If hair loss concerns you then a hair transplant can be a positive life-changing experience. But, like any surgical procedure, along with the positives, you need to take care. Many important factors when choosing a hair transplant clinic. How to minimise the risks and ensure your experience and result is a good one.
What do you look for in a hair transplant clinic?
(no particular order)
location
reviews
using the latest techniques
staff
cost
results
professional credentials
good customer service
A list for choosing a hair transplant Clinic can go on and on. We all have personal points views. Important to us and maybe for another do not matter as much. Some points are maybe more important than others. Some carry red flags that we should be concerned about. So, here are more thoughts on choosing a hair transplant Clinic. You may wish to consider before making your choice.
Location
No country has a monopoly on the best hair transplant Clinics. There are good and bad clinics regardless of country. There are some simple aspects you may wish to consider though. One being your well-being. The healthcare of the country. If you have a problem will you have the right to complain? If, so, who will listen. Are there governing bodies that oversee medical procedures? How effective are they? Can you speak the local language if travelling abroad? Are the paperwork, consent forms, and medical forms in your language? Importantly, will you be able to communicate well with the Doctor performing your procedure?
Reviews
Testimonies from past clients can be good. A way to get an idea of the Doctor and Clinic and how they treat their clients. Importantly if they have a problem how they look to resolve the complaint. Online reviews can be misleading. Especially if not qualified. As anyone can write anything on the internet. Without it being checked for probity. With so many review sites it becomes harder to validate what are real testimonials and made up. Try to talk with previous patients and if possible meet them, see their result face to face.
Remember, one person´s happiness may not be yours. Your expectations can be very different. Don´t take a review on face value. Check.
Using the latest techniques
Just because it´s new doesn´t mean it´better. Technology is not always for the benefit of the patient. Sometimes because it makes performance faster and easier for the Doctor. There are two hair transplant techniques, FUT and FUE. Both are time-consuming to perform and need experience and skill to ensure the highest standard of results. If a clinic suggests they are using propitiatory techniques or instruments ask to see independent studies why they are better.
Staff
Experienced hair transplant technicians can make an average Doctor look great. But, poor technicians can make the best hair transplant Doctor look awful. Technicians play an important role in a hair transplant, depending on the Doctor and technique used more of a role than others. There are no technical qualifications to be a technician so ensure the doctor is using experienced and skilled technicians. where were they trained, how many procedures do they perform, what roles do they play in the hair transplant procedure?
Cost
A hair transplant is the same wherever you go, so all that matters is the cost … tell that to a repair patient. Some countries can charge much less because of economic reasons …… in Europe for example, the cost of living changes little across the countries, although hair transplant costs may vary slightly the standard costs are not that different. Very low-cost hair transplants exist because they work on the number of clients per day and not the quality and care of each patient. They use cheap, inferior tools and equipment, inexperienced staff and the doctor is only marginally present for legal purposes rather than actually performing large aspects of the hair transplant themselves.
A conveyer belt mentality is maintained with the cost the same regardless of graft numbers because the quota is based on the number of beds filled per day rather than the work carried out. The low cost also belittles the necessary skills and expertise required to perform a hair transplant, aspects such as donor hair management and graft survival so long-term planning is of little importance. Be careful wishing or believing all hair transplants are the same, from fake watches to fake jeans to fake surgical supplies the initial joy of your decision may be short-lived and hard to reverse.
Results
Before and after images can help you get an idea as to the quality of work being performed. Always look to compare similar hair characteristics to your self, hair colour, calibre and coarseness, straight or curly hair as well as the hair loss pattern. In pictures, check for similar lighting and wet or dry images in the before and after. Confirm no concealer products are being used and with a hairline try to see the hairline brushed back to expose the hair placement. It has been known for clinics to use other clinics results on their websites, as much as you can confirm the results you see are from the clinic.
Professional credentials
Do not take as a given a Doctor is credited to perform your hair transplant, it should be easy to check their name of the countries registered list of medical practitioners permitted to perform medicine. Also, ensure your Doctor is insured to perform your procedure and has the necessary cover in case there is a problem. Are they a member of a hair loss and restoration international society can indicate how serious they consider their profession and how many other medical procedures do they perform, is a hair transplant just one of many on their menu.
Good customer service
This is important before and after your hair transplant procedure, especially if traveling to another country you need the assurance the clinic is behind you and looking after you. Replying promptly to emails and call is important but so is the quality of information you are being given. Ensure it is not lip service and your concerns are met with justified replies as to the quality you will receive. Do not be tempted by special offers or last minute deals and pay more attention to the important details such as the quality of work, how many hair transplants are performed daily, who does what in the medical procedure. Ask for the name of the Doctor, if no name can be given this should raise concerns.
An online consultation is a good place to start your research. Once you have whittled down the number of clinics to a handful you can contact them and ask their opinion. A hair transplant is an elective surgery, you can ask any question regarding the practice and how they perform their hair transplant procedures. Never believe that everything is a simple as you wish it to be, with any medical procedure there are always consequences and often you have to be prepared for some if you wish the procedure to be performed to the highest standard.
