Is a consultation even worth it?

[ChaseTheMusical]

Hello! I am Chase. Nice to meet you!

I've been thinking about getting a hair transplant since I was in high school. That may sound crazy but I swear it isn't. I have always had a larger forehead than the majority of people and, unfortunately, a receded hairline at the temples. I mean, it wasn't ACTUALLY receding in high school. I was too young for that to happen. But it just always appeared that way. I had what I thought was a very appropriate hairline for a man in his mid-forties. But not for a high schooler.

Because I was young and had lots of thick hair where it did grow, I grew it out and always styled it to covered my forehead and “receding” hairline. When I started to lose my hair around the age of 20 I became more unhappy with it. But I held onto my long hair cut until about 24. It was at that point that I had lost too much to continue the illusion. Since that time I have always buzzed my head. I didn't want to be that stupid guy that everyone looks at and is like, “What is he thinking? Doesn't he know how stupid he looks trying to grow hair that isn't there?”

So, suffice it to say, I have been waiting for a hair transplant since high school. Then when I started losing hair I told myself I should wait until 30 to get a better idea of how my balding would progress. After reading many websites about the subject, I knew surgeons wouldn't, or were very hard pressed, to operate on young people anyway. So, I didn't feel I had much of a choice. I came to accept my lack of hair and how unappealing I felt it made me look. But this year I turn 30.

I plan to move to LA in the next month to start a new chapter in my life and have been looking into surgeons there. And now comes the whole point of this post. After looking at a few doctor's work it's becoming more and more apparent that I will not be able to achieve anything more that my mid-forties high school hair line. Maybe not even that. Which is a hard pill to swallow when you been waiting since age 18 just to have the hair line of someone in their mid to late twenties.

My question is: Is it worth paying to at least go have a consultation with these doctors? The reputable ones all seem to stress very much the limitations of hair transplants. I would rather not even walk into an office if, in all likelihood, all I am gonna hear is, “I can do 2,000 grafts to thicken your current hair line and crown but that's it.”

Has anyone ever gone to a consultation and actually come out happy with what the doctor said was possible? Or is it one of those take-what-you-can-get type deals? Any thoughts or experiences to share on the subject would be awesome. Also, I realize you get a new guy in here everyday with the same sob story and asking the same questions, so if you don't feel like answering or this has been answered before, no worries. But if you could direct me to the prior post, that would be great! Thanks!

Chase

P.S. - I only found this forum two days ago but every time I come across the post of a teenager with pictures of their full head of hair asking if they are balding, I get a chuckle. Is that mean? LOL

[jamesst11]

Hello! I am Chase. Nice to meet you!

I've been thinking about getting a hair transplant since I was in high school. That may sound crazy but I swear it isn't. I have always had a larger forehead than the majority of people and, unfortunately, a receded hairline at the temples. I mean, it wasn't ACTUALLY receding in high school. I was too young for that to happen. But it just always appeared that way. I had what I thought was a very appropriate hairline for a man in his mid-forties. But not for a high schooler.

Because I was young and had lots of thick hair where it did grow, I grew it out and always styled it to covered my forehead and “receding” hairline. When I started to lose my hair around the age of 20 I became more unhappy with it. But I held onto my long hair cut until about 24. It was at that point that I had lost too much to continue the illusion. Since that time I have always buzzed my head. I didn't want to be that stupid guy that everyone looks at and is like, “What is he thinking? Doesn't he know how stupid he looks trying to grow hair that isn't there?”

So, suffice it to say, I have been waiting for a hair transplant since high school. Then when I started losing hair I told myself I should wait until 30 to get a better idea of how my balding would progress. After reading many websites about the subject, I knew surgeons wouldn't, or were very hard pressed, to operate on young people anyway. So, I didn't feel I had much of a choice. I came to accept my lack of hair and how unappealing I felt it made me look. But this year I turn 30.

I plan to move to LA in the next month to start a new chapter in my life and have been looking into surgeons there. And now comes the whole point of this post. After looking at a few doctor's work it's becoming more and more apparent that I will not be able to achieve anything more that my mid-forties high school hair line. Maybe not even that. Which is a hard pill to swallow when you been waiting since age 18 just to have the hair line of someone in their mid to late twenties.

My question is: Is it worth paying to at least go have a consultation with these doctors? The reputable ones all seem to stress very much the limitations of hair transplants. I would rather not even walk into an office if, in all likelihood, all I am gonna hear is, “I can do 2,000 grafts to thicken your current hair line and crown but that's it.”

Has anyone ever gone to a consultation and actually come out happy with what the doctor said was possible? Or is it one of those take-what-you-can-get type deals? Any thoughts or experiences to share on the subject would be awesome. Also, I realize you get a new guy in here everyday with the same sob story and asking the same questions, so if you don't feel like answering or this has been answered before, no worries. But if you could direct me to the prior post, that would be great! Thanks!

Chase

P.S. - I only found this forum two days ago but every time I come across the post of a teenager with pictures of their full head of hair asking if they are balding, I get a chuckle. Is that mean? LOL

Welcome Chase,
Hair transplantation is limited. I have never seen a case of a fully bald person even achieving the "illusion" of full density, because that's impossible. Some people that have amazing donor supply and have maintained their hair in a certain pattern for years have achieved amazing results through hair transplantation. The key is stabilizing your hair loss, being certain the future direction of your hair loss, setting realistic goals, finding a very reputable surgeon and following through. What you are looking to achieve is rejected by most hair transplant surgeons because it is unrealistic. If hair is that important to you, which I know it is, the only thing you can do for now is to start a regiment to stabilize your hair. Finasteride and minox are the current standard for this. best if luck.

[ChaseTheMusical]

Thanks so much for the response! I appreciate your advice. I totally understand that I will never have what I want. And I am fine with that. But what was you experience like? Did you find the consultation a worthwhile experience? Was the doctor able devise a plan that made you somewhat excited about the prospect of HT? Did they promise more than they could deliver? I am really trying to decide if I should even go. I know that I am a person who is easily convinced especially when face to face with someone. So I worry that if I go he or she will be able to convince that I should get that "2,000 grafts to thicken your current hair line and crown" even though it may not make me fully happy. Or will it? See, I don't even know. (-;'

[jamesst11]

Thanks so much for the response! I appreciate your advice. I totally understand that I will never have what I want. And I am fine with that. But what was you experience like? Did you find the consultation a worthwhile experience? Was the doctor able devise a plan that made you somewhat excited about the prospect of HT? Did they promise more than they could deliver? I am really trying to decide if I should even go. I know that I am a person who is easily convinced especially when face to face with someone. So I worry that if I go he or she will be able to convince that I should get that "2,000 grafts to thicken your current hair line and crown" even though it may not make me fully happy. Or will it? See, I don't even know. (-;'

haha... you DON'T want to know what my experience was like, because I was one of those horror stories. I didn't know I had MPB and I SHOULD HAVE definitely taken that into consideration. I had one weird thinning area and thought I would "fix it"... 900 grafts and 4 hours later and I have been in and out of horrible depression and anxiety for over two years. You're being A LOT smarter than my stupid compulsive ass and doing your research. My doctor said she would thicken a part of the hair line where I had an unusual thinning. Day off, she rushed in, cut open the back of my head and started poking holes all over the left side of my head. It destroyed all the native hair in those areas over a course of 8 months... literally, just fell out and never regrew. One side of my head has all these transplants sticking out at weird angles and the other side is natural. Worst decision I have EVER made.

GOOD HT surgeons are more concerned about the outcome, rather the few thousand they will immediately make. They have a reputation to uphold and take pride in their work. You need to post some pictures of your hair, showing exactly where it's lost, under good lighting and we can give you a more educated advice and some of the leading members, such as spex and joe tillman can help guide you. ONE THING for sure, if you have NOT stabilized what you have now through medication, then an HT is very very risky. 1) You may lose A LOT of native hair from the trauma of such surgery and without medication, what happened to me, may happen to you - it will not come back or come back thinner and weaker 2) You need to determine how ample your donor supply is and if what operation you're seeking can meet your expectations. Essentially, you do not want to start something you cannot finish.

[jamesst11]

If Joe Tillman responds to this, it would be nice of him to post a picture that he did on another thread. Basically it's a virtual representation of HOW much area can be covered on the top of the head by using up the donor supply in the back... IF that area on top was DENSLY packed... Basically it's a relatively thin strip that looks like a mohawk, with the rest of the head bald. The point being, there is NOT enough donor on ANY one's head to create a full head of hair on top. Go on google and look up results from surgeons like Koray Erdogon, who is personally one of my favorites and to me, one of the best. Look at before and afters of people with hair similar to yours and look at the outcomes. Do this for a lot of well known, reputable surgeons. That way you can gauge exactly how this works.

[ChaseTheMusical]

Not sure if this is going to work. Didn't realize I couldn't just up load photos. But here are pictures of my current situation. Took these 5 minutes ago.

Edit: Well that didn't work. Still working on it.
Edit: There we go! (-;'

[WHTC Clinic]

Paying for a consultation isn't going to make the outcome of the consultation any better. Countless reputable doctors offer virtual and in-person consultations at no charge. Don't expect to hear everything you want to hear in a consultation with an expert physician. You really need to have a need-to-know line of communication between you and your prospective clinic. Hair loss is not predictable, but there are signs that become apparent when advanced hair loss is likely to occur. On average, you can have about 7,000 to 7,500 donor grafts/follicular units available on the scalp.

[ChaseTheMusical]

I'm sorry guys. While I appreciate everyone's advice, perhaps including my background story has blinded everyone from my main reason for this post. I am wondering what people's consultations were like? I have asked a few questions already but a few more could be: How long was your consultation? Who did you consult with? Did they just tell you what they could do with out much input from you? Who did you talk money with, the doctor or someone else?

Again, thank you to everyone who has posted thus far. I will take everything you've said into consideration. (-;'

[pkipling]

I'm sorry guys. While I appreciate everyone's advice, perhaps including my background story has blinded everyone from my main reason for this post. I am wondering what people's consultations were like? I have asked a few questions already but a few more could be: How long was your consultation? Who did you consult with? Did they just tell you what they could do with out much input from you? Who did you talk money with, the doctor or someone else?

Again, thank you to everyone who has posted thus far. I will take everything you've said into consideration. (-;'

Hey Chase. Welcome aboard. You're definitely in the right place to get answers.

First of all, even after all those edits, I still can't see your photos....

As for your initial question, the short answer is YES. A consultation is definitely worth it. There's zero harm in setting up an appointment with a reputable doctor and getting their feedback, suggestions, etc.

I had my procedure with Dr. Mohebi (located in LA) almost a year and half ago. My consultation with him was everything I had hoped it would be. It was informative, in depth, and personal. He spent a great deal of time with me walking me through the entire process, from how hair loss works, how we could get a good general idea of where my hair loss was heading, genetics, medication, etc. He also gave me a couple different options as for the ultimate hairline that I would end up with. He drew one, asked for my feedback, drew another one, etc. until we came up with something that he and I were both happy with.

My entire consultation was one on one with Dr. Mohebi. We discussed potential dates, price, everything etc. He was very hands on, which was a huge plus for me. The entire conversation was very give and take and he was extremely patient with me as I asked a ton of questions, never once making me feel like I was annoying him. I find that's hard to come by in the medical field.

I will say that when considering getting a hair transplant, managing your expectations is key. One of the main reasons some guys end up disappointed with their results (aside from choosing a bad surgeon who genuinely gave them bad results) is having unreasonable expectations. This can happen due to the patient being irrational from the get go (and the surgeon not properly managing this), or also by the surgeon not being upfront with the patient about what is actually possible and instead giving them a sales pitch. Having said this, I think going into a consultation with an open mind is key. Feel free to express exactly what your dream head of hair would look like, but also be open to hearing that no matter what you do, you may never achieve that 16 year old boy's hairline you're talking about(nor would you actually want to - believe it or not).

I'd be happy to talk to you more in depth if you're interested. Learning the ins and outs of the hair transplant world can be a daunting task, so let me know if you have further questions about hair transplants in general or my experience specifically.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[ChaseTheMusical]

Yay! Thank you, pkipling, for taking the time to write all that out. I do appreciate it! This gives me a good idea of what to be looking for and, thankfully, another doctor to research! Just to make it clear, I am well aware that I will never have the hairline of that 18 year old of which I spoke. I didn't realize that mentioning my thoughts and feelings throughout my life would be taken as me saying I wanted all that NOW. LOL. As I have said before, I am well aware of the limitations and will keep them in mind if and when I make appointments for consultations.

Also, my pics are on my profile if you would like to see them. I made it a public album so I believe that means they are available to all. But I also thought that the pictures were showing up in that post so that shows how much I know. And maybe it is better that they didn't show up here. Getting opinions on that was not my main concern with this thread. Perhaps I will post them to another thread whose main purpose is just that, helping me get a better idea of what is possible.

And, yes, if you don't mind, I would love a little more info on you and your surgery, for example your age, amount of grafts, time in surgery, type of surgery, before and after pics if you have them and don't mind sharing them and anything else you might find pertinent.
Thanks again for the awesome response!

[ChaseTheMusical]

jamesst11, thanks for mentioning Koray Erdogon. I am not sure if he is in LA but I am going to research him anyways. It can't hurt to more familiar with more doctors and the possible results!

[DAVE52]

Based on your pics, unless you're going to be OK with a think look, I wouldn't bother

[JoeTillman]

Based on what I see in your photos, and going on only that, I think you are a good surgical candidate.

BUT, that's not all that has to be considered. You have two options for surgery, FUSS and FUE, and you have one issue that has to be addressed before all others. Medication.

What are you doing, or will you do, to keep from losing the hair you have now? You still have a healthy amount of hair at the top, it's just receded and there is reduced density, but it appears to still be contributing to the aesthetic, especially if you grow it out. Being 30 years old you are in a fairly good position if you respond well to Propecia or Proscar (cut into quarters) and/or Rogaine. You can't add more hair before you stabilize the hair you have now so if you are not considering prevention then don't have a hair transplant until you do or if you choose not to take meds at all. If the latter, just walk away.

You are in a precarious situation and are susceptible to what anyone with self driven motives will tell you. You are just starting your research and have to even ask if a consultation is necessary. They are, absolutely, but you need to do a lot of reading and speaking to people that have had hair transplants before you call your first clinic. Once you set foot in a clinic, even before this actually, they are potentially prepping for your arrival. The consultant will want to know as much about you before you arrive as possible so be prepared for a lot of questions just to make an appointment. This isn't standard but it is common.

James asked me to post a photo I put together several years ago. It shows what 5000 grafts would look like at full density if placed into an area of hair loss roughly similar to what is visible in your photos.



When I made this image, I photoshopped my own hair out to give you an image of a NW6. The size of the strip of hair is roughly the size of the donor strip that is taken if your surgeon pulls out a strip large enough to yield 5000 grafts. Normally, these grafts have to be dissected and then distributed throughout the scalp. If they are not dissected and remain at normal density then this is the area it will cover. Make sense?

I wrote a 2000 word blog post about your initial question that covers a lot more of what to expect during a consultation and I have a hair transplant glossary that is the largest you'll find on the web to help you understand what you're reading. Go to my website in my signature and read up. Use this forum and listen to the Bald Truth where Spencer Kobren and I talk about issues regarding hair loss and hair transplantation. You can even call in and ask us questions live, every Tuesday.

[ChaseTheMusical]

Hey! Thanks so much for the in depth response! It is much appreciated!

Just want to clear up a few things. I have been researching hair lose since my early twenties when I started losing my hair. I guess I could have been more clear with that. And I do realize that one can't have a HT without a consultation. That question was centered around having to pay for one. I would go back and change the title of the thread now if I could to reflect the actual question (and others) that I asked. But alas, it's a little late for that. (-;' Anyway, with that question I was hoping to get responses from people who have done so and if they felt it was worth the money they invested. At least one doctor I am looking at charges $100 for his consultations. The plus side is he will apply it to your bill if you go with him.

I am not currently nor have I ever taken any medication, topical or oral, to prevent hair loss. However, I do understand what they do and the potential side effects of each. If I do decide to have surgery, I will trust my doctor's advice in the best course of action.

You are right about me being in a precarious position. As I stated in an ensuing post, I am the type of person who is easily swayed. This is part of the reason I started this specific thread in the first place. I wanted a good rundown of the process so I know what to expect and keep my wits about me. And not get drawn in by some quack who is going to promise me the moon and the stars and then leave me deformed. Horror stories abound the arena of hair transplants. I don't want to be part of one.

This image is very interesting. In all honesty it makes this whole situation look rather hopeless. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. It's always good to have a firm grasp on the reality of things.

I look forward to reading your blog to get an even better perspective on the consultation process and perusing the glossary to pick up anything I might have missed through the years! Thanks again, Joe.

[JoeTillman]

Thanks for clarifying. I address your issue of paying or not paying in my blog but in summary, I support the idea of charging for consultations. The idea of free consultations is almost foreign in other elective cosmetic surgical procedures so there is no reason why hair restoration should be any different. As long as you research whom you are consulting well in advance you won't be wasting your money.

Regarding medication, I'm going to be blunt. Had you started taking finasteride when you were younger, there is a very strong chance that you would not be here asking these questions. At the very least, my gut tells me you'd maybe be searching for hairline work but not in need of so much coverage. It is a preventative medication and you cannot prevent loss if it's already happened.

In fact, being 30 and having this much hair loss I recommend that if you aren't going to start soon then you should forget having surgery altogether. You'll only continue to lose more and will wind up chasing this additional loss. If you were to stabilize your loss now then I would also recommend that you turn down the notion of a megasession larger than 3000 grafts and don't try to cover everything at once. There are clinics that do larger sessions on a regular basis but they don't always work out and when you throw so much donor hair at your loss at one time, and the result doesn't turn out like you hoped, you just blew the majority of your donor hair in one shot and you won't have enough left to properly correct the problem AND give you the result you initially wanted.

1. Talk to your doctor about getting on Propecia.
2. Don't have surgery without it or at least Rogaine and then knowing that your loss has stabilized.
3. Don't try to do everything in one shot because you don't want to be "that guy" that tried and failed in one go.