Hair Transplant Podcast

No matter what narrative the device makers are trying to sell to both vulnerable consumers and physicians just entering the field, not every patent is a candidate for FUE hair transplant surgery. In some cases patients can benefit much more from either having strip (FUT) surgery alone or a hybrid of FUE and FUT. Spencer Kobren speaks to IAHRS accepted member Paul Rose, M.D. about the reality and the limitations of FUE hair transplant surgery and that while it has its place and can provide incredible results for many, it simply is not for everyone and those who are ignorant to this fact, both patients and practitioners, are not making truly informed decisions.

Whatever the device, and however a company or customer tries to market it, the bottom line is that hair transplant surgery is an incredibly nuanced discipline of cosmetic surgery that takes an incredible amount of skill and experience to perform consistently well. No machine on the planet can reproduce that skill set or the judgment that comes along with human experience. Spencer Kobren speaks with Joey Brown, Executive Vice President of SmartGraft about solving the issue of these devices getting into inexperienced hands and the damage that can occur if consumers do not have their hair transplant surgery performed by truly qualified and experienced practitioners.

The power of celebrity culture and social media in relation to the rise of cosmetic surgery is a phenomenon that has all but taken the medicine out of very real, life altering surgery. Unless a person is truly versed in the entire scope and possible pitfalls of hair transplant surgery, no amount of money or fame will save them from a bad outcome. Sadly, once a celebrity signs on “the dotted line” to go public with their cosmetic surgery, many find it difficult to come out after they realize they have been botched. UK reality star Maria Fowler might not be the first celebrity to discuss undergoing cosmetic surgery, but she is absolutely the first to come out after undergoing a botched hair transplant, leaving her with no option but to undergo a second surgery to have it repaired by IAHRS accepted surgeon Dr. Edward Ball.

While FUE hair transplant surgery has come a long way and is now considered the “gold standard” among many marketing hair transplant surgery, is it really the best option for every patient? Spencer Kobren and IAHRS accepted member Marc Dauer, M.D. discuss.

Maria Fowler of the UK's "The Only Way is Essex" fame opens up about her first hair transplant disaster and how vital it is for prospective patients to do their homework before undergoing hair transplant surgery.

Spencer Kobren invites Joey Brown, Executive Vice President of SmartGraft, in studio to discuss the vision and mission of the company, as well as the issues that surround selling devices like this to poorly trained and unskilled physicians.  While SmartGraft is certainly one of the most sophisticated small footprint, FUE extraction devices being manufactured today, remember it's just a tool and is only as good a the hand that wields it.  

Whether you are a physician interested in offering hair transplant surgery or a patient considering it, if you're asking which turnkey hair transplant method/device is best, you’re not ready to enter the field or undergo surgery. Spencer Kobren and IAHRS accepted member, Miami hair transplant surgeon, Paul Rose, M.D., discuss the “one size fits all” model of the new device driven hair transplant industry and how detrimental it can be to patients who are not fully informed about what any FUE “method" device can and cannot do.

It is becoming clear that hair transplant consumers are more confused about their options today than ever, but what’s even more troublesome is that many of the new breed of hair transplant  “surgeons" and technicians who have actually been entrusted with the lives of patients, are lost themselves. If everyone is trying to figure it out together, the outcome can be dismal to say the least.  Due to the amount of conflicting and false information being presented about hair transplant surgery online, even when the best efforts are made by the consumer, they can often fall short in making a truly educated decision that in the end can devastate their lives. If the machine potentially being used still has the wrapper, the consultant is a brand new hire, and the physician has yet to understand and learn the craft of hair transplantation, people will likely and inevitably receive sub-optimal results. Remember, no matter the tool, hair transplant surgery is a team effort, and your result will be only as good as the team’s weakest link.

If you don’t choose the right hair transplant surgeon the first time, you are in for a long, expensive and emotionally draining journey. Today’s turnkey, chop shop, device brand driven industry is literally destroying lives. IAHRS accepted member, Los Angeles hair transplant surgeon Marc Dauer, M.D. discusses just how critical it is for prospective hair transplant patients to choose their surgeons wisely, and to avoid the marketing hype that is not only destroying the field, but the hopes and dreams of so many vulnerable hair loss sufferers.

When it comes to researching hair transplant surgery, today’s hair transplant patients are in more danger than ever. With the creation of product manufacturer “credentials,” and cosmetic surgery website “Top Doc” logos, the deck is stacked against consumers to make truly informed decisions. . Even our Undercover Tech has no clue what many of the “designations” actually mean.