Just like any medical treatment, finding the right doctor to perform your hair replacement surgery is important. You must feel comfortable with the physician, as well as his or her staff.  In order to get to know the medical organization you are considering, you will need to participate in a consultation so that you can understand your current hair loss situation, and the doctor will also be able to qualify you
according to the results of the examination.

Here are some of the most common scenarios that you will face during a hair loss treatment examination:

1. The doctor will make an assessment of the current state of your hair loss pattern. He will use standard hair loss charts in order to measure your condition. Two such charts are the Ludwig Scale (this chart is designed for women) and the Hamilton-Norwood Scale (designed for men).

2. The doctor will also take note of the flow, or “character” of your hair loss pattern for further evaluation. Such a report can tell the doctor important information such as: in what direction your hair is thinning towards, whether or not bald patches exist, the texture of the remaining hairs in certain bald spots (thick or thin, straight or curly), and the color of the thinning areas of your hair.

3. You will get a chance to see firsthand exactly what your hair loss will look like in the upcoming years. Doctors consider this a “glimpse into the future” at what the hair loss pattern will look like on your scalp. Sometimes this experience is not the most positive part of the examination for the potential patient. It’s hard enough to know that you are losing your hair in the first place, so seeing the progression that you will undoubtedly face over the next 5 to 10 years can be a bit more disturbing.

You may be wondering why it is important or even necessary for your doctor to give you a preview of your hair loss pattern. But there is a very important reason for this, and that is because every good physician will provide a surgery that is based on the expectation of your natural hair loss as it will occur later in life.

Without this knowledge, you may have a successful surgery today, but because the doctor didn’t properly treat your scalp based on the pattern of hair loss that you will experience, the appearance of your scalp may become unbearable in the future.

Can You Grow Your New Hair As long As You Want?

Once your hair transplant operation is complete the first question which is normally asked is — “will it be possible to grow the new hair as long as I want and most importantly will it look natural”. This is a very good question and fortunately for anyone who has undergone the operation the answer is yes, your new hair will look absolutely natural and can be grown to any length desired.

If you have micro-graft surgery the new hair which has been used to replace the bald areas will grow from the scalp itself exactly the same as natural hair. This results in your new hair looking quite natural irrespective of its length as the growth will be just as good as the original follicle would have done.

What actually happens during micro-graft surgery is that the doctor will transplant suitable hair follicles taken from a suitable area of the scalp and individually graft them into tiny incisions in the bald area. Once the follicles have been transplanted hair growth in this area will happen quite naturally and providing they are not torn out as a result of an accident they will remain in place indefinitely.

In many cases people become concerned that the new hair is not growing at the same rate as the normal hair. This is true but you will normally experience a growth rate of at least half an inch of growth each month. Growth rates do vary from person to person but broadly speaking it can take up to a year or two to attain any considerable amount of hair. You can be confident however that the final result will be worth the wait.

It is normal after a couple of weeks for you to return to your physician to allow a check to be made to ensure that the transplanted follicles are behaving as expected. Providing there are no complications or problems the stitches in the donor area of the scalp can be removed. Once this occurs it will not be necessary to revisit your physician unless some form of accident occurs which results in the hair being pulled out. Otherwise the hair will grow normally to the length you require.

There is no doubt that trying to find a good and reliable doctor to consult regarding your hair loss is a lot easier than it used to be as there are many ways in which you can carry out the necessary research.

Today the great majority of surgeons who are involved in micro-grafting are very well trained, competent, dedicated, and fully committed to ensuring that the patients are absolutely satisfied with the final outcome with regard to the appearance. It can also be said that quite a number are very accomplished and experienced after having done this type of work for some considerable time.

Before making any decisions regarding your selection of a suitable doctor you should always make every effort to ensure you are as well informed as possible regarding this subject of hair loss.

Visit your local library, find the latest copies of various medical journals and any up to date publications. Use every avenue available to you including reading articles such as this one and visit as many suitable Web sites that you can find on the Internet.

One of the methods which is sometimes overlooked is to call a number of doctors offices and obtain any free information which they have available. In the majority of cases they will be only too happy to send you suitable pamphlets and perhaps even videos. Do not be afraid to ask questions in order to educate yourself as this will definitely pay dividends in the long run.

Choosing the right doctor is of paramount importance and cannot be over emphasised. A good comparison is shopping for a new car, test Drive it, consider all the options and learn everything you possibly can in order to make your final selection the correct one.

This may sound a frivolous comparison as unlike purchasing a new vehicle hair loss surgery is much much more serious but not enough attention is paid to self education.

Another thing which you can do prior to making any firm decisions is to look for any free consultations which may be available. This will allow you to explain your exact needs and at the same time allow the doctor to assess your hair loss problem from a medical point of view.

He will not only consider your physical condition but also your mental state. He will also ask about any prescription or non-prescription medications you may be taking and if he does not you should volunteer this information.

In summary any consultation should assure your doctor and yourself that you are suitable and qualified for any proposed surgery. It is also essential before making any final decision that you are quite happy with the doctor, staff and general environment.