Bad Hair Transplant Clinic : 4 Red Flags to Be Wary Of : Though hair restoration is an extremely specified niche in the medical field, not all dermatologists or plastic surgeons running a hair transplant practice are the best at the job. Some of them fall far below par, leaving patients riddled with scars and with less hair than they had when they came in. When shopping around for the right hair restoration doctor and the right clinic, it is important to ask certain questions. Hearing the right answers is like music to the ears, but make sure you have your ears prepped to note the wrong answers as well. There are certain things you never want to hear from a prospective surgeon, and if you do, walk away. Four obvious red flags are:

Bad Hair Transplant Clinic : 4 Red Flags to Be Wary Of

1) The receptionist tells you, “Someone just cancelled, we can schedule you for next week!”

Hair transplant surgery is a delicate process. There are certain preparations and protocols that must be adhered to by the patient potentially several weeks prior to the surgery to maximize results. For example, a surgeon might instruct his/her patient to apply minoxidil to the donor and recipient areas for a month or more leading up to the surgery. Only if you are a “standby” patient, adhering to pre-surgery protocol in case of a last minute opening, should you undergo surgery on short notice. But a surgeon who wants to rush you into the OR without proper preparations is never a good sign. Find a different better hair transplant clinic.

2) You ask to see results of prior patients, and they have none to show you

It is acceptable and even expected that prospective patients will ask to see proof of the service they’re signing up for. A credible surgeon of any kind should always document his patients’ progress. If a doctor tells you he has no photos or videos of prior patients to show you, he/she is either hiding poor outcomes, or his/her surgical and long-term care practices are not on par with typical standards. Proof of good results is the key to knowing that a hair restoration doctor is skilled and experienced, and therefore trustworthy.

3) Hair Transplant Clinic Telemarketing

If you are cold-called by a hair transplant clinic, tell them to take you off of their list, and cross them off of yours.

4) You ask to be put in touch with prior patients, and they do not consent

True that some patients will wish to remain anonymous and that the doctor giving out their contact information is a violation of HIPAA laws. But, in many cases, people do want to help. Many patients will sign a disclosure agreement just to make this type of future interaction possible, especially if they had a positive experience. Hair loss patients have a sort of camaraderie in their suffering, and will want to recommend their surgeon if he/she is good.

Thus, if a doctor says he/she has no patients willing to be contacted, take this as a bad sign and keep looking for a reputable hair transplant clinic.

Bad Hair Transplant Clinic — (image- Creative Commons) Prospective hair transplant patients need to be wary of hair transplant clinics which demonstrate certain red flag warning signs.

What is the best way to prepare for a hair transplant consultation?