Please Help Me Choose A Strip Surgeon For First hair transplant On Virgin Scalp - BaldTruthTalk.com

View Poll Results: Taking into account Price/Value/Skill which Doctor should I go with for FUT/Strip?

Voters
12. You may not vote on this poll
  • Dr Damkerng Pathomvanich of Thailand

    2 16.67%
  • Drs Hasson & Wong of Vancouver

    7 58.33%
  • Dr Steven Gabel of Portland, OR

    2 16.67%
  • Dr Rahal of Canada

    0 0%
  • Dr Alexander of Phoenix, AZ

    1 8.33%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    12

    Default Please Help Me Choose A Strip Surgeon For First hair transplant On Virgin Scalp

    Hi all, I've been lurking on this forum for the past couple of months. Tremendous resource and I know so much more than I did just a few months ago.

    I have decided that I am going to get a hair transplant to restore density to my hairline and fill in some of my temple angles - although I would be interested if folks here think I am doing this at too young of an age/stage of hair loss...

    First the basics:

    Age: 29
    Location: Virginia, USA (East Coast / Mid-Atlantic area)
    Age I started losing hair: Probably really started to notice it around 20 years old.
    Past Surgeries: None
    Treatment: Taken Propecia for the past 3 years. It definitely helped. I think it probably added some density in the crown and mid-scalp areas but the temples are still continuing to recede, albeit at a slower pace compared to when I wasn't on propecia.

    I've used Rogaine on and off but I never felt like it was doing much and it would sometimes give me an itchy scalp so I haven't used it in about 12 months.

    Ideally I'd like to get off Propecia because I don't like messing with my body's hormones like that and I've felt like the libido side effects have hit me at times (but never bad enough to stop taking the meds). But I am pretty sure that if I were ever to do that then my hair loss would come back with a vengeance...so I'm sort of on the fence about future propecia usage.

    Most likely procedure: I'm leaning towards FUT Strip at this point

    Based on a lot of research and consultations I've narrowed my list down to five top doctors (all prices have been converted to $USD so these prices will fluctuate a little bit with exchange rates). Also each doctor's treatment plan / pricing structure is slightly different but I assumed 2,500 grafts so that I could do an apples to apples comparison:

    All Prices converted to $USD:

    Dr. Pathomvanich in Thailand - $2.66 per graft for a total cost of $6,700
    Drs. Hasson & Wong in Vancouver - $3.91 per graft. Total cost of $9,500 (this price factors in a $800 travel credit)
    Dr Rahal in Canada - $3.88 per graft. Total cost of $9,700 (this price factors in a $1,000 travel credit and $1,500 in taxes)
    Dr Alexander in Phoenix, AZ USA - $4 per graft = total cost of $10,000
    Dr Gabel in Portland, OR USA - $4 per graft + $500 setup fee = total cost of $10,500

    I'm basically looking to balance price with skill/quality. As far as I can tell all of these doctors are very skilled and widely respected. Dr Path is significantly cheaper than the other three (and I go to vacation in Thailand once a year so I was thinking I could kill two birds with one stone and do the surgery while I'm there anyways.) That being said, if the consensus is that one of the other three doctors is far and away a much better surgeon then perhaps I'd reconsider and spend the extra money...

    I'm leaning towards Dr Path and just scheduled a surgery date for mid Feb'17 (I still have ~10 days to cancel without any penalty though). The price is right and he seems to be quite well respected but I have some concerns:

    1. It sounds like his nurses do all of the graft placement - he only handles the strip removal and lateral slit incisions. I would prefer that my doctor is involved in every step of the process (even though I understand it would be impossible for him to plant every single graft)
    2. I came across this very negative hair transplant experience that someone had on hair Restoration Network: http://www.**********************.co...way-him-3.html
    3. In that same thread there are a number of people chiming in saying that Dr Path's results have gone downhill in the past year or two.
    4. On the other hand, I have gone through countless threads posted by both patients and by Dr Path himself and the results seem good so I may be allowing a few negative experience to stress me out too much
    5. Dr Path received very strong endorsements from Dr Wong (2006) and Dr Parsley (2002)

    I'd love to get some feedback on (1) How appropriate a hair transplant would be for me at this point in time (2) Which doctor to go with.

    Thanks everyone!

    Also, a quick guide to the photos:

    The ones with a buzzed head are from 2013 and 2014 - As you can see it looks like I'm destined to be a Norwood 6..but Propecia has been very helpful in halting and reversing some of this. Still, noticeable receding hairline and miniaturization of hairs in the front.

    The one taken outdoors in a grey t shirt was done with pretty wet hair to fully showcase my hair loss

    The ones outdoors/indoors in a brown jacket were taken at a BBQ so they are showing what the hair looks like in the wild when it is recently cut and styled (hair doesn't look nearly as bad in these angles). No concealers.

    The selfie style with a sweater on (taken while I'm seated) is probably the best representation of what my hair looks like these days when it is dry and styled normally (no concealers or anything else were used in this photo). The mid-scalp and crown are perfectly acceptable but the front third, hairline, and temples, are what bother me at this point.

    Lastly, the selfies with no shirt on are what the hair looks like when I comb the hair forward to illustrate the hair loss (I never style my hair like this though)
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  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Posts
    99

    Default

    Hi,

    I've had a procedure with Dr. Wong and can attest that I had a very positive result and the scar is not a problem for me at this point. However I'm looking at your photos and where it's shaved really close on the sides you could not pull off after FUT which is too bad because it looks really sharp. So if you want to keep that hair cut I wouldn't do a strip.

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    3

    Default

    I went to Dr. Alba Reyes Sajiv in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Went after seeing two of friend's results. I went early 2015 and am very happy with results. Around 2,400 grafts. She doesn't charge by graft but by procedure. Around $4.5K or so. She has excellent results. From Virginia, that's a quick trip for you.

  4. #4
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jcs87 View Post
    Hi all, I've been lurking on this forum for the past couple of months. Tremendous resource and I know so much more than I did just a few months ago.

    I have decided that I am going to get a hair transplant to restore density to my hairline and fill in some of my temple angles - although I would be interested if folks here think I am doing this at too young of an age/stage of hair loss...

    First the basics:

    Age: 29
    Location: Virginia, USA (East Coast / Mid-Atlantic area)
    Age I started losing hair: Probably really started to notice it around 20 years old.
    Past Surgeries: None
    Treatment: Taken Propecia for the past 3 years. It definitely helped. I think it probably added some density in the crown and mid-scalp areas but the temples are still continuing to recede, albeit at a slower pace compared to when I wasn't on propecia.

    I've used Rogaine on and off but I never felt like it was doing much and it would sometimes give me an itchy scalp so I haven't used it in about 12 months.

    Ideally I'd like to get off Propecia because I don't like messing with my body's hormones like that and I've felt like the libido side effects have hit me at times (but never bad enough to stop taking the meds). But I am pretty sure that if I were ever to do that then my hair loss would come back with a vengeance...so I'm sort of on the fence about future propecia usage.

    Most likely procedure: I'm leaning towards FUT Strip at this point

    Based on a lot of research and consultations I've narrowed my list down to five top doctors (all prices have been converted to $USD so these prices will fluctuate a little bit with exchange rates). Also each doctor's treatment plan / pricing structure is slightly different but I assumed 2,500 grafts so that I could do an apples to apples comparison:

    All Prices converted to $USD:

    Dr. Pathomvanich in Thailand - $2.66 per graft for a total cost of $6,700
    Drs. Hasson & Wong in Vancouver - $3.91 per graft. Total cost of $9,500 (this price factors in a $800 travel credit)
    Dr Rahal in Canada - $3.88 per graft. Total cost of $9,700 (this price factors in a $1,000 travel credit and $1,500 in taxes)
    Dr Alexander in Phoenix, AZ USA - $4 per graft = total cost of $10,000
    Dr Gabel in Portland, OR USA - $4 per graft + $500 setup fee = total cost of $10,500

    I'm basically looking to balance price with skill/quality. As far as I can tell all of these doctors are very skilled and widely respected. Dr Path is significantly cheaper than the other three (and I go to vacation in Thailand once a year so I was thinking I could kill two birds with one stone and do the surgery while I'm there anyways.) That being said, if the consensus is that one of the other three doctors is far and away a much better surgeon then perhaps I'd reconsider and spend the extra money...

    I'm leaning towards Dr Path and just scheduled a surgery date for mid Feb'17 (I still have ~10 days to cancel without any penalty though). The price is right and he seems to be quite well respected but I have some concerns:

    1. It sounds like his nurses do all of the graft placement - he only handles the strip removal and lateral slit incisions. I would prefer that my doctor is involved in every step of the process (even though I understand it would be impossible for him to plant every single graft)
    2. I came across this very negative hair transplant experience that someone had on hair Restoration Network: http://www.**********************.co...way-him-3.html
    3. In that same thread there are a number of people chiming in saying that Dr Path's results have gone downhill in the past year or two.
    4. On the other hand, I have gone through countless threads posted by both patients and by Dr Path himself and the results seem good so I may be allowing a few negative experience to stress me out too much
    5. Dr Path received very strong endorsements from Dr Wong (2006) and Dr Parsley (2002)

    I'd love to get some feedback on (1) How appropriate a hair transplant would be for me at this point in time (2) Which doctor to go with.

    Thanks everyone!

    Also, a quick guide to the photos:

    The ones with a buzzed head are from 2013 and 2014 - As you can see it looks like I'm destined to be a Norwood 6..but Propecia has been very helpful in halting and reversing some of this. Still, noticeable receding hairline and miniaturization of hairs in the front.

    The one taken outdoors in a grey t shirt was done with pretty wet hair to fully showcase my hair loss

    The ones outdoors/indoors in a brown jacket were taken at a BBQ so they are showing what the hair looks like in the wild when it is recently cut and styled (hair doesn't look nearly as bad in these angles). No concealers.

    The selfie style with a sweater on (taken while I'm seated) is probably the best representation of what my hair looks like these days when it is dry and styled normally (no concealers or anything else were used in this photo). The mid-scalp and crown are perfectly acceptable but the front third, hairline, and temples, are what bother me at this point.

    Lastly, the selfies with no shirt on are what the hair looks like when I comb the hair forward to illustrate the hair loss (I never style my hair like this though)
    Have you considered or done a consult with Dr. Matt Huebner in Alexandria? I have a friend who got his HT with him and I thought the results were good. If I were you, I would also strongly consider how accessible your HT doctor is to you post-surgery. So perhaps try to consider consulting with more doctors within a day's drive of you.

    Since price is such a factor from what you're saying, I would NOT even consider a HT if you're going to stop propecia altogether. If you do that, consider how many future HTs you may have to get that much sooner to offset all the hairs you had maintained with propecia.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    409

    Default

    All the surgeons you have mentioned show very consistently superior results. Personally, I think it's best to stick with those in the IAHRS, and I would not be to concerned about traveling within North America. Things get more complicated when when traveling outside of the U.S. and Canada. I've heard that IAHRS doctors will do followup with patients who go to other IAHRS doctors, like for staple or suture removal, exams and such, which is an important factor. I don't know much about Dr. Pathomvanich, but traveling that far for surgery with no local followup could be risky.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    795

    Default

    I think Gabel is really good at FUT.

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    262

    Default

    Jc, tread carefully.

    HW do great work for the most part. In the end it is upto you and be careful.

    Good luck and best wishes. I did respond to you at another place and really hope you get what you seek.

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    12

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Stevedawg18 View Post
    Hi,

    I've had a procedure with Dr. Wong and can attest that I had a very positive result and the scar is not a problem for me at this point. However I'm looking at your photos and where it's shaved really close on the sides you could not pull off after FUT which is too bad because it looks really sharp. So if you want to keep that hair cut I wouldn't do a strip.
    Thanks Stevedawg. That's good to know because I do like to keep my hair pretty short so based on feedback I'm actually reconsidering if FUE would be a better choice for me (I had previously been thinking strip for lower transection rates and significantly more affordable)

  9. #9
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    12

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rbkoreaus View Post
    Have you considered or done a consult with Dr. Matt Huebner in Alexandria? I have a friend who got his HT with him and I thought the results were good. If I were you, I would also strongly consider how accessible your HT doctor is to you post-surgery. So perhaps try to consider consulting with more doctors within a day's drive of you.

    Since price is such a factor from what you're saying, I would NOT even consider a HT if you're going to stop propecia altogether. If you do that, consider how many future HTs you may have to get that much sooner to offset all the hairs you had maintained with propecia.
    I hadn't heard of Huebner before. TBH, I just looked him up and wasn't too impressed with his results. I think if I'm going to do this I am only going to go with a surgeon that is considered elite and is well known on the forums.

    I also think that's a fair point about the propecia, I was thinking along similar lines that maybe I should figure out what I want to do with Propecia before doing any surgeries.

    Quote Originally Posted by J_B_Davis View Post
    All the surgeons you have mentioned show very consistently superior results. Personally, I think it's best to stick with those in the IAHRS, and I would not be to concerned about traveling within North America. Things get more complicated when when traveling outside of the U.S. and Canada. I've heard that IAHRS doctors will do followup with patients who go to other IAHRS doctors, like for staple or suture removal, exams and such, which is an important factor. I don't know much about Dr. Pathomvanich, but traveling that far for surgery with no local followup could be risky.
    Thanks, is IAHRS considered the most elite membership organization for hair surgeons? As far as I can tell anyone can join ISHRS so membership there means nothing to me. Are there other organizations that only allow membership to elite surgeons?

    Quote Originally Posted by KO1 View Post
    I think Gabel is really good at FUT.
    Thanks, as in he’s better than H&W and Rahal or just considered to be in the same league. It seems like H&W and Rahal are superstar surgeons and get a lot of name recognition whereas Gabel is very good but doesn’t have the same celebrity status.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sean View Post
    Jc, tread carefully.

    HW do great work for the most part. In the end it is upto you and be careful.

    Good luck and best wishes. I did respond to you at another place and really hope you get what you seek.
    Hi Sean! I’m very sorry I didn’t respond to your message on the other forum. I read it and appreciated the response but for some reason the messaging system is not allowing me to reply to any messages…I spent a while trying to respond to you but it kept giving me error messages!

    I was going to send you a private message on this forum but it looks like that capability doesn’t exist here…I don’t want to publicly post my email here so could you shoot me another private message on the other forum with your email and I can reply to you that way.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    795

    Default

    I wouldn't get too focused on the celebrity status. Some doctors are better at marketing than others, and have developed vocal "fan bases" (That doesn't mean they are bad, just have more public following). I would add these to your list: Konior, Shapiro, and Cooley. Konior is my favorite, but he has a long wait list of a year. IMHO Path is ok, but I think for FUT, it may be best to stay in NA.

    Also, please don't price shop or rank by price. Go with the clinic you are most comfortable with. The price difference will be negligible if you get a good result.

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