Starting the process

[Sydney]

Hi,

I’m 40yr old living in Sydney. Have been progressively losing hair since I was 25 and now have 1.5 buzz cut. About a Norwood 5. 

I’ve seen 2 clinics over the years but none in Australia impress me and seem very sales driven. 

I’ve taken hair meds previously but gave them up in the Pandemic lockdowns. Not too keen to go back on them. 

Wondering if you could help with some initial questions:

1. Recommendations for surgeons in LA or San Francisco (seems to be easiest flight from Sydney)

2. How best to consult with those surgeons 

3. Do I need to take the drugs after the operation to maintain?

4. if I did travel to get an op, what kind of schedule/issues should I expect?

Happy to pay what I need to and keen to get something locked in for 2023. 
 

thanks all. 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Sydney

[IMM1979]

1. can't help you with LA or SF but based on your location you can try Bangkok, Singapore or Seoul. Bangkok is Dr. Pathomvanich, Singapore I did a consult with Dr Ma at Freia (thought he was great but its $$$ in Singapore). In Seoul (which is super advanced in terms of any kind of cosmetic surgery) my local friends recommend Mozerim (famous clinic) and Maxwell Hair clinic. I 

2. Usually you can email most and they will send you instructions for taking photos/sending a video of your donor area. 

3. Depends on recommendation from the clinic and most importantly, what you are comfortable taking (or not taking).

4. Best to combine it with a holiday. Usually good to have 5-7 days in that location so it does not feel rushed but if you are short on time, can be compressed to 2-3 days.

 

[pkipling]

Hi Sydney! So glad you found this forum to help you navigate what can be quite a daunting process. It's a game changing resource.

1.  @Parsa Mohebi, MD has offices in both LA and SF. Dr. Mohebi and one of his partners, Dr. Pan, operate out of the Los Angeles office, and his other partner, Dr. Gujrati, operates out of San Francisco.
2. The best way to schedule a consultation with them is directly through their website. I'll send it to you privately - and I can also help you get that sorted personally if you'd like. 
3. Medication is something you'd discuss with the surgeons, and there are different schools of thought on how imperative it is. It really varies from person to person, but most surgeons would agree that if you're open to medication and respond well to it without side effects, then it's worth taking. Since most MPB is progressive, medication can slow it down quite considerably and potentially keep you from needing subsequent procedures in the future. 
4. Travel/schedule: If it were up to me and I had the extra time, I'd love to get to my destination at least 2 days prior to the procedure, hopefully see the surgeon in person before the procedure, and then have 3-5 days of downtime after the procedure before flying back. That said, you could probably fly back even sooner than that if necessary, but that's something you can discuss with your surgeon as well once you start solidifying a game plan.

I'd be happy to help answer any questions you have about our offices! Best of luck. 

 

[Gatsby]

@Sydney so glad that you have not been touched by anyone here in Australia. Have a look at the forum's list of recommended surgeons. Try to find one that turns out great results on patients that have a similar hair loss as yours and with results that you are aiming to achieve. All the best!

[Melvin- Admin]

Use our recommended list as a starting point for research.

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

 

 

[GoliGoliGoli]

16 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@Sydney so glad that you have not been touched by anyone here in Australia. Have a look at the forum's list of recommended surgeons. Try to find one that turns out great results on patients that have a similar hair loss as yours and with results that you are aiming to achieve. All the best!

Somewhat unrelated, but man is it amazing that no one in Aus or NZ is quality. You would think someone would open up to fill that niche, but I guess it isn't a skill that's easy to come by either. 

[Sydney]

Many thanks for your feedback all. Very much appreciated. I’ve sent off some online consultation forms to some CA recommended surgeons. Will see how it goes!

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Sydney,

1. My first question to you is - is there a specific reason that you feel you need to select a surgeon specifically in the Los Angeles Or San Francisco, California area? Especially since you are coming from Sydney Australia?   So instead of specifically answering your question regarding surgeons in those areas, I will share some steps with you that I share with everyone on how to select a top hair transplant surgeon.   I will provide that at the bottom of this email in steps.

2. As far as how to consult with surgeons you are considering, you can either fill out an online consult form on a particular surgeon’s website or if the surgeon is recommended by this community, there is an online consult form on the HTN website.  You can also email particular surgeons or call them at the clinic.  If you are looking for specific questions to ask surgeons you are considering, that’s a different question and I’ll be happy to answer that as well. But instead of combining too much information in one post, let me know if you want help with that and I’ll post that afterwards.

3. Hair transplant surgery is a standalone procedure. In other words, you do not need to use any medication or drugs in order to sustain transplanted hair or jumpstart/maintain any hair growth. That said, hair transplant surgery does nothing to stop the progression of male pattern baldness and if you are still losing hair, I do strongly suggest you consider getting on finasteride which can help you maintain the existing here you have. 

4. I’m not really sure I understand this question. Obviously you would schedule your hair transplant in advance and then plan your travel plans accordingly. Many clinics will even assist with hotel stays and other travel related plans and expenses.   Each clinic has their own policies and recommendations so be sure to ask this question to each surgeon you are considering.

Now as to selecting a quality hair transplant surgeon, below are the steps I suggest you take. Also, since you don’t have any particular surgeons in Los Angeles or San Francisco in mind, I suggest broaden your search and consider surgeons anywhere since you are already willing to travel.  The key is to select a surgeon that impresses you based on their proven ability to produce outstanding results. Location and price should be last considerations  

——

How to Select an outstanding hair transplant surgeon. 

1.  Start by looking at the surgeons recommended by this community, in particular the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  Surgeons recommended by this community have met a demanding set of standards and are approved based on meeting those high standards.  Many online hair surgeon memberships don’t have any criteria other than to pay a membership fee.  Furthermore, physician members of the coalition have met an even higher and more demanding set of standards and have proven to be amongst the best of the best in the profession.

2. Now even amongst a list of outstanding surgeons, not all surgeons are created equally. Therefore, while it’s tempting to select a surgeon based on price or location, try to avoid this as many individuals travel great distances to undergo surgery with an elite surgeon they are most impressed with. Thus choose a surgeon based on their proven ability to produce outstanding results rather than because of cost or location.

3. Narrow your selection down to 3 to 5 surgeons you are most impressed with.  You can do this by using this discussion forum and others to view examples of patient results posted by both the clinic and their patients.  Speak with and meet with real patients in person if possible. If not, video chat works pretty well.

4. Come up with a list of consult questions to ask each surgeon/clinic you are considering. I’ve created several different posts on this forum with good questions to ask doctors.  If you need help coming up with a list of good questions, please let me know.

5. Consult with each doctor you are considering and ultimately, choose the surgeon you feel can best meet your goals.

I hope this helps  

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Sydney]

Many thanks all for the replies. Much appreciated.

I’ve taken some of the comments on board and gone global for the search. I had a consultation with Dr Diep but noticed some receipt reviews/threads were poor. So I’m not going to continue there.
 

Just booked an online consult with Dr Shapiro’s surgery next month. Also sent some information to Dr Bloxham and waiting a response. 
 

I’ve tried a number of different ways to contact Dr Wong, Dr Mwamba and Dr Bisanga to no avail. Any suggestions? It’s tough for me to call due to time difference but might be the only way? 
 

Any thoughts on above Drs in terms of selection?

[Sydney]

On 9/7/2022 at 2:13 PM, Gatsby said:

@Sydney so glad that you have not been touched by anyone here in Australia. Have a look at the forum's list of recommended surgeons. Try to find one that turns out great results on patients that have a similar hair loss as yours and with results that you are aiming to achieve. All the best!

Thanks @Gatsby

I’ve had a good read of your posts and input. Great work! Any suggestions as to who you would recommend? Cheers 

[Gatsby]

I would let your hair loss to a degree dictate your research. For high Norwood 7’s like myself then that means Dr Sethi or Dr Pittella. Just don’t let cost or geography dictate your choice. You could do a lot worse than Eugenix but there are others who are very good too. 

[Sydney]

Thank you @Gatsby

I am a N5. Been balding since I was 25 and have shaved (no 2-4) for about 12 years. I won’t be letting cost or location dictate my surgeon. Just looking for a good process and result. Will see how I go contacting the above Drs. 

[Gatsby]

Well if you are a Norwood 5 you could do a lot worse than Eugenix. They would smash that Norwood out of the park! 👍💯

[Sydney]

Hi All, hoping you could help. I’ve done a significant amount of research and met with a few Doctors. However, from this process I’ve currently decided I’d like to focus on meeting trying to get a meeting with Dr Feriduni. I’ve filled in online form, tried to call, emailed and left Instagram DM without any luck. Can anyone suggest how I might get into contact to set up an initial online consultation? I expect he is extremely popular. Cheers