How to Choose the “Right” Hair Transplant Surgeon?

When performed by a talented, ethical physician, hair transplantation is a very effective and satisfying procedure. Unfortunately, some hair loss sufferers fall prey to common “hair transplant pitfalls” like unethical tactics or inadequate research, and end up undergoing hair transplant surgery with a hair restoration physician who does not suit their needs.

Because of this, selecting the “right” surgeon is extremely important for any prospective hair transplant patient. However, what makes one hair transplant surgeon “better” than another? What qualities should patients look for in a hair restoration surgeon? How do patients choose the right hair restoration physician for their hair transplant procedure?

Recently, “Michael James,” a patient coordinator for recommended hair transplant surgeon Dr. Parsa Mohebi, helped address these crucial questions and explained what he (and his clinic) believe patients should look for in a hair transplant surgeon:

Choosing the Best Hair Restoration and Hair Transplant Doctor

First and foremost there are basic requirements when selecting a physician for any type of medical treatment. Doctors take an oath to “Do No Harm.”  It is reasonable to have some basic expectations.

The following are to help you choose the best hair restoration doctor for your hair transplant procedure.

The doctor:

• is caring and compassionate.
• takes an interest in you as an individual.
• takes the time to learn about your problem,
• listens to you and does not lecture you by imposing his/her views upon you.
• is willing to educate you and bridge the gap between his/her knowledge and yours.
• is able to help you set expectations that will make you happy
• has the requisite education and excellent credentials in the specialty field you need.
• has built a reputation of excellence in the field based on their results, and are recommended by family, friends, patients, or a physician that you trust.

Let’s see how these qualities apply when selecting a top hair transplant surgeon:

Caring and compassionate – This starts when you first contact the office.

• How are you treated by the doctor’s staff on the phone?
• When you come to meet with the doctor, what is your first impression?
• Is the office clean and the staff friendly and organized?
• A caring doctor will meet with you and does not send a salesman in to gather information on your needs as his first bonding experience with you is in taking your history and learning about your concerns.
• The consultation agenda should be set by you with the purpose of establishing a basic patient/physician relationship. Good communication between both parties is critical.

 Taking interest in you

• Does your doctor care about you by showing real concern?
• Does she/he look into your eyes when speaking with you?
• Does he treat you with respect?
• Do you get the opportunity to share who you are and what you do?
• Does he want to learn about your lifestyle, your family, your culture?

 Time – The time the doctor schedules for you will tell you much about how he values you as a patient.

• For all new patients, scheduling  a full hour for getting to know you as a person and yur hopes and needs
• There should be enough time to examine the patient and listen to their concerns.

 Education

• The doctor should educate, but not lecture, the patient during the consult once the issues have been presented.
• The first step in educating the patient is making sure that a detailed history of the patient is taken, understanding what has brought the patient to the office, followed by an examination of the affected areas. Just like a visit to your primary care physician, the examination is crucial. Your doctor should look closely at your hair, use a video magnifier to determine how far the thinning extends and this should lead him to an assessment of the point where the balding is advancing to.

Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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