My thoughts on HT

Hair Transplant
1

To me, the thought of getting a HT, even from one of the top ranked HT doctors, is a very scary proposition. I can cite more than one instance where a Google search has turned up patients who have gone to “one of the the best doctors in the world” and gotten butchered.

IMO, the majority of patients should not get a HT because, they would look better bald. I see many claims by physicians stating that their HT’s are completely natural looking, but the photos don’t always back up these statements.

I think some bald guys get so obsessed with the fact that they have bald heads, that they fail to see that an unnatural HT looks worse than the bald head. Some of these guys are spending over $100,000.00 to look worse than they would have looked had they simply made a psychological adjustment and gotten on with their lives.

Before any person undergoes HT, they need to remind themselves that they are probably overly sensitive and obsessed with their appearance. If you are that sensitive about your appearance, how are you going to feel about walking around with an unnatural looking HT on your head? Will you get paranoid that people will know it is a HT? Will you become more self-conscious about how the HT looks than you were about how the bald head looked?

Personally, I would love to get a HT and be one of the patients that ends up getting the “wow” result. However, I’m not delighted about the prospect of becoming one of the patients, with the horrible result, who ends up blogging hundreds of irate hate articles. Add to that the fact that I really can’t afford the HT in the first place, and HT quickly starts to become a no go for me.

HT is an inconsistent procedure. My best advice to anyone considering it is to limit your risk. IOW, don’t allow a doctor to dense-pack your head in a hair-bearing area in one visit. Don’t be the first patient to undergo a new procedure just because it is being offered at a discount. Don’t be the first patient to undergo a treatment by an experienced strip surgeon who is just beginning to learn an already accepted technique such as FUE. If you are young and just starting to bald, don’t allow the doctor to give you a dense teenage hairline. Try to be realistic about what you can expect from the treatment. Etc. You have limited donor hair, which makes it more valuable than the money you are spending to have it moved from one place to another. So treat it like the gold that it is and don’t make hasty emotional decisions.

Due your research, proceed with caution, and make the best choice. After all, you will live with the outcome of that choice for the rest of your life. Look at the full body of work performed by the physicians you are considering and ask yourself what you would do if you turned out to be one of their worst cases. But you also have to give the doctors some leeway. Just because they made a mistake doesn’t mean they are a poor choice. People make mistakes. The important thing is whether their body of work shows that they learn from their mistakes and don’t repeat them. IOW, have they become better surgeons due to having made some real bone-head mistakes in the past?

It’s very unfortunate that the HT industry is unregulated. This allows clinics to only feature their very best work. So be sure and do a thorough Google search on any clinic or doctor you are thinking of using so that you can be certain that you are judging as complete a body of work as possible. If you find a case that concerns you, don’t be afraid to ask the doctor his side of the story. HT can be a good choice for some patients. But it can also be a terrible choice for others. It is up to you to limit your risk and get the best outcome you can. Keep in mind that no HT at all just might turn out to be the best decision you can make. That is not a slam on HT; it’s just to say that people need to proceed cautiously. Don’t make up your mind you must get a HT before you even do the research it takes to figure out whether it will be a good decision for you.

2

good post.

3

We have been socialized to care about our appearance. It’s the reason why you are here too, looking for solutions, as opposed to just letting things be. However, this care and attention that we give ourselves need not descend to the level of obsession (narcissism, maybe, but not obsession). There is a subtle difference.

From my research, the majority of patients that get an HT are satisfied with the results. And I had to be reminded of that fact: “a patient’s happiness is paramount.” Even though, I might think, “Boy, that HT doesn’t look very good.”

And now, especially with the advent of FUE, etc., an HT can be absolutely undetectable to a layperson. It is still expensive, I will agree. But I remember a poster writing that had he bought a cheaper car, and gotten an HT instead, he’d be happier today.

4

»
» From my research, the majority of patients that get an HT are satisfied
» with the results. And I had to be reminded of that fact: “a patient’s
» happiness is paramount.” Even though, I might think, “Boy, that HT
» doesn’t look very good.”

The sad truth is the majority of your research covers less then 1% of the patients who have had the procedure done. It’s probably not even .01% of the patients. Not a very accurate view.

5

JB, I agree. Instead of finding ways to put chest hair onto our scalps, the doctors should have spent their time finding a real solution.

6

you are talking complete rubbish just using a transplant to frame your face and maybe a light dusting on the crown makes all the difference in your appearence , you would rather be slick bald

7

» The sad truth is the majority of your research covers less then 1% of the
» patients who have had the procedure done. It’s probably not even .01% of
» the patients. Not a very accurate view.

The real question is what percentage of the patients of a particular doctor (the one you plan to go to) are satisfied. It doesn’t matter if 99% of HT recipients are unhappy that they went to other doctors. What matters is that the majority of patients who go to the doctor you have chosen are happy. :wink:

8

» you are talking complete rubbish just using a transplant to frame your face
» and maybe a light dusting on the crown makes all the difference in your
» appearence , you would rather be slick bald

The thing is the industry is evolving. The chances of you getting a bad transplant from one of the top docs is becoming less and less. Even if you do, most of them will fix it for free.

9

» The sad truth is the majority of your research covers less then 1% of the
» patients who have had the procedure done. It’s probably not even .01% of
» the patients. Not a very accurate view.

Irrespective of how much or how little research you believe was done, I stand by what I wrote: the majority of patients are “satisfied” with their HT. Perhaps, I should have qualified my post by doctor (e.g. Wolf, Wong, Cole) and procedure done (e.g. FUE) , but…

If you have information to the contrary, I’d like to read it.

10

» If you have information to the contrary, I’d like to read it.

Sure, just send me an e-mail htrepair1@yahoo.com

11

Please post the information here, for all to benefit.

12

» Please post the information here, for all to benefit.

Although this is probably not intended for me, as for relevant info I could post, I don’t think that would bode well for certain clinics and could also be considered as biased and prejudiced against those that happened to be selected for inclusion. Information is out on the web and freely available for anyone who is concerned. The risks are present in both the old strip procedures as well as the newer FUE/BHT procedures.

Thus, one must make the most informed decisions possible, and that requires time and effort. HT decisions should never be made amidst emotionally-based panic and/or desperation. In fact, it would be a good idea to ask for a voided copy of the contract to take home and contemplate before you decide to sign on the dotted line. Far too many people who end up on the wrong side of the HT coin cite the unfair nature of the contract they signed. The point is, one needs to not only consider what might happen if all goes well; they need to consider what might happen if things don’t go well. For instance, what happens if the clinic screws up through no fault of the patient, and there is not enough donor hair to fix the damage? Questions such as these need to be addressed before signing the contract–not afterwards.

For some people, HT is the best thing they have ever done; for others, it is the worst. Thus, as in any risk-based game, the goal is to minimize risk and maximize the odds of gain. Research is essential when building such a strategy. The more informed and prepared a patient becomes, the greater his odds of a successful result.

Truthfully, I believe clinics should bear the burden of educating their patients about the risks involved as well as ensuring that patients have realistic expectations as to what they should expect. But since this isn’t always the case, we have google, which is the better methodology, as long as it gets heavily used.

13

JB, well said.

14

» » you are talking complete rubbish just using a transplant to frame your
» face
» » and maybe a light dusting on the crown makes all the difference in your
» » appearence , you would rather be slick bald
»
» The thing is the industry is evolving. The chances of you getting a bad
» transplant from one of the top docs is becoming less and less. Even if you
» do, most of them will fix it for free.

The consequences of extreme shock loss are that you don’t have enough donor hair to get back to where you were before the HT, let alone replace the donor hairs that were taken. Thus the, “they will fix it for free” guarantee is worthless in such cases. And even in the lessor cases of HT-gone-wrong, the guarantee leaves a lot to be desired. If you have a 1500 graft FUE that results in poor regrowth, those follicles are gone forever. Thus you can have 1500 more grafts removed from your donor to fix the damage, but you have now used up 3000 grafts out of your precious donor site to get 1500 grafts worth of hair. Chances are, unless HM or something else comes along to save the day, when you get older, you will be left with a freakish looking HT island.

One patient I ran across recently got an FUE/BHT HT from one of the top ranked docs, but the doctor packed the grafts too close causing shockloss. The guy’s existing hair fell out, and he has no donor grafts left to fix his mess of a head. He spent over 100 thousand dollars, and the clinic has refused to offer a refund citing that, “the hair would have eventually fallen out anyways.”

I’ve come across numerous other cases where the FUE grafts didn’t grow at all. This does not provide me with much confidence in getting a HT. To add insult to injury, most HT clinics showcase the good results and hide the bad results. It is impossible to obtain any idea of how many bad HT take place compared to good ones. With a procedure where the downside risk is getting butchered for life, patients have an ethical right to obtain statistical data on prospective outcomes BEFORE they sign a contract guaranteeing large sums of money to a clinic. However, there isn’t a single clinic in the world that provides its patients with such data. Personally, I would be much more likely to get a HT if such data existed, but since I am the exception to the rule, the clinics wisely choose the most profitable business model and fail to collect and publish the data.

All that being said, I’m still considering a HT at some point in the future. But due to the nature of the HT business, I am very leery of going under the knife. As far as I can tell, the only way to offset the clinic’s in-house advantage over its patients is to become as informed as possible before signing the contract and be prepared to walk away if the clinic’s contract does not seem fair to its patients.

15

You have been around a LONG time all over hairsite–how about your stats as of right now–and a picture.

I am curious to what degree hairloss you really have or don’t, as I am sure others maybe as well.

Thanks!

narc

16

Good post James bond, as usual you show a very mature and wise outlook towards this industry.

Just one little tought on your comments. I think that the 100k figure you mentioned is total bullshit. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you’re liyng or something but the guy probably exaggerated a bit.

If you take a look a the current prices he must have had something in the region of at least 15/20.000 grafts to spend that much. Considering that one of the most expensive Docs here is Armani (who does not perform BHT) and that the other doctors charge, on average, 4 to 6 dollars per graft, it seems to me that your friend’s making pretty outlandish claims.

I am planning to have my HT (hopefully 5000 grafts) and spend about 18.000 dollars. If I were to do that three times (which would be impossible for many reasons)I’d spend less than 60.000 dollars in total, and have 15.000 grafts on my head. Now, unless this doc charges a ridiculous amount of money for body hair your friend’s figure sounds bogus.

You make a good point though, as absurd as it may sound, it is better to be a good NW5 or 6 and therefore have very little resident hair left on your scalp. In this way you can be sure that there will be little if any loss of pre-existing hair.

If I were a NW 3 or 4 and lost all my hair because of an HT I would be going absolutely biserk!!!

17

That’s a lot of money for a hair transplant. Is Armani really the best that’s why his price is the most expensive?

It’s way more expensive than what I paid for my car.

18

» I am planning to have my HT (hopefully 5000 grafts) and spend about 18.000
» dollars.

piperz,

How are you going to get so many grafts so inexpensively? That’s $3.60/g. Are you going for strip instead if FUE? If so, as a strip veteran I wish I could talk you out of that. But, $3.60 is pretty cheap even for strip. How are you going to get the price so low?

19

» » I am planning to have my HT (hopefully 5000 grafts) and spend about
» 18.000
» » dollars.
»
» piperz,
»
» How are you going to get so many grafts so inexpensively? That’s $3.60/g.
» Are you going for strip instead if FUE? If so, as a strip veteran I wish I
» could talk you out of that. But, $3.60 is pretty cheap even for
» strip. How are you going to get the price so low?

Hello Rick,
I actually underestimated a bit. The actual figure is close to 20.000 dollars. My bad.

Yes the only procedure that would allow me to get that many grafts is Strip.
I am planning to get it done by the most qualified clinic (in my opinion) that performs only this kind of procedure. I know that Strip can be a nightmare if improperly perfomed but I am confident in the quality of the work of the doctor I chose.

Anyway I would like to hear from you. What was your experience? which doctor operated on you? what was the results? and finally why would you advise against it.

Thank you. Your imput is very welcome.

20

» Good post James bond, as usual you show a very mature and wise outlook
» towards this industry.
»
» Just one little tought on your comments. I think that the 100k figure you
» mentioned is total bullshit. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you’re
» liyng or something but the guy probably exaggerated a bit.
»
» If you take a look a the current prices he must have had something in the
» region of at least 15/20.000 grafts to spend that much. Considering that
» one of the most expensive Docs here is Armani (who does not perform BHT)
» and that the other doctors charge, on average, 4 to 6 dollars per graft,
» it seems to me that your friend’s making pretty outlandish claims.

Thanks :slight_smile:

He had a large number of scalp and body grafts moved, and it cost in excess of $100,000.00. That price is not out of line for having so many grafts moved. When all was all said and done, due to shock loss caused from too dense of packing, the patient ended up with about half the hair he originally started with.

Armani was not the doctor that did the work. But the doctor that did the work is an extremely skilled HT surgeon. Bad things can and do happen even to very skilled and careful doctors. IMO, the doctor is actually a better doctor for having made this mistake, because he learned from it and is quite unlikely to repeat it on anybody in the future. I believe it happened because he was having good success on a number of patients and felt comfortable with the procedure as performed. Then came along the principle of biochemical individuality where no two patients respond alike to the same treatment. In short, all heck broke loose. In such cases, good doctors will adjust their protocols so that no other patients are harmed in the future.

Unfortunately, with most (or perhaps all) HT contracts, if you have a very poor result, you will not get a refund, and your results will not be put up on the clinic’s website so that others can get a better idea of the risks involved. If I could change anything about the HT industry, that’s what it would be.