THE 5 GOLDEN RULES

Rule 1 : The Doctor: Insist on seeing the doctor and only the doctor for your first consultation.

Avoid Salespeople and peripheral staff. Insist on seeing the doctor for your consultation. It is your right

• Surgeon or salesperson? This cannot be stressed enough. Salespeople are not doctors. With the best will in the world salespeople cannot assess your surgical requirements nor can they give you a treatment plan.
• Patient care or profit? Salespeople are frequently motivated by profit rather than patient care. It is not uncommon for a salesperson to make promises of how many grafts or hairs can be transplanted in your case only for the doctor to see you, for the first time on the morning of surgery, and give a different assessment. The only way to avoid this situation if to see the doctor for consultation. Insist on seeing the doctor for your consultation. It is your right.
• If you cannot meet with DOCTOR who will be performing your procedure on the day of your consultation-walk away!

Rule 2 : Grafts v Hairs:

Grafts or Hairs? The correct way to price a hair restoration procedure is by grafts. As the doctor can determine the number of grafts in advance but the number of hairs per graft varies then the doctor will only quote you price per graft.

Frequently salespeople will quote patients a price per hair in an effort to appear to be offering more hair for less money. This is misleading for the patient. A good rule of thumb is multiply the number of grafts by 2.5 to get the approximate number of hairs and vica versa. Therefore 1,000 grafts = 2,500 hairs. 2,000 hairs = 800 grafts etc. Example: If a salesperson offers you 2,000 hairs for €4 per hair. This equates to €8,000. However since 2,000 hairs is approximately 800 grafts then this works out at €10 per graft which is very expensive. Ask for quotes in ‘cost per graft’ only and multiply by 2.5 to find the approximate number of hairs.

Rule 3 : Misleading Advertising:

Advertising by a clinic should accurately represent what services the clinic provides. It is not possible to transplant growing hair without hair transplant surgery.

To arrange hair transplant surgery you will need to have a consultation with a registered Hair Restoration Doctor. For a list of these doctors go to www.ishrs.com and look under 'Find a Hair Restoration Doctor'.

Hair Restoration Doctors are bound by ethical guidelines for the care and protection of their patients. Therefore doctors will always be truthful and open which giving information regarding hair restoration.

Sometimes clinics are owned and run by businesses who will then employ doctors to perform hair restoration surgery. These doctors a, who the parent company claims to have ‘trained’ in ‘their own techniques’, are often flown into countries to perform hair restoration procedures and may not be aware of the claims the parent company is making. These businesses (parent companies) are not bound by the same ethical guidelines as doctors. Frequently their advertising will be ‘over enthusiastic’. They will often use phrases such as ‘non invasive’, ‘no scars’ and ‘no touch’. Doctors will never use these phrases. Remember: To transplant growing hair requires one of the recognised hair restoration surgery techniques such as FUT or FUE to be performed. All surgery involves breaking the skin and so is, by definition, invasive and leaves small, microscopic scars. In expert hands these are practically undetectable.

If advertising ‘sounds too good to be true’ then it probably is.

Always insist on meeting the doctor for your initial consultation who should discuss in detail the nature of the hair restoration procedure and any possible side effects.

Rule 4 : Member of ISHRS:

The clinic and doctor should be a member of the ISHRS ( International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons). To check if the clinic is a member of the ISHRS – go to www.ishrs.com and look under 'Find a Hair Restoration Doctor'

Rule 5 : Shaving:

Hair restoration had advanced to such a degree that with FUT, the most advanced technique available worldwide, that shaving of the donor area is no longer necessary. Many older techniques, especially individual extraction techniques, such as FUE technique and DHI technique, require the donor area to be shaved. With FUT there is no need to shave the donor area.

When checking out a clinic always ask if the donor area will be shaved. If you cannot get a guarantee that the donor area will not be shaved then do not accept treatment from this clinic. Frequently salespeople will fudge around the issue. Do not accept this. Get a guarantee, preferably in writing, that the donor area will not be shaved before you make a decision to proceed.