Background research - A guide to Hair Transplant Surgery

This involves reading through various literature –both hard copy and online. Don’t be swayed by glossy brochures or fancy advertising alone. Make sure you read up about hair transplant surgery, what the different procedures are plus the risks and benefits.

Try and learn as much as you can about the various procedures as there is more than one. This site can also help as we discuss different hair transplant surgery methods in order to give you an overview before you choose a clinic.

For example, follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is a very popular form of surgery so learn as much as you can about this procedure.

You can look for a clinic on the internet but be careful of clinics which offer ‘special deals’or the slick, flashy ones as these may not always be the best. You want a clinic with a good reputation and a surgeon who is experienced and with your interests at heart.

Avoid the ones who try to pressurise you into an instant decision or seem a bit too good to be true. It’s a case of sorting through the hype from the substance.

Recommendations

If you know of anyone, for example a member of your family or a friend who has undergone a hair transplant then ask them for the name of their surgeon.

Word of mouth is still one of the best forms of recommendation.

Be careful of television advertisements or a suggestion from a member of staff at your local hairdressers. In the latter case they may mean well but may not be the best person to advise you.

After all, you are going to be spending a fair amount of money not to mention the fact that you are placing your trust in a professional to do a good job. If they get it wrong then your appearance will be affected.

Professional advice

Professional organisations such as The Institute of Trichologists (UK) or The Trichological Society can advise patients about hair transplant surgery.

These are two well respected bodies in the UK who provide help and information to the public free of charge.

Another very good organisation is The British Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons.

Their details can be found on our links page.

Draw up a shortlist of clinics

It is a good idea to make a shortlist of clinics which you can then approach in turn. You can start by contacting them online – either telephone or email and then follow this up by a face to face visit. Don’t just go by the location: if there is a suitable clinic with a highly reputable surgeon which happens to be at the other end of the country then don’t rule this out. In many cases, people do travel a long way for treatment in order to get the best.

However, if you are prepared to travel then include this in your overall costs. You will have the cost of the surgery plus the cost of travel to and from the clinic and possibly an overnight stay as well.

There is also the fact that you may require several sessions of treatment so don’t forget to include those costs as well.

This will bump up the costs quite a bit so consider this before you make a decision.

Ideally, if you can find a good surgeon and clinic near to where you live then that’s fine but accept that you may have to travel further afield for treatment.

Finding a Hair Transplant Clinic Index

• Finding a Hair Transplant Clinic
• Background research

• What to look for in a hair transplant clinic
• The initial consultation