FAQ
The Most Popular Hair Transplant FAQ? How were you able to have so many hair transplant surgeries?
This is a great question and it all comes down to three things. The first is luck, in that while I didn't have such great luck with my first doctor (twice), I had great luck in finding my second doctor. You see, when I was first looking into my repair options there wasn't a lot of information to be had online. You guys today have it easy. There were some discussion forums but there weren't many guys sharing a lot of photos, certainly not like I did, but also just not much overall. In addition, Dr. Wong wasn't really known very well online since no one was really standing out as being superior or top notch like you'll find today.The second reason has to do with what Dr. Wong calls my "mutant laxity". It's not so great that I could have ever gotten 6000 grafts in one procedure but it was great in that it kept returning with each surgery. Seriously, my surgeries kept getting slightly bigger than the previous surgery until my last one which was smaller, as it should have been. After having two failed surgeries and TWO stacked donor scars (one above the other) my laxity just kept returning. I was very blessed in this regard.
The third and final reason is because Dr. Wong did a great job of planning. With each surgery he addressed different areas with just enough work to make an improvement. Other doctors would have just carpet-bombed one area to get the biggest cosmetic improvement. Dr. Wong however recognized that the first surgery gave me the biggest overall impact and that any additional surgeries simply afforded the opportunity to fine tune things. His approach was definitely the best approach and I'm far better off because of it.
You worked so long for a FUSS only clinic. What made you decide to be so supportive of FUE?
This question tells me when someone hasn't been paying attention. To be so staunchly dead set against FUE procedures in general, in this day and age, with so many dozens of results popping up on what seems to be a weekly and monthly basis would be nothing short of ignorant, arrogant and even dimwitted. My position and my message on FUE and FUSS respectively has been consistent. I still believe FUSS offers the highest yield (growth) graft for graft compared to FUE in similarly capable hands. However, the disparity between the two is so miniscule that it hardly makes any difference to the FUE patient. Anyone that is seeking to have FUE is doing so for one reason and one reason only; because they do not want a linear strip scar. There is no other reason and an FUE patient would not be able to detect a deficiency of a few percentage points compared to FUSS had they chosen FUSS instead anyway. Furthermore, at this point, a donor scar is not worth risking if FUE can do the job nearly as well.
You spent so much time in the industry working for top tier clinics. Why did you leave?
There are a few reasons for this. One thing that I've been saying to people for a while now, even before I ceased being a consultant for one company, is that there is no "best" clinic across the board. One clinic may be the best for one patient while another may be "best" for another patient and quite frankly, I think there are more good or even great clinics out there than many people realize so I'd like to find these clinics and help you get to know them.
In addition, I want to do my part to make the industry better and I cannot do this by working for one clinic as it's employee. Clinics spend so much money trying to get you in the door; there are advertisements, online memberships, yellow pages, etc. just to get you in for a consultation and then you get phone calls, emails, follow-up after follow-up so that the consultant can "see where you are" in your decision making process. Once you've had surgery, it seems like you never hear from the clinic again. Sure, you'll get an email or a phone call to make sure you are ok a few days later but with many clinics you don't hear from them till they want to see if you have photos good enough to post online nine to twelve months later. I feel this is wrong and I want to improve this shortcoming.
Finally, as I said, I do not believe that there is any one "best clinic". When I first left Hasson & Wong to work for Dr. Rahal I received quite a few emails from people saying that because I then worked for Dr. Rahal they wanted to consider him for their surgery. While this was incredibly flattering it was also somewhat disconcerting. This showed me that simply by being the online representative for Dr. Rahal sent a message to many people that I felt he was the best surgeon to consider. This was not the case and this misconception troubled me. Dr. Rahal is a fantastic surgeon but he is not the best surgeon for everyone, which is what I've been saying all along about all doctors. By being in a position where I do not answer to, or represent, a single clinic I am not necessarily conveying the message that I think any single clinic is the best. My message will be easier to understand now that I'm no longer affiliated with a single clinic.
Will you give me some advice on who to pick for surgery?
No, I won't, because I feel that surgery is a last resort. I can give you my opinion on who YOU are considering but I'll start by asking you why you have considered whomever you are considering to begin with. I'll look at your information and review what you've been told by doctors or consultants and I'll translate what it means in plain English. I'll ask you questions that will challenge why you think you need surgery and I'll ask you questions that will challenge what you were told by the doctor. My job, as I see it, is to make sure you know what you are getting into and maybe even talk you out of surgery if necessary. No one needs to have hair transplant surgery unless they've already had surgery and need to have a repair like I did. If you want me to look at your case you'll need to submit the information you were given in your consultation as well as any photos that were taken. If I don't have this information up front then I'll just be asking for it anyway and I can't tell you a thing about your case until I have this information. This means that if you want my input, send the information up front. It saves time for both of us:) I'll also speak to your clinic on your behalf if you are having post-operative issues or concerns and you feel you are not getting anywhere in your discussions.
I need repair too, just like you did. Can I have a result like yours?
Let's get something straight. You are not my twin brother because if you were then that is the only way you'd have my result and even that is questionable. Period. My transformation is the result of the perfect storm; my characteristics, my doctor and the approach we took led me to where I am today. I've had people in the past "aspire" to have a result like mine only to be disappointed and I've even had people claim that the mere presentation of my case insinuated that my result is possible for anyone that is in a similar situation. It is not so don't hope much less expect a result like mine. You are your own person with your own set of unique characteristics thus you will have your own unique result, for better or for worse.