Rob Angelino is the founder of hair loss clinic, HAIRLAB. In this article, he answers some basic questions that most clients have about hair transplant surgery and walk them through some frequently asked questions.
What should I expect from a hair transplant clinic?
When you first come in the door you should expect a free initial consultation with either myself or the surgeon. Very often people come in-person for the interview, but nowadays almost 50% of the initial consultations are actually virtual. The client will send pictures and email us and talk on the phone. I can actually do it as I travel. I get the pictures on my IPhone and I will take a look and forward it to Dr. Chow, our doctor on staff. We may map out a plan of action and we’ll email back the patient our recommendations depending on the client’s budget. The client will give us a credit card number for the deposit, schedule a time for the procedure and then fly out to us without ever having met. Of course, we will take the opportunity when he first comes in to speak with him and answer any other questions he might have. But there is actually enough information out there about this subject that the clients are usually quite well informed. Most clients go by their gut feeling and they just have to feel that you are competent and caring enough to answer all their questions and do a good job.
Everyone gets an initial consultation on the morning of the procedure. We have lots of fly-ins from all over the country. First timers are always skeptical and have lots of questions. We get patients that are engineers and want to know all details. Often, we get veterans of the procedure who will want to know just a bit more about the doctor and then they fly out in a week. The whole consultation will take less than a half hour. As I like to say, this procedure is close to the brain, but it’s not brain surgery. For trained cosmetic surgeons and board certified hair transplant surgeons, its easy. But the doctor has to have the artistic eye. There are wide ranges of skill sets out there. There are some doctors that have only taken weekend courses and now they can be hair transplant surgeons. Then there are guys trained as both general and cosmetic surgeons who took an interest in hair and have great training and skills. There is such a wide spectrum of skill sets out there. There are actually companies out there who have killed people on the operating table by giving them the wrong amount of anesthesia and they have simply changed the name of their company and are still out there doing business! So the best is always to go with your gut and trust that the surgeon is skilled and board certified. If a friend recommends a certain practice, that is always the best.
Will people know I have had it done?
No. If it is done well, no one will be able to tell that someone has had the procedure. No one has ever looked at me and asked if I have had it. If people have had bad transplant, then you can tell. It looks like a doll’s head. The hairline is chunky. People glance up at it. A bad hair transplant can be noticeable.
What’s the cost?
We provide a full range of treatments for hair loss. We might just recommend Propecia and topical stimulants and the client will pay as little as $60/month. If you want to buy laser, that is a flat fee of $300 to $2,000. If you want to stay on the pills, it runs around $60/month. Hair transplants range from as low as a few thousand dollars to up to $15,000 depending on how many grafts and what level of procedure you want. We will not let a client simply opt for a lower procedure just to pay less. We want complete satisfaction from each one of out clients.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
