Surgeon recommendations (ideally Ontario, Canada)

[patrick21]

Hey everyone,

After about 2 years of thinning hair, I have decided to start researching the best surgeons for transplants. I am new to this forum but have been reading it over the last several months and it is has great information - so thank you for everything you all have shared.

I just thought I would quickly share my story...

Almost two years ago I underwent my first surgery for a sports related injury, it went well but over the healing process I noticed hair to be following out but I didn't think much of it. A few short months later, I underwent a second surgery for another injury. During this healing process I noticed A LOT of hair loss; my concern grew. I thought I'd give it a while and see if it would grow back, but unfortunately it never did. I stuck it out as long as I could but I knew I had to do something.

I went to see a reputable hair loss doctor in Ontario, Dr. Robert Jones and he prescribed me propecia and recommended I use Rogaine & Nizoral shampoo. In approximately April 2015 I went to see him and I had just turned 23 years old not long before so he said I was a bit young for surgery.

The rogaine and nizoral gave me extremely bad headaches so I stopped using rogaine but I still keep up the Nizoral maybe once a week before bed so I can sleep through the headache.

As for the propecia... well it turned me into a person I am not. I don't want to bore you with the details but whatever it did to my hormones, I hated it. I tried for 5 months but I couldn't do it any longer.


I tried random treatments in between... laser and also PRP but to no avail. In November 2015 I saw Dr. Jeff Donovan in Toronto and he recommended so stick it out as long as I can, and suggested some natural treatments like pumpkin seed oil pills & rosemary extract applied on my head. I don't think it hurt, but obviously didn't help.

I am now 24 years old and my hair loss has seemed to settle around a NW3. It seems that my temples pulled back and now I am starting to look like my father.

I have decided I would start exploring surgery options and plan now because I imagine it will take me several months if not upwards of a year to decide where I want to do my surgery.


I plan to go back to Dr Robert Jones & Dr Jeff Donovan for surgery consultations. I had a Facetime consult with RESTORE by Katona - and they seem to do promising work, expensive but very promising and seems to be state of the art technology and overall treatment.

I would like to stay in Ontario for my surgery if possible, mostly because the Canadian dollar is so pathetic. But it's my hair, and I love it and miss it so I am willing to pay to go anywhere

Please feel free to share any and all information, as well as feel free to ask any questions needed.


Thank you in advance and I hope to keep you all updated throughout my journey !

[pkipling]

If you want to stay in Canada and don't mind traveling to the other side of the country, you should definitely consider Hasson & Wong in Vancouver.

I understand the appeal of wanting to stay as local as possible, but I'm glad to hear that that's not a deal breaker for you. If you happen to find a great surgeon with a solid reputation and proven track record who just so happens to be extremely close to you, then go for it. But don't make any sacrifices in any of those other areas based on convenience alone.

At first glance, I will say that you're definitely on the younger side of HT candidates - and not being able to take Propecia may complicate things for you as well. For these reasons alone, I think it's even more imperative than normal that you find a super top-notch surgeon who won't lead you astray just to make a buck. You want to find someone who is trusted in the HT community and will be upfront and honest with you about your expectations, what's possible, what's not, what's a good plan for you, etc. What you don't want is someone willing to operate on you no matter what and just tell you what you want to hear.

It seems like you have a solid head on your shoulders and are doing your due diligence regarding research. Keep asking questions, look at the doctors on here, reach out to former patients and ask them about their experience, etc. Once you've done all this, it really comes down to trusting your gut and making the decision that you think is best for you.

Hope that helps.

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.

[brocktherock]

Dr. Rahal 100%. Im 5.5 months post op and already satisfied with my results. It seems like hasson and wong cram way too many grafts in for the results they show. Rahal has a conservative approach which is way more ethical.

[patrick21]

Thanks for the responses so far.

I looked up Hassan and Wong and they seem pretty good, but I was more interested in an FUE treatment than FUT and it seems they prefer strip, but are exploring more FUE treatments.

I went on their website and they have consultations coming up in Toronto so I'll be going to see more information!


As for Dr. Rahal, is he located only in Ottawa? I've seen his names a few times now so I will also check it out. Could you tell me more about your treatment?


Love to hear more!

[Louish]

If you are in Ontario Rahal is a no brainer, went last November for 2500 FUE graft and it went perfectly. Regrowth is already very natural after only 6 months. I suggest that you get a good idea of what you expect to do first because in any of those places they usually try to book you for the max number of grafts. But Rahal is a no B.S kind of guy and he won't tell you to put hair everywhere you don't need even if you want to. He does let most of the job being done by his team but he picked and trained them so well that this is hardly an issue. Prices are competitive too, didn't even charged me for almost 100 extra grafts. When I stayed in their quite confortable quest house I met people from all over the world, as far as Melbourne Australia and a guy from L.A coming back for the second time. He told me he wouldn't do it anywhere else and 6 months later I can say the same even though I was only a 7 hours train ride away. I don't want to sound too much like I am doing promo but I am really happy with the results. Hope this helps!

[patrick21]

If you are in Ontario Rahal is a no brainer, went last November for 2500 FUE graft and it went perfectly. Regrowth is already very natural after only 6 months. I suggest that you get a good idea of what you expect to do first because in any of those places they usually try to book you for the max number of grafts. But Rahal is a no B.S kind of guy and he won't tell you to put hair everywhere you don't need even if you want to. He does let most of the job being done by his team but he picked and trained them so well that this is hardly an issue. Prices are competitive too, didn't even charged me for almost 100 extra grafts. When I stayed in their quite confortable quest house I met people from all over the world, as far as Melbourne Australia and a guy from L.A coming back for the second time. He told me he wouldn't do it anywhere else and 6 months later I can say the same even though I was only a 7 hours train ride away. I don't want to sound too much like I am doing promo but I am really happy with the results. Hope this helps!

Hey Louish thanks for the feedback. I did a consult with them via pictures and phone call and am seriously considering Dr. Rahal. Would you be able to post pictures or share more about your experience?