Hair loss is one of the most debilitating conditions of the modern man. Going bald prematurely can cause serious self-esteem and self-image issues in men as well as women.
One of the solutions capable of remedying hair loss is the use of hair transplants. However, not all hair transplant clinics are the same. Here are several tips on how to find the right hair transplant clinic for you and get the results you want.
Do a Background Check of the Clinic
Hair transplants take a great deal of knowledge, experience, and expertise. It’s a delicate process that has to be performed by a licensed professional. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is check your hair transplant clinic’s track record.
Do a cursory check of their past work, their staff, and most importantly the chief surgeon in charge of doing the transplant. While your chances of running into issues are minute, it’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with something so sophisticated as hair transplants.
A thorough dive into a clinic’s past should bring up any potential red flags. If you really want to be sure about a place, try to find some of their previous patients. Talk to them and learn about their first-hand experience. This step might seem excessive, but the more information you can gather, the better.
Different Clinics Specialize in Different Types of Transplants
Hair transplant techniques differ from clinic to clinic. You’ll find that most clinics perform either FUT or FUE treatments. The former involves taking an entire strip of donor’s hair from the back of the head and transplanting it to the receding areas. Many of the pioneers of hair transplants made great results with FUT. On the other hand, there’s a more modern and often considered more efficient method — FUE. FUE is a treatment where doctors extract individual follicular units and transplant them one by one in the affected area.
Which one of these is best for you will depend on a number of factors, but rarely will you find a clinic that specializes thoroughly in both methods.
Ask for Consultations
Speaking of choosing between FUE and FUT, the only way to know which one to go with is to coconsult a hair loss specialist like Eternal Hair & Aesthetics in NJ and get their professional opinion.. Even though hair loss is a common condition in both men and women, each patient is different in terms of the extent of hair loss and recommended treatments.
It’s a good idea to have the doctor walk you through their reasons why they chose one procedure or another. A good hair loss specialist should be able to come up with a basic plan of action. At this stage, the doctor could also recommend medication or another form of therapy to complement the transplant, which is why consultations are essential.
One important thing to add here — make sure that you’re consulting with an actual doctor, and not a clinic representative. There have been numerous instances where patients were greeted and consulted by a person who is essentially working in sales, and not a surgeon. Ask for the credentials of the person you’re talking to. If they’re not a medical doctor, start looking for another clinic.
Consider the Clinic Itself
Most successful hair transplant clinics are standalone medical centers. However, since the hair transplant business has been booming in the past decade, more and more hair transplant clinics are popping up in places where you don’t usually expect to find them. There are plenty of instances of clinics sharing a building with a retail store or similar businesses.
Being a new kid on the block can be tough in any industry, let alone this one. Yet, if you run into a clinic that claims decades of success but is working out of a shared building, consider that a red flag. Infrastructure and sanitary conditions are an essential precursor to any form of medical interventions, including hair transplants.
Look for Signs of Inexperience
There is more than one way to perform a hair transplant. The FUT treatment is sometimes done by technicians rather than doctors due to how simple it is to perform on paper. Many new clinics, or those that are looking to maximize their profits, are mainly using technicians to perform the transplants.
The FUE treatment is far more difficult, but clinics have found a way around said complexity. Namely, there are two ways you can extract and implant individual follicular units — manually, or using a machine.
Doing it manually is slower but exponentially safer. The issue is that the manual method requires a trained, and more importantly, skilled surgeon who knows what they’re doing. Using the machine is faster, requires less skill, but it also exposes you to more risk. The methodology of a clinic can tell you a lot about their experience, where their priorities lie (high turnaround and profits or patient care).
Ask About Post Op Care
Getting the transplant itself is just one part of the entire process. Post-op care is essential for pain management and proper healing. When you go interviewing at various clinics, make sure to ask them about post-op care. Some clinics will provide the bare minimum, which isn’t ideal in most cases. However, a good number of clinics will offer extended care and therapy that will make your recovery as smooth as possible.
Cover All Your Bases
The key to having a positive hair transplant experience is to do your due diligence and narrow down your choices to several trusted clinics. Pick a place that puts patients above everything else. Hair transplant mills that are way underpriced and use shady treatment options should be avoided at all costs.
Having your transplant done at such places is way too risky, especially if you’re looking for long-term results. Fortunately for everyone, it doesn’t take much to weed out the questionable clinics and reduce your choices to a few solid prospects. Doing the necessary research will take time, but it’s absolutely worth it as far as long-term satisfaction goes.