How many went with a 2nd opinion?

[SRK735]

Just curious if there is patients out there who have had successful transplants when they were originally told from doctors that they were not candidates?

 

I wonder if certain top docs said no to you and then others said yes and it was successful.

 

Hope this makes sense.

[ArochaHair]

This is something we see from time to time and it usually involves a few common scenarios.

 

1. The patient was seeking FUE but was told it was not possible for them.

2. The patient was told they have limited donor and they could not have more than a certain (low) number of grafts.

3. Previous scarring was worse than average and they were told it would impeded a successful repair.

 

We've seen all of these cases and have agreed with some of the assessments but disagreed with others and wound up giving a very nice, and more importantly, a satisfying result for the patient.

 

It is always worthwhile to get a second and even a third opinion. No one is correct 100% of the time but if you start getting a similar message from multiple reputable clinics then it may be time to heed the warnings and forget the idea of surgery altogether.

[Louisjams]

I think if one doc says no it is ok to get a second opinion. Maybe the first doc has too focused a niche you did not fit into, or thought you would be too challenging a case, or thought you might be a difficult patient and they just did not want to take the risk.

 

Doctors have very different comfort levels and risk tolerances. Sometimes what one doc says is impossible is doable for another.

 

That having been said, if they both tell you "no" it is probably worth taking very seriously.

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

SRK,

 

Seek as many opinions as you can. Always good to collect as much information as possible, internalize it, ask further questions, and truly complete your research before pulling the trigger on anything.

 

I often see patients in the office who were told they were not candidates by other physicians. Sometimes they really aren't, but many times they are. I've performed successful transplants on a number of these patients as well.

 

If it helps, you could post your pictures here. The community can take a look and tell you what they think. You could even share why the other doctors believed you are not a candidate. If you'd like, I'd be happy to look them over and give you my honest input as well. Feel free to private message or email them to me if this isn't something you wanted to share publicly.

 

I do think Louis brings up a very important point as well: If the consensus from multiple doctors is that you are not a candidate, be wary and cautious moving forward -- if you do find someone who agrees to do the procedure.

 

Hope this helps!

[SRK735]

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