Looking for advice / recommendations on how to find a surgeon for the next step of my HT journey

[Doceljay]

Hi.  First time poster who stumbled onto this forum while doing research and could use some advice / recommendations.

I am 45yo Caucasian / fair skin / blonde with good coverage on donor back and sides but not much on crown.  I had FUT (forget exactly how many grafts but quite a few for that time) over 10 years ago in San Jose so already have a small scar, and while reasonably happy with that result and I am certain I would have much less coverage had I not done it, I would really like to get more coverage and started doing some research and making some calls; I'm looking for improvement not necessarily perfection. 

I live in San Francisco and the big names here I have come across (Diep, Gujrati who works with Mohebi) have ridiculously long waits to get in even for just a consult and then even much longer for the actual procedure.  I have also seen consistent very poor reviews recently for Diep, which certainly gives me pause.  I am able to get in for consult with Canales at Silicon Valley Hair Institute which is pretty close-by pretty much right away but while he has good Yelp reviews, I have seen some things on this forum and elsewhere that just put me off of that place; seems like he is a big upseller and also seems to be a lower tier compared to the others.  The Dr. who did my first procedure in San Jose was Dr. Jae Pak and I remember having a good experience, but it looks like he is in LA area now.

While local would be my preference, I am open to going outside my area especially if I would only need to go once and wouldn't have to wait so long since I have the flexibility to do this in the near future but maybe not in a year.  I am also open to different surgery options (FUT again / FUE, BHT, etc.) especially since I already have a small scar from previous procedure that really doesn't bother me much since I tend to keep my hair somewhat long.  If I did travel, would prefer to stay in my west coast region, but I suppose if I have to take a flight, what's a couple extra hours?  Price is not a big issue and I'm willing to pay for quality but of course who wants to pay more than they have to!

Any advice or recommendations from members here, especially those who have navigated this recently, would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

Edited March 30, 2022 by Doceljay

[JoeMan]

Some pictures would help. I agree on Dr. Diep as I've seen a few questionable results but some people like him. I think maybe H&W in Canada might be an option but not sure about waiting list. Unfortunately good Dr's seem booked up at the moment. Some a year or more out. I wouldn't put time as my sole factor though. 

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

10 hours ago, Doceljay said:

Hi.  First time poster who stumbled onto this forum while doing research and could use some advice / recommendations.

I am 45yo Caucasian / fair skin / blonde with good coverage on donor back and sides but not much on crown.  I had FUT (forget exactly how many grafts but quite a few for that time) over 10 years ago in San Jose so already have a small scar, and while reasonably happy with that result and I am certain I would have much less coverage had I not done it, I would really like to get more coverage and started doing some research and making some calls; I'm looking for improvement not necessarily perfection. 

I live in San Francisco and the big names here I have come across (Diep, Gujrati who works with Mohebi) have ridiculously long waits to get in even for just a consult and then even much longer for the actual procedure.  I have also seen consistent very poor reviews recently for Diep, which certainly gives me pause.  I am able to get in for consult with Canales at Silicon Valley Hair Institute which is pretty close-by pretty much right away but while he has good Yelp reviews, I have seen some things on this forum and elsewhere that just put me off of that place; seems like he is a big upseller and also seems to be a lower tier compared to the others.  The Dr. who did my first procedure in San Jose was Dr. Jae Pak and I remember having a good experience, but it looks like he is in LA area now.

While local would be my preference, I am open to going outside my area especially if I would only need to go once and wouldn't have to wait so long since I have the flexibility to do this in the near future but maybe not in a year.  I am also open to different surgery options (FUT again / FUE, BHT, etc.) especially since I already have a small scar from previous procedure that really doesn't bother me much since I tend to keep my hair somewhat long.  If I did travel, would prefer to stay in my west coast region, but I suppose if I have to take a flight, what's a couple extra hours?  Price is not a big issue and I'm willing to pay for quality but of course who wants to pay more than they have to!

Any advice or recommendations from members here, especially those who have navigated this recently, would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

Please do share some scalp pictures also.

[Nw7HPE]

Pictures would help a lot 

[Doceljay]

Thanks for the replies so far - here are some not very good pics I took in the morning when my hair is pretty ratty and frizzy! - but will give an idea for now. I can take some better ones later. 
 

[Melvin- Admin]

I wouldn’t consider anyone in the bay aside from Diep or Mohebi. I would definitely take a look at Dr. Gabel in Portland, just a quick 1.5 hour plane ride. 
 

Here’s our full list of recommendations, remember lists are starting points for research. Look at each doctor and research them on here, sending multiple consultations is a good idea, to get a variety of opinions and options. Good luck feel free to reach out if you need additional help. 
 

https://hairtransplantnetwork.com/best-hair-transplant-surgeons

[Nw7HPE]

Are you willing to travel internationally ?

[Philo Columbus]

Dr. G (works with dr mohebi) is really good, I had a procedure beginning of Jan and the regrowth is already excellent, the distribution and angles of the implants are very artful, I couldn’t be happier. 

[Eugenix Hair Sciences]

On 3/31/2022 at 8:56 PM, Doceljay said:

Thanks for the replies so far - here are some not very good pics I took in the morning when my hair is pretty ratty and frizzy! - but will give an idea for now. I can take some better ones later. 
 

Thank you for sharing your pictures. According to us, you are Grade lV on the Norwood scale of baldness. You shall require around 3500 grafts approximately for the procedure. Frontal zone would require 2800 odd grafts and the Midscalp would require around 700 odd grafts. We can also take from your beard for the coverage of the mid scalp.