Common Mistakes While Choosing A Hair Transplant Specialist

July 20, 2017 | By Dr. Sangay Bhutia (Hair Transplant Specialist in Delhi)

Hair transplant is a blessing of modern medicine. But one wrong step and it can become a catastrophe. While a number of people suffering hair loss are thrilled by the possibility of having hair back on their heads, there are others who are deterred by the horror stories they might hear about procedures gone wrong.

Let’s start with the possibilities hair transplant presents - If you are suffering from pattern baldness, it will help cover your bald spots, and you can even have a head full of hair. Modern hair transplant procedures like Follicular unit extraction (FUE) are effective, minimally invasive and almost painless.

Hair transplant is not a taboo anymore, and the procedure has a high success rate. All you need to do is find a good, experienced surgeon.

However, there is a lot of irrelevant and misleading information about hair transplant doing the rounds. You have to be careful, and to help you with that, here’s a list of common mistakes people make, and the things one needs to keep in mind before going for a transplant.

1. Beware of deals and offers
As fascinating as an advertisement might look, one needs to think and refrain from making a hasty decision. As the demand for hair transplant and other cosmetic procedures has soared, clinics and medical centers providing these facilities have mushroomed as well. There are a flashy advertisement and a lot of dodgy deals out there. As tempting as the offer might look, it is best to avoid it and find a surgeon with experience and good recommendations.

An important thing to remember is that - there is a limited amount of hair follicles in the donor area, which is the rear and sides of the head, where follicles are harvested from. Therefore, it is important to invest in a good surgeon, who will not waste the follicles and can guarantee a successful procedure.

The experience of the doctor and their skill has a great impact on the results of the surgery. The transplant has to be medically and aesthetically well done for best results. And it is definitely not a job for a novice

2. Detailed research on clinic or doctor is a must
Firstly, it is important to read up about hair transplant itself. Apart from the fact that it is a medical marvel and a fascinating procedure, reading will help one understand what they are signing up for. Secondly, it is advisable to spend some time checking the credibility of the clinic and the doctor. Schedule a meeting, ask them about their past experiences and cases they have worked on. In this case, remember no questions are stupid, so ask enough to understand and to clear all the doubts.

• Looking at the before and after photos of patients from the clinic is also helpful. Here are some other things to look for –
• Patient testimonials on the website, online reviews & rating websites like Mouthshut, Trustpilot or other consumer forums.
• Credibility of the clinic or doctor can be checked on some good forums and discussions online.
• A good practice is to speak to a former patient of the doctor and ask about their experience and results.

A proper consultation with the surgeon will clear out most doubts about the procedure and the expected outcome. Seek help from the doctor in setting up realistic expectations, as the procedure works differently for different people.

3. Hair transplant technique remains the same, the rest is marketing

One of the consequences of the popularity of hair transplant is that some clinics, with huge marketing budgets, use flashy and misleading advertisements in order to secure more patients. Here are some misleading phrases from such advertisements.

• Most effective FUE technique
• Stimulated FUE technique
• Advanced FUE hair transplant
• We can make procedure painless

Now, these are terms created by clinics and they are marketing gimmicks. Essentially the technique remains the same i.e. FUE, which involves extraction of individual hair follicles from donor area using micro punches, and transplanting them to the recipient area.

4. Grafts vs. Hair
A graft and hair follicle are basically different names for the same thing. And, 1 Graft equals 2.2 hairs. Many hair transplant centers charge on the basis of the hair and not on the grafts. The advertisements in these cases can be deceptive. Make sure you know

what you are paying for, lest you run up a huge bill. Make sure that you check up on that with the clinic before signing up.

Lastly, all one needs is – to do detailed research, have a thorough discussion with the surgeon, and talk to someone who has had the procedure before. The right technique and technology, and a good, experienced surgeon are all it takes to have some glorious hair back on your head.