Disappointing first consultation in london

[Wolfylondon]

hi all ! So that was me yesterday I went for my first consultation after looking into this treatment for a few months in the forums. I'm so glad to see that there's a place that's unbiased to discuss companies and treatments. </strong>

 

 

So the chap I spoke to was a nice guy he answered all of my questions the office looked clean all a plus in my book. My main problem with it was that they didn't have any portfolios of work by any of the artists/practitioners. I also felt that my scalp assessment was extremely brief and I was given the top end price without any explanation of where the colour would be going and no mention of the scar at the back of my head. It felt like I was given the same price as everyone else ( ?2500 plus vat making it a total of ?3000 )

 

 

after the practitioner had a look at my scalp he said - you won't be loosing any more hair will you ? Now I have a few areas where I am loosing from the front and the back. I don't have the horseshoe of hair like some guys have. I started loosing my hair at 19 and I had to cut my hair shorter and shorter and shorter. I'm now 34 and really, how am I supposed to answer a question like - your not going to loose any more hair are you ? Who can honestly answer a question like that. That coupled with no questions about the scar I have ( which as it turns out I would like it not to be covered up ) and the quick assessment of ?3000 with no breakdown just made me feel like it was more of a numbers game of getting people in and out and having as many customers as possible and not offering a tailored service. I was disappointed to say the least.

 

so is this standard practice ? I have several tattoos and I wouldn't dream of getting ink done without seeing the artists work before hand and discussing at length what I specifically what I wanted and looking at examples of thier work to see the style capable of the artist.

 

 

 

Also trying to get unbiased information regarding any of the clinics here in the uk is impossible ! All these shady forums deleting comments and only posting up ones that glorify the service they supply makes it more difficult to choose who to go with!

 

 

 

I just feel a bit disappointed with first consultation experience. I have a few other places to go and much more research to do it seems.

[Dutch]

Hello, not sure where you went but glad you've realised you have to do research & you didn't fall for any of the crap.

 

A few years ago I went to the Belgravia Centre with a good friend of mine & there were plenty of poor souls in reception. We just got told we'd be supplied with Propecia & Minoxidil. The price was silly & they wouldn't say how a transplant would be done or who the surgeon would be.

 

Went to another place behind Oxford Street & again it was an amateur place and the gentleman there just wanted to sell us mino & two thousand grafts. For my previous hairloss anything less than 3k grafts & I would've come out still looking bald.

 

You need to do a lot of research before you commit- we have a few surgeons of top quality in Belgium & a few in Turkey. So there's no excuse now to be shafted by a butcher here. Be careful & educate yourself as you are doing on good sites such as this.

[Wolfylondon]

Thanks for your reply Dutch this consultation was for SMP Scalp Micro pigmentation. Totally agree with you though - it's important to do your research. So have u gone for smp ?

[Dutch]

No problem at all. I haven't yet, I won't rule it out but I doubt I'll ever do it. My plan has always been to try to hold onto what I have with some meds but definitely have at least two operations & then try to live happily ever after. Or at least that's the fantasy

 

Think I'll have FUE one day & that'll be it. The hairloss was so aggressive, I didn't know where to start from to try to bring back the youth.

 

If I were you I would email a few clinics asking about SMP to see what they suggest & also what they quote for you.

[CAMPBELL]

Over the years I have been in contact with a number of UK based HT companies. You often find them with adverts in the back of fashion mags under the Classifieds section aimed at men with MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) such as GQ , FHM, Esquire..etc. I've also seen them advertising more recently in on board airline magazines (a captive audience I guess!). Some will advertise that you can just 'pop in' during a lunchtime out of work (in London) and we'll sort you out with HT..!

Sound 'too good to be true...?' Yep...it 'usually' is.

As some of the Gents have already advised, there are now some 'great' surgeons working in Belgium and Turkey (just use the search engine on this forum and it will flag them up!) and many will give you the professional, clinical and surgical treatment that 'you deserve' for the same sort of prices that these 'Del Boys' are offering (If you're a Brit you'll get the reference!) like wartime Spivs down a London back alley with hair grafts stitched into the inside of their trench coats!!

 

And GOOD LUCK Chum! As HT is a brave, proactive and often scary move to commit to, but long term...just look at some of the great transformations on this forum!

[hsrp10]

which company did you go to for your SMP assessment?

 

Scar5 actually made a nice reply to this topic but his post is gone (server maintenance glitch maybe)

[scar5]

Scar5 actually made a nice reply to this topic but his post is gone (server maintenance glitch maybe)

 

Thanks.

I don't know about it being a nice reply.

But I did not delete that post - unless I woke up in the middle of the night, possessed by the devil and deleted it in my sleep!

 

So what's with that? Mnnn. I wonder.

 

Movin...on.

[hsrp10]

Thanks.

I don't know about it being a nice reply.

But I did not delete that post - unless I woke up in the middle of the night, possessed by the devil and deleted it in my sleep!

 

So what's with that? Mnnn. I wonder.

 

Movin...on.

 

They were performing an update that didn't go so well so they had to roll back to an earlier version of the code which did not include your post:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/175783-some-posts-pms-june-21-gone.html

[Wolfylondon]

My thoughts exactly scar5 the information you have was bang on ! Wish I had saved it. Any chance I could talk to you further ? I sent you a mail

On here if you could drop me a line that would be ace !

[scar5]

Wolfylondon,

I'll let you know what I know, which to be frank isn't much - because unless you are on the industry side of the street, you know very little. If you cross the road to join them, then you'd be mad to give up the knowledge and you'd be better off just saying, "special tools, special inks", etc.

 

I don't talk about where I have been or drop names of companies. Wanna keep a degree of objectivity. Once or twice, I've got PMs from guys asking for names, and I've got burned for it.

Although, I really appreciate reading posts from guys who talk about their surgeon, SMP clinic etc. They are great for the obvious reasons. I just go a different way, and dare I say, I couldn't be as frank if I did drop names of clinics I've been to.

Perhaps, one day the time will be right to just tell it like it was, so to speak, but that will burn people and I see no use in that, nor do I wanna post fluff and spin like 'totally awesome experience' unless I getting paid loads for it or getting a free HT, and I haven't got any donor left!

So ask me what you like and I'll do my best to answer.

hsrp10, thanks for that info!

[Wolfylondon]

Wolfylondon,

I'll let you know what I know, which to be frank isn't much - because unless you are on the industry side of the street, you know very little. If you cross the road to join them, then you'd be mad to give up the knowledge and you'd be better off just saying, "special tools, special inks", etc.

 

I don't talk about where I have been or drop names of companies. Wanna keep a degree of objectivity. Once or twice, I've got PMs from guys asking for names, and I've got burned for it.

Although, I really appreciate reading posts from guys who talk about their surgeon, SMP clinic etc. They are great for the obvious reasons. I just go a different way, and dare I say, I couldn't be as frank if I did drop names of clinics I've been to.

Perhaps, one day the time will be right to just tell it like it was, so to speak, but that will burn people and I see no use in that, nor do I wanna post fluff and spin like 'totally awesome experience' unless I getting paid loads for it or getting a free HT, and I haven't got any donor left!

So ask me what you like and I'll do my best to answer.

hsrp10, thanks for that info!

 

Thanks scar5, so I assume you have worked in the industry then and had dealings with various company's in this field. I'm so new to all this and only really keen on SMP, I'm also not here to name and shame companies because I wasn't satisfied with my experience. I'm

Sure we all have our opinions and experiences of certain places and it's like you said they are selling to me in the way they perceive I would like to be sold to.

 

I guess I was just surprised that it's a one size fits all treatment - or the company I went to gave it that impression and the fact that there was no images to look over by the practitioners. I realise it's expensive for what it is but really what's the cost of having your confidence back ? But everyone here looking to have a treatment done is of that mind of thinking.

 

So basically any advice would be helpful - what questions should I be asking ? Anything I should be looking out for ?

[scar5]

Thanks scar5, so I assume you have worked in the industry then and had dealings with various company's in this field.

 

I guess I was just surprised that it's a one size fits all treatment -

 

So basically any advice would be helpful - what questions should I be asking ? Anything I should be looking out for ?

 

Nope, never worked a day in the hair industry, but I've contacted a few and used the services of a few.

 

But still, I must say, I don't know much that you don't already know.

 

Really, we are all, as consumers, ignorant.

 

I've never operated a tattoo machine, bought or mixed inks, touched a needle, seen more than a few 'real patients'. Really, a person who has worked at a clinic for just one week would know more than I know having 'studied' it for 12 years from the consumer side. It is that differential that makes the SMP guys a living and it is the sole reason why the cost of such a crude and questionable procedure

(something people do a weekend course for) is what it is. And it is a pretty nice day's pay check.

 

So it all boils down to intellectual property vs the sadness and desperation that is balding and having the legacy of a strip transplant scarred across the back of your head. And through that 'gap' flows all the riches - your pocket to theirs.

 

As for what to ask, there lies the reality.

 

Generic questions get well-oiled answers but ask them anyway

Questions about your individual characteristics have more potential, but they can be dealt with too.

 

Look at how ridiculous half the SMP patients are. They really look ridiculous.

 

Ask them why that is.

They'll say, 'the patient wanted it that way because they like hip-hop (so they get a blunt hairline) but it is BS

Ask them if and when you could use laser to soften the hairline, ask to see examples.

If you have an HT procedure, be sure to ask both the HT surgeon and the SMP clinic how long you should wait

[scar5]

I would say the generic questions most important are

 

1) Color - Black spectrum or colors such as yellows, browns, etc.

2) Erasability - ink response to laser

3) Durability - how long will it last

4) Needle depth -

 

But you'll get BS all the way..

 

"We take each patient's unique characteristics into account" (there is one protocol)

"We adjust depth as we go" (maybe they'll do it a bit, maybe they wont)

"We match the color/tone to perfectly match the customer's hair. (they can't, esp. if it's black spectrum and if they use color, the colors will change over time anyway)

"We'll change ink tone throughout the procedure" (unlikely IMO)

[britboy]

hi all ! So that was me yesterday I went for my first consultation after looking into this treatment for a few months in the forums. I'm so glad to see that there's a place that's unbiased to discuss companies and treatments. </strong> etc etc

 

Most of these clinics are not good, look toward europe or USA. There's one indian (Farjo) in Manchester, but they are expensive. Plus they want consultation fee etc. UK is generally well over priced and under serviced. My experience in London many years ago was a destructive process but I persevered and went to USA to restore the F..up they made Dr May (Frankenstein).

 

Other clinics hardly know what they are talking about and only in it for the money (consultants getting commission on sales) and don't have the skills needed and worst of all most often you are talking to a salesman not a surgeon ref consultation. UK generally doe snot have a great reputation in hair transplant. All Suregeries need to make profit, but there is something Fundementally missing from UK surgeries and I still have not quite put my finger on it... It's a weird problem.I sense a desperation in selling the procedure from the consultants and also a lack of good suregeons is probably the biggest issue, more than anything else.

 

Turkey is much much better option and better value for money and over there they really know what they are doing, try Erdogan, Maral, Doganay, All clinics are gaining favourable results. Or USA

 

My experiences in UK have put me off for life using UK for HT including the overpriced service. I speak from long term experience and perspective having had several consultations WITH DIFFERENT SURGERIES . Somehow they just don't get.

 

For sure UK needs better surgeons and better value for money.

 

Im looking at Scalp Pigmentation at some point and may also look further afield than UK.

 

Research research then research again. This forum for sure is a good place to start

[britboy]

Update.

 

I am booked in for SMP in Woolwich London, Talked to the owner via skype and had an informative and genuinely good experience with discussion as to the way to proceed with SMP.. The first decent consultation I have had since I first began hair restoration in UK.

Nu-Style Hair Centre

132 Woolwich High Street

Woolwich

London

SE18 6DS

 

0208 854 1622

 

07429 605 201

 

 

 

Will let you know and send photos when the job is done.

 

 

He will asses me on the day and my hair is 2cm long currently, I was told that the work could be done keeping the hair length. But we will make final decision on day.

 

 

I want to wear my hair longer rather than shave the head. The work is to cover any thinning areas and to compliment the work I have had done so far. I plan another Surgery in Turkey in a few months.

[Dutch]

Never heard of SMP in woolwich before, but good luck with it & it's your decision at the end of the day anyway. Keep us posted.