What is the ideal hair transplant consultation assessment?

[giegnosiganoe]

Hi folks,

I just had a HT consultation which I feel went poorly. I asked the doctor if he could measure the various properties of my hair so that I could get an objective assessment and develop a long term plan, but it seems like that isn't something they do. They just looked at my hair and told me how I'm a great candidate and have great donor density when I know that's not true. And this came from a supposedly well respected surgeon.

What can I honestly expect from a consultation?

Ideally I would have liked to find out: hair caliber, average hairs per graft, donor density, rate of donor miniaturization, number of lifetime available grafts (FUT then FUE vs just FUE), expected required number of lifetime grafts, etc (please let me know if there's anything else useful that I'm missing).

Are there any doctors who do a comprehensive evaluation like this (PRIOR to deciding on surgery...) and develop a long term plan for a patient? I don't mind spending a bit of money for this, there's just no way I'm going into a surgery blind.

Frustrated... Thanks.

[Melvin- Admin]

Dr. Mohebi in Los Angeles, does a very comprehensive examination. Where do you live?

[giegnosiganoe]

16 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Dr. Mohebi in Los Angeles, does a very comprehensive examination. Where do you live?

Bay area, CA.

Submitteda an appointment form for Dr. Mohebi actually, and waiting to hear back. His website says he has an office in SF but I do know he's based in LA, so I'm not sure how that works.

I'vealso heard that Dr. Rassman is good for this? Might be worth a trip down.

How about H&W or Gabel, is this something they do?

It truly blows my mind how many people go into these procedures blind given the wait-lists and how few people post on these forums.

Edited February 6, 2020 by giegnosiganoe

[pkipling]

19 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Bay area, CA.

Submitteda an appointment form for Dr. Mohebi actually, and waiting to hear back. His website says he has an office in SF but I do know he's based in LA, so I'm not sure how that works.

I'vealso heard that Dr. Rassman is good for this? Might be worth a trip down.

How about H&W or Gabel, is this something they do?

It truly blows my mind how many people go into these procedures blind given the wait-lists and how few people post on these forums.

Hey there! Dr. Mohebi's rep here. He's based in LA but he does have an office in SF and works from there a few times a month. 

And you're instincts are spot on: A consultation should be much more thorough than what you mentioned, and you'll get way more than that with Dr. Mohebi. (My own consultation with him years ago is what really made me feel great about choosing him as my surgeon.) You'll discuss with him one on on your own personal history of hair loss, your family's history, what your ideal goals are, determine the quality of your donor area, how many grafts you approximately have to work with, and will do a miniaturization test as well to get a good idea of how much thinning/hair loss you have and predict the pattern it may be heading in. Then he'll draw a hairline/design on you, give you an estimate of how many grafts you need to achieve the results you want, and together you'll decide on an optimal game plan. It's a very thorough, educational process. 

Feel free to reach out to me personally if you have any questions as well! 

[bigtyivier2k2]

Who does great consults in New York?

[pkipling]

On 2/9/2020 at 11:52 AM, bigtyivier2k2 said:

Who does great consults in New York?

If you wanna stick to a specific area, use the Surgeon locator on this forum. Off the top of my head, I believe Dr. Feller and Dr. Bloxham are in NY and I imagine both do very thorough consultations.