How to Choose the Best Hair Transplant Surgeon?

However busy you are, a time will come when you’ll realize that you are drastically losing hair. Either by looking in the mirror or someone will point it out, right? Hearing it, you may panic or feel hopeless. Once that shock wears off, you’ll start thinking about how to stop hair loss. Today’s topic will be how to find the hair transplant best doctor or surgeon near me.

You want to save your remaining hair and get your hair back. So, the first solution that comes to your mind is hair transplantation. If you are planning to opt for hair transplantation surgery, what would be the first question that comes to your mind? Who is the best hair transplant surgeon? How to choose the best hair transplant surgeon near me?

Here comes the answer to your question which approved a few essential tips on how to make the correct selection.

Qualification of the Surgeon

Usually, you’ll find a surgeon through a referral from your family physician or another patient. Else, you will start by searching the list of surgeons who perform hair transplant surgery via the internet.

• Don’t forget to go through the skills and qualifications of every surgeon. The surgeon should be a board-certified dermatologist or cosmetic doctor. Don’t opt for a technician.
• Since this procedure is too sensitive, you require the right surgeon. Only the right surgical skills can deliver the right results.
• A board-certified cosmetologist or dermatologist might be expensive compared to a technician. However, only he knows how to maintain high safety standards.

He can manage if there arises any complication. Same way, try to find out if the surgeon has made any contribution through research or magazine publications.

Experience of the Surgeon

Don’t evaluate the surgeon’s experience with age. Try to find out how many surgeries they have handled successfully to date. It’s better to select an experienced surgeon since they know how to handle different hair types and complications.

• A skilled and experienced cosmetic surgeon can anticipate cosmetic or psychological issues before they arise.
• In that case, he/she can take the right preventive steps to avoid them [1]. Make sure the hair transplant surgeon does the majority of the procedure. Especially, FUE is exhaustive.
• The surgeon requires occasional breaks. During that time, many surgeons designate the procedure for their staff.
• If the staff is not well-trained, it will impact your hair transplant outcomes.

To avoid such issues, you should make sure the surgeon does the procedure completely.

Check If the Clinic Offers Additional Procedures to Enhance Results

A hair transplant from the right clinic yields great results. Still, procedures such as PRP, stem cell therapy, etc. prompt quicker hair growth by accelerating the activation of transplant follicles. You can imagine how the final outcome will be! So, make sure to enquire your surgeon whether the clinic provides additional cosmetic surgery procedures.

Check the Patient’s Before and After Photo or Video Gallery

Meet the clinic staff and enquire about the hair transplant before and after the high-quality photo and video gallery. See if the outcomes are constantly proper. Check for HD quality. You will then get a clear idea. At the same time, the photos shouldn’t be photoshopped.

The lighting should be intense and not blurred or lousy. It will be great if you accompany a person who can make out the fake photos even if you can’t.

Check the Patient Reviews

Patients who have undergone hair transplantation will surely post feedback about their experience. So, you may come across both good and bad reviews. The patient reviews help in picking up the good from the bad.

So, don’t forget to check the clinic website or their social media sites. Try to speak to any patient directly or via call if you can.

Staff Behavior

See whether the staff is friendly, knowledgeable, competent, and supportive throughout the surgery. They should be well aware of their responsibilities and the surgeon’s approach. For instance, they know when to bring something to their surgeon’s attention.

Their behavior helps you to judge whether your physician is good or not. Be wary if they force you to make an instant decision, especially in exchange for a concession.

Enquire About the Clinic’s Instruments and Their Manufacturer

The instruments used by the surgeon play a major role in the hair transplant procedure.

There are 4 types of FUE, in terms of device use:

• Manual – The cosmetic surgeon uses the necessary punch
• Mechanical – Use of mechanical punch to extract quickly
• Automatic – Use of a device that automates the extraction
• Robotic – Use of a robotic device for extraction

At present, hair surgeons use manual and mechanical types in India. The other two types are still developing. However, surgeons can use both automatic and robotic only on certain patients.

People should be cautious while opting for an automatic FUE since instrument manufacturers entice even ordinary technicians to provide automatic FUE hair transplant services.

Not just the electric devices, but also the mechanical tools should be of high quality. An ideal FUE punch is so sharp that it can’t be re-sharpened. However, many clinics reuse punches to cut costs.

They even use improper devices for graft storage. All these changes significantly impact the outcomes. So, inquire about the clinic’s instruments and their manufacturer to verify the quality.

FUT or FUE – Be Aware of the Basics

There are two types of hair transplantation:

• Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) or strip procedure
• Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

Both these types have a deep effect on the final respective outcomes. Hence, the selection of the technique depends on the unique requirements and the considerations of the patient [2].

FUT: FUT procedure is short and affordable. You don’t have to shave your head. However, it always leaves a prominent scar. As time goes on, the graft will become prominent and requires correction. FUT also changes the pattern of your hair growth. Moreover, you won’t be able to try out diverse hairstyles.

FUE: By and large, if you opt for FUE Procedure, you will have to sit still for a prolonged duration. Still, the final outcomes are worth it! The pattern of your hair growth never warps. If performed right, you won’t find any visible scars. FUT is more precise with better convincing hairlines. Just the small number of hair follicles getting transplanted.

Hence, you will age better. You can try more hairstyles. Initially, you feel FUE is more expensive compared to FUT. However, the cumulative cost of procedure and correction makes FUT costlier in the long run.

Questions To Be Asked as Per the Transplantation Method You Choose

Whatever method of hair transplant (FUT/FUE) you choose, make sure to ask the below-listed questions:

FUT

• Do you dissect the graft microscopically? If so, how long?
• Do technicians use stereo microscopes? If so, how long?
• How many FUT procedures did you perform?
• Will your cosmetic surgeon use a single-bladed knife to excise the donor strip?

(‘Yes’ should be the answer)

FUE

• How many FUE procedures did you perform?
• Who dissects the FUR graft? Is it the surgeon or a technician? If the technician performs the dissection, what are his qualifications and experience?
• Did you examine and refine the FUE grafts under the microscope before implantation?

Considerations During Every Consultation Before Selecting the Surgeon

• Be sure that you are evaluated by the surgeon and not the salesman. Check whether the surgeon is recommending surgery for everyone. He should be empathetic and not present the ‘hard sell’. Moreover, ask what percentage he recommends for hair restoration.
• Not every candidate is the right candidate for hair transplantation. Hence, the treatment strategy should begin with medications.
• Have a thorough examination such as scalp assessment for laxity and density check test using a densitometer.
• Check whether your doctor is friendly and addresses all your concerns. He should patiently answer your queries so that you can easily understand.
• Your doctor should spend time with you explaining the pros and cons of hair transplant types. He/she should educate you to develop realistic expectations about the surgery.
• Your doctor should focus on a long-term plan. He should be able to predict how the surgery will look down the road as you age.
• Don’t rush into surgery even if the surgeon recommends it. It cannot be an overnight decision. You should have sufficient time to think about the surgery. Discuss all the nonsurgical options, their pros, and cons. Try them before finalizing the surgery.
• Moreover, if the surgeon convinces you to have surgery at the earliest, enquire about various other clinics and hair surgeons. Check what they say.
• Above all, go with your gut while selecting a surgeon. You should be fully comfortable with the surgeon you select. If you find any discomfort, it’s a sign that things won’t work no matter even if you are at the best clinic. After all, your comfort is the top priority!

So, What’s the Upshot?

Research, research, and only research! It consumes more time to pick the best hair transplant surgeon/clinic. So, do sufficient research. Make sure to select multiple clinics, but don’t rush into a decision. This continuous research may seem intimidating, but it’s worth it.

Ultimately, it’s the expertise and experience that matters! Moreover, it’s the board-certified cosmetologist or dermatologist who has taken the oath to treat you.

If the doctor allows only the technicians to perform surgery, he is neglecting the oath. In that case, you should look out for someone else. After all, the best hair restoration provides lifetime benefits, isn’t it?

To know about Dr. Sandheep Bhasin, the best hair transplant surgeon in Delhi, schedule an appointment with our Care Well Medical Center, by calling us at (+91) 9667977499.

References

1. Shiell RC. A review of modern surgical hair restoration techniques. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2008;1(1):12-16. doi:10.4103/0974-2077.41150 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2840892/
2. Cheryl Guttman Krader, BS, Pharm. Hair transplantation outcomes improve. Dermatology Times. July 2020; 41(7). https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/hair-transplantation-outcomes-improve