Senior Member miked Posted March 17, 2009 Senior Member Share Posted March 17, 2009 After years of considering hair transplant surgery I finally made the plunge. It seems now that, given the US economy how it is, quality doctors in the states can be found for prices similar to and in many cases lower to those found in countries like Brazil and elsewhere. I live in Tampa FL, and while it is home to a Gold Follicle Award hair restoration Doctor, I found his rates were still quite 'pre-recession' and seemed unwilling to budge much. After interviewing several facilities across the country I settled on Ross Medical Hair Restoration in beautiful La Jolla Ca. The total net cost of the procedure, travel, hotel, car and meals was still attractively less expensive - and I got more grafts to boot- than staying local for me plus, more importantly it stayed within my budget. (BTW - If a facility is trying to tempt you with beaches and sun (Dr. Ross does not do this but several doctors in Florida and Brazil do) - don't fall for it since after your surgery you will generally want to avoid pools, swimming and sunlight. However, the temperate climate of La Jolla is certainly ideal.) Without sounding like a paid advertisement their staff was nothing short of exceptional in every way -very professional and caring. I flew in on a Wednesday after having arranged the surgery dates and travel arrangements through Nicole via email. I had a brief consultation with their staff and Dr. Ross that afternoon and returned the next morning at 6 AM sharp for the start of the procedure which lasted till shortly after 8 pm that night. I was the only patient treated that day and the staff went out of their way to make me comfortable and keep me in great spirits at all times. Friday I rested at the hotel most of the day and by the afternoon I ventured out and toured some shopping areas and caught a movie at the Cineplex. I returned home the next day Saturday. I could have flown home Friday, but wanted to stay local in case I had any issues that I wanted seen by Dr. Ross or his staff before flying home. As it turned out I had none but it was good knowing I could just kick back and relax a full day. I should mention that I did have MUCH difficulty finding skilled help while in Tampa to remove the stitches from the donor area. My general doctor did not feel comfortable removing them and he referred me to a cosmetic surgeon's office whose staff assured me they could remove them. Well, the one person assigned by the Doctor on duty was nothing short of a beast and kept missing cut points and trying to pull the stitching through forcefully and had me in tears and bleeding profusely. This stitch removal botch job was performed in Town and Country Tampa and if you know of a cosmetic surgeon in that area near the Home Depot at Hillsborough BEWARE! The warning is simple: make sure you go to a reputable place competent with removing hair transplant donor area stitching. Either that or stick around La Jolla or wherever you go for the stitch removal on the 7th day following surgery. Feel free to contact me if you wish further details about my adventure. My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member miked Posted March 17, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 17, 2009 After years of considering hair transplant surgery I finally made the plunge. It seems now that, given the US economy how it is, quality doctors in the states can be found for prices similar to and in many cases lower to those found in countries like Brazil and elsewhere. I live in Tampa FL, and while it is home to a Gold Follicle Award hair restoration Doctor, I found his rates were still quite 'pre-recession' and seemed unwilling to budge much. After interviewing several facilities across the country I settled on Ross Medical Hair Restoration in beautiful La Jolla Ca. The total net cost of the procedure, travel, hotel, car and meals was still attractively less expensive - and I got more grafts to boot- than staying local for me plus, more importantly it stayed within my budget. (BTW - If a facility is trying to tempt you with beaches and sun (Dr. Ross does not do this but several doctors in Florida and Brazil do) - don't fall for it since after your surgery you will generally want to avoid pools, swimming and sunlight. However, the temperate climate of La Jolla is certainly ideal.) Without sounding like a paid advertisement their staff was nothing short of exceptional in every way -very professional and caring. I flew in on a Wednesday after having arranged the surgery dates and travel arrangements through Nicole via email. I had a brief consultation with their staff and Dr. Ross that afternoon and returned the next morning at 6 AM sharp for the start of the procedure which lasted till shortly after 8 pm that night. I was the only patient treated that day and the staff went out of their way to make me comfortable and keep me in great spirits at all times. Friday I rested at the hotel most of the day and by the afternoon I ventured out and toured some shopping areas and caught a movie at the Cineplex. I returned home the next day Saturday. I could have flown home Friday, but wanted to stay local in case I had any issues that I wanted seen by Dr. Ross or his staff before flying home. As it turned out I had none but it was good knowing I could just kick back and relax a full day. I should mention that I did have MUCH difficulty finding skilled help while in Tampa to remove the stitches from the donor area. My general doctor did not feel comfortable removing them and he referred me to a cosmetic surgeon's office whose staff assured me they could remove them. Well, the one person assigned by the Doctor on duty was nothing short of a beast and kept missing cut points and trying to pull the stitching through forcefully and had me in tears and bleeding profusely. This stitch removal botch job was performed in Town and Country Tampa and if you know of a cosmetic surgeon in that area near the Home Depot at Hillsborough BEWARE! The warning is simple: make sure you go to a reputable place competent with removing hair transplant donor area stitching. Either that or stick around La Jolla or wherever you go for the stitch removal on the 7th day following surgery. Feel free to contact me if you wish further details about my adventure. My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Miked, I'm pleased to hear you have a positive experience with Dr. Ross. How many grafts did you receive and when was your surgery? Do you have any photos you can share with us? I encourage you to create a hair loss weblog in order to document your progress with photos. Best wishes, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member miked Posted March 18, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 18, 2009 I believe the number came out to 3000 and was done Thursday March 5. so just a couple of weeks ago. I'll put up some pre/post pictures tonight like you suggest. My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member miked Posted March 19, 2009 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 19, 2009 miked hair blog My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Mike, Thanks for adding some photos to your blog. It looks like you've reduced the size of those photos pretty small though, so it's really hard to see assess the surgical photos. If you have higher resolution photos, I encourage you to add them to your blog. You may also want to separate out your pre-op photos from your surgical photos by creating a new journal entry each time you update it. Best wishes for quick healing and restoring your hair in 2009, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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