Before traveling for HT, how do you know you qualify?

[JeffC45]

It seems to be a fairly common practice for people to travel across the US and even internationally for a HT. This makes sense, as the quality of the surgeon should be a more important factor than location. However, for those who have traveled for a HT before ever having an in-person consultation with your surgeon, how did you know, before traveling, that you were a suitable candidate for a HT?

 

I read a recent statement from Dr. Wesley that 30-35% of the people he sees for consults aren't suitable HT candidates. I found this number to be sort of shocking.

 

If someone is flying from NYC to Chicago (or Istanbul, for that matter) to have surgery, are they just crossing their fingers that when they get there, the surgeon won't turn them down as a poor candidate after the in-person consultation?

[esrec]

A combination of photos and online consultation (Skype, google hangout) should suffice in determining if you are a quality candidate or not. Of course, there's no substitute fo an in-person consult, but final details can be addressed the day before or morning of surgery.

 

I had several consults over the phone and skype prior to my decision to travel. My game plan with the doctor included arriving the day before surgery to spend a few hours going over everything-from hairline design, to expectations, etc.

 

Some are able to visit the surgeon and develop a rapport prior to surgery if they are in close proximity but it's likely the exception rather than the norm.

 

Have you had any conversations yet?

[Dutchie]

Most of the big, well-established clinics have out of town consultants who you can meet up with first.

 

Just an example: https://hassonandwong.com/consultations-in-your-city/

 

But other HT doctors have worldwide consultants as well

[lorenzo]

read a recent statement from Dr. Wesley that 30-35% of the people he sees for consults aren't suitable HT candidates. I found this number to be sort of shocking

 

I am sure these are people that come in without the doctor seeing the pictures. Once a reputable doctors sees and analyses the photos you send it I am sure it because a lot less. I am not saying the picture are 100% accurate but they give the doctor a better idea. In most cases when accurate proper pictures are send and the doctor takes time to study them I would say the 97-99% you will be suitable for a transplant once the doctor accepted you. If your doctor has morals there are cases where the photos don't tell the whole story and once he sees you he realizes that the photos don't tell the whole story and say you aren't a candidate. This can happen when your hairloss is diffuse and not normal hairloss that the photos didn't show. In some cases your expectations are too high or you want a unnatural transplant where the doctor doesn't agree and rather not do surgery then give you an unnatural transplant. Of course there are many clinics out there that will give you whatever you want as long as you pay. This is why its important to choose a reputable doctor.

I remember a situation where two European friends came for a transplant. After being accepted one of the patients hairloss was diffuse and the photos that were send didn't show this. At the end the doctor only agreed to do only on one of the patients. The patient with the diffuse told the doctor he didn't care and would take the risk. But because of the diffuse hairloss the the transplant probably wouldn't grow so the doctor refused even though the patient said he would sign a paper stating he was told there was a great chance the transplant wouldn't grow. Then his friend that was suitable said if you don't give him a transplant then I don't want one either. The clinic cancelled both the transplant and gave them back there money.

[Bill - Seemiller]

This is a good question especially since there is no guarantee that you are a candidate for surgery and you won't know for sure for the doctor evaluates you in person. That said, a combination of photos, sometimes a video and an online consultation typically gives the physician a very good idea of whether or not you are a good candidate. Believe me when I say that the doctor wouldn't want you to fly out to see him or her unless you were a good candidate. They have just as much vested in the day as you do so unless they are 99% sure you were a good candidate, they wouldn't ask you to come all the way out there. That said, there are cases where people have been turned away after flying all the way out there. When that happens, I don't know what the physician does. Every doctor is different so you may want to ask what their policy is on that, such as whether or not they will reimburse you on travel expenses at the very least. But, this kind of thing is very rare so patients to travel to see Dr. have a very good chance that they are indeed a suitable candidate and will undergo surgery as expected.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[California]

Hi JeffC,

 

At Darling Buds India (Dr. Bhatti's Clinic), since we are located in India and since most of our Patients come from all over the world, we put a lot of stress on clear, prompt and transparent communication. We try our best to get as much information as possible upfront, from the Patients. We ask all our Patients to send us pictures of the balding scalp- front, sides, top and back views, with dry hair preferably without a harsh flash. That allows us to have a constructive discussion regarding their hair loss and develop a pragmatic plan of action. We also ask them to let us know what their expectation from the procedure would be.

We ask them about any past or present health issues that we should be aware of. We request them to share with us the details of any past HT procedures.

 

We strongly believe that as long as there is a strong and effective communication channel, the HT Surgeon can make a good assessment of the candidacy of the HT Patient.

 

Dr. Bhatti also offers complimentary Skype consultations with his potential Patients.

 

Bottom line, by the time the Patient is ready to book a procedure date with us, he/she and the Doctor are totally on the same page.

 

Best regards,

California

[Chewy]

I would suggest a person have multiple consults, and I think at least one in person. Don't come to a forum (even a good one like this) and say I am going with 'X' surgeon. Get at least a few opinions, think about it over a reasonable amount of time. Trust me when I say there are so many questions that you need to ask yourself and the surgeons before making a commitment. IMO

[Louisjams]

I think you can learn a lot from an online consultation and a phone call. I think, in all fairness, that is enough to warrant getting on a plane if you feel confident in the doctor. That having been said, recognize that even if the online consult and call go well, you may get turned down in person when they have a chance to more thoroughly examine you. Better to waste some time and money and be turned down than have a procedure you should have avoided.

[ICUman]

Better to waste some time and money and be turned down than have a procedure you should have avoided.

 

That's an excellent point to keep in mind. Thanks

[reesj]

Hi JeffC,

 

At Darling Buds India (Dr. Bhatti's Clinic), since we are located in India and since most of our Patients come from all over the world, we put a lot of stress on clear, prompt and transparent communication. We try our best to get as much information as possible upfront, from the Patients. We ask all our Patients to send us pictures of the balding scalp- front, sides, top and back views, with dry hair preferably without a harsh flash. That allows us to have a constructive discussion regarding their hair loss and develop a pragmatic plan of action. We also ask them to let us know what their expectation from the procedure would be.

We ask them about any past or present health issues that we should be aware of. We request them to share with us the details of any past HT procedures.

 

We strongly believe that as long as there is a strong and effective communication channel, the HT Surgeon can make a good assessment of the candidacy of the HT Patient.

 

Dr. Bhatti also offers complimentary Skype consultations with his potential Patients.

 

Bottom line, by the time the Patient is ready to book a procedure date with us, he/she and the Doctor are totally on the same page.

 

Best regards,

California

 

At darling buds, Dr. Bhatti Seems to want to do body hair transplants from what I saw and play it safe from my experience. I was told, I have diffused hair loss even after sending quite a lot of photos numerous times. Non of the other places I posted pics had any problem. In the end I had a a HT for 4000(mind you not a small amount ) grafts 2 weeks ago.

From my personal experince he likes to play it safe or he had some other problem(Maybe casue i;m from Sri Lanka ?).