Dr. Ziering-- What's the Worst That Could Happen?

[wadsef]

Hi all,

For context:

• I'm a black male in his mid-twenties who just had a consultation with the Ziering office in New York.
  • The staff and doctors seemed nice and personable, so that was pleasant. I also learned that there's an "ideal" length for hair post-transplant to help maintain the "illusion" of density-- I didn't know that before, and it's another thing to consider before going through with this procedure. They also took a 3d scan of my head, which wasn't discussed at all afterwards. It seemed like just a show of their "tech" intended to impress potential patients 😭. They also made it clear that some guy who is not Ziering would be performing the procedure, though, which was off putting. After the consultation, they quoted me ~$15k for 2k grafts to lower the hairline, which seems reasonable.
  • Ziering's quote was lower than Diep's, which was $19k for the same number of grafts. Diep also won't be available until late next year. Though I prefer Diep's work, he's also across the country, which is another strike against him since I would have to pay for the flight and lodging, which would easily total to over 20k.
  • I also reached out to Mwamba, but I won't be able to get a consultation with him until January. He also won't be available for the transplant until April at the earliest. Even without meeting with him, he's my top choice just by the strength of his reputation. Another bonus is that his costs would fall somewhere in the middle-- at least according to his website.

 
So my question is: how badly could Zeiring possibly mess me up? His practice seems to be despised by the members of this forum, but I think I'm an easy case-- a lay up, if you will.
I have a sort-of high hairline from birth with a widow's peak (between NW2 and NW3), and I'm not actively balding. My hairline hasn't moved since I was a child, and it is identical to my mom's hairline except a little higher up due to differences in head shape. I also have unusually high hair density in my donor area. Given all these factors in my favor, it's hard for me to imagine a doc screwing up such an easy case. From what I've seen on this forum, most of the extreme mess-ups seem to happen when people try to look like Paul George, but they're starting beyond a NW4 and with a less dense donor area. Even GOATS like Mwamba and Diep have trouble with those cases.
 
I've seen people in my situation have great success, even at the most notorious Turkish spots.
So... what's the worst that could happen?

Thanks for answers

Pic attached for reference

[Pbaird98]

Under no circumstances consider Ziering Bro! Not a good choice for any type of hair, if you was to research here you will find plenty of info to not proceed any further. And I’m pleased you asked this before booking in or going ahead. 
The most reliable guys doing good work with Afro hair is Dr Mwamba and Dr Bisanga but I wanna give a shout out to @DrTBarghouthitoo.

Honestly no such as thing as a easy case, people can get sh*t results from any amount of grafts. In particular those that are not skilled with Afro centric hair, i Implore you to go to the best and If needed wait, you’re future self with thank you 🙏 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Pbaird98

[ray35]

Yep what Pbaird said... and I'd say for those price quotes, save some money and  travel and enjoy Brussels or Athens with BHR... I'm sure you can comb through here and find some other great options! 

[Pbaird98]

A more direct answer to the thread title would be, The worst that could happen? Well over harvested/destroyed and/or depleted donor area, incorrectly angled grafts, poorly designed hairline, multi grafts in the hairline, wasted donor hair through poor extraction techniques… ultimately you could pay more than double when it needs a repair, or worse still some people will struggle to even get it rectified. 

[wadsef]

Fair enough. I guess cost and convenience aren't worth the risk. I'd just rather not have to wait an entire year for this to be done, which I would have to for Diep and Mwamba. I'd also like to not wait over a month for a consultation haha.

Dr. Mwamba's assistant wants me to send money directly to PayPal email address to secure the appointment for consultation. Is that normal?

[Pbaird98]

6 minutes ago, wadsef said:

Fair enough. I guess cost and convenience aren't worth the risk. I'd just rather not have to wait an entire year for this to be done, which I would have to for Diep and Mwamba. I'd also like to not wait over a month for a consultation haha.

Dr. Mwamba's assistant wants me to send money directly to PayPal email address to secure the appointment for consultation. Is that normal?

Yes that is normal behaviour from the Mwamba office, think of this… waiting to get the right Dr is infinitely better than a lifetime regretting choosing the wrong one.. repairs can be costly and take more than one session. Looking at that pic I can’t see you need to be in any kind of rush to get a transplant, the fact is nothing can replicate that natural density you currently have, it could end up looking worse if the wrong Dr is chosen, someone like Bisanga or Mwamba will give you really good feedback bro 🤜🏿

Edited November 30, 2022 by Pbaird98

[ray35]

Additionally, once this gets done... it's a waiting game and procress to endure... trust that if that begins a month or so off from your ideal time frame it's better to have the right situation because once you're down the road at say 6 or 8 months post op you'll be far happier to be sailing with great results from a proven doc

[Melvin- Admin]

Do not rush, take your time and look at reviews. 
 

We have a list of recommendations, use this as a starting point for research.

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

[HappyMan2021]

3 hours ago, wadsef said:

Fair enough. I guess cost and convenience aren't worth the risk. I'd just rather not have to wait an entire year for this to be done, which I would have to for Diep and Mwamba. I'd also like to not wait over a month for a consultation haha.

I had surgery with Mwamnba in June in NJ and am flying to Brussels in January for another surgery.  I am not afro but I am a repair patient which Mwamba is also really well known for. His work is great.

Waiting sucks and is the hardest part of getting a hair transplant. But there are only a handful of truly elite docs in the world, and they are in very huge demand, so naturally but unfortunately have very long wait lists. A doctor with a short or non-existent waiting list can potentially be a red flag. Even 6 weeks is a bit suspect. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by HappyMan2021

[NARMAK]

This is what could happen. Tory Lanez. 

For your hair type, you really do need a specialist imo to make it work properly. Not quacks and hair mills like Asli Tarcan etc. 

Dr Mwamba for example would be a great choice due to familiarity with your hair type.

[BaldReaper]

dont proceed please, your hair looks great and ziering is bad

[wadsef]

Had My consultation with Dr. Mwamba last week. I haven't heard back since. How long does it usually take for them to get back to patients with an offer? This seems like unusual behavior from a reputable source.

[Matt3210]

have you seen any good results Dr. Mwamba with afro hair before you decided to go with him?

Edited January 27, 2023 by Matt3210

[AlexMeister21]

On 1/26/2023 at 10:37 PM, wadsef said:

Had My consultation with Dr. Mwamba last week. I haven't heard back since. How long does it usually take for them to get back to patients with an offer? This seems like unusual behavior from a reputable source.

It took like 2-3 weeks for me to hear back from them.  I asked them about April dates three weeks ago and they said they would get back to me ASAP, but still haven't heard from them.

Edited January 31, 2023 by AlexMeister21