HT Clinics

[Northen Lad]

Hi guys, my HT experience so far.1st HT 1800 FUE - Dr Cole in Atlanta. A good experience and good results. 2nd HT 1000 FUE - a UK clinic which I won't name just yet. A good experience, but results below my expectations. Sandwiched in between was a micro pigmentation with HIS hair. It did kinda work, but would not recommend this to anyone.


Now I'm considering my 3rd and I hope final HT. What I now need is to add density to the front and top.So the question is: How best to select a clinic/doctor and what the best selection criteria is? There are so many posts and pictures recommending so many different clinics it's difficult to decide which is best. My short list is below, with explanations of why.

1. Farjo - seems to be well respected, has lots of pics on display and a leading clinic with good doctors. 2. Crown Clinic - only UK clinic recommended by Spex. Although not many postings or pics available. Not so sure about this one. I asked Spex why he recommened Crown, but got no response? 3. Dr Reddy - lots of pics, but not seen too many posts. Seems to get really good density with FUE.4. BHR - lots of posts and pics about/from BHR. Dr Bisanga is well respected and seems to get consistently good results.

After spending a good sum of money on my 2nd HT I'm much more hesitant towards my 3rd and need to be sure I'm in the very best hands.

 

[baldasabadger10]

Sorry to read your second operation didn't meet your expectations. Pretty sure I know who it is but won't name them out of respect to your wishes. Have you contacted them, what did they say?
Out of the others I would opt for BHR or the Farjo Institute. I certainly wouldn't use a clinic on the advice of someone who works in the industry and has been anti United Kingdom for over a decade, especially as he hasn't even had work done there himself.
Why wouldn't you recommend the pigments though?

 

[Northen Lad]

Thanks badger, micro pigmentation looks ok in a some lights and pretty awful in poor electric lighting. It just doesn't look totally convincing, however hair type and colour, and skin colour/tone may have an influence on this.

 

[baldasabadger10]

Oh I see thanks, do you shave down then? Could you post a few pictures in different lights so I could see what you mean because I was contemplating this in the future. Would love to see your transplant too if it's not too much trouble?

 

[Northen Lad]

Badger, I will sort some pics out but have let my hair grow out a little as I am meeting with the clinic that performed my 2nd HT and wanted my hair longer to allow a better idea of the results. Therefore the micro pigmentation won't be that visible. I do usually have my hair shaved to about 4mm which I found suited me best. At this length it blended in better with the micro pigmentation, any shorter and my head looked too shiny.

 

[topccat29]

Hey Northern Lad I don €™t have a pet dog but I do have pet chickens for eggs. Here is something interesting that happened this week. One of the baby hens had a serious condition, her intestines were hanging out her backside it €™s referred to as a prolapse and most do not survive. I read up enough on it that I was able to help her survive by following several steps over several days including pushing her intestines back into her body and holding them inside for her. The condition happens when they start to lay eggs to early.

The main point is that you would have never known the bird was injured unless you looked for it. They need to remain stoic because if they don €™t the rest of the birds will go after her if they sense weakness and they will be merciless. Humans are much the same way sometimes when they see weakness in another and this is partly why cosmetic surgery for men is so secretive because it's perceived as a human weakness and many will feed off that weakness to move up the pecking order (status).

What I don €™t like about tattooing is that if some young guy is called out for having ink dots on his head which I have read before people can sometimes be merciless and they will tear him apart. Is that worth the risk to put someone in that position €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦not in my opinion. I can €™t imagine having to walk around with a shaved head and ink dots on it and that is why I have such a strong view against it.

Thanks for sharing your own experience and thoughts on micropigmentation. Those in the industry will laugh at this little story..............but those considering micropigmentation should take it seriously. Unless you have the backbone and balls to stand up for yourself I would pass on it.

 

[JoeTillman]

Northernlad,

The absolute best way to find out which clinic is for you is to follow a few simple guidelines.

1. Don't listen to anyone on the internet that has not actually met the doctor, been to the clinic, or met a patient that has been to the doctor or clinic in question (the last one is a stretch in and of itself). There are those that have seen pretty pictures and have read stories of valor about the doctors that perform the procedure but in the end it is all manure. For instance, there is one guy on the forums that talks about the admirable qualities of a doctor that he says carries himself with honor. What he isn't telling people is that the doctor is a probable drug addict because he was busted for self-prescribing while patients were left alone in the clinic with ZERO supervision. There wasn't even a janitor in the building at the time. He'll also tell you that another doctor is honorable because he has patients into his home but what he doesn't tell you is that this doctor has a filthy OR and an open toilet in the OR itself that, if the authorities new about, would have him shut down and most likely revoke his license to practice medicine.



2. If you can go to the clinic that you are considering schedule a consultation and show up an hour or hour and a half before your scheduled appointment. This way you can sit in the lobby and just sit there and observe. Pay attention and watch what goes on then if you see anything that is questionable you can ask about it in your consultation.

3. Meet patients. I don't mean through message boards and Skype. I mean offer to buy them a nice dinner and drinks in exchange for them sitting down to talk to you. Sometimes people will refuse this and will be happy to just talk to you but sometimes you have to offer some sort of enticement.

4. Absolutely positively IGNORE anyone that says "I've heard good things" or "I've read good things" about so and so doctor or clinic. This is not only unqualified because it is posted by anonymous individuals it is also hearsay, for better or for worse.

You can download my HT doctor questionaire which is a list of 25 questions that are designed to keep honest people honest and make dishonest people shift in their seats.

The internet has become a breeding ground for deception and false influence. The only thing that should be influencing you is actual first hand accounts from people that have come into contact with the doctor/clinic you are considering. Nothing else and no one else matters. Period.

 

[topccat29]

Northern Lad you should post some pictures. There might be a chance that you don €™t need further work at the moment and the balance of donor you have available might be better saved for future use. Some guys keep trying to hammer the same area with more density not realizing that hair transplantation is a very limited procedure and sometimes 30-40% of original density is the best that can be achieved. Not only that but on a NW 6 should you be heading in that direction the average donor of 4000 fue represents probably about 20% or the original hair. 20% represents reality so it needs to be used wisely should the need arise. Many of the younger guys simply do not understand the math because no one explained it to begin with..............and there is a reason for that............chances are they might not be able to close the sale.

Maybe you are trying to cover up the tattooed hair dots and maybe the better option would be to laser it off but even that can be risky.


The more opinions you gather, the more people you speak to, the longer time you spend watching the forums and how it all works the better the decision you will make in the end. Time is your friend...........use as much of it as possible as it costs nothing.

Northern Lad my observation over time has been that some of the best of the best in this business are probably the most low key when it comes to outside representation. They might have a rep that works exclusively for them or no rep at all. Names like Woods, Lorenzo, etc come to mind. I honestly believe there is a reason for this. They don €™t need the hoopla of the guys out there that represent half a dozen different doctors with all types of banner endorsements as part of their marketing campaign. The work and the ethics simply speaks for itself over time and the carnival type atmosphere is not needed.

I know as far as marketing goes having Big Bob €™s muscle magazine might be a great endorsement for those that know nothing about the ht industry along with ABC, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, etc but it is simply marketing and has zero to do with results and ethics. It's a good point to consider.
No different than choosing a name off a list of 50+ doctors someone puts together...........it means zero in reality.

 

[Northen Lad]

Thanks Joe, I can tell you're very passionate about this. I will heed your advice. Will also down load your questionnaire.

 

[Northen Lad]

Thanks again Topcat. What I should have also stated is that I'm mid forties and using minoxidil and recently adding propecia has brought my hair loss to what seems a complete stop. Wish I'd heard/used propecia years back. I've been on propecia for 16 months and noticed almost immediately that my shedding more or less stopped, and has been the same since. This is why I thought a 1000 FUE would be sufficient for my 2nd HT to add density as my hair was no longer thinning.

 

[topccat29]

Northern Lad good luck to you and I hope to see you update in the future on your decision and results.

There is a case on Hairsite that you should take a look at by Dr. Woods listed under "ACE 1500 fue". The reason being is that there are only a few doctors that have been around for a long time that have been able to achieve consistently high yields and if patients really understood how very limited donor is they would understand one cannot afford to waste one hair.

What is interesting about Dr. Woods in my opinion is that he doesn €™t really post showcase results at least that has been my impression. What he does post are depictions of yields. Look at the numbers extracted and look at the yield and you say to yourself that is very good that looks like 100% yield. Only a few doctors out there can achieve these high yields in my opinion and history has proven this to be true. So look for an extensive body of work that spans years.

 

[Northen Lad]

Topcat, you been a great help. Thanks.

 

[topccat29]

Northern Lad can I ask just one favor from you and you can be as brief as possible. I think it would help others. Some forums promote robotics and micropigmentation more so than others and in my opinion these are not the best choices and I have stated countless times over and over the last several years. I think many young guys are simply unaware just because something is promoted doesn €™t necessarily mean it €™s the best choice and the industry seems to be okay with guys just having to figure it out for themselves without actually spelling it out for them. It becomes almost a silent type of war for customers.

Can you tell us why you chose to have the tattooing? Was it from visiting forums and becoming caught up in the hype or something else? If you feel uncomfortable answering than that €™s okay too €¦ €¦..I understand I was just curious.

 

[Northen Lad]

The main reason was financial. I'd had a HT and would have preferred a second, but finances were tight. I had a choice to either watch my hair get thinner or shave it. I've had my head shaved previously so thought that's the way to go. About the same time I noticed the micro pigmentation (MP) thing, and that it was financially achievable. I did some research, but not nearly enough. My thinning hair had become an all encompassing obsession, and I saw a way out, and I took it. In the short term it was ok. I still had hair so the MP kinda blended in as long as I kept my hair very short - 3mm. I wouldn't recommend MP to anyone, even though it kinda worked, it didn't. In a harsh electric light it looked fake and didn't give the same appearance as real hair - no matter how short I shaved it. I think if you have a darker skin tone and thick hair it would be more suitable. The pics on the MP websites are obviously taken in the most flattering light and aren't a true reflection of what MP's look like in differing lights from differing angles. Having said all that I still felt better than being bald, but was never really happy with it.

 

[topccat29]

Northern Lad thanks €¦ €¦ €¦.maybe someone will make a different decision with more information. Even if it helps only one person that is going to matter for that one person and maybe change their life for the better. I have some very long winded threads that for most might not be worth reading which I can understand. The thread on robotics has a posting predicting that some forums will actively promote robotics which was dismissed by some in the industry and can now be seen to have been accurate. Same with some of what I have posted on things like Acell, etc and eventually the same will happen with tattooing but not before a great deal of harm is done in my opinion.

People that promote are in the business of making money plain and simple. The problem is that when one wants the best possible option which is the patient it might not be what is being promoted so one needs to be able to spend the time to weed through it all which is just too much work for most as most simply want the easy answer and the promotoers know this. Since there are more promoters out there than those that simply inform out of passion most fall into the trap of the promoters.

I have about 30 books on the subject of Psychopathy under my belt with more to go. I would suggest a little reading in that area, it could be helpful. I spoke to a long time repair patient last night and one of the lessons we learned is that the majority in this industry simply do not think like we do. Meaning you are a good person with a conscience and chances are you can €™t imagine harming someone for money or potentially harming someone for money. You might be thinking people are like you which is normal €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦but they are not. One of the better reads which is recent for me is €œSnakes in Suits € When Psychopaths Go To Work € €¦ €¦ €¦.it can €™t hurt to maybe give it a read €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦.it €™s only information. You might find that you will draw some parallels with what you see in the online world.

There are good people in this industry providing information along with superior procedures it just becomes difficult to find. Meet people in person in their homes. Knowing where to find them is critical as honest people will be surrounded by other honest people for the most part.

http://www.hairlossexperiences.com/view_topic.php?id=4039&forum_id=2

http://www.hairlossexperiences.com/view_topic.php?id=4039&forum_id=2

 

[Northen Lad]

Thanks again Topcat. I'm definitely spending more time looking into different clinics and docs and will not be rushing the next HT. This is in part thanks to posters like yourself, and in part (unfortunately) to bad experiences. From the information gathered so far, I'm pretty confident I'll choose the right Doctor, and will hopefully be posting some good results.

 

[Northen Lad]

Hi guys, not been on for a while as really busy with work. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm booked in with Dr Farjo for 25th Nov. I'll post a few pics and keep you up to date.

 

[Bigmac]

All the best for your next HT, will look forward to seeing and hearing all about it.

 

[Northen Lad]

Cheers Bigmac.

 

[Bigmac]

You're welcome mate.