Yet Another "Need a Recommendation" Thread re:FUE

[smrcalidiv]

Long time lurker here...ready to dive in to a HT this summer. I've been reading these boards for years and I'm finally at the point where I'm financially and psychologically ready to take the plunge.

Without getting off track with my backstory, I'm 35, and my hair loss has been stable for the past 10 years or so. I've been on the big 3 for the past 6 years, and as I said, I'm just holding steady at a NW4-5.

Last week I had back-to-back consultations with Sara Wasserbauer and H & W (they were in SF).

I heard basically the same thing from both reps (as I didn't speak to either of the actual surgeons, common knowledge to most of you I'm sure...it wasn't to me). I'm a good candidate with a good donor area, stable loss, and a good age to do an HT.

There were things I heard from both that made me a little apprehensive about my selection, and that takes me to this post.

I am 1000% set on FUE. Wasserbauer is a relative unknown on most boards, but I don't believe I have seen a negative review of her anywhere. H&W is H&W...enough said...but again I'm looking at FUE, and their rep is largely based on FUT.

I am thinking I owe it to myself to also consider doing a consultation (online perhaps...I could use some guidance here) with Dr. Ron Shapiro in MN. Considering I want an FUE and I will not travel to Europe, what do you all think?

My rationale is that I am essentially hearing similar things from the different shops, and this will all come down to the Dr's rep and proven results. Is there anyone in North America that I "NEED" to talk to before making decision?

I don't know how representatives are viewed here, and how private pricing is, so I won't get into that aspect in the thread...if you have a question about what I was told that made me apprehensive I would be happy to take it "off the air" so to speak.

Sorry for the long-winded question, but...well you guys know how it is.

Love the board...I hope you all know how invaluable this place is

[smrcalidiv]

Have you considered looking at the IAHRS website to find other clinics that offer FUE? I am sure you can find places that will have you meet directly with the doctor. An in person consult directly with the doctor can be very helpful and you are in a big enough city/state I am sure you will have several in person options.

First off, thank you for the response.

To answer your question, yes, the IAHRS website was my first stop (technically I looked at the "find an IAHRS surgeon" link on this site). That was how I came across Sara Wasserbauer. The problem I am finding is that there are just so many opposing viewpoints out there, even to the point of discrediting being an IAHRS member, that I want someone with as close to a rock solid reputation as possible. I am sure that there will always be at least one person who has a complaint against a well known surgeon, whether legit or otherwise, so I am by no means expecting them to be 100% free of criticism. As I live in Northern CA my local options are basically nonexistent, so I am just looking for the "best" in North America.

[J_B_Davis]

The IAHRS is really the industry’s most prestigious organization, but like Dr. Rashid said, nothing is perfect, but it’s a good place to begin your search. There will always be opposing views, the problem with the internet is that you never know where these views are coming from. You’re also going to here negative things about IAHRS doctors from reps or doctors who can’t make the grade to be on the IAHRS. That’s just the way it goes. I would stick to an IAHRS doctor for sure and I think it’s a great idea to have consultations with as many doctors as possible. I personally would not have surgery unless I consulted directly with the doctor before deciding. Reps are good to get a good basic issued idea of what the doctor can do for you, but there is no substitute for meeting directly with the doctor.

[HTsoon]

Rather than picking from a list on a site, look for actual patient reviews, I don't think I'm allowed to mention other sites, but there are other forums in which actual patients document their journeys. There are plenty of good doctors not recommended or endorsed by any site.

Personally Dr. Lorenzo in Madrid has really impressed me, Dr. Diep did my procedure I'm 100% happy with the results. Try to find answers from actual patients, generally forums are filled with anonymous posters who may have not even had a transplant they just reiterate the same list that everyone does without firsthand experience. Dr. Bisanga as impressed me as well. Dr. Wesley is another doctor that has impressed me with his FUE but his price is very high. Europe is filled with top notch FUE surgeons. Dr. Vories is the most affordable FUE surgeon in the U.S and he does the extractions big plus.

[smrcalidiv]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm looking into Dr. Diep now, as he has a bunch of patients posting great results on another forum, but by no means have I settled on him just yet.

[WHTC Clinic]

You have done your due diligence in surgical hair restoration. Certainly there are positive reasons to obtain in-person and virtual consultations with an expert FUE surgeon. Thanks for sharing.

[JoeTillman]

Rather than picking from a list on a site, look for actual patient reviews, I don't think I'm allowed to mention other sites, but there are other forums in which actual patients document their journeys. There are plenty of good doctors not recommended or endorsed by any site.

Personally Dr. Lorenzo in Madrid has really impressed me, Dr. Diep did my procedure I'm 100% happy with the results. Try to find answers from actual patients, generally forums are filled with anonymous posters who may have not even had a transplant they just reiterate the same list that everyone does without firsthand experience. Dr. Bisanga as impressed me as well. Dr. Wesley is another doctor that has impressed me with his FUE but his price is very high. Europe is filled with top notch FUE surgeons. Dr. Vories is the most affordable FUE surgeon in the U.S and he does the extractions big plus.

Having had a hair transplant with one clinic does not automatically qualify one's statements about other clinics.

The field we are playing in is full of anonymous knowitalls that have zero accountability. Even when posters that have a track record of providing advice make recommendations it does not automatically mean the advice is worthwhile not to mention there is still no accountability because of their anonymity. When, not if, anonymous posters give you advice the winds up f*cking up your life, you have no one to complain to and no one will be held accountable much less try to right their wrong. It's just one more potentially damaging comment or recommendation made in the span of 7 seconds followed by "submit reply".

What I recommend you do is work on finding your doctor based on what matters to you.

Can you live without a hair transplant? If so, don't have one.

Is it important to you that a doctor perform your surgery or are you fine with technicians doing the work?

If you are fine with technicians can you learn about the technicians and their background if you find a clinic you like that uses technicians for surgery?

Do the clinics you will eventually consider offer you options if you are not happy with your result?

Does the clinic have patients you can speak with in person? Being in Northern California the names you have mentioned should have local patients to you. Take the time to meet the patients in person. Then take the time to visit the clinics you are considering. Meet the doctor, meet anyone that will be performing surgery on you, look at the facilities.

Obviously you have to look at photos but you should also consider videos but only if they are so clear you can see each hair as it exits the scalp. Refuse to accept photos of results that are mere blobs of dark hair where once there was none. The greatest coverage in the world is meaningless if all the hairs in the front are pluggy four hair grafts that are mis-angled.

[HTsoon]

Having had a hair transplant with one clinic does not automatically qualify one's statements about other clinics.

The field we are playing in is full of anonymous knowitalls that have zero accountability. Even when posters that have a track record of providing advice make recommendations it does not automatically mean the advice is worthwhile not to mention there is still no accountability because of their anonymity. When, not if, anonymous posters give you advice the winds up f*cking up your life, you have no one to complain to and no one will be held accountable much less try to right their wrong. It's just one more potentially damaging comment or recommendation made in the span of 7 seconds followed by "submit reply".

What I recommend you do is work on finding your doctor based on what matters to you.

Can you live without a hair transplant? If so, don't have one.

Is it important to you that a doctor perform your surgery or are you fine with technicians doing the work?

If you are fine with technicians can you learn about the technicians and their background if you find a clinic you like that uses technicians for surgery?

Do the clinics you will eventually consider offer you options if you are not happy with your result?

Does the clinic have patients you can speak with in person? Being in Northern California the names you have mentioned should have local patients to you. Take the time to meet the patients in person. Then take the time to visit the clinics you are considering. Meet the doctor, meet anyone that will be performing surgery on you, look at the facilities.

Obviously you have to look at photos but you should also consider videos but only if they are so clear you can see each hair as it exits the scalp. Refuse to accept photos of results that are mere blobs of dark hair where once there was none. The greatest coverage in the world is meaningless if all the hairs in the front are pluggy four hair grafts that are mis-angled.

When I say I've been impressed I'm strictly speaking about cherry picked clinic submissions. I personally narrowed down my search by said physician by looking at patient threads and messaging other patients like myself. Personally I think is better than just picking off a list. I know a lot of guys personally who have gone to doctors not recommended anywhere that gave them great results. I've seen fairly recently some guys go to docs and get terrible results. At the end of the day I think personal research is necessary rather than gathering opinions on a forum. I agree if possible meet up with patients who have gone to said Doctor. I also agree about videos, that's what initially sparked my interest in Dr. Lorenzo and Dr. Diep, they both show high quality videos of their results. I think ultimately it's important to really speak to someone that has no monetary incentives with said clinic, because they can give you their unbiased review of course this is just my opinion.

[JoeTillman]

When I say I've been impressed I'm strictly speaking about cherry picked clinic submissions. I personally narrowed down my search by said physician by looking at patient threads and messaging other patients like myself. Personally I think is better than just picking off a list. I know a lot of guys personally who have gone to doctors not recommended anywhere that gave them great results. I've seen fairly recently some guys go to docs and get terrible results. At the end of the day I think personal research is necessary rather than gathering opinions on a forum. I agree if possible meet up with patients who have gone to said Doctor. I also agree about videos, that's what initially sparked my interest in Dr. Lorenzo and Dr. Diep, they both show high quality videos of their results. I think ultimately it's important to really speak to someone that has no monetary incentives with said clinic, because they can give you their unbiased review of course this is just my opinion.

No one should just pick a doctor off a list. That's just silly. Lists are a good starting point, nothing more. My point about "I've heard good things" also encompasses the "cherry picked results" you mention because if that is what one has to go off of then these comments are simply spreading the intended impact of those cherry picked results. To be fair, the legitimacy of those results climbs when they are increasing in number as it shows consistency but when that is all one has to go on then that isn't enough to be informed.

Here's one problem I have with videos. I saw one video recently where the doctor was talking about density and he was showing his latest patient result. He was combing through the hair talking about how dense it was but in reality it wasn't dense at all. The area of placement, which was outlined on the patient's forehead before his surgery, was too large to achieve high density with the number of grafts that were used. The majority of the video has the doctor tussling the hair around but mostly it is flopped forward covering the exit points of the hair. The doctor eventually started combing it but the density just didn't match up with his comments. The hair did look quite full actually but was because the hair shafts were so coarse and thick that high density wasn't needed to have a full appearance. I feel that when a doctor is presenting a result commentary can be made about the case but they should stick to the facts and not influence the opinion of the viewer by telling them what their opinion should be.

[smrcalidiv]

Let me start off by saying that I do appreciate everyone's comments on the matter, but I hope that this doesn't turn into an unnecessary argument.

I think we can all agree that simply looking at a list...seeing a name...and then showing up for surgery would be unwise...at best.

Using a list to see some names to THEN research makes complete sense to me.

Anyone who has frequented these boards should (I know we shouldn't assume) know that all transplant docs are not created equal...and there is probably one person who is "unhappy" about their experience with even the most highly regarded surgeon. Whether it's justified or not is another story.

Here is what I have been doing:
1. I read the boards and look at the result pages.
2. I take note of names that pop up frequently with good results.
3. I then research those names via Google to get a broader perspective than just these board members...Yelp, Youtube, other boards, etc...
4. If everything looks good I then schedule a consultation.

I now have a consultation with Dr. Diep scheduled...and I will continue to look around in the meantime.

If anyone has firsthand experience with him I would love to hear it.

[JoeTillman]

Let me start off by saying that I do appreciate everyone's comments on the matter, but I hope that this doesn't turn into an unnecessary argument.

I think we can all agree that simply looking at a list...seeing a name...and then showing up for surgery would be unwise...at best.

Using a list to see some names to THEN research makes complete sense to me.

Anyone who has frequented these boards should (I know we shouldn't assume) know that all transplant docs are not created equal...and there is probably one person who is "unhappy" about their experience with even the most highly regarded surgeon. Whether it's justified or not is another story.

Here is what I have been doing:
1. I read the boards and look at the result pages.
2. I take note of names that pop up frequently with good results.
3. I then research those names via Google to get a broader perspective than just these board members...Yelp, Youtube, other boards, etc...
4. If everything looks good I then schedule a consultation.

I now have a consultation with Dr. Diep scheduled...and I will continue to look around in the meantime.

If anyone has firsthand experience with him I would love to hear it.

I don't think there is any argument brewing here. Ultimately I respect anyone's legitimate opinion regardless of whether or not I agree with it.

Your breakdown is logical, particularly point #3, but I need to stress something about unhappy patients. There is more than one for every famous doctor name out there. I think it is safe to say the famous names you hear of are famous for one reason or another. They either do big sessions, high density or a combination. Some are known simply for creating very natural results but usually this involves a number of grafts that is higher than what the next guy would recommend, but in some way shape or form, these doctors push the boundaries. They all have unhappy patients, and yes some are justified while others are not but you will rarely ever know about them.

Here is something you should incorporate into your consultations. Ask each doctor, point blank, how many unhappy patients they have. If any of them say zero, walk out. Don't even bother with the rest of the consultation because you can't believe anything else that comes out of their mouth and that is not what you want to deal with when it comes to your own head. If they kind of dance around the subject, just stop them politely and ask them to give you a number. It's a simple answer to give and shouldn't require an explanation for the answer, before the answer is given.

I think that since you've been reading for a while you should have a grasp on the basics. Go with your gut. Good luck!

[vord]

I wonder how Dr. Berman in Palo Alto would compare with the others in your list?

[JoeTillman]

I wonder how Dr. Berman in Palo Alto would compare with the others in your list?

In my list? I can't say as I've never been to his clinic but I personally would not consider anyone that has a 500.00 gift certificate if you ask for an information kit. I think Ron Popeil called his clinic though, he wants his 1997 infomercial marketing tactics back.