So you have become reacquainted with your scalp (a place on your body that you hoped to remain strangers with), and it looks like you're about to see a lot more of it if you don't find a solution soon. You've tried a few "cures" already; Rogaine, Propecia, Saw Palmetto oil, and vigorous scalp massage, you are now considering having a hair transplant.

Surprisingly, people generally spend more time researching a new car purchase than they do choosing a surgeon, but researching the right hair transplant doctor is not something you want to rush through. There are a couple of things you will want to be mindful of when seeking a surgeon for a hair replacement operation. Here are a few tips to help you when interviewing a doctor for your hair loss.

Starting Your Research
Hair transplantation has become a fairly large field with many doctors performing these procedures. There are some great surgeons out there and some lousy ones (evidenced by some of the unnatural looking hair transplants that we have all seen). How do you start your quest to find the best physician for you?

In general, the best way to find a physician is through a referral either from your dermatologist, GP, or from another patient. The worst way to choose a doctor, who may be performing surgery on your head, is via infomercials or aggressive marketing campaigns. You should be wary of any medical practice that is spending lots of money on marketing, rather on patient care.

The internet can also be helpful in your research because, unlike infomercials and TV ads, where the doctor can make any kind of claim they want to, online message boards and user forums make it difficult for a doctor to control what is being said about them. But remember that on the internet you have to take any medical advice you might read with a grain of salt.

The Doctor's Background
The first thing you will want to know is what the doctor's specialty is. Ideally, he or she is a board certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon. If they do not specialize in these two fields ask them why they have chosen to work in hair restoration. If they are trained as a gynecologist or an internist, why are they doing hair? You are within your rights to know the answer and you should be concerned that they are only in it for the money.

Doctors to consider should be members of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) and be Diplomats of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS). The ABHRS is the only board in the United States that certifies hair transplant surgeons.

There are a number of non-physician consumer advocacy groups that help consumers find the best doctors in the field. The most popular are the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians and the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons (IAHRS).

The most coveted awards in the field of hair restoration are the Golden and Platinum Follicle Awards given by The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) for outstanding achievements in science or clinical research relating to hair restoration. If the prospective doctor is the recipient of either of these awards, this would certainly show the confidence that their peers have in their skills and abilities as hair restoration surgeons. Each of these is given to only one outstanding physician a year.

Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next