
Men's Health February 2005 page: 12
You ask, We Answer:
Q: I've seen some real hair-transplant tragedies. How do
I go about
finding a skilled doctor?
A: You're referring to the "Barbie head" or "baby
doll" look: scalps
sporting visible holes out of which plugs of hair sprout.
You can
avoid that by enlisting a board-certified hair-transplant
surgeon who
practices microscopic dissection follicular-unit extraction
(or FUE),
says Robert Jones, M.D. of the Toronto Hair Transplant Centre.
In this
procedure, the surgeon removes one to three hair follicular
units from
one part of your scalp using needles that are narrower than
1
millimeter. FUE is state-of-the-art and carries a big price
tag: A
transplant could cost more than $8,000. But it's worth it,
in our
opinion. The best way to evaluate a doctor's skill is to examine
his
or her work up close and personal. Ask for the names and contact
information of former clients who are willing to meet with
you in
person. "Some doctors will show you photographs of patients,
but don't
bother with them-it's impossible to tell the quality of the
work that
way," says Dr. Jones. "A good transplant is one
you can't notice."
And a good surgeon has flesh-and-blood clients who are willing
to help
others make the right choice.