rst7 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Hello! I am considering a hair transplant. I live in the bay area and I am trying to find a good surgeon here. So far, I have found: a. Dr. Neil Gorrin: I had an initial consultation with him. He has been operational for about 2 years now. We spoke about the different procedures - FUT and FUE ( for FUE, he has the ARTAS robotic system, which slightly bumps up the cost). He also showed me some examples of patients he has operated on. b. Dr. Sara Wasserbauer: I had an initial consultation, although not with her. I found this pretty weird, but you can't directly meet the doctor herself (or rather, apparently to meet her, I would have to wait 2-3 months). Instead I met with a patient consultant (This guy had hair transplants done by Dr. Wasserbauer twice). We went over the exact same thing as with Dr. Gorrin (I basically asked the same questions, just to check how similar (or how different) the responses would be. He told me to meet the Dr., I would have to put down a $1000, schedule a surgery and then meet her. If after I meet her, I decide not to go ahead, I would get a refund. Also, she has been operating for more than 10 years. c. Dr. John Diep: I have an appointment scheduled with him in the first week of July. d. Dr. Tom Rosanelli : I still need to schedule an appointment with him. I was wondering if any of the people on this network had surgeries with the above doctors and could make any recommendations/share their experiences. I have been trying to find some recent cases online, but except for Dr. Diep (he is pretty up-to-date on his youtube channel) I haven't been able to find much for the others. I am pretty sure I want to have the surgery, but I also know how important it is to find the right surgeon. So any help from people on this forum to help me decide would be great ! Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUSA Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 widen ur horizon. there are far batter choices out there. don't be one of those suckers who thinks he has to stay local to get a HT. Diep is pretty good but his prices are laughable! and steer clear of FUT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paddyirishman Posted June 8, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 8, 2015 " He told me to meet the Dr., I would have to put down a $1000, schedule a surgery and then meet her. If after I meet her, I decide not to go ahead, I would get a refund. " The top doctors in the world would not carry out business like this. Busa is correct in what he says, make sure your passport is in date ! All the best......................Paddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward360 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 My advice is to go to doctors who have a medical team and do hair transplant surgery most every day of the week. Make sure you see some of the doctor’s patients too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sean Posted June 9, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 9, 2015 Rst, All i can say is, if you take the FUE route, you should definitely keep international option open. You have to broaden your horizon for high yielding results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member x-tian-230k Posted June 12, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted June 12, 2015 From personal experience Dr. Dieps prices are comparable to the top FUE Dr's in the US. You will get cheaper prices oversea's of which many of forum members have gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CaliHairGuy Posted June 12, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 12, 2015 If you want to stay on the West Coast and are open to an FUT, check out Dr. Gabel in Portland. FYI, I live in LA and flew to Chicago for my surgery. Broadening your horizons to find a top doc, whether in the US or abroad, is not a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rst7 Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hey guys, Thanks for the replies. The reason I want to go for a local doctor is because I just think having the doctor close by is a safe option (in case something goes wrong, regular check-ups,etc.) If I go for one who's far away (especially overseas), going back for a visit could potentially be a problem (I have a job and can only take so much PTO ). All the doctors I mentioned are within miles of me. CaliHairGuy thanks for suggesting Dr. Gabel. I'll definitely check him out. As I mentioned, my appointment with Dr. Diep is in the first week of July. I am doing some research in the mean time (there's great info on this site too!). So far, I'm pretty sure I want to go for a FUE, and Dr. Diep is certainly looking like a pretty good option. But let me see how the appointment goes. Thanks again! I'll post as soon as I meet Dr. Diep/ find and meet some more doctors (not just NorCal, but the rest of the area as well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CaliHairGuy Posted June 18, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 In short, people are concerned that you're looking at docs out of convenience, which usually ends up with less than stellar results. The closest top doc to you is Dr. Gabel. It's up to you but (for example) I live in LA and went to Chicago for my HT. It's your scalp and your money, but I would advise doing more research before you pull the trigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mav23100gunther Posted June 18, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 In short, people are concerned that you're looking at docs out of convenience, which usually ends up with less than stellar results. The closest top doc to you is Dr. Gabel. It's up to you but (for example) I live in LA and went to Chicago for my HT. It's your scalp and your money, but I would advise doing more research before you pull the trigger. I agree with Cali. I made the exact same mistake by picking an okay surgeon in my state because I thought it would be better to live and work close by. Now I realize it was unnecessary. There is absolutely no need to be close to the surgeon. If you traveled for the procedure, stay in town for a few days or a week to get access to the cleaning service and daily check-ups. However, post op, there is absolutely no benefit to come back in. For suture or staple removal, any local medical clinic will take care of that. In the highly event grafts fall out after a week, there is nothing the surgeon can do for you I am afraid. In fact there is nothing I can think about that you would need to go back for. If the skin stays red, he would prescribe something (can be done over the phone); if the donor area gets infected, he would prescribe anti-biotic (can be done over the phone); if the HT was unsuccessful, he would just tell you to book a second procedure (once again, no critical reason to have to go back in to get that assessment as it can be done virtually using pictures). In terms of regular check-ups - can have pictures taken and sent to the good doctor who can assess that way, and like I said, if he unhappy with something, there really isn't anything he can do about it. Guys, am I missing something here, there is really no significant benefit of being close to the surgeon other than the security of knowing he is just down the road. My recommendation is that the benefit (and even potential cost savings) of going to the absolute best surgeon for you - far outweighs the convenience of chosing a surgeon nearby. Nothing wrong with the surgeons in your area, but none of the top 5 FUT, and top 5 FUE surgeons are in California. For FUT, the best surgeon closest to you (just in my opinion) is Dr Hasson in Vancauver, and the best FUE is possibly across the pond in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CaliHairGuy Posted June 18, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 Yes, technically H&W is on the west coast But Gabel in Portland is not a bad option either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mav23100gunther Posted June 18, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted June 18, 2015 Gabel is solid as well, I've only been seeing and hearing positive stuff from him. But H&W are the best of the best when it comes to FUT. Like comparing Peyton Manning/Tom Brady/Aaron Rogers with Matt Ryan/Matt Stafford/Tony Romo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rst7 Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hey guys, So met with Dr. Diep today. He seemed pretty confident. Showed me a bunch of cases. We went over all the usual stuff. I also asked him which parts of the surgery he was specifically involved in - everything except the actual placement of the grafts. Overall, I was happy with the consultation, and he definitely seemed to be the most knowledgeable and reliable surgeon I have met so far. He is booked all the way till November though. Prices seem reasonable, not too far from what others have posted and what I found on the internet. I have scheduled an appointment with Dr. Gabel on July 22nd. I think, its going to be either Dr. Gabel or Dr. Diep for me. Going from all the reviews I have found so far, I am now slightly inclined towards Dr. Gabel, but I can only say for sure after talking to him. Once again, I would definitely appreciate any advice from you guys. I am looking to make a decision by the end of this month! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member x-tian-230k Posted July 2, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hey guys,So met with Dr. Diep today. He seemed pretty confident. Showed me a bunch of cases. We went over all the usual stuff. I also asked him which parts of the surgery he was specifically involved in - everything except the actual placement of the grafts. Overall, I was happy with the consultation, and he definitely seemed to be the most knowledgeable and reliable surgeon I have met so far. He is booked all the way till November though. Prices seem reasonable, not too far from what others have posted and what I found on the internet. I have scheduled an appointment with Dr. Gabel on July 22nd. I think, its going to be either Dr. Gabel or Dr. Diep for me. Going from all the reviews I have found so far, I am now slightly inclined towards Dr. Gabel, but I can only say for sure after talking to him. Once again, I would definitely appreciate any advice from you guys. I am looking to make a decision by the end of this month! Thanks! I had my HT done with Dr Diep and I have been very happy with my results. With that being said when I first booked my spot with dr Diep I was about a 6 month wait also. What I did was book with him but let Tina know that if there were any cancelations give you a call. If you are flexible you may get in here as soon as a month. With that being said you WANT to have a surgeon with that type of waiting list. If he can take you right away, you may want to stay away. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CaliHairGuy Posted July 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted July 2, 2015 I am fairly certain that Dr. Gabel, like Dr. Konior, places the grafts (or a majority of the grafts) himself. In my opinion, that should be a factor in your decision. It would also explain why Dr. Diep has some fairly bloody post-op scalp pics whereas Gabel and Konior don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rst7 Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 Hey guys, So after doing some research I think I have narrowed it down to Dr. Gabel. I have an appointment with him next week, but from all that I have found, he seems to be a reliable and safe choice. Also a two week vacation to Portland will be pretty nice . I think I should be able to finalize after talking with him, so looking forward to that. Thanks for everyone's advice. I'll post after the appointment. Any more points in the mean time that I should note? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member CaliHairGuy Posted August 5, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted August 5, 2015 I think that is a very, very smart choice. Good luck with your visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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