Choosing Your Hair Transplant Doctor — The Consultation Process: The consultation process will give you relevant insights for choosing your hair transplant doctor. Attending each appointment with an informed mindset will help you make a final decision that you’ll be proud of in the long term.
Hair restoration candidates enthusiastically expect a fuller, natural-looking, and more youthful head of hair in the end. But this depends on having the right doctor. Every surgeon possesses different skill sets, expertise, experience, and overall ability. Therefore, selecting an exceptional surgeon is vital for looking your very best.
With the many types of business organizations offering hair restoration services, many focus on driving sales through aggressive forms of marketing. Hopeful patients are often given information based on what they want to hear instead of making educated choices that meet their needs. Therefore, the wise use of discernment will help you avoid regretful situations down the road.
Getting the necessary answers requires knowing what questions to ask during the consultation process.
Article Update 2022:
In order to help gain a better understanding of the visual effects of x number of hair transplants, be sure to visit our newly updated hair transplantation results page.
What Happens During a Hair Transplant Consultation Process?
Most surgeons offer free initial hair transplant consultations to prospective patients. These sessions also allow you to learn more about the doctor. You will also acquire critical information such as cost considerations, graft counts, and what to expect before, during, and after the hair transplant surgery.
In some business establishments, consultations are led by company representatives. But since hair transplants are medical surgeries, it is essential to speak to the actual doctor who will be performing the extractions and incisions. A physician can answer particular questions such as pre-existing medical conditions and long-term goals most appropriate for your particular case.
The Best Questions to Ask for Choosing Your Hair Transplant Doctor
Hair transplant doctors will specialize in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) or Follicular Unit Strip Surgery ( FUSS ). This will help you narrow down the type of surgeons to consult with.
During each consultation, you will be given a chance to ask questions. Therefore, come prepared by knowing which questions best serve your long-term needs. Here is a general list to consider.
Is the doctor part of board-certified hair restoration surgeons?
There are many certification types, but most are not officially recognized. Therefore, when choosing your hair transplant doctor, look for the surgeon’s bonafide board certification. There is no legitimate board certification for hair surgery. The only legitimate American Board certification is issued by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to certify the area of specialty for a physician. The only ABMS specialty that covers hair treatment comprehensively is Dermatology. Plastic surgery is an ABMS specialty covering hair restoration surgical techniques but less about other hair disorders. So it is helpful to have an initial consultation with a dermatologist. Hence, a proper diagnosis of your hair condition is made before any cosmetic surgery is contemplated. Currently, the ABMS does not issue certificates for the specific category of hair restoration surgery. However, the organization does issue board certification in dermatology and plastic surgery.
As a prospective patient, be aware that both disciplines are the officially recognized areas of specialization when choosing your hair transplant doctor.
What professional associations should the physician belong to?
Membership in reputable professional associations such as the ISHRS (International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery) and the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) helps to indicate the doctor’s commitment to further education and willingness to advance the field and collaborate with their peers. However, note that neither an ISHRS membership nor an ABHRS certification is a valuable yardstick for determining a doctor’s quality. Parameters to look for in choosing the best hair surgeon for you include patient results and testimonials, research and publication activities, reputation, etc.
Has the hair transplant doctor published any research studies?
Published research in highly acclaimed peer-reviewed medical journals demonstrates the physician’s expertise and dedication to their specialty area and willingness to contribute to new insights and advancements in their field.
The Los Angeles FUE hair restoration specialist, Dr. Umar, has always been passionate about helping the most challenging hair restoration cases. This led to his development of groundbreaking innovations and work in body hair to head transplantation. His most impressive patient results have been published in leading medical journals such as JAMA Dermatology, JAAD (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology), Facial Plastic Surgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, and the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery.
How many years of experience does the surgeon have?
The number of years in practice can provide a significant degree of insight into how experienced they are, compared to a novice. Also, this information makes it possible to get a solid picture of their track record of success.
However, remember that it’s essential to focus on viewing as many examples of patient results as possible. Beyond the number of years in practice, images and videos will also provide information on how well they can produce excellent outcomes.
Does the hair transplant surgeon have good examples of real-life patients they’ve treated?
When choosing your hair transplant doctor, look for actual patient results that they have achieved in the past to see before and after photos and videos. These are helpful to view the outcomes from different angles to assess growth and the naturalness of the outcomes. And finally, check for any testimonials offered by other patients themselves.
With photos, you can instantly see the patient’s appearance before their procedure compared to the final results.
Videos of specific patient cases will display different angles of the outcome and feedback from the patient in their own words.
Hair Transplant Scar Repair & Thickening Using Minimal Subtle Hair Transplant – 1600 Grafts Total
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How many grafts will you need to achieve your goals?
Be sure to describe your objectives to the doctor clearly. Are you looking for very dense coverage? Will you be happy with a modest density level? Let the surgeon know if they recommend conserving grafts for future procedures. Will your scalp provide all the grafts you will ever need in the long term? Or will you need additional grafts harvested from the body? If so, you may need to consider a surgeon who specializes in performing body hair to head transplantation procedures.
Will your hair transplant surgery be performed in single or multiple sessions?
As a well-informed patient, you must understand what to expect from your hair restoration experience. And this should include whether or not your goals can be met in a single surgery or multiple procedures.
What recommendations are needed for your progression of hair loss?
Male pattern baldness is a continuous process. But the severity of hair loss will differ with each individual. Both you and your doctor will need to discuss a long-term plan for addressing future hair loss.
See what conclusions and insights different surgeons can offer for your particular case. If you’re interested in speaking to Dr. Umar about the best solutions for your current hair loss condition, you may provide your information on our free online consultation form.
How much will my hair restoration surgery cost?
Most clinics price their procedures by the graft. However, there may be additional costs on top of this base figure, such as medication, post-surgery consultations, follow-up visits, and long-term care. When looking at your costs, ask the doctor to provide a well-defined breakdown.
Financing a hair transplant procedure is a significant investment. Therefore, it is best to consider the quality of the outcome and your long-term satisfaction as your top priority, not the lowest possible cost. Cheap surgeries can be a massive risk down the road. In the end, if the growth you hoped for is not apparent or if the results are unnatural or unflattering, you will need to face the possibility of additional surgery and the need for additional grafts.
When to Choose a More Specialized Los Angeles Hair Transplant Doctor
Lastly, determine if your condition is within the category of particular cases. Examples include:
Ethnicity- Hair restoration doctors for patients of African descent need to address their curved hair follicles. Specially designed instruments are needed to accommodate these unique shapes and avoid damaging them. Patients of Asian descent tend to have very thick hair. Hair transplantation in the hairline will require using thin caliber hair to produce the most natural-looking results. FUE Hair Restoration surgeons should be asked about how they will be able to address these types of issues.
Severe baldness – More advanced forms of baldness will undoubtedly require a much greater number of grafts. Yet few follicles are available to work with by this point. To address severe cases of baldness, a hair restoration surgeon will need to procure additional supplies of grafts from alternate sources, such as the torso, beard, or back. Specialized instrumentation and protocols will be necessary for achieving this.
Hair repair from previous surgeries – Many patients have undergone prior hair restoration procedures, only to walk away with poor growth and evident scarring on their scalp. And because they have depleted their existing supply of grafts on their head, they can only hope to benefit from follicles extracted from viable regions on the body.
General hair transplant practitioners won’t be able to address the precise needs of these situations. Such cases require specialized instrumentation and the ability to apply the right skills to use them appropriately. Therefore, choose a highly specialized surgeon with the right expertise to handle more challenging cases.
Your hair transplant journey will last well over a year. At the end of it all, you deserve to have the growth, coverage, and a natural-looking appearance that you initially discussed with your doctor. Taking a well-educated and informed approach from the beginning and choosing your hair transplant doctor wisely will help position you for a successful outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions on Choosing Your Hair Transplant Doctor:
How many consultations should I sign up for?
Try to speak to as many hair transplant doctors as you can. However, no specific number guarantees you will find the correct physician. Instead, focus on getting specific answers to your questions during each consultation. Hone in on finding information to show that a doctor is competent enough to meet and even exceed your objectives.
Which is a better choice, strip surgery or Follicular Unit Extraction?
Each type of hair transplant procedure will have its pros and cons. Compare what each surgery offers to your goals. Consider factors like graft count needed and the issue of graft conservation for your long-term planning. Also, think about whether or not you are willing to live with permanent linear scars on the back of your head.
Most men place a high value on having ample coverage and wearing their hair short. Therefore Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) would be the best choice.
Dr. Umar has treated many patients who initially chose FUT but later felt self-conscious about their linear scarring. Fortunately, FUE can be used to insert hair follicles into the scar tissue, allowing the patient to wear shortly cropped hairstyles.
When reviewing before and after patient photos, see how well the surgeon recreated natural hair growth patterns. Pay close attention to details like hairline progression, temples, and the crown whirl. Again, focusing on actual patient results is recommended when choosing your hair transplant doctor.
What if I don’t have enough hair transplantation grafts to get the coverage I want?
There are many cases where patients need additional grafts to achieve the coverage they want. A d the number of available grafts supplied by the scalp will vary according to your ethnicity. The average Caucasian male, for example, will have about 8,000 follicular units with a full head of hair. However, the number of available grafts will vary depending on the individual’s hair loss stage. And so, the donor supply may be much less due to past surgeries.
When more grafts are needed, additional follicles can be harvested from the beard area, torso, or back. Be aware that body hair tends to emerge from the skin at very sharp angles. With regular FUE punches, these follicles face a much higher risk of damage. Therefore, choosing your hair transplant doctor will depend on the doctor’s ability to use specialized tools. And so, they will need to have proven experience to create excellent outcomes with body hair.
If I am in my early twenties, is it worth my time to get consultations? Or do all doctors follow an age limit rule?
Generally, most hair restoration doctors advise young men to wait until they are at least 25 years to consider surgery. However, hair loss tends to be influenced by genetics and environmental factors. Individual cases will vary. A good hair transplant doctor will also look closely at your case and make recommendations based on how your hair loss is progressing. Getting an aggressive hair restoration too soon is usually not a good idea when you continue rapidly losing hair. However, you may be eligible to receive a conservative form of coverage that will allow you to undergo future surgeries. It may be wise to get opinions from different surgeons before choosing your hair transplant doctor.
If you are in the Los Angeles area and would like to schedule a free consultation to speak to Dr. Umar, click here.
