Schedule HT With Bosley in Atlanta

[Fleetwood271]

Hi Everyone. I am 48 and have been considering HT for 3 or 4 years. I'm a Class 4 - 5 on the Norwood scale. I live an hour North of Nashville.
I have scheduled a HT with Bosley in Atlanta. They are to do 2000 grafts.

I've read some bad things about Bosley, but I've also seen that they are improving. I still have time to cancel my surgery if I need to do so.

I honestly don't know if I've just got pre-surgery jitters, or if I'm having serious doubts about the whole thing.

I know that Bosely uses techs to place the grafts, instead of the doctor himself doing that. But, is that always a bad thing? I've read that I should choose to have this done where it is done everyday, and not just once a week or once a month. Bosley meets this requirement. Even if techs place the grafts, they are doing so under supervision, right?
I have also read that pitting can be caused by placing the grafts too deep. Is this something that has been known to come from Bosley more than other surgeons? And if I mention that on the day of my HT, would they not be more careful?

One more thing I read that concerns me , is that at least one Dr on this site said that realistically, he and his team cannot place more than 900 grafts in an 8 to 9 hour session. He said if more are needed, that would have to be done a year or so later. Yet, Bosley is saying they will do 2000 in one day. Is this not true? Will they not place that many?

I'd appreciate any thoughts or comments anyone would like to offer.

Thanks!

[mkamph]

i'd cancel it and go with an iahrs recommended surgeon. good luck with whatever direction you choose.

[Fleetwood271]

Can someone tell me why Bosley is such a bad choice? I am new to this whole thing, but just trying to understand.

Are there specific reasons for not going to Bosley? I understand their marketing techniques are kinda pushy. I also understand their consultations are by guys who are basically salesmen. They are not doctors.

But as far as the actual procedure, what is wrong with the way Bosley does it?

Thanks for your comments.

[wilymon]

Can someone tell me why Bosley is such a bad choice? I am new to this whole thing, but just trying to understand.

Are there specific reasons for not going to Bosley? I understand their marketing techniques are kinda pushy. I also understand their consultations are by guys who are basically salesmen. They are not doctors.

But as far as the actual procedure, what is wrong with the way Bosley does it?

Thanks for your comments.

I'm interested to know an answer to this also. What I've always thought is that it's like the difference between going to chain McDonalds restaurant that has a new crew every few months versus a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where the chef has been working there for 2 decades and cares about every customer and every burger he makes is a work of art.

[Deluxe]

The reason

I was in your shoes once, when I had set up a consultation with Bosley, but lucky for me, I found this forum. After much research, I realized that I made the best decision by not going to them. The basic reason is that Bosley is more assembly line type of clinic where they push volume over quality. Sure, once in a while they will hit a homerun, but I wouldn't take that chance.

Do your research, and find a doctor who is reputable and has had experience in the industry. The doctor that I chose was an IAHRS member (one of the elite docs) who performed his procedure on me with techs who have been with him for a long, long time. Plus, he implanted majority of the grafts himself. He was by my side the entire time and may have left for maybe 5 min out of the entire 8 hr procedure. I could have gone somewhere that was cheaper, but it may cost you much much more in the long run. I paid a little bit more, but that was worth having peace of mind and knowing that I was in good hands with an ethical and first rate doctor. My doctors name was Dr. Konior.

Do yourself a favor and find a doctor that is recommended on here and consult with a few before you make your final decision.

In my opinion, don't take a chance with Bosley.

[amadeus]

Bosley has a really bad reputation overall. I would strongly encourage you to listen to the members of this forum and go to an IAHRS surgeon if you go through with surgery. There are just too many horror stories from Bosley patients on these boards. I would not take the risk and they are fairly expensive too. I think you might have read the thing about only doing 900 grafts per day wrong. The average surgery is probably over 2000 in one day.

[Fleetwood271]

OK - I appreciate the replies.

I have now cancelled my appointment with Bosley, and have scheduled with Dr. Fisher, who is on this forum as one of the recommended doctors.

Have consultation next week and will probably do the procedure around middle of June.

After the consultation, I will post some before pictures and try to keep everyone up to date on the procedure and my progress in the coming months.

Thanks Again!

[wilymon]

very awesome. how did you decide on Fisher? Is he one of the doctors you'd looked into before? Is he gonna do more than 900? Keep us up to date!

[Fleetwood271]

very awesome. how did you decide on Fisher? Is he one of the doctors you'd looked into before? Is he gonna do more than 900? Keep us up to date!

I've done research on a few different doctors. Fisher is in Nashville only about 1hr from my home. So, much closer than Atlanta. Plus I will not have to stay overnight. If I went to Atlanta, I'd actually have been staying two nights (night before and night after).

Consultation with Dr. Fisher is next week. I won't know until then how many he will be doing. I spoke with his assistant today and told her how many Bosley had planned on doing and she didn't saying anything that would lead me to believe that they wouldn't be doing the same. She simply said that I should be aware that the number may change after the consultation.

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Sounds to me like you are still not sure and comfortable with where you are going to have your procedure done. You would be doing the right thing to postpone and do more due diligence.

[Jennylea]

I completely agree with Dr. Charles. There are so many amazing doctors in the US. There is no reason to rush a decision that will affect you for the rest of your life. This forum abounds with people who are willing to share their experiences. Take your time and make sure that you choose a doc that specializes in this procedure.

[Fleetwood271]

Sounds to me like you are still not sure and comfortable with where you are going to have your procedure done. You would be doing the right thing to postpone and do more due diligence.

Dr. Charles,

I appreciate your reply. Yes, I am trying to do my research and make the best decision. I've been considering this for about 3 years now. I have finally decided to do it. At first, I just thought, "Go to Bosley and get it done." But the more I read, I understand that I need to slow down and visit another doctor or two. And read all I can from as many sources as possible.
Thanks for weighing in on this.

[Fleetwood271]

I completely agree with Dr. Charles. There are so many amazing doctors in the US. There is no reason to rush a decision that will affect you for the rest of your life. This forum abounds with people who are willing to share their experiences. Take your time and make sure that you choose a doc that specializes in this procedure.

Thanks Jen. Lots of great people on here, with very valuable advice. I am a member on other forums like this on many subjects and it's amazing what you can learn from others with experience with the subject you are interested in. Thanks for your comment.

I will be back with a new post next week after my consult with Dr. Fisher in Nashville.
I want to share my experience and try to help as many others as I can.

Thanks!

[Rupi]

Good luck Fleetwood271, keep us posted. And I think you should not distance be the major deciding factor here. This is something that you will have to live with for rest of your life.

[Fleetwood271]

very awesome. how did you decide on Fisher? Is he one of the doctors you'd looked into before? Is he gonna do more than 900? Keep us up to date!

After examining my donor area, Dr. Fisher said he could do 1,500 grafts.