Trust and Knowledge

[JoeTillman]

I've been around the online hair restoration world for a long time, longer than most, and I've absorbed an extensive amount of knowledge over the years. 22 years ago I had two bad hair transplant procedures that made me miserable for most of my twenties and into my early thirties. I then received excellent repair work and started working in the very same industry that both scarred me and saved me. The cummulative experience has given me a unique perspective that few others share. In other words, I have very strong hair transplant kung fu, and I know how to use it

Dealing with hair loss is a very taxing emotional issue for a large portion of the population. It affects both men and women and while many deal with the problem in similar ways each person that deals with hair loss feels like they are the only person in the world.

Once one decides to do something about their hair loss they may find themselves in an increased state of anxiety. There are so many options available that the amount of information can be overwhelming. Add to that the fact that the majority of solutions available are worthless.

What must one do when they are faced with the daunting task of researching options? First, one must realize that they are not alone. One look around this forum and it is easy to see so many people discussing their issues. Hairlines, FUE, FUT, FUSS, strip, bad growth, wide donor scars, surgical complications, which doctor to trust, who does the best work, what types of procedures are best, etc. It is crazy how much there is to learn LOL!. The second thing to realize is that a picture is worth a thousand words but those words are not necessarily positive. Photos tell only part of the story and there is a large quantity of information to learn about this issue alone, which is beyond the scope of this post. No, this post is for a very specific purpose.

The most important thing to realize is that you cannot trust what you read and see at first glance. When you are reading through all of the information available to you it can be as confusing as a legal document. The key is is to find information that is measurable and can be relied upon for consistency. Asking others for advice is always a great idea but it is better to do so after you have spent enough time researching on your own. Call clinics to ask questions but more importantly reach out to other patients, ones that have had great results, of course, but MORE IMPORTANTLY those that have had NOT so great results. This way you will know what questions to ask so that you are better informed. You understand not only the answer but the question itself. If the correct questions are not asked then how can the right answer be given? Q&A seems like it should be a straightforward affair but you'd be surprised how often people just assume things and unfortunately it can wind up costing them DEARLY in the end regardless of how well they think they are prepared. It can be the biggest mistake of their lives, not just personally but professionally as well.

Think. Learn. Apply.

[PayDay]

Great post! I heard you on Spencer’s show on Tuesday and the one thing he always says is NOT to trust what you read on forums since you never know where the information is coming from. You might know me as Paul, I’ve called into the show over the years and spoke to you once. He preaches what you just said and I think it’s great coming from such a well respected hair forum expert like yourself. Keep up the good work!

[J_B_Davis]

I've been around the online hair restoration world for a long time, longer than most, and I've absorbed an extensive amount of knowledge over the years. 22 years ago I had two bad hair transplant procedures that made me miserable for most of my twenties and into my early thirties. I then received excellent repair work and started working in the very same industry that both scarred me and saved me. The cummulative experience has given me a unique perspective that few others share. In other words, I have very strong hair transplant kung fu, and I know how to use it

Dealing with hair loss is a very taxing emotional issue for a large portion of the population. It affects both men and women and while many deal with the problem in similar ways each person that deals with hair loss feels like they are the only person in the world.

Once one decides to do something about their hair loss they may find themselves in an increased state of anxiety. There are so many options available that the amount of information can be overwhelming. Add to that the fact that the majority of solutions available are worthless.

What must one do when they are faced with the daunting task of researching options? First, one must realize that they are not alone. One look around this forum and it is easy to see so many people discussing their issues. Hairlines, FUE, FUT, FUSS, strip, bad growth, wide donor scars, surgical complications, which doctor to trust, who does the best work, what types of procedures are best, etc. It is crazy how much there is to learn LOL!. The second thing to realize is that a picture is worth a thousand words but those words are not necessarily positive. Photos tell only part of the story and there is a large quantity of information to learn about this issue alone, which is beyond the scope of this post. No, this post is for a very specific purpose.

The most important thing to realize is that you cannot trust what you read and see at first glance. When you are reading through all of the information available to you it can be as confusing as a legal document. The key is is to find information that is measurable and can be relied upon for consistency. Asking others for advice is always a great idea but it is better to do so after you have spent enough time researching on your own. Call clinics to ask questions but more importantly reach out to other patients, ones that have had great results, of course, but MORE IMPORTANTLY those that have had NOT so great results. This way you will know what questions to ask so that you are better informed. You understand not only the answer but the question itself. If the correct questions are not asked then how can the right answer be given? Q&A seems like it should be a straightforward affair but you'd be surprised how often people just assume things and unfortunately it can wind up costing them DEARLY in the end regardless of how well they think they are prepared. It can be the biggest mistake of their lives, not just personally but professionally as well.

Think. Learn. Apply.

I agree, this is a very good post Joe. I think the biggest problem is that people with hair loss are very desperate. When they find a forum like this and start looking at all the wonderful pictures they automatically think that they will get the same results. They read about a few doctors from posts made by the more vocal members of forums and think they know who the best is, but as Payday pointed out, who are these people who are posting?. It’s like reading a yelp review or something. These people are not choosing which Mexican restaurant to got to, they are choosing who to have surgery with.!

Since you are an insider, what you post on this forum carries real weight and if you are telling people, not to always believe what they see, I think people should listen. I assume that you can never really get the whole truth from some clinics, but knowing how to search for the truth is very valuable.

[JoeTillman]

Hi guys,

Thanks for chiming in and I appreciate your posts. The problem with the hair restoration industry is that it is unregulated. The only standards that a clinic has to adhere to are the medical requirements for their respective state or province. This usually has to do with cleanliness, standard medical protocols, standard medical ethics and in some cases, advertising (which falls under the umbrella of ethics). There are no guidelines in place however that have anything to do with the hair transplant procedure itself or how patients are treated after the surgery so anything and everything that revolves around this niche industry lies outside the scope of what a governing medical body regulates.

One thing to consider is that there are no standards for terminology which can be very confusing. I'm not talking about basic descriptives such as "hairlines" or things like that. I'm talking about terminology that describes a procedure. Keep in mind, when one spends enough time online they will figure out what is what but even then this lack of standards can become a problem. Take the following hypothetical as an example.

A very smart patient performs his due diligence and investigates his hair loss options for years. He finally narrows his options down to two choices that he feels offers the best aesthetic for his needs, Doctor A and Doctor B. Doctor A says he will deliver a specific type of result and uses a special technique for the procedure, one that he helped invent. No surprises here as the patient has done lots of research and Doctor A delivered pretty much what the patient expected for his own diagnosis. Doctor B says not only can he give a more significant result but that he uses this same technique as Doctor A as well. Seems like an easy choice so Doctor B gets the patient's business. The patient is super happy and why wouldn't he be? He's researched more than the average patient thus he is more informed and is likely to have a smashing result.

The problem is that the patient did not take his research one step further. He did not confirm that both doctors used the same technique, he only trusted that Doctor B uses the same technique as Doctor A based on what he was told. Surgery day arrives and half way through the procedure the patient asks a question about the special technique he is receiving only to find out that it is NOT in fact the same procedure but rather what Doctor B considers to be the same procedure as that performed by Doctor A. Oops! There goes several years of research down the drain. How would one feel in this situation? I would be in absolute horror, myself. So what kind of recourse would this patient have in a case like this? Absolutely none because there are no actual guidelines or standards for what hair restoration terminology means. The traditional medical part is standardized so that part is covered but it is the specialized terminology that is established by clinics themselves that cannot be regulated and this means that a doctor can say anything he wants to lure you in. Chew on THAT for a moment.

I'll give you two examples:

1.) FUT or "strip" surgery. What does this mean? There is the obvious answer, a strip of tissue removed from the safe donor zone (this too is subject to interpretation!) to harvest hair for transplantation. Seems pretty simple, right? Wrong. Did you know that some clinics use single blade scalpels while others still use multi-blade scalpels? Do you know why some clinics have the patient laying prone during strip removal and some have patients sitting up in a chair? Do YOU know the differences and which may be better for you?

2.) FUE. What does this mean? It means "follicular unit extraction" of course but is it the same procedure for all clinics or do they have their own twist on things? Did you know that some clinics standardize on bigger punches vs. smaller punches? Some clinics will use motorized, some manual while others will use ARTAS or even vacuum thingies. I know one clinic used a syringe with a punch attached to the end because the measurements on the side allow for "depth control". Good grief!

The point is that just because a term is used that you've heard before it does not mean that you should stop there. Get the details, find out what you are really getting into because if you don't, it's not the clinic that pays the price, you are. You're the one wearing the result, on your head, for the rest of your life.

The lesson from this? Ask your questions but also verify the answers when possible. You don't want to learn what you're getting when it is halfway completed.

Think. Learn. Apply.

[PayDay]

Another great post! Thanks for starting this thread, I think it's very important.

[JoeTillman]

Thanks, Payday but I'm just getting started. It is time to unload a lot of what I know, which is substantial. This includes not only the type of information I posted above but also more of the basics, like the challenges for both FUE and FUT, the different types of hairline designs and what works for who. I'll talk more about megasessions and basically anything that anyone else wants to know about. I'm currently working on something that is very basic but quite necessary. This is to protect patients and keep clinics accountable. I don't think there is enough of that.

[PayDay]

Thanks, Payday but I'm just getting started. It is time to unload a lot of what I know, which is substantial. This includes not only the type of information I posted above but also more of the basics, like the challenges for both FUE and FUT, the different types of hairline designs and what works for who. I'll talk more about megasessions and basically anything that anyone else wants to know about. I'm currently working on something that is very basic but quite necessary. This is to protect patients and keep clinics accountable. I don't think there is enough of that.

That’s one reason I’m such a big fan of the Bald Truth. It seems that Spencer unloads every week. He always talks about the dangers of taking what’s posted on the forums too seriously, since you just don’t know who is really posting it and that hair transplants can go wrong even when done by the best clinics. You just don’t hear that stuff anywhere else. I really enjoy when you are on his show Joe, you two have some very interesting conversations and look forward to reading what you are going to "unload", I'm sure it will be helpful to everyone.

[balding1983]

Hi, I've found my introduction to the hair restoration community rather bewildering considering I'm a complete newbie. I am in the process of considering a HT. Often, the easy part is the choice of surgeon. I have narrowed my list to a number of well known European docs.

What really scares me is that there are a plenty good-excellent examples of HTs posted here. I have found it really difficult to find examples of less than optimal HT results. They must exist because considering the number of HTs done every year, I would imagine they account for a fairly significant portion of the total number. There are some threads in the experiences section where patients would enthusiastically start recording their progress but as soon as there are signs of a below par outcome, the original poster goes quiet. I find this really disconcerting as a future patient. Was the patient silenced by the Clinic?

I'm fortunate to live in a country with an excellent public healthcare system that prioritises the wellbeing of the patient. As I pay for the priviledge of a HT, I would expect at least some level of care of accountability in the case of poor result.

Any advice you could offer from your years of being in the industry is appreciated with thanks.

[JoeTillman]

Hi Balding1983,

I understand your frustration. Your concern is a valid one. When a patient is having an issue and then they go quiet a couple of reasons are possible. Yes, the clinic may have given a refund to the patient in exchange for their silence. However, another reason may be that the clinic and the patient came to an agreement that the patient may be too anxious and the patient should simply take a break from the forums. I've seen patients get a little too involved in the forums and they are given bad advise which has led to unrealistic expectations. This happens.

Of course, a large percentage of patients complain and then after a few more months their result turns out fine but they don't bother to update anyone online because they are happier and just want to move away from the forums. This is extremely frustrating because patients want to know what is going on but more than that, the clinic wants the patient to update everyone so they don't look bad, lol!

I think for you, you should start a thread on all the forums you are a member of, or will be a member of, and ask for input from patients of the doctor(s) you are considering. I guarantee that you will get responses, not just publicly, but privately as well and you will hear good and bad and everything in between. I hope this helps.