Hi Dr. Rassman,
I’ve been reading your blog for a very long time and really appreciate all the time you’ve put into it.
A common message that you send out to all your readers is 1) the importance of a master plan, and 2) miniaturization mapping…
Now, with all due respect, I believe this advice is almost useless to a lot of us. Almost every doctor I’ve come across has been absolutely clueless to these two topics, and every hair specialist that I’ve encountered have been pushy salesmen that you just can’t trust. It’s very rare – and probably in many circumstances / areas – almost impossible to find a doctor like you.
Can you perhaps provide us with some more PRACTICAL advice given these circumstances? Your advice is very much relevant, no doubt, but I don’t know how ‘realistic’ it is…
Again I don’t mean any offense, I just wanted to make you aware of what a lot of readers might be experiencing.
I am both pleased and frustrated by your question. What I say and what I try to teach in this blog should be basic to every good doctor who claims expertise in any field. If you think about it, when someone has a progressive medical problem (cancer, morbid obesity, kidney or liver disease, or hair loss) it would be malpractice not to have a plan of treatment beyond a single visit.
Imagine if you were unfortunate enough to get cancer of the testicle and your doctor took out one testicle and said, “Call me when the other testicle has a tumor and I would be pleased to take it out.” Can you imagine the doctor saying to himself, “I got the big $$$$ for taking out the testicle, now let him fend for himself until there is enough money in it for me to get involved again“? Such thinking is untenable to me and to every person needing a ‘doctor’, one who is supposed to care and spend enough time to lay out a Master Plan for following up his treatment. Fortunately, most doctors who do cancer surgery, follow liver disease, treat AIDS or diabetes do care about their patients so the untenable behavior outlined above, is not the typical case scenario that a person with cancer has to face.
The problem in the hair transplant industry is that there are just too many doctors that behave like ‘used car salesmen’ and are looking to make a fast buck. For these doctors, a hair transplant procedure seems to be a good way to do it. I would personally never see a doctor for any reason if he/she did not treat me with respect by giving me enough of his/her time to address my fears and care about my feelings. Every medical condition requires a follow-up and hair loss is no exception. I know what you are saying is true, too much so, and I am outraged by those who think of the transplant patient as a way to pay off their expensive car. There are many good doctors out there and it is your duty to find them and not accept the ‘scummy’ doctors out there, It is a buyer beware problem and if you are interested in a hair transplant, it is your problem if you make the wrong selection. You can establish a dialogue with me if you wish (emails work and a photo consultation is offered to all at the email address on the contact page, or I am available by phone toll-free at 1-800-NEW-HAIR). Personally, I feel that you should never compromise on the quality of care you should be demanding. You have the control over your destiny, so use your power to make good decisions and stay away from those doctors who are hardened, uncaring, greedy and self-serving.
