In Need of some Hair Transpplant Advice

[JWS]

Hi guys and (girls) I have been a lurking member on here for the last couple of years and this is my first post as I have decided I need to move forward with this. I have been looking in to the idea of surgery for a while and been to see a few places but im still not 100% convinced.

The dilemma I am facing is I am deluged with the same information €¦ €¦ €¦.These are best, various operation sizes will be needed, it €™s cheaper in x country etc.



One person I spoke to told me to perhaps look at it a different way once I have decided that surgery was for me.. He told me that there are lots of good clinics round but I need to ensure that they have systems in place in case my treatment does not turn out as expected. Which brings me to my question how should someone actually complain if things are not as expected?

This is probably going to be one of the last pieces of the jigsaw.

I`m on meds and not really losing much hair and am coming up to 35.



Thank you for any guidance.



JW

 

[Vinci Hair Clinic]

JWS wrote:

Hi guys and (girls) I have been a lurking member on here for the last couple of years and this is my first post as I have decided I need to move forward with this. I have been looking in to the idea of surgery for a while and been to see a few places but im still not 100% convinced.

The dilemma I am facing is I am deluged with the same information €¦ €¦ €¦.These are best, various operation sizes will be needed, it €™s cheaper in x country etc.



One person I spoke to told me to perhaps look at it a different way once I have decided that surgery was for me.. He told me that there are lots of good clinics round but I need to ensure that they have systems in place in case my treatment does not turn out as expected. Which brings me to my question how should someone actually complain if things are not as expected?

This is probably going to be one of the last pieces of the jigsaw.

I`m on meds and not really losing much hair and am coming up to 35.



Thank you for any guidance.



JW

Hi JWS,
The way you phrased your question, which is an important one, is quite open, "turn out as expected, this could imply that the result was perfectly ok, but you expected more, maybe more than could technically be achieved.

For example hair density, it ´s not possible to totally mimic nature with hair density, so it can look perfectly natural after a hair transplant but under certain conditions the less density could become more visible.


So, an important research point should be to ensure you understand the limitations of a hair transplant, because it is possible to be disappointed if your expectations aren ´t met even though technically it has been performed well. Open communication is very important, don ´t just assume.

That said, if the result is actually under par, low density, poor yield etc then it is important you can resolve your problem without hassle, you have probably been through enough stress with the result. You should be asking the question before deciding on your Clinic how they deal with this, again that way no surprises if the unfortunate occurs.

When we feel cheated or let down, often the initial reaction is to shout and scream, but if someone does that to you no one likes it, even when we know we ´re in the wrong. It ´s got to be better to try and have an open dialogue and resolve the problem to the best conclusion. Obviously if one side is not being reasonable it becomes harder, so again, ask before you make your choice, get in writing if need be, and make sure you and the doctor are on the same page when it comes to what is possible.

Best of luck with your research.

 

[janna]

JWS wrote:

Which brings me to my question how should someone actually complain if things are not as expected?

By speaking directly to your patient advisor or physician directly once the full growth timeframe has been reached. Clinic's reputation for "patient care" during and after surgery is very important.

 

[sl]

Hi JW

While there are no guarantees with a surgical procedure, clinics will have track records that will usually be a good projection and indication of how patients will be dealt with and what results can be expected.

The first thing to avoid a poor result is to be a good candidate for what you want to achieve in the first place and ensure to have realistic goals and also a thorough consultation of your scalp to see donor density, miniaturisation, follicular groups you have, look at age and potential loss, medication and techniques.

A good starting point is vital for a good outcome so send photos to clinics and have some in person consultations and go from there as to what is achieveable.

All the best!

 

[JWS]

Vinci and SL thanks for the feedback,

Janna nice to know you, agreed now and I am glad I was told this by the guy whose clinic is one I am considering.

I have read of clinics walking away and shying out of any responsibilities which kind of worried me.

This is the problem with the Internet-too much information and overload.

He did tell me to go and look around different clinics and meet patients if possible.

 

[Mick From Farjo]

JWS

You ask some good questions and have had good feedback.

The simple answer is that a good clinic will always look after you from start to finish and want what you want. You just need to ensure that you are singing from the same songbook.All clinics will have had patients with less than optimal results and it is how they handle them that matters. Remember that it can take 12 months and longer for a result to materialise.

Definitely go visit places, ensure that your hair loss is pretty stable and take your time. Hair loss is a marathon and definitely not a sprint.

Keep us posted.

Mick

 

[topccat29]

JWS a good way of looking at it is it all depends on how much hair loss you will experience over a lifetime and what your expectations are once you understand the numbers. The numbers are neither good nor bad but just numbers and one does need to understand them completely.

If you do not use medication for example and you lose 50% of your hair the best you could hope to achieve long term might be achieving 25% of original coverage up on top which is a fairly low number for most depending on your perspective. Keep in mind this is 25% of the original 100% on top. Can you afford to lose any of it? If you chose fue only that number could very well be lower maybe 20% coverage. Most young guys simply don €™t understand these numbers and this is why you might see many of them use that 25% in a small area usually the hairline or maybe the crown only. They simply planned poorly out of desperation or maybe they were poorly advised. The numbers almost need to be drilled into their head which can cause one to hesitate or reconsider which is why many clinics fail to present a clear picture on this issue and even then some young guys don €™t listen and will find a clinic that will tell them what they want to hear.

The patients that end up having the biggest issues are those that choose a clinic that might not have the necessary skill and they waste some of that donor which is the most disturbing part of watching young guys shop price/location. If they lose those grafts on the first procedure they could very well now be left with donor that will only cover 10-15% of the hair that is lost long term €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦that is a very, very low number and this is in fact why having a return policy is of very little value.

Donor is finite €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦money is not. One can always work longer and harder while also waiting longer before considering a procedure. Unfortunately there is no room for error with hair transplantation. One must absolutely have chosen correctly the first go around or suffer the consequences of never being able to achieve what could have been their full potential.

No one can really tell a prospective patient not to go somewhere €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦it just doesn €™t work that way which makes sense if you think about it. So it does really come down to collecting enough information on one €™s own which is time consuming. Of course everyone selling something will think they are the best in their chosen field or they will simply state this because they have to but is this possible? For everyone to be of equal skill €¦ €¦ €¦.probably not so one really does need to spend enough time trying to figure it out.

Personally I believe the most time consuming aspect of all of this is determining whether a person is honest or not. That can only be done over very long periods of time which is why you will often hear some in the industry state you don €™t need to spend years researching. What I have found is that it does in fact take years as I can go back in time and read statements or simply go from memory and compare it to today and then make an assessment.

You could easily go to some forums and read WARNING postings but if those same patients would have taken the time to read postings from 15+ years ago in the history of some forums they would have read almost word for word the same type of postings as those warning postings. So one must ask why didn €™t they read that history. Because it much easier to just look at nice pictures and get all excited but in my opinion that would constitute poor research.

Good luck to you €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦ €¦..go slow.

 

[topccat29]

Additionally one must also consider when the ht fails to achieve the expected outcome does the patient go back to the same clinic and gamble the balance of donor which may provide coverage as low as 10-15%. Often times patients find themselves in these situations and it certainly can't be an easy decision. Sometimes they do go back and come up snake eyes and it's game over.

Choosing correctly and giving yourself the highest possible chance for a great outcome is not something to be taken lightly but you see it happening every day. Too often patients do not fully understand the procedure or the industry and this message constantly needs to be repeated. Go slow........if it takes years so be it. Better to wait than take the chance of being disfigured. Do not let marketers rush you into something that takes time to fully think through.

 

[JWS]

What is the percentage of hair transplants that are failures?.......... I have followed many online journals some of which complain the density is not there claiming it's a failure but I view it thinking it looks good when comparing to the before pictures.

 

[janna]

To come up with a figure in such a broad sense would be impossible. However,you could check with individual clinics as to what their success rate is and what their yield % do they expect. Some clinics may only have 60%, 70% success rates while top clinics will have 95% to 98%. Although, the clinics with lower success rates won't admit to their true figures. This is where you have to look at the clinics' results over the years. Make sure they have good, consistent results. As Mick says, the top quality clinics will work with you in achieving your goals as long as they are realistically achievable.

 

[Pete from Farjo]

How's the research going JWS? Have you had any consultations yet?