Who is the "best" surgeon in California?

[notsosure]

I'm currently living in Northen California until the end of May, 2013. While I'm here, I would like to get an HT by a reputable surgeon. Are there any quality HT surgeons near Northern California? I realize that something like this shouldn't be based on convenience, but are there any in California?

 

Thanks for the help everyone. This forum is such a great resource.

[Blake Bloxham]

Notso,

 

Feel free to take a look at our recommended hair transplant surgeons in California.

 

Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask any specific questions.

[notsosure]

Thanks Blake. I guess my follow-up question is how exactly do I know which one is the best? I'm not exactly sure the process I should be taking to determine who the most skilled doctor is. Price isn't a concern, as I'll pay top dollar, but am really scared about someone making me look like a "freak show". Any advice you could offer on steps I should take to find a really good doc that isn't going to botch things?

 

Thank you!

[HARIRI]

I will vote for Dr. Umar if FUE is considered as he is one of my favorite US surgeons, If Strip is what you are looking for then I recommend also Dr. Meshkin based on the results posted in this forum :-)

[notsosure]

I think I'm going to go strip, but really have no idea what I need. I'm VERY green at this...

[Shampoo]

notsosure,

 

Don't limit yourself to only California. You have one of the top rated clinics in the world just north of you in Vancouver, BC. I traveled all the way from Texas to Hasson/Wong in Vancouver. Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong routinely get great results for their patients. The facility and staff there are wonderful.

 

Remember people think nothing of traveling to Disney Land or the ski slopes to have some fun for a week, so why should hair transplant patients not travel a few miles to achieve outstanding results that will last a lifetime?

 

You should also watch as many of the videos as you find time for in the link below, not only to find a doctor, but to learn more about hair transplantation. Watch even the doctors in states you would not consider, just to learn. Each doctor shares a unique perspective that all patients can learn from.

 

Interviews with our recommended hair transplant physicians

Edited December 11, 2012 by Shampoo

[notsosure]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any before/after pics of yourself?

[jerzig]

Hey notsosure. I agree with most people on this forum that you should not limit yourself by region. HOWEVER, I understand the worry over added expense and down-time involved in travel. I also live in Northern California and after two years of research I had my HT with Dr. Rosanelli in San Francisco. He is recommended by this site and has an excellent track record. I am only six weeks out so I can't give much insight into my final results, but my experience with him was absolutely stellar. I'm not saying that he would be the perfect doctor for you based on your needs, but based on my experience and research you should definitely at least meet with him for a consultation. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about him.

[Shampoo]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any before/after pics of yourself?

 

notsosure....

 

I just had my surgery at Hasson/Wong on August 14, 2012,

so i am not quite at the 4 month mark.

 

I am a bit shy about posting pictures & really have not yet done so.

I did post a picture last week of me one day post-op.

But that's about it.

 

I will relate a story though about Hasson/Wong. A few months before my surgery I met a Hasson/Wong patient for dinner that also lives here in Dallas. This guy had surgery a couple of years ago at Hasson/Wong. I honestly could not believe my eyes when I met him. He was about my age (early fifties) and had a somewhat similar hair-loss pattern that I do. His results were outstanding! In fact I would say his results were even better than anything they show on the Hasson/Wong website. So some of these elite doctors are actually getting better results than their before/after pictures on their website. You always hear "well they just show the good results", when in reality they are sometimes getting even better results than they show the public.

 

Take your time...watch all the videos, watch this message board, you will learn a lot fairly quickly and be able to make a better fully informed decision. Also do searches on YouTube for any doctor you are considering, because sometimes you will find videos that are not on other sites.

[notsosure]

notsosure....

 

I just had my surgery at Hasson/Wong on August 14, 2012,

so i am not quite at the 4 month mark.

 

I am a bit shy about posting pictures & really have not yet done so.

I did post a picture last week of me one day post-op.

But that's about it.

 

I will relate a story though about Hasson/Wong. A few months before my surgery I met a Hasson/Wong patient for dinner that also lives here in Dallas. This guy had surgery a couple of years ago at Hasson/Wong. I honestly could not believe my eyes when I met him. He was about my age (early fifties) and had a somewhat similar hair-loss pattern that I do. His results were outstanding! In fact I would say his results were even better than anything they show on the Hasson/Wong website. So some of these elite doctors are actually getting better results than their before/after pictures on their website. You always hear "well they just show the good results", when in reality they are sometimes getting even better results than they show the public.

 

Take your time...watch all the videos, watch this message board, you will learn a lot fairly quickly and be able to make a better fully informed decision. Also do searches on YouTube for any doctor you are considering, because sometimes you will find videos that are not on other sites.

 

Thank you very much for your post. I'm currently 33 and have receding and overall thinning. I have a couple of concerns, which are probably similar to others...

 

1. Unsure if my donor area is dense enough to have more HTs should I need more later on. I'm only 33, so have many more years, hopefully :-) I fear doing an HT and then 5 years from now, needing another... and then another and so on. I will never shave my head, as my head looks really small when my hair is super short. And then having donor scars would complicate things even more.

 

2. Afraid that the donor scar would be noticeable from the back and I would look like "one of those guys that got an HT". I see some with great results, but I always wonder what they'll look like in 10 years when they lose more hair, and have overall thinning from aging. I don't want to live for the "now" and want to think about the long term future.

 

3. Afraid of making things worse by shock loss. So, while I would have a thicker temple and frontal area, I would continue receding, making my hair look REALLY strange and not natural. And then I would never have the option of shaving because I would have a big donor scar in the back. Not that I would shave ever, anyway, but I suppose if I receded enough, shaving would look better (albeit awful).

 

Do surgeons meet with you BEFORE you decide to go with them? I feel like it would be nice to meet with a good surgeon, face to face, or at least send pictures or something... so they could see what I'm working with. I honestly don't even know if I'm a good candidate being that I'm only 33.

 

Thanks again for all of the great input! Keep it coming :-)

[notsosure]

Hey notsosure. I agree with most people on this forum that you should not limit yourself by region. HOWEVER, I understand the worry over added expense and down-time involved in travel. I also live in Northern California and after two years of research I had my HT with Dr. Rosanelli in San Francisco. He is recommended by this site and has an excellent track record. I am only six weeks out so I can't give much insight into my final results, but my experience with him was absolutely stellar. I'm not saying that he would be the perfect doctor for you based on your needs, but based on my experience and research you should definitely at least meet with him for a consultation. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about him.

 

Hi, thanks a lot for your reply. I'm 33, so right around your age. I started thinning and receding in the front and temples around age 26. It's very noticeable for me, and I think a little noticeable for others. It's all just very thin as well. I basically spike it up. Then blow dry it, and then sort of puff it up a bit so it looks thicker. Hard to explain... haha...

 

I joined the forum almost 4 years ago because I was noticing receding. It's continued at about the same rate for those 4 years.

 

I took a look at your before pics and I would say that my hairline isn't receding as much as yours was. I would say that we have a similar texture of hair though.

 

Do you, by chance, have a Facebook account? I have a lot of pictures on there that you could have a look at and let me know your thoughts. We could also talk there. Thanks again for offering!

[jerzig]

No problem. I will send you a private message with my full name.

[Shampoo]

1. Unsure if my donor area is dense enough to have more HTs should I need more later on. I'm only 33, so have many more years, hopefully :-) I fear doing an HT and then 5 years from now, needing another... and then another and so on. I will never shave my head, as my head looks really small when my hair is super short. And then having donor scars would complicate things even more.

 

 

You should go see a couple of local doctors and see what they think a good long term plan will be for you, so you know better what your future holds. You could also do a few on-line consults with doctors a bit farther away. It's all educational for you. A good doctor is usually pretty skilled after examining you as to where you are headed as far as hairloss. Many serious patients do require more than one surgery over their lifetime, but you being young, before you would need another one say several years down the road there may be newer currently unheard of procedures or therapies to deal with hair loss in the future.

 

Like you I will never shave my head. In my opinion scars are way, way over-rated. I have had two procedures by very skilled doctors and the scar is a 100% non-issue. My first scar was virtually undetectable even upon very close examination. It took my hairdresser upon prompting from me to even find it. I expect my scar from my latest surgery to be the same a year from now....a total non-issue. No one in public can see my scar from 4 months ago even now, although upon close inspection it may be easier to find at 4 months post-op.

 

I don't want to live for the "now" and want to think about the long term future.

 

Very wise decision and will play a large part in you being happy with the result.

 

Do surgeons meet with you BEFORE you decide to go with them? I feel like it would be nice to meet with a good surgeon, face to face, or at least send pictures or something... so they could see what I'm working with.

Yes I think it is best for you to meet with as many surgeons as you can. I was going to fly all the way to Vancouver for a consult, but decided since I was in Texas and after speaking with multiple Hasson/Wong patients and looking at their reputation I decided to save the money for more grafts and just go for it and made the appointment. I met with Dr. Wong the day before and we discussed my goals and what he thought was possible. Everything went well, I had just about zero discomfort and slept thru most of the procedure. The deep staff of full-time experienced techs was a deciding factor for me.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Shampoo