Conditions & Diseases: Hair Loss & Hair Loss Treatment (Surgical & Non-Surgical)

Hair Transplant Consultation Recommendations & Choosing a Doctor

The Consultation

When it comes to all of the steps a man or woman going through a hair transplant procedure, the one step that might be seen of least importance is the consultation before the surgery. From that first step of researching hair transplants as a solution to reversing hair loss to the final step, watching your newly implanted hair grafts grow, potential patients often overlook the importance the consultation plays in the entire process. The disappointment most people have in hair transplants is a direct result of a consultation that promised unrealistic results or was conducted with too much sales pressure.

Therefore, the consultation is the key to getting the look and results you desire and as a potential patient, it is your responsibility to be fully prepared. HairTransplant.md created this page to help you so that when you walk into the doctor's office you are educated and knowledgable.

10 Recommendations for Hair Transplant Consultations

1. Never rely on just an Online Consultation before having surgery. Many hair transplant clinics offer Online Consultations as a convenience for patients and as an opportunity to attract more patients to their clinic. While online consultations with forms to fill out and photographs to send are very useful and convenient for long distant patients, they should never be a complete subsitute for a one on one consultation conducted in person.

2. Never settle for a hair transplant consultation with anyone that is not a doctor. Some clinics employ "business managers," "patient liasons," or even "technicians" to conduct the consultation. While that individual might be knowledgable about hair transplants, they are poor substitutes for several reasons. First of all, as a potential client, you deserve to have a doctor at your consultation. Clinics that think their doctors are too busy for consultations should find that you are too busy waste your time with them. Clinics also employ staff other then doctors to act as consultation experts because doctors are medical professionals, not business professionals, and some clinics would rather have you talking to a businessman then a doctor. Finally, since this is a medical procedure, you should limit yourself to consultations with the medical person that is in charge of this surgery. A doctor is better able to inform you of all the variables that can go right or wrong with your hair grafting procedure.

If you telephone a clinic and they start talking about your consultation with anyone that is not a doctor, be polite but firm in your request for doctor consultation ONLY. If they continue to talk in circles about this subject, then don't be afraid to inform them you are no longer interested in meeting with their clinic if you cannot talk to a doctor. Don't let them "talk you into" a consultation with anyone other then a doctor. This is your RIGHT as a potential patient.

3. Never limit yourself to just one consultation with one clinic. You owe it to yourself to talk to as many clinics and doctors as you feel comfortable with. Opting to talk to more clinics will open your mind and understanding that different clinics do things in different ways and each has their own theory on the best way to give you a hair transplant. While the first clinic might sound reasonable and logical as they express their ideas for giving you the best hair transplant procedure, their method is not the only the one and there might be better options for you with other clinics. When you experience the ideas and theories of different clinics, you open yourself to more first hand education and understanding of what it will take to reach your hair restoration goals.

4. Never let a clinic pressure you into making a decision, deposit or committing to a specific date or time frame for your surgery during your consultation. You do not have to make a decision or commitment the day of your consultation for anything. You are just going there to learn more about the clinic, your hair loss, their advice for treating you with hair grafts and what your realistic goals and expectations should be. If you feel they are pressuring your to make a verbal or written commitment to a procedure, then politely inform them you want more time to think about it. There is nothing wrong with you taking as much time as you want to make any decision.

5. During your consultation, be wary of any clinic that agrees with everything you say or if you feel like they are telling you what you want to hear. An ethical doctor will tell you his or her honest medical opinion about treating your hair loss, whether you like it or not. Some patients have unrealistic goals (See Realistic Goals) about how they will look after their surgery. A clinic more interested in sales will pick up on what you are saying and tell you what you what you want to hear. However, you should never feel like you've been talked into a hair transplant or in choosing a particular clinic. A hair transplant procedure "sells itself." A good clinic will present "just the facts," not a lot of fast talk they think you want to hear. A good clinic will tell you those aspects of the surgery and or results that may or may not meet your expectations.

6. Before any surgery, you should find out the qualifications of your doctor. Ask him how long he has been performing hair transplants, how many patients has he treated, if they've ever had unsatisfied patients, if there are any lawsuits pending against the clinic. Ask to see all the before and after photographs available and go over them with the doctor. Ask him how many hair grafts & procedures each patient required to achieve the look in the "after" photograph. You should also ask the doctor upfront what will the clinic do for you if you are not satisfied with your hair transplants.

7. During your consultation, you should find out how many hair grafts and surgeries you will need to achieve the look you want. Many patients will be surprised to find out that they will need 2 or more surgeries in order to receive the new look they desire. This is not necessarily the clinic or doctor's fault, it's just a fact. In these situations, clinics will try to provide "coverage" with the first hair transplant and "density" with the second hair transplant. Hair transplant doctors can only implant the hair grafts so close together during one session. They can't put the grafts nearly on top of each other because they will need to scab as they heal and receive an adequate blood supply. On this note, you should also find out the total amount of donor hair you have available for hair transplanting. Knowing this will help you plan out future hair transplant sessions.

8. Always keep in mind that for the hair transplant clinic or doctor, the consultation is their chance to "Sell" you on their particular clinic. One hair transplant clinic we interviewed estimates that 70 percent of the people they offer consultations to, choose them to have theme perform their hair transplant procedure. The point is not to let the doctor or clinic turn your hair transplant consultation into a "sales seminar." Keep yourself focused on finding out the information you want and need and always make your decision after you have had time to think about it.

9. Most hair transplant clinics and doctors will not tell you this during the consultation, but on the day of your surgery, you will be asked to sign some sort of non-liability statement or consent waiver. This piece of paper is designed to alleviate the clinic of legal damages you might seek if you are not satisfied with your surgery. During the consultation, you should ask to see this document and take it home with you to read. Most clinics wait until the day of the surgery to show you this consent form, which is much too late to read it and evaluate it objectively. Never, ever, sign a consent form on the day of your surgery. If a clinic hems and haws about letting you take the document home to read, tell them that is clearly wrong and unrealistic. As a patient, you have legal right to read this consent form and evaluate it's implications for as long as you feel necessary.

10. The subject of price will undoubtably come up during your hair transplant consultation. This is the time when many clinics are afraid of losing the potential client and will apply the most "sales pressure" even if it is subtle. A few precautions for you as a patient should be to avoid clinics that are not upfront about their prices. If they talk in circles about how much it will cost then this ambiguity will lead to misunderstandings later. Before leaving that clinic you must get a definite answer to how much the surgery will cost including any hidden fees like "surgery room" or post op surgery costs.

Don't tell the clinic how much you have to spend or what your budget is. Your personal financial situation is none of their business. Also, be wary of clinics that use a "buy in bulk" philosophy of hair graft pricing. If their pricing model is based on "the more you buy, the more affordable the hair graft price" - then be wary if the clinic is just trying to get you to spend more money. Ask them why does the price drop in relation to the hair grafts when you have more implanted. If you are not satisfied with their answer, tell them so or dismiss the clinic as a possibility.

Choosing a Hair Transplant Doctor

Before reading this section, we recommend that you read our 25 Hair Transplant FAQs, Realistic Goals and most importantly, the 10 commandments of a patient's Hair Transplant Consultation article above. All three will help prepare you in choosing the right hair transplant doctor for you.

Reading those pages and this entire website will arm you with the information and questions you need to have satisfied before you make any decision about which hair transplant clinic will perform your surgery. This section contains some final recommendations you should consider after reading through this website.

• Choose a doctor that specializes in hair transplants over a plastic surgeon that only performs them a dozen or so times a year. A doctor that specializes in hair transplants has probably seen enough patients to know all the variables into what distinguishes betweeen a good hair transplant and a great hair transplant.
• On this note, choose a doctor that has the hair transplant experience and skills that makes you feel confident in him and what he can do for you.
• Choose a doctor that doesn't feel the need to denigrate and insult other hair transplant doctors in an effort to convince you to come to his clinic. Unfortunately, many hair transplant clinics are guilty of "bad mouthing" each other under competitive marketing ploys. A true professional will let his practice and experience speak for themselves. A doctor that reduces himself to insulting other clinics does not have a professional or mature nature.
• Choose a doctor that will perform follicular unit transplantation with grafts dissected under a microscope.
• Choose a doctor that tells you just the facts without the sales hype and pressure.
• Choose a doctor that is not afraid to tell you that unrealistic goals cannot be met and you may need more then one procedure to achieve the realistic new look you desire.
• Choose a doctor who has satisified all of your questions and concerns without sending up any red flags in the back of your mind. The three pages recommended above will give you a clear idea of what concerns you should have and will provide the basis for any "warning signals" that go off in your mind later.

Article by Staff
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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