How do I know if I a good candidate for a hair restoration procedure?

[My WHTC Hair Talk]

The only way to know if you are a candidate is to have a consultation with a hair transplant doctor. Most doctors provide free consultations. Generally, those who are in their teens and twenties are not good candidates because it is difficult to predict how far their hair loss will progress. There are some considerations when comes to the younger candidates, for example, psychological problems, self esteem or if someone feels as though they have to wear a hat because he or she is ashamed of their hair loss. Other factors that a physician may consider in deciding whether you are a good candidate includes family history, donor supply, the degree of hair loss, and individual hair characteristics.


Feel free to add any comments you like.

 

[garageland]

Good post I would also add that expectations are a big factor in whether someone is a good candidate or not, someone with unrealistic expectations is not a good candidate in my book and usually this is younger people.....but not always.

A well educated patient is good by this I mean someone who has done plenty of research.

 

[topccat29]

In this age of I want it yesterday mentality one could probably add the trait of patience to the list. It €™s takes a very patient person to be able to deal with the fact that you will need to wait 12 months to evaluate the final result. If multiple procedures are required it could be as long as 3-5 years.

Unfortunately I have seen too many posters in the past that have researched for only a few weeks and are ready to choose a clinic or have someone choose one for them, hence the popularity of the recommended list. This fact alone makes their inability to be patient somewhat apparent. Many don €™t seem to understand just how critical it happens to be to find out for yourself through phone conversations and meeting people in person. But I also understand the personal nature of the subject and the desire to remain anonymous. It does present a huge dilemma for a prospective patient. Regardless, I would add to the list that if a patient does not have the ability to meet with others in person or speak on the phone they are a poor candidate because their research will have been inadequate.

I was this person 25 years ago. Because I felt ashamed to ask others and to speak freely I made very poor decisions. Some of the clinics in my past came very highly recommended by all appearances what seemed to be very reputable sources. I didn €™t quite understand that these clinics were required to pay a fee to be on the recommended list and I was too naïve and inexperienced to understand the conflict of interest that it presented. If I would have just spoken to a few people it would have made a world of difference.

 

[zionaxel]

Also if your prepared to revolve your life around maybe a few procedures over the next few years, spend to much time on forums and then constantly wonder if anyone will notice that you have had a hairtransplant. Also another thing to think about is can you financially afford to have it done.Along with good donor then you are a good candidate.

If your none of these then your not.

 

[topccat29]

I think some of the traits listed so far which were aimed at younger men, also apply to other age groups. Picking up on small cues including body and verbal cues can help to determine if someone will be easily pleased or possibly hard to satisfy. I don €™t think one necessarily has to be a doctor in order to perform this evaluation, and it €™s probably better served by someone who has experienced working with numerous amounts of people in the area of customer service.

It almost becomes second nature to those that have done it long enough. Without giving up some of my previous work experience I have found this to be a very easy skill to pick up over time. While I have also noticed others with equal experience are completely oblivious to these same slight cues. This makes having a people person regardless of if it €™s a doctor, make that initial contact with a prospective patient. They are better suited in determining if the patient is a good candidate or not.

Obviously a person that is hard to please would make a very poor candidate regardless of their age and would be a disservice to both the patient and the clinic, even if they had great hair characteristics.

I would have to disagree somewhat with the point of having to spend time on the forums. My opinion from what I have seen and heard over the many years is that the vast majority of patients do not spend time on the forums nor is it a requirement. Most that do come to the forums come only for a short time and initially it €™s just in search of information. In fact most probably do not even post during this time but rather lurk. Many of the patients that have had fantastic results tend to move on and coming back to help others is not necessarily on their list of priorities. It would not surprise me if many of these same patients even failed to supply follow up photos to the very clinics that brought some happiness into their lives. Too many people tend to forget too easily which is sad. The disgruntled patients for the most part stay for only an instant burning white hot only to flame out just as fast. Then of course you have the diehards that have been around for years of which there are very few offering their advice to others. I believe this has more to do with having accumulated knowledge about a specific subject and then wanting to pass this same knowledge on to others. At least that €™s the way it is for me. One would probably not want to be around me if the subject of nutrition came up, I can €™t see to keep my mouth closed.

These are just my opinions. Of course the physical characteristics of being a good candidate have to be there. The numbers have to add up and sometimes only so much is possible. And sometimes only so much can make a person happy, which still makes them a good candidate.

 

[zionaxel]

People who have accepted hairloss as part of there life and realize it is something which just happens seem much more content. I remember what hairloss ment to me in my early 20s and found it devasating and was prepared to do what ever it took to fix it. I was very wrong and obviously wasnt mentally strong enough to come to terms with hairloss and made a massive mistake. My fault totally it was easy for me to say that we didnt have the forums and the amount of information like we do today. Bottom line was it was my decision my mistake.
Anyone thinking about having a h.t regardless of being a suitable candidate should really think about the future. If you are in your early 20s i know it sucks but i know with time you will come to terms with it and eventually it wont mean anything anymore . I speak to people on a daily basis with hairloss and those in there 30s to early 40s who have had hairloss for many years have accepted it and moved on.

 

[topccat29]

Zion, I agree desperation makes for a very poor patient, especially if they happen to go to a clinic that is all too eager to take advantage of them, which is very easy to do. And younger patients are always the most desperate.

Here in the United States the phrase €œplease consult your physician € is drilled into our heads on a constant basis. 99% of the population is extremely afraid of even considering something that would go against what their doctor advises. This is not hyperbole, but actual reality. I am astonished at the advice doctors often give and even more astonished at the people that follow it. Unfortunately power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely still hold true. Many patients are just a victim of their conditioning. I can say this now only because I know better. Looking around at people close to my own age one can €™t help but notice that they are on multiple medications at the advice of their doctor. Do they need these medications, most likely they do not and a different approach would lead to less pain and misery. Trying to convince them of this is nearly impossible as the conditioning has been too great. I see this same conditioning with young patients wanting a ht. Sometimes they just do not want to listen to common sense, which makes them a poor candidate.

This is why ethical clinics fully inform patients in a very frank manner. Sometimes is might not necessarily be what the patient wants to hear, but an informed and educated patient makes for a better candidate for everyone involved and leads to less pain and misery.

 

[My WHTC Hair Talk]

Thanks for all of your comments, I agree with all of them. Here at our clinic we ask the younger patient to start with med therapy (rogaine or propecia) first and then come back to us in a few year to evaluate the hairloss pattern. We do not want to start a hairtransplant on any patient that we know is not going to have enough donor area to meet their goals. If you start hair restoration too early you may not have enough donor hair to finish. Remeber hairloss is a life long process. If we decide to move forward with a young patient we move very slow with small session. Patient are first here at MYWHTC.