What research to do for HT?

[baalloss]

Hi all,

 

I'm new here. Mid-50's, balding, living in the UK. I've been losing hair for a few years and and hope to get a HT (FUE) done this year. I've been occasionally reading this forum over the last couple of years, but to be honest have been procrastinating taking action. I realise doing your research before choosing the clinic is very important. And I've read about people researching "for years".

My question is - what exactly do I research? And does it really take years of research before deciding on the clinic? IMO, the main points that need to be addressed are :

- speak to a few surgeons and get an idea of how many hair they think are needed for the transplant. In theory they should all give similar figures. If one says 2,000, and another says 3,500 for a similar procedure then something isn't right. Ask about donor area - how many hair are available and how many will be used this time.

- find out how much each surgeon will charge

- read online reviews for each surgeon and maybe private message a client or two and get their feedback

- look at the logistics (can I really fly to another country 4000 miles away?)

I'm sure there is a LOT more to research than these basics. So, I welcome guidance and advice. 

PS - I'm planning on consulting with Dr Basinga, Dr Lupanzula (in person in London on 25th Jan) and maybe one or two others. Two years ago, Dr Feriduni gave me an online estimate of something like 30,000 Euros! I didn't reply back.

[baalloss]

Thanks for the wonderful answer @transplantedphil. I didn't know about the NDA form to be signed. This explains why so many of the reviews I read are glowing references and how "the doctor is so understanding and all the staff made me feel so comfortable". It's like the Airbnb reviews where guests behave as if "I've made a friend for life with Sharon", but fail to mention the lack of hot water and coach roaches in the kitchen.

There MUST be FUE operations gone wrong, and there MUST be more people who are not happy with the way things have gone. Yet, there are very few reviews stating those.

Where can I find out more about people who are unhappy? Surely, the clinic will only give me contact details of happy patients.

What questions do I need to ask the clinic during the initial consultation?

Many thanks again for your assistance.

 

 

 

 

 

[abcd913651]

I personally don't think it should take you years to research, but at the same time it is a bad idea rushing into surgery. In my opinion you should at least take about six months, to less than a year for the research and only proceed when you are confident with the Doctor's ability to give you the results you want. 

If you are going with an FUE procedure, I would ask the Doctor about their graft transection rates, ideally you would want it to be 10% or less. Also you would need to ask about the type of instrument they use, is it micromotor fue, manual fue. or are they using the ARTAS robot. The punch size is also important, the bigger the punch size, the more visible the scarring, if you were to ever shave your head. Of course the most important thing is how much donor hair you have available and what type of density you can expect. Whether or not you would need a second procedure is also an important thing to discuss, and you also have to have an estimate for how much more hair you are expected to lose. I would also suggest finding out how much of the procedure the doctor will carry out. Some places, the doctor only does the opening of the channels, and the extraction and implantation is left to technicians, so that is something you should also keep in mind.

Just to add to what the other user said, I definitely agree that some doctors will make you sign NDA, making it harder to find negative reviews. I chose a recommended doctor and ended up with poor results. I have since heard that the doctor does have a few negative results, but have not been able to find them anywhere, so that is something you will have to be careful about. Again, you can ask them what would happen if you were unhappy with your results, but most of them will likely offer you a free second procedure. I personally did not take my doctor up on the offer and am looking elsewhere for my second procedure. I would stay away from any clinic that made you sign a NDA, and I would suggest asking the clinic for the papers they make you sign, before you pay the deposit for the procedure. While the success rate of hair transplants are usually high, sometimes things can go wrong. 

[anzel2002]

don't sign an NDA

[paddyirishman]

@baalloss you are doing the right thing by meeting top surgeons for Consultation.   Im in my 50s also and I spent years researching and meeting top surgeons myself to help me gather as much information as possible before my own recent HT. 

If you can establish to a fair degree how much further you will lose more hair, and how much doner you have , and what youe expectations are. Its all about supply and demand.

..........All the best.....

............Paddy.....