THE SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT DOCTOR FOR A HAIR TRANSPLANT

Today there are an increasing number of clinics that also offer hair transplants. The offer is very large and varied, so it is not easy to choose the right clinic and an experienced doctor. Therefore, before deciding whom to trust, it is important to do some research and find out which facts are crucial and what the patient should look out for.
On the following pages we have put together ten factors for you to use as a guide when looking for a doctor into whose hands you can put your head and whose knowledge you can trust.

1. EXPERIENCE IN HAIR TRANSPLANTATION

To start with, how can one evaluate a doctor's experience? Let us say, for example, that a doctor works about 250 days a year. If we subtract 50 days for training, meetings and vacation, that leaves us with 200 working days. If we multiply those 200 days by 8 hours per day, we get 1,600 work hours per year. In order for someone to be considered an expert in a particular field, it is important that he or she has performed this work for at least 10,000 hours. So, we come to the conclusion that if someone is doing hair transplants, in order to be an expert in this field, he or she should have spent more than six years in this line of work. Don't by shy - ask your doctor about that and work out whether he or she actually performed these necessary 10,000 hours doing hair transplants.
 

2. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOLLICLES AND HAIRS

Pay attention to whether your doctor is talking about a follicle (graft) or a hair when it comes to transplants - it's not the same thing. There are on average 2.5 hairs on each follicle.

3. CONTROL THE NUMBER AND QUALITY OF YOUR FOLLICLES

After the grafts have been extracted, make sure to ask your doctor to allow you to see your follicles and count them. The grafts should be lined up on special pads, the same number per pad. It is then very easy to count the follicles. Count the number of pads first, then pick one to count the follicles. Then multiply the number of follicles by the number of pads and you get the number of follicles extracted. This way you can count the number of follicles in less than 1 minute.
In addition to the number, make a check of the quality of the follicles. It is important to ensure that the number of hairs on the upper end of the follicle corresponds to the number of roots on the lower end of the follicle and that the individual hairs on the follicle are not cut or damaged. For example, if we have a follicle with 3 hairs, 2 of which were damaged during extraction, we conclude that 66.6% of this follicle is damaged and is it unlikely to grow in either the donor or the receiving region, which means that more harm than good was done during the procedure. This can happen when the follicles are being extracted by a doctor with insufficient experience, or when poor quality instruments and equipment were used.

4. BEFORE AND AFTER

Be sure to look at the doctor's results before making a decision - look at pictures of his or her patients before and after the hair transplant and pay attention to details – you should ascertain that these photos are really the result of this particular doctor’s work.

5. DURATION OF SURGERY

Equally important as precision and careful work, so that every hair is in its place after the transplant, is the duration of the process - it must be done quickly. Regardless of the type of fluid and the temperature at which the follicles are stored while outside the body, the longer the follicles are outside the body, the less chance they have to survive. It is therefore important to work precisely, but also quickly. Just as important for the follicles, this is important for you.

6. THE OP TEAM

Hair transplantation is not a one-man-show where everything depends on one individual. Quite the contrary, this is team work, and a good team is indispensable for top results. The team members must be trained and synchronized. Each one must know exactly what to do at a given time and have a lot of experience in this field.

7. OPERATING ROOM & EQUIPMENT

Hair transplantation must be performed in a medical facility equipped for such a procedure. It is important that the facility has a trichoscope for examining the scalp and must have all the necessary equipment to assess the patient's health, such as an ECG, thermometer, manometer, pulse oximeter, defibrillator, oxygen outlet, the necessary drugs, a preparatory and relaxation room and an operating room.
Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure and it requires appropriate conditions, such as an operating room equipped according to up-to-date standards. The principles of asepsis and antisepsis, i.e. keeping everything sterile is of utmost importance.

8. INDIVIDUAL APPROACH & APPLICATION OF ALL HAIR TRANSPLANT TECHNIQUES

There is no single or the right technique that will work for all patients. Therefore, even the currently most popular FUE hair transplant technique is not suitable for everyone. A good specialist is familiar with all techniques and knows when to combine the STRIP and FUE techniques, for example, and how to work confidently with both so that he or she can offer the patient the best individual solution. Neither the number of follicles extracted, nor the donor area is the same for everyone, in other words, there are a number of factors a practiced doctor must assess in order to make hair grow on the scalp on which it has not been growing before.

9. SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

As mentioned above, hair transplantation is a surgical procedure, so it is important that the operation is performed by a surgeon!

10. MEMBERSHIP IN ISHRS - INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF HAIR RESTORATION SURGERY

The International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery is an international association which accepts as members only the best doctors for hair transplantation from around the world. The criteria for membership are many years of experience in hair transplantation, regular education, training and the achieved results, which must be outstanding. Let us note that merely attending an ISHRS Congress does not mean that the attending doctor becomes a member. Anyone can participate in the ISHRS events, but for admission one must first meet the above criteria. You can find the list of members on the ISHRS website in the find doctor section https://ishrs.org/find-a-doctor/ 450 physicians from around the world are currently members of this prestigious association. For you, as a prospective client trying to differentiate real specialists from those who do not match the required high criteria, this association is a significant help. Take your time to study the list and choose the doctor worthy of your trust.