A bad experience with a hair transplant consultation
A brief rundown of my first ever consultation. The whole thing lasted less than 30 minutes. I filled out a couple questionnaires and then met with a “counselor.” They estimated I was a great candidate due to limited loss and strong donor hair and I would need 1500 or less grafts with FUT.
I asked about aftercare, and was told about a laser cap I should wear 6 minutes a day. I asked about Fin and was told not worry about side effects. I asked whether my thick back hair would blend with my finer front hair, was told that all transplants are the same way and not to worry.
I was told 1500 grafts would cost me around 7500, as long as I picked a date in the next two months while they had a promotion. They needed a $1000 deposit which I’d lose if I cancelled more than 2 weeks before the surgery date.
I was told that less than 5% of patients need a touch up afterwards.
I paid the deposit and left. Quickly I felt that I had been had, the whole thing was super high pressure sales, and though she said otherwise I’m pretty sure this “counselor” worked on commission.
I did not meet with an actual doctor, and the counselor did not get up from her desk so never got a close look at my scalp. I was told I would have the doctor consultation on the day of surgery, and I realized that does not leave me any time to consider the decision after being given actual medical advice.
The counselor didn’t advise me whether I should be starting fin or anything else before the surgery.
I was told FUT was better than FUE/ARTAS because the robotic method is not as “artistically sensitive” to the angle of the root and you get less hair per graft.
I was told the doctor they use is normally in Beverly Hills and is one of the top 3 in the country. But when I searched for reviews I couldn’t find anything.
I feel a little depressed because I guess I was thinking by the end of this year I’d be sporting a full head of hair and got excited. Now I feel like a bit of a fool.
In my practice, you never meet with a salesman, only either myself of my partner Dr. Pak. Since we do the surgery and all of the consultations, we understand the process from the beginning to the end. We spend close to an hour with each new patient, perform an extensive examination and build a Master Plan for the patient’s short and long term future. We try to predict the final pattern of hair loss using the HAIRCHECK instrument which then allows us to understand the donor supply and the eventual balding pattern. You should demand nothing less than what we offer, regardless if which doctor you end up seeing. We offer monthly Open House Events where you can meet former patients, see a surgery and get a free consultation with either me of my partner. That is just being a good doctor. Our reviews can be found on Realself, and Yelp for everyone to see.
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