I went to Dr. Tessler and Arnovitz office in Soutfield Michigan today for evaluation. I'm experiencing receding hairline and thinning on front section of my head. Dr. informed me it will take 800 grafts to fill the gaps and will cost 5600 dollars. Is'nt the cost too much for 800 FU's. Can somebody inform me equivalent cost for transplant in Chicago ? Also, if somebody can share experiences from Tessler and Arnovitz, that will be great.

Rob,

Welcome to his forum, you will find the members here most helpful and very knowledgable.

I am assuming this is your first HT evaluation and if so, you are wise to educate yourself as to what you are getting into. This is a good place to start.

It would help the board if you gave some more info about your situation, ie, age, family history of hairloss, ability to travel to other doctors, any other consultations, are you on any meds like propecia, minoxidil, etc.

I do not know of the Drs. in Chicago, but your cost seems high to me 800 FU's at $5,600.00 ($7 per graft). Some of the finest Doctors around are less than that, $5 to $6 per graft range. I am assuming this for a strip procedure if it is FUE (follicular unit extraction) then that would be higher cost.

Do your research and move slowly to make the right choice, keep in mind your hairloss could progress and if so you do not want your hairline placed to low althouhg you might like to have it that way for now. Think longterm for your plan.

Good luck,

Thanks for the prompt reply, I'm 31 with history of baldness from my mother's side. I'm open to travel to other areas, if I could get an expereinced doctor at reasonable price. The procedure that was told to me contains removal of strip from the donor area that will be utilizes to extract FU's (in bunch of 1-4 hair) and will placed in the balding areas. The place from where the strip is taken out will be fixed with stiches. The doctor also prescribed me generic version of propecia to maintain my current hair. I'm not too sure about starting propecia or not.

Hello Rob and welcome to the forums,

Nobuzz has given you some great advice. Do some research and ask questions as you have been doing. Don't jump into anything without knowing what you are getting yourself into.

I'll tell you straight out...$7 per graft for a strip surgery is WAY too expensive. I've never heard of Dr. Tessler so I can't give you any feedback on him directly. But what I can tell you is that most top docs in the WORLD charge about $4.50 per graft for the first 2000 grafts and after 2000 grafts, they discount it to about $2.50 per graft. Now I can't speak for all docs, but I know that Dr. Hasson and Dr. True (two of the docs I used) charge that much. I believe my first doctor (Dr. Katz) also charged around $4.50 per graft, but I can't be sure of his prices today. These prices are for strip surgery. To put this in better perspective for you, you should be able to get about 1245 grafts for $5600 at most top docs rather than 800.

My best advice is talk to a coalition doc from this site about your situation. I know it's tempting to go to a local doc, but the one piece of advice that people gave me from the beginning and now I'll pass on to you is "don't let location determine who you go to". Some people (including myself for my last surgery) travel all the way across the country or world to see certain docs that have yielded amazing results.

I hope this helps.

Falc

quote:

Originally posted by rob123:
Dr. informed me it will take 800 grafts to fill the gaps...

In my opinion, 800 grafts won't give you much coverage. Without seeing your hairline, however, I can't be sure if this is all you really need. I've found that many people wish that they had gotten larger sessions done after they find out how little coverage they actually ended up getting.

rob-

You've gotten some good advice with respect to cost. I agree with Kamin............it's tough to give an opinion without some pics to refer to. If you're experiencing a receeding hairline along with thinning 800 grafts doesn't sound like much. Can you post some pics?

Rob,
I agree with the above responses. Here's something else to consider - the hairline is the most important part of an HT procedure. It's what people are going to see when they look and talk to you. If you get less than excellant work, you are going to be very disappointed. I would go to a top notch doc - drive a few hundred miles if you need to. Stay overnight before or after the procedure to make it easier. Take a week off of work. In other words - do it right. Don't rush into this. Research and preparation will not only save you money but will get you looking great! Regards.