Hair Transplant in New Zealand

[rmf55]

Hi folks,

 

I've been reading a lot of this forum and thought I should move from long time reader to first time poster in order to share my treatment experiences to this point. i've given a bit of background to my hair loss below, but if you're interested just in my hair transplant experiences feel free to skip to the end!

 

I'm 27 and have suffered from hair loss since I was 17, at which point I quickly lost the hair from my temples. I'd say I was a norwood scale type 2 by the time I was 17, and although I became increasingly unhappy with my appearance, I never made the connection to male pattern hair loss. Through my early 20's I continued to lose my hair through the temples, and when I finished university a particularly stressful year as a new graduate lawyer at a corporate law firm saw me reach crisis point, where I was probably between a norwood 3 and 4.

 

it seems silly but i only finally made the connection to male pattern hair loss that year when a particularly cocky friend and flatmate of mine started to tease me about being balding. at the end of that first year of work I resolved to turn things around. i researched FDA approved treatments, and luckily was a patient of a very good dermatologist in auckland, who prescribed me generic finasteride and suggested I try rogaine. unfortunately rogaine foam wasn't then available for sale in new zealand, but i managed to privately import it though quasi legal means!

 

beginning to use those was a revelation. i noticed the hair loss start to stop and was incredibly excited to see new tiny hairs start to grow in places on my frontal hairline. however after about a year and a half the effects started to tail out, and I realised I was never going to get back the hair I had lost through the temples through my current regime. it was at that point that I became very depressed again and frustrated, wondering what else I could possibly do. it was only midway through last year that I learnt of hair transplant procedures. the more i read about the more excited I got. i was desperate to not give up on the prospect of having a head of hair untainted by male pattern hair loss, and to not have to stare at it in the mirror every morning! even though i wasn't sure if I had the finances, i was excited to know that at some stage the possibility of getting lost hair back would be there.

 

after this i started to take some tangible steps to investigate the viability of having a transplant. looking up the first google hit (ignoring charlatans like ashley and martin etc) sent me to a private cosmetic surgery group in auckland called the skin institute. i booked an initial consultation and was referred to their "specialist", a nurse called zohreh barkhodari. Although in was still so excited at that stage to even be considering the procedure, in hindsight it was a distinctly underwhelming consultation. zohreh was very nice, but didn't really provide me with any concrete details of the procedure or where she would transplant the hair, and to be honest I wasn't that impressed to be only meeting with a nurse given the amount of money i was proposing to spend. then there was that amount of money. again I didn't realise it at the time, but she suggested that she would do 450-500 grafts, at a cost of NZD $7000 to $8000 (the NZD currently buys about 80 australian cents). So around $16 a graft, with the procedure to be done by a nurse! There would be some surgeon oversight, but it appeared it would be minimal as she was their proclaimed "specialist".

 

a month or so later I continued my research and found that dr russell knudsen also consults in auckland. so I did a lot of reading about him and was very impressed, particularly compared to the skin institute. a past president of the ISHRS and over 4000 procedures. so i met with him and auckland, and was even more impressed. he met with me personally, first explained the non surgerical options and only upon learning that i had already been on them for almost 2 years started to talk to me about possible surgery. he used a marker to draw the possible hairlines on my forehead, and showed me what various numbers of grafts would achieve. that was exactly what i wanted to know. when i suggested to him i wanted to spend a reasonable amount of money on the procedure (well by my standards anyway) he suggested to me having 800 to 900 grafts. the quote for 800 was NZD $6650 and for 900 NZD $7450 (so about $8.30 a graft). for the same money as the skin institute, actually less, i would recieve exactly double the grafts, with the procedure performed by a proper hair surgeon.

 

i went away very impressed, and excited for the procedure. aside from his technical skills, I was very impressed by dr knudsen's warm and reasonable manner, something which seems to be a common comment on this forum. although he does not perform FUE, and without wanting to start that debate, I am comfortable from the information he gives on his website and that on the ISHRS's own website that he has sound technical reasons for not doing so. so i have now booked the surgery for april 2012, with a further consult in february to discuss it again with him pre surgery. i am now thinking that it may also be worth me having a small amount of grafts put into my crown, for while I have recovered a lot of hair in that area, there is a slight thin patch which I think would be noticable if i was to grow my hair long in the future. so hopefully i can talk to dr knudsen about that when I see him next. i'm hoping it willl only need 100 or 150 grafts, and therefore seems well worth doing as it would still mean my total procedure would be only 1100 grafts maximum.

 

i'm intending to pay for the transplant using a 3 year retention bonus i'm eligble for at work (touch wood), so there hopefully will even be a nice symmetry about using work funds to replace some of the hair their stress contributed to me losing in my first year! I'll be sure to update my experiences when I have the procedure finally done.

 

thanks for all your helpful information.

[charlie_08]

Hey...

I dont Know a Lot about Dr russell knudsen also its hard to say without seeing your pics how many grafts you will need but if your a 4 1100 is not going to be enough

I have had a look at his site his pics are pretty average to say the least

have you meet anyone that has been there and seen there results in person have you spoken to anyone?

IMO you would be making a mistake by going there

have a look at Hasson & Wongs and Rahals before and after pics and then dr russell knudsen before & afters they speak for themselves

Your making the mistake that so many people have made in past picking the closest and most convenient place to where you live

also his prices $8 a graft or about $6.50 US thats no even cheap consider who he is don't let Money or location get in the way you cant take the gamble that its going to work out when it comes to your own health and well being.

[RodG]

Hi,

 

Do you have any photographs to display for members to assess you hairless? 600 - 900 grafts for a HT session is a very small number. Its a bit hard to justify have a scar for such a small session but I guess that is your decision.

 

I underwent a HT in Thailand with DHT Clinic and it cost me about $8500au for 3743 grafts.

 

Good luck.

 

Regards

 

Rod

[ej]

I would pass on a procedure in New Zealand . I had a procedure in Auckland with Dr Miles Wislang early nineties it was the biggest mistake of my life ! 20 years later im still on the repair journey !

The prices they charge in Australia and New Zealand are astronomical , you could take a vacation in the USA and get it done with Ron Shapiro . I would commit to travelling to get it done and research further

 

all the best

ej

[rmf55]

hi guys,

 

thanks heaps for your replies. i think a lot of your comments appear to be based on the before and after pictures on dr knudsen's old website (URL edited by moderator), he now has a newer website under the knudsen clinic sydney. as an aside I don't really think the calibre of before and after pictures displayed on a website is necessarily a great way to judge a surgeon compared to the steps he takes when you meet him to outline the procedure and his proven experience (including as former president of the ISHRS.)

 

i agree that being in NZ doesn't give as many options, but I'm happy with dr knudsen, based both on his experience and the reviews of the lions share of people who have had procedures done with him on this website. in relation to a couple of your specific queries, i'm nowhere near a NW4 these days, i've had very good results with 2 years of finasteride and rogaine foam and would be a 2.5 to 3 at most. the surgery won't give me an 18 year olds hair line but it will restore much of what I've lost.

 

in relation to having a scar for a small procedure, if you're suggesting I have FUE done then that is a much bigger debate than just whether you have a scar. i've read the ISHRS's position papers on FUT vs FUE and am happy with using FUT based on that. the scar really isn't a big factor for me- from another person on this forum who had almost the exact number of grafts with dr knudsen it will be about 10cm long and 1cm wide, and only visible with less than a number 2 shave. i'd be happy explaining the scar to people anyway, but aside from the immediate recovery I'm certainly not having a hair transplant to shave my head down to a number 1! I don't even do that now.

 

finally, re possibly travelling to have a transplant, i'm sufficiently comfortable with dr knudsen to not think that justifies the significant additional cost. if my only option was the skin insitute (my first consult) travelling definitely would be worthwhile. again i'd encourage you guys to look at some of the posts from people who have had work with dr knudsen on here- almost all are very pleased and report good, conservative results with very good healing. some of the forum approved doctors know dr knudsen well and visit him when they're in sydney.

 

overall, thanks again though for your points- i'm glad to have people raising valid potential criticisms given this is such a big decision.

Edited January 3, 2012 by TakingThePlunge

[KiwiGuy500]

Hi, I am going to make a genuine plea to you: Please do not let Knudsen touch you. Apart from not using gold standard practices, research should have told you Russell does not have much ability to do hairlines. Consider Rahal, Fella, Wong, , either Shapiro, Hasson or any one of 4 or 5 top guys. Please don't use anyone in Australasia. If you want the number of an Australian friend who is an ABSOLUTE mess because of Knudsen, I will give it to you and he will talk with you. Even if you don't get butchered, you will be paying for below average results. Please don't do that to yourself. It sucks that no one from our part of the world is doing gold standard. I know Knudsen, been operated by him twice. Nice guy too, good at appearing that he is fantastic, but he isn't. If you are going to persist with this - then my conscience is clear - I've told you straight and what you do from here is over to you. You must travel to one of the best.

[KiwiGuy500]

Hi, I am going to make a genuine plea to you: Please do not let Knudsen touch you. Apart from not using gold standard practices, research should have told you Russell does not have much ability to do hairlines. Consider Rahal, Fella, Wong, , either Shapiro, Hasson or any one of 4 or 5 top guys. Please don't use anyone in Australasia. If you want the number of an Australian friend who is an ABSOLUTE mess because of Knudsen, I will give it to you and he will talk with you. Even if you don't get butchered, you will be paying for below average results. Please don't do that to yourself. It sucks that no one from our part of the world is doing gold standard. I know Knudsen, been operated by him twice. Nice guy too, good at appearing that he is fantastic, but he isn't. If you are going to persist with this - then my conscience is clear - I've told you straight and what you do from here is over to you. You must travel to one of the best.

[pjwb85]

Hi, I am going to make a genuine plea to you: Please do not let Knudsen touch you. Apart from not using gold standard practices, research should have told you Russell does not have much ability to do hairlines. Consider Rahal, Fella, Wong, , either Shapiro, Hasson or any one of 4 or 5 top guys. Please don't use anyone in Australasia. If you want the number of an Australian friend who is an ABSOLUTE mess because of Knudsen, I will give it to you and he will talk with you. Even if you don't get butchered, you will be paying for below average results. Please don't do that to yourself. It sucks that no one from our part of the world is doing gold standard. I know Knudsen, been operated by him twice. Nice guy too, good at appearing that he is fantastic, but he isn't. If you are going to persist with this - then my conscience is clear - I've told you straight and what you do from here is over to you. You must travel to one of the best.

 

KiwiGuy500 - Can you be a little more specific about the problems you had or what you weren't happy with? I think using words like "butchered" and "absolute mess" is a little harsh if perhaps you and your friend were just not happy with density, growth rate or coverage etc. Can you give more details, number of grafts, what you were on the norwood? any photos?

 

 

I too have researched and had a consultation with doctor knudsen and talked to a few patients of his. I have chosen him to do my procedure of approx 600-800 grafts in the near future.

 

For a larger procedure then yes, I would look overseas but for one this size I feel comfortable with dr knudsen.

 

I must admit, reading a post like yours makes me a little nervous but I have heard mostly positive feedback about his work from previous patients and also other well known hair transplant surgeons.

 

Also, It is a little frustrating that there are not too many photos of his work going around on the internet and i'm not sure why that is, perhaps because he mainly does small procedures and patients don't feel the need to share. He is however, happy to show you various patient photos if you ask him like I did. I am pretty certain that if there were major issues with his work then people would be posting photos.

 

Anyway, I will take before and after photos over the next few months for my own reference and I may even end up sharing these on here.

Edited January 5, 2012 by pjwb85

[KiwiGuy500]

Russel Knudsen did not 'butcher' me. But he has created massive scars in the donor area of two guys I know. I've seen scars made by him with my own two eyes. And the recipient work was NOT THAT hard to spot. If you have super fine hair that is straight, its looks a little better I know, but still can be spotted. Granted that I have a well-trained eye, but seriously - the work was NOT gold standard. The work I received from Knudsen was semi-acceptable at the time, but its also a bit jammed in and a bit ugly - it would never stack up now. In my second procedure, I believe I had poor yield too.

 

Since my procedures with Knudsen, techniques have come a very long way - but Dr Knudsen has not moved with the times. And basically, he just does not have that X-factor/artistic ability when it comes down to it. That is a view echoed by others. If you want your hairline done by him, even a small operation, that's the bit that you are going to see. Size does not matter, quality matters. If it does not work out and you find the Knudsen work does not meet your standards, are you prepared to have what I had - which was a frontal extraction!!!! They are not fun and will kill your state of mind far worse than what you are feeling at the moment with a bit of hair loss. And you then have to wait a long time for the next repair which is tough. Listen, there are a lot of vets on here, we, as a group have many among us who have been there, done that. We don't give new guys like you advice for the fun of it, we are trying to help you. And you aren't listening really. Why should I put time into this message if the information is out there already?? I have nothing to gain personally, so i do it because I would genuinely like to see you a fellow Kiwi get the best result that you are happy with. But it's your choice I won't lose sleep either.

 

The scarey thing is that Russell Knudsen is far from the worst in Australia - there's worse than him!! I believe Australian HT surgeons are very expensive for what they produce. Why when you have coalition Dr's available to you, would you go to someone who does not figure highly in the estimations of people on this forum, or many other forums? Perhaps you should try and relax, take finasteride, and do another 6 months research. What does extra time and matter in the grand scheme of your life?

[rmf55]

hi kiwiguy,

 

thanks a lot for your posts, and better to have these sorts of opinions come out now. however like pwjb said, could you give a few more details about exactly what dr knudsen apparently did wrong? in particular, how many grafts did you have in each session?

 

it sounds like your experience may be slightly different to what we are seeking with a small session of 600-800 grafts. i really think there is a lot more scope for dissapointment with more advanced stage hair loss where there is a substantial amount of bald scalp to cover and a much larger donor area needed. like pwjb i have also read a number of posts from people on this forum who have had surgery with dr knudsen who have been very happy. many of them are not prolific posters but have made short comments here and there.

 

if you could give me details of the people who had their surgery and were unhappy I would be grateful, and in particular if you could ask them whether they would be happy for me to perhaps email them to speak more directly.

[RodG]

Hi Rmf55,

 

It would only take a couple of bad posts regarding a doctor to turn me off from a having a HT with the them. Can you show us some photographs of your hairless because 600 - 800 session is considered to be very small session.

 

How much does this doctor want to charge you for this type of session?. I had 3743 grafts with DHT Clinic in Thailand and it cost me $8500au for the procedure. I had a pretty good result.

 

Good luck with your decision but there aren't really many doctors who perform consistently good HT's. Its your head at the end of the day.

 

Regards

 

 

Rod

Edited January 7, 2012 by RodG

[ej]

Kiwiguy

Its admirable that your trying to share your experience ,however some just dont want to listen and quote " well its only 800 grafts " or " its not advanced balding " therefore i will be ok ! this shows how little research these posters have done , every norwood 6 was a norwood 2, and 3 at some point , medication like propeca wears off over time , posters like these are tommorrows repair patients ! they do not understand the issues of strip surgery and scar complications , almost like they want to ` roll the dice ` as if a repair is an easy procedure , there are no good hair transplant Drs in New Zealand , zero , zilch , period ! Australia has a Dr who works with his sister in Sydney who I believe is ok !

regards

ej

[charlie_08]

Agree Its great that Kiwiguy trying to help

 

Hi Rmf55

 

Can I ask does Kudson fly to NZ and do the surgery or are you going to Australia to get it done?

[pjwb85]

Kiwiguy

Its admirable that your trying to share your experience ,however some just dont want to listen and quote " well its only 800 grafts " or " its not advanced balding " therefore i will be ok ! this shows how little research these posters have done , every norwood 6 was a norwood 2, and 3 at some point , medication like propeca wears off over time , posters like these are tommorrows repair patients ! they do not understand the issues of strip surgery and scar complications , almost like they want to ` roll the dice ` as if a repair is an easy procedure , there are no good hair transplant Drs in New Zealand , zero , zilch , period ! Australia has a Dr who works with his sister in Sydney who I believe is ok !

regards

ej

 

we do certainly understand what you are saying and just because we don't post everyday on a forum does not mean that we haven't done our research.

 

I have seen plenty of photos of my chosen surgeons work and talked to patients who were very happy with the results. I have heard of 2 or 3 patients who weren't completely happy with Dr Knudsens work. Is there a surgeon out there who can say that 100% of their customers are happy and had no issues? tell me their name please and I will book in tomorrow.

 

Hair loss is different for everyone. for me personally, my hair loss has been stable over the last 5 years since using propecia and I am only looking to add some density to the front of my head where propecia doesn't work well. if I need to get more in the future then I would travel overseas.

 

Expectations are also different for everyone, I am realistic. I don't want to bleach my hair and spike it up like a 16 year old school boy, I don't want to have my hair line re done to what it looked like 10 years ago. I will be happy with a bit more density and coverage to what I have there now.

[pjwb85]

Agree Its great that Kiwiguy trying to help

 

Hi Rmf55

 

Can I ask does Kudson fly to NZ and do the surgery or are you going to Australia to get it done?

 

Dr Knudsen, performs the surgery in NZ. He flys his team over with him.

[ej]

Hi pjw

 

I think you cant go wrong with Drs like Ron Shapiro Minnesota , I honestly have never heard anything negative about him , thats as close as you get to 100% customer satisfaction , im glad your doing your research , it seems a shame to take unnecessary risks thats my point really , i have seen people have procedures of a small amount of grafts without taking into account scar issues , shock loss etc , often its made there situation worse

 

also Australia and New Zealand appear to be really expensive ! you could take a 2 week holiday to the states and get it done by a top Dr

 

Anyway thank you for taking my points on board , at the end of the day were all here to help one another

 

all the best

 

ej

[pjwb85]

thanks ej, I would look at Dr Shapiro or Hassan and Wong if I require more grafts in the future.

 

I feel I have researched as much as possible for what I want to have done and I am comfortable with my decision. im not too worried about the cost of 600-800 grafts. any more than that then it would be more economical to go to the US for sure.

[KiwiGuy500]

hi kiwiguy,

 

thanks a lot for your posts, and better to have these sorts of opinions come out now. however like pwjb said, could you give a few more details about exactly what dr knudsen apparently did wrong? in particular, how many grafts did you have in each session?

 

it sounds like your experience may be slightly different to what we are seeking with a small session of 600-800 grafts. i really think there is a lot more scope for dissapointment with more advanced stage hair loss where there is a substantial amount of bald scalp to cover and a much larger donor area needed. like pwjb i have also read a number of posts from people on this forum who have had surgery with dr knudsen who have been very happy. many of them are not prolific posters but have made short comments here and there.

 

if you could give me details of the people who had their surgery and were unhappy I would be grateful, and in particular if you could ask them whether they would be happy for me to perhaps email them to speak more directly.

 

Hi, my apology for not addressing the specific questions in my previous posting. I believe I had about 1500 grafts in my 2 procedures. I was desperate at the time and Dr Knudsen was at the time seemingly my only option. (note just after my final procedure with Knudsen was around the time new techniques 'raised the bar'). In all fairness to Knudsen he was not responsible for most of my hairline, but he added some grafts round it and they didn't make it better it looked worse.

 

In my case I am not saying Knudsen did 'wrong'. I don't doubt he performed to the best of his ability and the results were kind of OKAY for their era, but not great work. I had low growth from one of my Knudsen procedures too. I have expressed my opinion that Knudsen does not have the artistic ability of certain doctors, and I stand by that. But I don't believe there is one single Australian who is doing excellent work, its all below the standard of what the rest of the world does, so I will only suggest coalition doctors. And even then you must do your research on each one if you are considering a procedure.

 

Over the years I have spoken with many surgeons around Australia and New Zealand. I know the name of the guy who did NZ's first hair transplant and other such trivia stuff. I know what went on with Neville Barrington who organised plastic hair implantation. In other words I am somewhat of a historian of NZ hair transplantation. I have known people who have been worked on in NZ and I have met 4 people worked by on Knudsen - plus me. This has been over years, and by chance. None of the guys I met had undetectable results, nor myself. None, Period. And in two cases, we are talking massive scars. Only one of those guys do I know well. I don't wish to divulge full details of his case, that's for him to do.

 

Like Rod I wonder why negative postings are no real concern you. But I accept that at the end of the day those who post the most/have been members the longest, should have the most weight. So my opinion, is less valuable being quite a new member. But I've been round.

 

I can't give other peoples details out just like that. If you want the details of people I will have to talk with him, so its possible. But it would have to be exceptional circumstances upon which I would pass details on to you because in my opinion you have made your choice.

[pjwb85]

Hi Kiwiguy, thanks for the extra info and clearing a few things up.

 

When you mention that none of the guys had undetectable results do you mean at the donor or recipient? and the massive scars, is this at the donor site?

[KiwiGuy500]

Hi pjwb85,

 

I was referring to donor.

 

Speaking about my own donor results, it was the days before trico closure, and sutures were used. The first surgeon left those 'plug' scars that look white and spotted, I'm currently having those cut away with procedures and the area harvested. This reduces scars alot. Russell Knudsen did sutures and these looked like train tracks. They are not the thin pencil line that's desirable. When I talk about massive scars I am talking about the unlucky few that get these scars and which Knudsen managed to do to someone I know reasonably well. I am extremely glad I got lucky on this one.

 

With regard to recipient there is also some story there too. As Dr Knudsen seems a fan of mini /micro grafting, the holes are not tight. Some patients have the grafts raise up. I had this effect. (Plugs are even worse). Grafts that raise up can become white, fail and may become 'cobblestoned'. Pitting occurred from work from Dr Knudsen, nothing disfiguring but I'd rather it didn't happen. Yes, all the recipient work I have ever seen from Knudsen looked obvious to me. OK!!!

[pjwb85]

Hi pjwb85,

 

I was referring to donor.

 

Speaking about my own donor results, it was the days before trico closure, and sutures were used. The first surgeon left those 'plug' scars that look white and spotted, I'm currently having those cut away with procedures and the area harvested. This reduces scars alot. Russell Knudsen did sutures and these looked like train tracks. They are not the thin pencil line that's desirable. When I talk about massive scars I am talking about the unlucky few that get these scars and which Knudsen managed to do to someone I know reasonably well. I am extremely glad I got lucky on this one.

 

With regard to recipient there is also some story there too. As Dr Knudsen seems a fan of mini /micro grafting, the holes are not tight. Some patients have the grafts raise up. I had this effect. (Plugs are even worse). Grafts that raise up can become white, fail and may become 'cobblestoned'. Pitting occurred from work from Dr Knudsen, nothing disfiguring but I'd rather it didn't happen. Yes, all the recipient work I have ever seen from Knudsen looked obvious to me. OK!!!

 

Hi Kiwiguy,

 

Thanks for sharing. I know Dr Knudsen gives all his patients a trico closure now, that was one of the first things I asked. To be honest, I am not too concerned about a scar at the back for two reasons, firstly the scar from my procedure will be approx 8cm only, and secondly I already have two reasonable scars on the back of my head from previous injuries. Also, have seen several photos of patients who had a similar number of grafts, scars all looked ok to me and I couldn't even see some of the ones where they had grown their hair out at the back a little.

 

In terms of the recipient site work, I have only the many photos to go off and previous patients I talked to that shows me he does perform good work here. I think I read on your profile that your surgery with him was over 10 years ago? perhaps he has refined his technique since then?

 

I really hope I do not sound naive, I am only trying to stay positive about this. I have researched for over a year. I am realistic, I understand there may be some shock loss, I understand there will be a scar on the back. I am also aware that I may need another HT in the future and since this would be hairline and frontal work I would go overseas for this. Right now I am having a small section of the temples filled in on each side and may get some grafts added in behind for density as I wear my hear flat and have done for the last 5 years.

 

I will keep you all informed and give you updates in the future, I will be taking my own photos of the next few months and im confident I will report back with good results. But if results do go the other way I will take it like a man and report back here and if theres 1 or 2 who want to say "I told you so" then so be it.

Edited January 7, 2012 by pjwb85

[rmf55]

Hi guys,

 

Many of the points I would have made have already been made by pwjb85, but there are a couple of things I would like to add. First I'm sure we are both very grateful for the discussion and advice we receive over this forum and certainly don't discount your advice. If we did we wouldn't have bothered to ask in the first place!

 

But I think one comment in particular sums up my personal standpoint, you say that: "a couple of bad posts should be enough to put you off a particular doctor". I really don't agree with that statement- both pwjb and I have both done extensive research through a number of settings and the vast majority of information we have received (even from this forum!) is that Dr Knudsen is a skilled and conservative doctor. I agree with PWJB's comment that there wouldn't be a doctor in the world that would have never had any patient not have a 100% positive experience, particularly given the amount of procedures (over 4000) that Dr Knudsen has performed.

 

I would also echo PWJB's comments that although we may not be frequent posters on this forum, that does not mean that we have not done our research and know about hair loss and hair loss procedures. Before even considering a hair transplant I was treated by a leading dermatologist in Auckland who stabilised my hair loss and in fact gave me significant hair regrowth. It was only when she advised me that I was never going to regain the hair lost through my temples through pharmacological means that I even looked at surgical options.

 

So I too am going to take the standpoint of PWJB and say that I certainly have been warned, and if I have a bad procedure with Dr Knudsen I will take it as a risk I have chosen. In any case I will keep you guys informed and try to remain to be impartial.

Edited January 8, 2012 by rmf55

[rmf55]

Kiwiguy, just one more thing, when did you have your procedures done? From what i've read things really started to improve in hair transplantation around 1994.

 

Also, out of interest, do you know anyone in NZ who has had a procedure done with the Skin Institute? They really seem to know very little about the procedure and are horrendously expensive.

[KiwiGuy500]

Hi guys,

 

Many of the points I would have made have already been made by pwjb85, but there are a couple of things I would like to add. First I'm sure we are both very grateful for the discussion and advice we receive over this forum and certainly don't discount your advice. If we did we wouldn't have bothered to ask in the first place!

 

But I think one comment in particular sums up my personal standpoint, you say that: "a couple of bad posts should be enough to put you off a particular doctor". I really don't agree with that statement- both pwjb and I have both done extensive research through a number of settings and the vast majority of information we have received (even from this forum!) is that Dr Knudsen is a skilled and conservative doctor. I agree with PWJB's comment that there wouldn't be a doctor in the world that would have never had any patient not have a 100% positive experience, particularly given the amount of procedures (over 4000) that Dr Knudsen has performed.

 

I would also echo PWJB's comments that although we may not be frequent posters on this forum, that does not mean that we have not done our research and know about hair loss and hair loss procedures. Before even considering a hair transplant I was treated by a leading dermatologist in Auckland who stabilised my hair loss and in fact gave me significant hair regrowth. It was only when she advised me that I was never going to regain the hair lost through my temples through pharmacological means that I even looked at surgical options.

 

So I too am going to take the standpoint of PWJB and say that I certainly have been warned, and if I have a bad procedure with Dr Knudsen I will take it as a risk I have chosen. In any case I will keep you guys informed and try to remain to be impartial.

 

With regard to Rodg's comments that 1-2 negative postings would put him off, in a sense |i definitely agree. But I don't think non-coalition Drs doing bad work get enough bad press on this site, I think the community tends to 'Focus on the Positive' and i believe this sits best with the guidelines the moderators encourage.

 

I say the following as second hand information. Last week I contacted a long retired surgeon who has had dealings with Australian doctors. He told that surgeons from Australia always had complaints being made and they are insured to the hilt. He explained this is part of the reason for the current high price of hair restoration in Australia at this time. You can see that last part is true, the cost is rediculous for the quality. Where do you see an Australian Dr doing lateral slit with awesome results everyone is raving about? And if they are, is this being done at a fair price. I think not. This Dr contact advised me in no uncertain terms that Australia is a VERY hard country to go head to head through complaints, and they are very good at making them go away over there. Of course there's been problems with that all over the world with hair transplantation.

 

Although there are dr's who love to say how many surgeries they have performed but I would advise you did not go outside the coalition for your surgery. And I make this suggestion as my personal opinion, and not as anyone profiting from this financially just with your interests at heart.

 

I will advise you I am yet to meet someone in person, or see pictures of a person who was operated on by an Australian dr, and whoes results impressed me very much at all.

 

But what any of you do, you have made informed decisions and I wish you well.

[KiwiGuy500]

rmf55........I had my plug work done from '97 (late I know!), and my Knudsen work I believe in '99 and '01.

 

With regard to the skin institute I know someone that went for a consult but I have not done so myself. The person who consulted them was told it was $7000-$8000NZ plus taxi for a small surgery, (800 grafts). The nurse who does it is becoming renown for being sales orientated and my contact told me the same thing. Apparently she really thinks she's crash hot at this stuff. A doctor is nearby but doesn't play an active role in surgery. My friend asked me my opinion even though he said there was zero chance he would ever let her 'operate'.