How to Avoid a Bad Hair Transplant?

[brkcnklm]

I’ve been researching hair transplants for months now, and honestly, the horror stories are scaring me. Some guys get pluggy, uneven, or unnatural results, and I do NOT want that.

What are the biggest red flags when choosing a surgeon? How do you tell if a clinic is cutting corners or just trying to take your money?

 

[Mio]

Biggest red flag? If they promise "unlimited grafts" or a crazy high number like 6,000 grafts in one session. That’s usually a marketing scam which they either overharvest your donor area or implant grafts too close together.

 

[brkcnklm]

Yeah, I saw a clinic advertising unlimited grafts for $2,000 in Turkey. Sounded too good to be true. So, 6,000 grafts in one go is too much? What’s the safe limit?

 

[Kerberos]

For most guys, 4,000 grafts max is reasonable in one session. Anything above that, and you risk donor depletion and longer healing time. A top surgeon will split it into two sessions if you need more.

 

[Tycondrious]

Also, avoid clinics that let techs do all the work. The surgeon should be the one designing the hairline and doing the incisions. If they disappear after the consultation, that’s a bad sign.

 

[brkcnklm]

Damn, I didn’t even know that. So, how do I know if a clinic is tech-run or if the surgeon is actually involved?

 

[asege]

Ask specific questions during your consultation:

• Who does the incisions? (Should be the surgeon.)
• Who does extractions? (In some countries, techs can do it, but they should be highly trained.)
• Who does implantation? (Surgeon or a senior tech under supervision.)

If they avoid answering or act shady, walk away.

 

[Kerberos]

Yeah, and ALWAYS check before-and-after videos, not just photos. Some clinics edit photos or take them under perfect lighting to hide bad work. Videos are way harder to fake.

 

[brkcnklm]

That makes sense. Also, is there a minimum experience level a surgeon should have? Like, if they’ve only been doing HTs for 2 years, is that a red flag?

 

[DigitalHistory]

It’s not just about years, it’s about cases done. A surgeon could have 10 years of experience but only do one transplant a month. You want someone who does hundreds per year and has real patient testimonials.

 

[Kerberos]

Exactly. I’d say a good surgeon should have at least 5+ years doing transplants full-time AND a portfolio of consistent results. No “one lucky case” photos.

 

[brkcnklm]

Damn, I almost booked a guy who’s only been doing transplants for 3 years. He had good photos, but I’m second-guessing now.

 

[Mio]

3 years isn’t bad if they were trained properly, but I’d be cautious. Were the hairlines consistent, or did some look weird? Overly straight or unnatural angles are a bad sign.

 

[brkcnklm]

Now that you mention it, some of the hairlines looked a bit too perfect, like straight edges with no randomness. That’s not normal, right?

 

[asege]

Nope, not normal. A natural hairline has slight irregularities—it should never look like a ruler was used. Too perfect usually means they implant too aggressively, which can look fake over time.

 

[Kerberos]

Have you made your decision?