Great Find!

[jodie]

Just want to say "Thank You" to Bill and Pat for providing this wonderful community forum. After just a few days' research on your site, I have been able to choose, with some level of comfort and confidence, 3 doctors in my area with whom I plan to schedule consults.

 

I will post any relevant events as they occur.

[jodie]

Just want to say "Thank You" to Bill and Pat for providing this wonderful community forum. After just a few days' research on your site, I have been able to choose, with some level of comfort and confidence, 3 doctors in my area with whom I plan to schedule consults.

 

I will post any relevant events as they occur.

[lost my swagger]

i do not think a few days of research on this (or any other hairloss) forum is near enough..... you cannot POSSIBLY know all that comes with hair transplantation in this time.... i would suggest you consider posting clear pics of your current hairloss situation(with your face blocked out OBV) there are SEVERAL VERY WELL INFORMD patients who can give you some sound advice to consider

 

ONE OF WHICH BEING YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER LET TRAVEL BE A FACTOR IN THIS DECISION....

 

i strongly feel the decision your about to make is FAR more important then you can possibly realize at this point.. and "SOME level of comfort and confidence" is not NEAR ENOUGH....

 

i really hope you consider NOT jumping into something this life altering until you learn more about what to TRULY expect out of this procedure... this takes time.. period. i wish you the best

[imissthebarber]

I agree that this is a great and very informative site promoting and screening quality doctors. However I also agree that this is a very major decision which is something that should not be rushed. I guess there is no harm in having a consultation as this could help you to understand what to expect. A period of due diligence after that on your part is essential so that you understand what the process involves. Also it will allow you time to process various emotions around the issue which could take time to surface such as are you really happy to have a big scar on the back of your head? Will you tell people about the op and if not how will you deal with the necessary secrecy and how will you explain any changes in your appearance to people that notice?

[lanthanos]

I'm must wondering...and don't anybody get offended here I'm just thinking out loud, but will there finally be a day when we won't have to spend a year doing research on which doctor to go to? Will there be a day when there will be quality doctors within most major cities? Will sites like these be a "revolution" in internet technology, able to simplify the process?

 

These are just questions for thoughts. I don't know the answer.

 

The real time consuming part, in my opinion, is seeing patients in person.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Jodie,

 

Thanks for your nice compliment and encouragement. I'm pleased to hear that this community has helped lead you to quality surgeons for consideration.

 

Lost my Swagger,

 

I appreciate your level of caution and concern for patients to make sure they've done their due diligent research. However, I am a firm believer that this site makes it pretty easy to find quality doctors, that may not require months of research. Clearly, research is vital, but I think the length of time varies for everyone researching.

 

Besides, if you read Jodie's post, she's only still consulting with doctors she's considering. Consulting with doctors privately should be part of the research process. Don't you agree?

 

Lanthanos,

 

Don't take offense, but I think your question is a little misguided. Nobody is forced to spend time researching doctors, however, it's highly beneficial to do so.

 

In my opinion, it's wholeheartedly better to research your options and educate yourself than to simply take someone else's word for it.

 

Now we try to make things easier for prospective patients by prescreenhing surgeons and recommending those who meet our high standards. However, we still encourage patients to research all doctors they are considering. Even on our standards for recommendation page, we state:

 

"As always, we encourage you to do your due diligence in evaluating these and all hair loss physicians."

 

In my opinion, be very skeptical of anyone who tells you to trust them blindly.

 

Thanks to the revolution of patient hair loss communities like ours, you now have the ability to do your own research and make educated choices. This is the ultimate empowerment of patients.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[lost my swagger]

I appreciate your level of caution and concern for patients to make sure they've done their due diligent research. However, I am a firm believer that this site makes it pretty easy to find quality doctors, that may not require months of research. Clearly, research is vital, but I think the length of time varies for everyone researching.

 

i respectfully disagree.. i tend to agree with PGP when he says there are only a COUPLE drs in the whole world who he would even CONSIDER letting touch my head with such an important decision.

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------

---"Besides, if you read Jodie's post, she's only still consulting with doctors she's considering. Consulting with doctors privately should be part of the research process. Don't you agree?"----

------------------------------------------------

 

 

yes Bill, i agree with this, however its is MORE important to meet unpaid patients IN PERSON and 'pick their brains' as well as examine their results.... im a believer that drs. and clincs mislead, they soften a potentially hazardous procedure.. but yes, to answer your question patients should include consultations with SEVERAL different drs. to gain estimates on graft could, plan of attack, cost, ect.ect.....

ALL OF THIS SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISON, IF YOU DO NOT 'HAVE THE TIME' OR DONT WANNA BOTHER THEN IN MY OPINION YOU ARE NOT GIVING YOURSELF A GOOD CHANCE AT BEING SATISFIED WITH YOUR OUTCOME.

 

i DO NOT think its as easy as coming to this site picking a "reccomended" doc in your area, and have pure confidence in his abilities simply because he caries the title of a coalition doc..... my humble opinion, of course

[Bill - Seemiller]

DO NOT think its as easy as comming to this site picking a "reccomended" doc in your area, and have pure confidence in his abilities simply because he caries the title of a coalition doc..... my humble opinion, of course

 

As I said above to Lanthanos, we agree that it's best to research all surgeons you are considering.

 

But by your above statement, it seems you feel that our recommendations hold little value.

 

Our prescreening process is quite thorough, which often includes Pat personally visiting with and observing the surgeon and staff in live surgery. Though people choose particular surgeons for certain reasons, we believe all surgeons recommended by our community meets our high standards and stands behind their patients. Surgeons we've felt no longer met these standards have been promptly removed.

 

My message to you and Lanthanos are somewhat different, focusing on what I felt both of you were missing. Whereas it appeared he may have been undervaluing the importance of research, you seem to be undervaluing the work we do to cherry pick only the best doctors to recommend. See How We Recommend Hair Transplant Surgeons.

 

If I am mistaken on your position, please clarify it for me so I understand.

 

Bill

[lost my swagger]

But by your above statement, it seems you feel that our recommendations hold little value.

 

your mistaken somewhat, ive never states anything of the sort.

 

the best way i can put it is the drs recommended on this site, IMO, are a starting point.. would you not agree that there could be many drs NOT on your list that are EVERY bit as capable as many who are?? ive no doubt that you and pat take pride in your selection, and it should be appreciated.. based on MY BELIEFS ABOUT HAIR TRANSPLANTS, which ive stated alot and will glady explain again to the best of my ability, i feel that the 'list' is not the be all, end all list. and MUCH MUCH more should be learned before one just trusts any old doc to do this procedure.. this is my point, my opinion, i hope its respected....let me know if i need to clarify my view in further detail. ill do my best.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Swagger,

 

Since we both recommend doctors based on high standards and strongly suggest all patients to do their due dilligence in researching all surgeons they are considering, I think it's pretty safe to call our prescreened list of doctors a good starting point.

 

We too agree that the physicians we recommend are not necessarily a definitive list of excellent doctors, which is why we clearly state on our selection standards page:

 

"Important Note - The hair restoration physicians recommended on this site are not a definitive list of all excellent hair transplant doctors. Nor do we warranty or guaranty the results of any of the physicians presented on this site. As always, we encourage you to do your due diligence in evaluating these and all hair loss physicians."

 

I think for the most part, we see things eye to eye.

 

No surgeon bats a thousand. However, in order for surgeons to keep their recommendation on our community, they must continually prove to do superb work with consistently high growth yield and patient satisfaction (assuming patient expectations are realistic).

 

But ultimately patients should spend time researching hair transplant surgery, the procedure, and the doctors who perform it in order to make an educated decision on whether or not surgery is right for them and which surgeon to select.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Franklin]

 

however its is MORE important to meet unpaid patients IN PERSON and 'pick their brains' as well as examine their results....

This in my opinion should be the last stop in your research and the most important before any surgery. Hairloss sites are a very good starting point but just the beginning. Good post Swagger!