Integrity of the HT Industry's Online Presence

[gillenator]

That can be said about every industry. There always will be the good and bad. Some of the worst cases involve uninformed patients and/or individuals that do not make good candidates for this type of cosmetic surgery. Some are simply not candidates at all.

The other areas of cosmetic/elective surgery have the same issues. Just go read some of those forums and you will see what I mean. It's not exclusive to the hair transplant industry.

Yet if we consider how far this industry has come in the last 10 years alone is remarkable. Honestly guys, I now see far more good work than I used too. There are far more people doing their research online than ever before.

[gmonasco]

First of all, if hair transplants are as bad as you say, then you need to explain why there aren't enough examples on the Internet.

Who's going to post examples of bad hair transplants, and how would you find them?

[gmonasco]

When things go wrong, people complain. Hair Transplants are no exception.

Except that:

a) The overwhelming bulk of hair transplant photos on the Internet are posted by HT doctors (and those working for them), not by patients. Obviously HT doctors aren't going to post photos of bad hair transplants.

b) Many recipients of bad hair transplants are too embarrassed to post their photos, or fear reprisal if they do, or are prevented from doing so by waivers they've signed, or have their posts removed from forums when they try.

[Follicle Death Row]

Probably on a forum like this. Look up Accutane in Google and you will find a huge amount of complaints of sides on all sorts of forums. When things go wrong, people complain. Hair Transplants are no exception.

I would expect more like "Here is my botched HT from X surgeon. Please avoid going there!".

Like I said, only in bad countries do you get bad HT's.

That last bit is just not true. You'll even hear Spencer say that one was a homerun or that every surgeon has cases that don't turn out as hoped. While I accepted that I now think the rate at which the yield is poor is higher than I originally thought. There's a certain network out there where patients can keep their blog of their progress post HT and you'll see that even with the top surgeons many are less than happy. Recurring theme is one side not growing in as well as the other. Bit of an eye opener really.

[Follicle Death Row]

For the record there's enough great results out there that I'd still consider a HT myself in the future. So I'm not anti-HT at all.

[topcat]

The most important thing to remember about these forums is the fact that quite a few posters are not even real people. They are either aliases of the same person and many are associated with a clinic or the forum itself. It is a way of moving information in a certain direction.

Always question what you are reading and why it was posted.

I am no fan of the medical industry but HT is like a bizarre offshoot at times. Can anyone imagine a heart surgery forum with paid advocates operating the same way. I mean really it is beyond bizarre at times.

[25 going on 65]

Probably on a forum like this. Look up Accutane in Google and you will find a huge amount of complaints of sides on all sorts of forums. When things go wrong, people complain. Hair Transplants are no exception.

I would expect more like "Here is my botched HT from X surgeon. Please avoid going there!".

Like I said, only in bad countries do you get bad HT's.

Unfortunately not. The vast majority of clinics in Europe and North America (and the world) are bad.
There are a few dozen HT clinics in existence that are worth your money. That's it.

[topcat]

I would say less than a handful.

The patients with bad results rarely come to the forum to warn others. They come to the forums initially to help themselves and could care less what happens to those researching. The ones that do come to the forum to show their shit result from well known clinics are either hammered by the I have your best interest in mind paid advocates, the doctor sues them, or they just tire and move on.

[25 going on 65]

I would say less than a handful.

The patients with bad results rarely come to the forum to warn others. They come to the forums initially to help themselves and could care less what happens to those researching. The ones that do come to the forum to show their shit result from well known clinics are either hammered by the I have your best interest in mind paid advocates, the doctor sues them, or they just tire and move on.

Can I ask your opinion on which clinics are truly worth it?

[gmonasco]

Citation needed.

http://***********/6tyc7nw

How many of these photos were posted by the patients themselves?

[gmonasco]

Like I said, only in bad countries do you get bad HT's.

[topcat]

I don’t like to make recommendations as everyone needs to choose who is best for them. Of course I am a BHR patient and I can’t say enough good things about them but I go out of my way not to comment on their results. Having experienced numerous strips, lifts and reductions I will say that anyone that does not go to a clinic that offers FUE in my opinion could very well be making a huge mistake in the long run and this is what you need to think about the long run.

My advice, FUE small procedures appropriately planned for the long run by clinics that are achieving very high yield with small hand punches, no visible scarring and natural results. This all seems like a no brainer to me at this point but many still don’t seem to get it.

Stay away from doctors that lie, sue their patients and or employees, use deception in any form, treat their employees like shit and are looking to always speed the process up which only benefits their bottom line. Again this all seems like a no brainer to me but some prospective patients willingly admit that none of this matters to them.

If a clinic tells you that you are not a candidate for FUE chances are they are lying or simply do not have the skill. Clinics that perform mega sessions are taking mega chances and that’s great if it works out but patients should not take that chance in my opinion.

[mattj]

The most important thing to remember about these forums is the fact that quite a few posters are not even real people. They are either aliases of the same person and many are associated with a clinic or the forum itself. It is a way of moving information in a certain direction.

Always question what you are reading and why it was posted.

I am no fan of the medical industry but HT is like a bizarre offshoot at times. Can anyone imagine a heart surgery forum with paid advocates operating the same way. I mean really it is beyond bizarre at times.

Who are these paid shills? Why not name them? To do so would be a service. There are a lot of different doctors posting work to the forums but I simply don't believe that any of the most highly regarded clinics are playing dirty tricks. Plus you're implicating the forum owners in the plot too. This is a serious accusation.

[topcat]

Mattj it is not up to me to post names, posters need to figure it out for themselves. When someone is lying in a thread I post to then I call them out on it. After all these years day in and day out on the forums I have a pretty good feel for who is full of shit. Anyone that thinks this does not go on is naïve and anyone that works in the industry I’m sure is also aware of it but they don’t like to talk about it’s a taboo subject.

And nowhere did I say every forum operates the same way.

If I were to listen to just the paid adovates then everything is wonderful in the world of hair transplantation.

[Follicle Death Row]

Glad I had the balls to start this thread. I think it's important that we don't brush things under the carpet so to speak.

Matt, you mentioned that you don't believe that any of the most highly regarded outfits are playing any dirty tricks. I've mentioned already that I agree that I don't think the few top clinics are pulling shenanigans. Count yourself and Dr. Rahal on the shortlist of the good guys. Same applies for Jotronic and Spex. Jotronic actually actively outs some of the dodgy clinics he comes across. The thread the other week where they were stealing H&W results photos comes to mind.

Purpose of the thread is awareness. Some of the forums out there do not make it easy on the prospective patient.