The idea of hair transplant video results is almost mundane now but this was not always the case. Through my career in the hair transplant industry I have been responsible for changing the way that hair transplant clinics document their results. I was the first person to champion the elimination of flash photography because of how it gives an unrealistically dense and natural result in pictures. My reasoning was that the result looks better in photos than in reality and patients don't normally walk around with flash bulbs exploding around their heads all day. This was in 2003. In 2004 I set the standard for using video to document results with a basic presentation that ensured viewers could see all angles of a result and to see how hair behaves when it is combed and styled. Actually combing through the result and separating the hair to show the real density is imperative for patients doing their research and for transparency in documentation. I then set the standard for the overall quality of video documentation by starting the first regular video update for results using high definition, 1080p footage. These are some of my contributions to the field of hair restoration. Now, the bar is being set higher for hair transplant video results.
Hair Transplant Video Results - The Right Way
I just got back from a trip to see Dr. Cooley so I could do my official video review, which you will all be seeing in the next few weeks. While I was there however we were able to get to work on a project we started a couple of months ago. I'm proud to announce that Dr. Jerry Cooley is now the first hair transplant doctor in the world to standardize on high bitrate Ultra HD 4K documentation for his hair transplant video results. No one has done this before and it will probably be a while before anyone does it after today.
Why is this a big deal? A few reasons, actually:
- This is the most cutting edge manner in which to show hair transplant video results. With the world becoming ever smaller due to the internet almost everyone does their hair restoration research online. One of the problems with current high definition technology is that it is still woefully inadequate when trying to see hair transplant video results online as it cannot accurately represent what the result looks like in person. HD footage at 1080P is great, but it is still not good enough. In fact, many of the HD videos you see on Youtube are not as good as they could be because the clinic uses a low bitrate recording which doesn't translate very well once processed and compressed. That's why when a modern smart phone records video in 1080P HD it does not look as good as footage shot on a high bitrate dedicated HD camcorder. A camcorder's sensor is larger, so it takes in more light, and the processor can deal with more information. Camcorders will have a better color saturation, better detail and a more realistic final result.
- When you can see a hair transplant video result in UltraHD 4K resolution then you are effectively seeing details at roughly 4 times (4x) the resolution of standard 1080HD video. This means that hair transplant video results that could pass with standard HD video might not pass with UltraHD 4K video. The details are MUCH sharper and easier to see. There is absolutely no way that unnatural results can be passed off as acceptable, much less desirable. Ultra HD 4K resolution will keep "honest people honest" because clinics that know their results do not look very natural in person will not step up to use UltraHD 4K recording standard that we're introducing here today.
- Dr. Cooley has long been at the forefront of not only surgical hair restoration surgery but hair restoration research in general as well. This includes his work with beard hair transplantation, PRP treatments, ACell regenerative medicine, hypothermosol and ATP graft holding and storage solutions and more. His stellar reputation in both areas have helped him to be a successful and sought after hair transplant doctor based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has never relied on video to document his results and only has one video on his Youtube channel from 2006! Once we started to work together and he came on board as a Hair Transplant Mentor™ partner doctor I asked about documenting his results with video and that is when I realized that he could leap frog over the current standard and be at the forefront of hair transplant video documentation with a quality 4K camcorder. If you don't have an HD video camera and you are going to be buying one, you might as well buy a quality 4K Ultra HD video camera for future proofing:) We are introducing the first such recording here today. I'm very proud of Dr. Cooley for taking the leap into video documentation and for doing so with UltraHD 4K footage. It is an industry first and it will set the standard for how hair transplant results should be shared in the future.
So here for your review is the world's first hair transplant video results shown in Ultra HD 4K resolution. Note that it is best viewed on a large 4K television or a 4K computer monitor to get the full effect but it still works great on a standard 1080p HD monitor or television.
When you are researching hair transplant doctors to find out which may be the best for you, you need to realize that there is no single "best" hair transplant doctor in the world. There are only the best hair transplant doctors for YOU so don't let any claims of world domination sway you. A few things you should look for in a hair transplant clinic are:
- General reputation. This is obvious but don't choose a doctor that you can't really learn about online. To the more seasoned readers this may seem odd, or unlikely, but it is more common than many of you may realize. There are many doctors and hair restoration clinics that have little to no online presence.
- Consistency. This is imperative because when you're looking at the results of a clinic you generally want them to have a reliable record of performance and not just have one or two great cases floating around the internet.
- Clarity of presentation. I pioneered this field. Stay away from clinics that insist on using flash photography. This is just dishonest. I don't see how anyone can take photos with a flash and think to themselves that it represents what a patient would see in person. The differences are too great, and most of these differences favor the clinic and are detrimental to the patient researching based on observable results found online.
- Openness. Clinics shouldn't be so secretive that they claim they have the "secret sauce" for successful hair transplant outcomes. Let me tell you something, no clinic has a secret that makes a discernible difference compared to their competitors. Lateral slits, donor wound closures, megasession, etc. They all use similar techniques and tools with not much to differentiate from one to the other. I used to think some did but after traveling to multiple clinics throughout the world I've seen how some of the top doctors get the results they get and I can tell you with absolute authority that the only secret they have is just being good at what they do. What separates the best from the less than best hair transplant doctors in the world is raw talent and passion for what they do. It's as simple as that.
There is a lot more to finding your best hair transplant doctor but this is a short list of the basics. Just remember, when you're looking and researching about hair transplant doctors and clinics ask yourself if the answers you are getting to your questions make sense. Question everything, believe little, until you see so much overwhelming evidence to support your decision that you know in your gut the decision is the right one.
