I’m now in Madrid and this is my first visit to Spain. I’ve always heard great things about Spain in general and so far it is living up to it’s reputation. Madrid is a very modern city that has so much history. Thing is, the city is so well kept up and updated that you’d have a hard time believing that so many of the buildings in the city are several hundred years old. The patients have been very accommodating to us as have the people of Madrid in general. Everyone here is very polite.

The requisite pizza pic.

Vatican City

The video is long, and boring, so I tried to spice it up a bit with my quirky sense of humor, hence the “unofficial” moniker:)

Summary of Points:

1.) Think about what you are doing. You are submitting photos for a SURGICAL evaluation. Don’t leave this task to a cell phone camera, regardless of megapixels. Higher megapixels does not equate higher focus and higher clarity. Go to Walmart and buy a 100.00 camera!

2.) Don’t hold the camera at sixteen different angles above your head. This will increase the likelihood of camera shake which means a blurry image. Place the camera on a shelf or counter top and “pose” for the camera. If you have a tri-pod then use that.

3.) Don’t take photos with the light source behind you. This “blinds” the camera. Have your main source of light behind the camera.

4.) Be sure to include the left profile, the right profile, the top, the back, donor area density and the full frontal face image. These are confidential so they won’t be used publicly. Doctors need to see the height of your hairline relative to your eyebrows for perspective.

5.) If you had had HT surgery in the past then by all means SHOW the donor scarring, be it strip or FUE. This one image can make or break an evaluation so be sure to include it.

6.) Don’t style your hair the way you normally do to hide the weakness. You can’t expect the doctor to make a reasonably accurate evaluation if you are hiding what concerns you. Expose the weakness as much as you can.

7.) DON’T USE FLASH. This makes your hair look completely different than in reality.

“Frequently patients ask us about styling options after the hair grows in from their hair transplant. Will they be able to style their hair in any fashion or will they be forced to style it in a particular way to maintain coverage and naturalness?

In general,if the transplanted hair is directed correctly the styling options will increase with higher transplant densities. At low density it is important to comb the hair in a  particular direction to maintain the hair shingling effect to bridge over bald scalp until the hairs reach the next FU at which point the hairs from that next FU will take over the coverage function. In addition lower densities will require longer length hair for coverage. However, there is a point where the hair can be too long thus making the hair appear to give less coverage. Each patient is different so it is up to the individual to find the best length to maximize coverage.

If an individual intends to part their hair through a transplanted area that was previously bald the transplanted hair density required rises dramatically. The shingling effect is largely negated here and what becomes impacted is the distance between transplanted FU’s. Generally for a part to look natural transplanted densities of 50 FU per cm2 and up are necessary. Obviously the hair characteristics such as shaft diameter, color and curl will come into play as well.

As you can see the patients expectations with regard to styling should be an important part of the pre-op consultation. With sufficient donor availability patients with ever demanding expectations can be satisfied but it is important to identify those patients who are demanding in the absence of sufficient donor. These are the patients who should be counseled more extensively to avoid later disappointment.

Victor Hasson MD”