online consultation

[jst]

hi, i'm a 24 year old male who has been researching/visiting docs for about 2 years. as the search continues, i'm broadening my options to areas outside of nyc. i'm wondering if an online consultation is really a legitimate way for a doctor to evaluate a patient. all doctors, even the highly prestigious docs do it, so there must be some validity to it, but i'm still skeptical. anyone have any comments? been through online consults? any doctors with opinions? thanks.

[jst]

hi, i'm a 24 year old male who has been researching/visiting docs for about 2 years. as the search continues, i'm broadening my options to areas outside of nyc. i'm wondering if an online consultation is really a legitimate way for a doctor to evaluate a patient. all doctors, even the highly prestigious docs do it, so there must be some validity to it, but i'm still skeptical. anyone have any comments? been through online consults? any doctors with opinions? thanks.

[Dr. Michael Meshkin]

Hello jst,

I do virtual consultation with clients who live far or are unable to come in to one of our offices, however I do prefer to see the client upclose. I ask my clients to email me pictures from the front sides and back of the head and from the pictures I evaluate the degree of hairloss and give an estimate of the number of grafts and the cost for the procedure. Usually from the pictures I give a good estimate, but I let the patient know that the final number is made when I see the patient upclose because I need to measure the hair density and laxicity. In adition, I make sure the patient is educated as to the cause of his/her hairloss and offer all the viable treatment options available. If a client decides to have hairtransplant surgery, then on the day of the procedure I will do a consultation before doing the procedure so they are fully educated and have reasonable expectation of the final result.

[kman]

I too was initially worried about how an online consultation worked and how accurate they could be. My previous small HT was in my hometown and the doc just looked at my head and said yeah, you would be a good candidate, but nothing was said about the # of grafts needed, etc. That was back when I was less informed.

 

For my next(and hopefully final) HT I looked outside my area and found Dr. Rahal. His online consult form asked more questions about my hairloss condition than my hometown doctor. I also sent several photo's and spoke with Adrian at the clinic. Dr. Rahal would have talked to me directly but I was comfortable emailing Adrian with any subsequent questions I thought of.

I would not be at all concerned about using online consultations. More important is going to an elite physician, even if that means travelling outside your local area. The top doctors have been doing this for a while and can tell a lot from the pics and online consultaion form.

In my case Dr. Rahal recommended 2000-2500 grafts based on my pics and when I arrived at the clinic I was told I would require closer to 2500, but I was already budgeting for the top end of 2500. Afterwards I was told i had 2590 grafts but I was only charged for 2500.

In my case I was happy to have that many grafts placed as I wanted good coverage, so overall, from online consult through to present, I have had no surprises and am very happy with the experience.

Hope you find this reassuring.

[Jotronic]

Online consultations are more than adequate to get a basic assessment. In our clinic, online consultations are a huge part of our/my day as most of them come from the US/Europe/Asia. The one thing to remember is that the assessment is only as good as the information you give with the most important thing being the photos you submit. The better the photos the better the assessment.

 

Of course, the basics are necessary as far as age, use of hair loss meds, expectations etc. As long as the information you submit is accurate and thorough then the assessment should be accurate as well.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

An online consultation is never as good as an in person conusltation. Photos even as good as they can be are helpful and will give me a good idea of how much I need to do. IT is difficult sometimes to evaluate the donor area carefully, the amount of tissue laxity can not be easily addressed over the internet. COnsequently, online consultations are good for addrssing the basic issues as was noted above. THe final determination is once the patient is in the office in a face to face consultation with the doctor. Online consultations are great for education and setting the right expectations.

[Bill - Seemiller]

It's nice to see so much clinical input on this thread.

 

Virtual consultations are a great start and in many cases, with appropriate photos showing the true nature your hair loss, an accurate estimate of number of grafts needed can be given. Donor hair density and hair characteristics are much more difficult to evaluate through photos and scalp elasticity can only be evaluated in person.

 

Therefore, an in-person consultation is still necessary, even if it is the day of the surgery. The problem with doing the in person consultation the same day as the surgery is, a patient's goals of getting all the grafts they need in one session may be thwarted if the in-person consultation reveals certain limitations.

 

But a clinc should go over all of these things about estimates and the need to evaluate you in person for a more accurate assessment during the virtual consultation.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Dr. William Lindsey]

I agree with the docs above. Online serves for a framework for discussion. In person consultatons may or may not correspond with what a doc thinks of a few pics. Just in the 8 months or so I have been participating on this forum, I have been surprised at the difference between a patients pictures and their history compared to what walked in the office.

 

It kind of reminds me of a nearby church-going lady that I did a facelift on about 5 years ago. She got a great result, let me use her pics to show others etc; yet came back unhappy that her online dating was not going well. It turns out that although she was in her 50s, she was using her college pictures on e-harmony! and found that dates were surprised to see her natural appearance.

 

That is just one case of the difference between what you see online and what may actually be in the office.

 

So while online discussions are good to get a feel for the doctor and patient to get to know one another a bit, THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR FACE TO FACE consultation. Even if you travel far, come the day before the procedure to make sure you know what the plan is, and to allow the doctor to plan as well.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[mmhce]

Is it advisable to have a personal evaluation and surgery on the same day?