Video consultations with international surgeons?

[gemini]

I’m looking overseas for a hair transplant and I’ve contacted a few clinics in South Korea, but I’ve been getting push back for a video consultation with the surgeon. They instead insist on email or phone with the consultant/translator. They of course will see me in person, but that doesn’t seem reasonable for internationals.

Is this normal? Should I insist on a video call with the surgeon before booking surgery?

This worries me if getting in touch with a doctor is so hard, what happens if something goes wrong afterwards?

Edited January 15, 2020 by gemini

[Raphael84]

Hi @gemini

Video consultations are not the normal standard approach for physicians. I would imagine that some clinics do work with video calls, but in all honesty, high quality photos show an individuals situation significantly more accurate than a video call, and this allows the physician to study an individuals photographs, when his schedule suits.

High end Doctors delivering consistent quality results are very much in demand, and the amount of interest/online consultations that they receive on a daily basis is considerable. As most patients contact several Doctors to hear their opinions and recommendations, the amount of inquiries received is far more than scheduled patients. Therefore if an in demand Doctor were to offer video calls to all interest individuals, they would not find the time to actually be able to perform surgery. Not to mention the further complications of different time zones for international patients.  I would not let this be a concern for you.

A clinic not offering a video call has no direct correlation with not taking care of its patients post surgery and in the event that growth is not optimal. If this is a concern for you, I would suggest that you consider the most respected, ethical surgeons that you can and therefore not limit your search to more budget related clinics in a particular country.

Its good to see that you are doing your due diligence and asking questions and educating yourself.

I wish you the best of luck.