It’s a stormy afternoon here at the clinic. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking long and hard about writing this article. I believe it is information that many people need to avoid paying for a low-cost, low-quality hair transplant. Read on to save yourself some grief.
Patient X
First, I want to talk to you about a gentleman who came to see me about three months ago. We’ll call him “Patient X”. This man is in his early 30s and had significant balding – at least a NW 5 and probably moving toward a NW 6. Density was average and laxity was just okay. So his donor hair was not the best. After the examination and performing the calculations, I informed him that we could successfully transplant between 3200 to 3700 grafts, which is the equivalent of about 7400 hair follicles. He was not pleased with this number and even after explaining the math and science behind the calculations, he left the office unhappy.
Well, three days ago, he called me. He went to another clinic and was happy to let me know he received a transplant of 6500 grafts. My answer was that he must mean hairs, not grafts. He was insistent in this being the number of grafts. He was duped, plain and simple.
Know what’s Real
Sadly, this patient fell for a really bad deal. Someone told him what he wanted to hear, made some promises and he bought it. In about six months, those 6500 grafts will look like only 1500 and he’ll be unhappy again. And with no options for repair.
The truth is, it takes the best clinics to perform a transplant of more than 5000 grafts in one sitting. There are only two clinics in this area that have documented doing this, and our clinic is one of them.
The amount of hair that can be transplanted is dependent on two factors: the length of the donor area and how much width is available. This guy didn’t have more.
There are clinics and doctors who will sell to your emotions and promise you anything, but the results don’t hold up. Look for documentation of what they’re promising you. Ask to see before and after photos of some of their cases. They should be able to back up the promise with some documentation.
When considering a hair transplant, go to a top clinic. Stay realistic about the results you can achieve and listen to the professionals. Don’t let someone play to your emotions and sell you a false promise.
And that’s how you avoid getting a bad hair transplant.
