Making the decision to have hair restoration surgery is something that can boost your confidence and change how you feel about yourself. But in order for you to get the best results and have the least risk for complications, you must find an experienced and licensed doctor. With the number of people wishing to undergo the procedure increasing, so are the number of facilities that perform hair restoration surgery. Unfortunately, the Internal Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, or ISHRS, has warned that it has become a new trend for unlicensed personnel to perform these procedures. ISHRS is a medical organization that focuses on the results of hair restoration procedures and the quality in that field.
Hair restoration surgery is considered relatively safe when performed by a trained doctor, but when an unlicensed individual performs the surgery the chance of risks becomes much greater. Keep reading to learn about why you need a licensed doctor to perform your hair restoration surgery and what to look for to ensure that you are getting the best care possible.
The Difference A Licensed Doctor Makes
Although hair restoration has come a long way and most techniques are now minimally invasive, they are still considered surgical procedures that need to be performed by medical experts. Precise decisions about where incisions are to be made, during the process of extracting the hair from the donor site and transplanting them to the implant areas, are required by medically trained personnel. This is especially important for the strip harvesting technique to ensure minimal scarring. For natural results, your doctor will need to have an artistic eye and be able to know the correct amount to remove. The doctor will also need to be able to administer the proper amount of anaesthesia, even if it is just topical, to keep the patient comfortable. It is also important that the patient is appropriately monitored while under anaesthesia.
Another concerning warning that ISHRS has issued is to confirm that your procedure will be performed by your doctor only, or if allowed by law the physician assistant or nurse. This includes the initial diagnostic consultation, the planning and execution of surgery, and the postop aftercare following your procedure. It is false advertising and puts patients in danger if a qualified and licensed doctor delegates any part of the surgical process to an unqualified staff member. For example, if the initial diagnostic consultation is performed by unlicensed personnel, the patient has a much higher risk of being misdiagnosed. This hair disorder and other related systemic diseases may have been missed. This can cause significant medical problems during and after hair transplant surgery.
Potential Risks and Complications
There is potential for greater complications when having your hair transplant surgery performed by unlicensed personnel. Often patients reach out to qualified doctors to try to fix the mistakes, but sometimes the errors are not easily fixed and can cause major health issues that cannot be solved by cosmetic surgery. Many unlicensed “doctors” will try to lure you in will special deals. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The normal risks and complications following hair restoration surgery also greatly increase if not performed by a qualified doctor. These include infection, excessive bleeding, and unnatural results. There is also a greater chance that the hair grafts will not take to the implant sites. This means that the hair grafts may fall out before establishing new growth and the surgery would have to be repeated.
How To Find a Licensed Doctor
Now that you know how important it is to find a qualified and licensed doctor, you may be wondering how to find one. You will be happy to hear that it is not that hard, it just involves doing a little extra research when choosing a doctor. Before scheduling a consultation, there are a few things that you will want to look up about the doctor and the facility that they work from. There are also some questions that you will want to ask during your consultation. Getting this information will ensure that you are working with a licensed expert that will help you get the final results that you desire.
Things To Look For
When doing your research for a practice or doctor to perform your hair restoration surgery, there are a few things to look for before even scheduling your consultation. Do a quick google search to look up the doctor’s education and training. Most times this is easily found on the practice’s website. You want to make sure that they are American Board Certified and/or a part of ISHRS. This will show that they have dedicated their time and expertise to cosmetic procedures and hair restoration surgery. Take a look at the other procedures that they perform in their office. Do they only focus on hair transplants? Chances are the best results will come from a practice that only performs hair transplant procedures. Also, while you are on their website, look for the results of prior hair transplants they have performed. When looking at before and after pictures, make sure that they are from the practice and not from the products site, i.e. NeoGraft’s website. Last, but not least, read reviews of other patient’s experiences at the facility. These can be found through a google search as well.
Questions To Ask
Once you have found a facility and doctor that seems qualified on paper, you should schedule a consultation. This is the time to ask questions you have about not only the procedure but the doctor as well. Some questions to ask include: How many hair transplants do they perform a week? Do they attend any classes/ conferences on hair transplants each year? How long have they been performing hair transplants? Does the doctor perform all parts of the surgery? Will anyone unlicensed be involved in the process? Pay attention to how the doctor answers your questions. Make sure they are answered clearly and that they understand you. For any surgery, you want to be comfortable with your doctor.
If you want to ensure that your hair transplant will be performed by a licensed, qualified, and expert doctor, give our office a call today to schedule a consultation. No need to worry about unlicensed personnel, in our office you are in great hands.
