidate and do plan on wearing your hair very short, FUE may be a better option. As far as Dr. Umar's recommendation status is concerned ... Dr. Umar was considered for recommendation a while back, and, unfortunately, the community could not reach a unanimous vote at that time and he was not approved. However, because he has continued to provide quality FUE work, we have re-opened the potential of recommending Dr. Umar and he's currently sharing cases in the "Results Posted by Leading Hair Restoration Clinics" sub-forum. "Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc" Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member futbol9 Posted December 12, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 12, 2011 I had mine with dr. meshkin at newport california 5 months and 3 weeks ago. you can search me up, I have lots of pics. let me know what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadbo66 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 i'm a 13 year strip scar veteran. The scar was barely visible at first even buzzed. Trust me it just keeps getting bigger. Here's the facts about ANY cosmetic procedure. You fix one problem, you create two more. I've tried to sew up the scar twice. bigger each time. now half of the back of my head is makeup and dermatch. I would consider a tatoo method except at 45 I'm greying and it's very inconsistent. Been to 4 doctors now and in hindsight, all are nothing but educated used car salesmen. They don't care a bit about your future. just want your money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted December 24, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2011 i'm a 13 year strip scar veteran. The scar was barely visible at first even buzzed. Trust me it just keeps getting bigger. Here's the facts about ANY cosmetic procedure. You fix one problem, you create two more. I've tried to sew up the scar twice. bigger each time. now half of the back of my head is makeup and dermatch. I would consider a tatoo method except at 45 I'm greying and it's very inconsistent. Been to 4 doctors now and in hindsight, all are nothing but educated used car salesmen. They don't care a bit about your future. just want your money! Chad You are actually way off base with your post! It's not true at all. There are a lot of caring doctors out there. It just may be you haven't found one. Newhairplease!! Dr Rahal in January 19, 2012:) 4808 FUT grafts- 941 singles, 2809 doubles, 1031 triples, 27 quads My Hairloss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted December 24, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2011 all are nothing but educated used car salesmen. They don't care a bit about your future. just want your money! I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences, but, like NewHair said, I disagree with this statement. If you do want to investigate your options further, feel free to review our recommended hair restoration physicians. Good luck! "Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc" Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now