Top 30 Questions You Need To Ask About Your Hair Transplant Doctor and Clinic in Guwahati Assam

All hair transplant customers in the region try to find the best hair transplant doctor and clinic in Guwahati, Assam and the Northeast.  Hair transplant experts are doctors who are specialists in hair transplant surgery. Guwahati, Assam is the most popular destination for medical procedures like hair transplant and there are 5 hair transplant clinics in Guwahati itself out of which choosing the best can prove difficult for those who do not know the right things to ask. 

Given here is a list of THE TOP 30 questions that YOU need to ask before choosing the best hair transplant doctor and clinic in Guwahati and the North East, 10 questions each about the Doctor, Clinic and the procedure itself.

10 questions to ask about your hair transplant doctor / specialist

10 questions to about your hair transplant clinic /hospital

10 questions to ask about your hair transplant procedure

10 questions about the hair transplant doctor/specialist in Guwahati

1. What is the qualification of the doctor?

It is vital to know the qualifications of your doctor. Many unqualified persons like MBBS doctors, Ayurvedic or Homeopathic graduates and even techinicians can be found doing hair transplant in India and also in Guwahati. This is specially true of clinics which are branches of big chains of clinics and have roaming teams to do the transplant. Such clinics, and also some consultants, will gather all hair transplant patients till a number is reached and then call the team with which they have contact. These teams most often do not have qualified doctors - a qualified doctor does not need to go to patients, patients come to him. Such doctors are often anonymous and the consultant cannot even name them properly and may also give unverified 'degrees' which are dubious.

 

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is the highest qualified doctor in the North East – he is the first and only US Board certified hair transplant specialist being a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Transplant Surgery. This is the highest qualification in Hair transplant and there are only about 20 such qualified hair transplant specialists in India.

2. What is the experience of the doctor? How many cases has he done?

The experience of the doctor is the most important element in the success of hair transplant. In clinics with roaming teams of doctors/technicians, although the clinic chain as a whole may be experienced, no one can be really sure about the experience of the individual doctor/technician who is going to do the procedure. These roaming teams keep rotating their doctors /technicians bringing in new faces to cut cost

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is the most experienced doctor in FUE Hair Transplant in the North East. He did the first FUE transplant in the North East in 2012 (the actual procedure of motorized FUE was invented only in 2006 in the US by Dr. Sam Harris). Since then, he has been performing the highest number of FUE surgeries in the North East each year and this number has been steadily growing.

3. Will the doctor whom I have consulted do the procedure itself or it it somebody else?

In many clinics the person who does the initial consultation is not the operating surgeon and merely kept there to convince the patient with vivid descriptions but is unable to provide the actual information. The operating person sees the patient only just before the procedure. This is both dangerous and totally unsatisfactory, as the best results cannot be obtained in this way.

In Arogyam Clinic, Dr. P. J. Mazumdar himself will examine the patient right from the first consultation to the end of the procedure ensuring that the patient is well informed about all the steps of the procedure.

4. Will the doctor do all the steps of the procedure?

In many clinics, the doctor does not do all the steps of the procedure. He may do only the initial hairline or a few extractions leaving the rest of the procedure to the technicians. This is dangerous and illegal.

In Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic, Dr. P. J. Mazumdar himself will do all the steps of the procedure from initial consultation to hair line drawing to follicular unit extraction to slit making, as per the norms of the AHRS and ABHRS.

5. Will the doctor do the aftercare of the patient?

In clinics with roving teams of doctors / technicians, the person doing the aftercare is different from the persons who did the procedure. This is an unsound practise and can lead to problems for the patients.

In Arogyam Clinic, Dr. P. J. Mazumdar will always be available for aftercare himself.

6. Will the doctor be available for post operative care?

In case of chain clinics and some consultants who bring in operating teams from outside, once the operating person has completed the case, he leaves the state itself and goes back to his hometown. The patient cannot locate his operating doctor any more and has to depend on advise from someone who does not know how the procedure is actually done. Take care to ask if the operating doctor will be available for post operative queries.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar will be stationed in Downtown hospital and is always available for all queries of the patient in the post operative period, which is very important for the patient.

7. Will the doctor follow any ethical standards in his advice?

Today there are many different types of people doing hair transplant even in Guwahati. Many persons are quite ready to cheat patients using the patient's lack of knowledge of technicalities. The commonest method is to quote 'follicular units' for 'hairs'. One follicular unit contains 2.5 hairs on the average, and price should ethically be quoted in terms of FU (follicular units), but many clinics will count hairs as FU. Clinics also do not give any option to the patients to verify the number of FU received, and give much less than the promised number. Also unrealistic boasts like '5000 FU in one day' are common for such clinics. Prospective hair transplant customers should be aware of these false claims. The highest number of FU that can be done in a day as per International norms is generally 2500 FU, and that too is a high figure.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar, being a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Transplant Surgery, and also a member of the Ethics Committee of the Association of Hair Transplant Surgeons of India, is duty bound to follow all ethical guidelines and customers can be assured that they will receive true facts at Arogyam.

8. Will the doctor follow the latest technological advances in hair transplant procedure?

Hair transplant is a rapidly advancing field and many new developments are taking place in this field. It is necessary to remain upgraded with the latest knowledge to take advantage of these developments. Professional money minded clinics generally will not invest in new technologies in order to maximise their profits.

Arogyam Clinic updates its procedures regulary and Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is a regular at all national and International conferences in order to acquire the latest instruments, technology and knowledge to achieve the best results in hair transplant.

9. Does the doctor belong to the requisite professional bodies for hair transplant?

Clinics relying on fly by night doctors are unable to give a full account of the qualifications of their doctors, and such doctors are often unqualified and untrained, and sometimes there are even technicians masquerading as doctors. Membership of professional bodies is a tool to ensure that your doctor is fully qualified and all potential customers must make this quer.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery which is the highest body of hair transplant surgeons throughout the world. He is also a member of the Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons of India and is member of the the Ethics Committee of the AHRSI.

10. Where has the doctor been trained?

Besides qualifications, it is important to know where a doctor has been trained. Most clinics with roving doctors are unable to give this information as the doctor or technician has not received adequate training.

Dr. P. J. Mazumdar received his initial training under Dr. Vasa and since then has attended numerous workshops where he has been trained under the best International and National experts like Dr. Sam Harris, the inventor of the modern method of FUE, the motorised FUE, Dr. Farjo, Dr. Besham and many others.

10 questions about the hair transplant clinic in Guwahati

1. Is the clinic a well extablished hospital or a small rented establishment?

Most hair transplant clinics in Guwahati at present operate from small rented establishments which are not at all fit to be operating rooms. A medical establishment with operating rooms where surgical procedures are going to be done has a huge number of requirements and cannot just be set up by renting a few rooms. Hence it is very important to ensure whether all the norms have been met, which is virtually impossible in a rented extablishment, often with many other shops, restaurants and bars nearby.

Arogyam Hair Transplat Clinic performs all its procedures in Downtown Hospital, the largest private hospital in the North East, and the procedures are done in the Main OT Complex of Downtown Hospital, thus ensuring that patients are assured of receiving the best of care.

 

2. Is the clinic well reputed?

It is also important to enquire whether the clinic is a well reputed and established one. Many clinics are set up as fly by night projects which have no prior reputation and are set up mainly to make profits.

Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic and Downtown Hospitals are both well established Institutions which have a long list of achievements to their credit and enjoy a strong and well earned reputation as the best in their field.

3. Is the clinic well experienced in hair transplant?

It is also important to ask how much experience the clinic has in hair transplant. Although the chain clinics may have experience overall, the particular branch at Guwahati will have done only a few procedures till date. The overall experience of the clinic chain cannot compensate for the lack of experience of the clinic as it is the experience of the staff, etc which will count in the success of the procedures and also in any emergencies.

Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic has the highest experience in FUE Hair Transplant, performing the first FUE hair transplant in the region in 2012, only a few years after motorised FUE was started in the US in 2006. Since then, it has been the most popular FUE clinic in the North East performing the highest number of procedures in a year and this number has been growing steadily over the years.

4. Is the OT of the clinic made all the norms required of an OT?

This is an important question to ask as small rented establishments cannot fulfil all the norms that are required of an OT before a surgical procedure can be done there. An inadequate OT exposes the patient to several risks and also acts as limitations to the success of the procedure.

Arogyam Hair transplant clinic performs its procedures in the Main OT Complex of Downtown Hospital which is built according to all the latest norms and standards required of an Operating Room and ensures full safety of the patient and helps to reach the greatest success of the procedures.

5. Is the OT equipped with all emergency procedures?

This is a crucial question to ask about the hair transplant clinic. Proper emergency backup is a must to ensure safety of the patient. Although hair transplant is considered a very safe procedure, it is still ultimately a surgical procedure and risks can occur because of untoward reactions of the patients to drugs used during the procedure. This can be easily tackled when the clinic has the required emergency equipment and backup, but if these are lacking the patient can be in serious danger.

No other clinic in the North East can claim the emergency backup of Arogyam Clinic. All procedures take place in the Main OT of Downtown Hospital with its full array of Emergency backup including Emergency Anesthesiologists and all necessary equipment, staff specially trained in Emergencies, and even ICU nearby if necessary. All other clinics in the North East are stand alone clinics in rented rooms with no emergency backup.

6. Is the OT equipped with all sterilization facilities?

Proper sterilisation is a must for all procedures. Sterilization requires a umber of important steps which must be performed correctly, such as autoclaving of instruments and clothes, liquid disinfectants for sharp instruments, regular fogging of the OT room, use of disposable equipments, etc. Such procedures are difficult to ensure correct performance and small stand alone clinics are likely to have gaps in their sterilization procedures.

Downtown OT complex has all the necessary equipment and procedures to ensure full sterilisation of each and every case. All procedures of Arogyam Hair Clinic are performed in Downtown OT.

7. Is the OT equipped with all the latest instruments for hair transplant?

Success of hair transplant requires that the best and most modern instruments are used for the transplant. This ensures optimal results of the procedure. It is important to enquire whether the clinic is using the latest technology.

Arogyam Hair Transplant clinic can justifiably claim to be using the latest technology in the field of hair transplant from 6X Heinz loupe, Blunt Titanium punches, Choi Implanters, Graft counters, etc.

8. Is the OT fully staffed?

It is important that all staff should be fully trained and qualified. Even a single under qualified nurse or staff can be the weakest link in the chain and can cause the whole procedure to fail by not doing his or her work properly. Most clinics use a number of staff who are not qualified and have no theoretical knowledge and learn their work at the clinic itself by observation.

All staff in Arogyam clinic are fully qualified staff nurses who are trained in emergency procedures.

 

9. Are all the required legal and ethical procedures followed in the clinic?

There are a number of legal requirements for maintaining a medical clinic and full documentation is a must for all procedures. This is necessary for ensuring the safety of the patient and for standardisation of procedures.

Arogyam Hair Transplant Clinic along with Downtown Hospitals maintains all records and documentation and meets all legal requirements according to ISO 2002 standards. This ensures the highest level of standardisation. All taxes including GST are paid in full and strict documentation of all cases is ensured, and complete patient confidentiality is maintained.

10. Does it have all the support like lab, blood bank, ICU, etc?

Supporting facilities like pathology lab, Blood Bank, ICU, etc ensure full safety and backup for the patients. Stand alone clinics do not have any of these facilities and would require the patient or attendants to run around for simple requirements, and this can be a disaster during emergencies.

Arogyam along with Downtown hospitals have all these facilities thus ensuring a safe and convenient procedure for the patient.

 

10 questions about the hair transplant procedure

1. Will the doctor explain the best procedure for me?

Hair Transplant in fact is not the only procedure for all bald patients. There are many cases of baldness where in fact hair transplant is not recommended, like unpatterned hair loss, alopecia universalis, etc. Hair transplant is to be avoided in such cases. Also in cases of young patients presenting with minimal loss, it is often better in the patients interest to delay the transplant. There are many other cases where the best procedure is not hair transplant but medicines or other forms of treatment. Advisers in small clinics do not have all the knowledge to determine when hair transplant is not the answer, and they are also driven by greed to suggest the highest number of follicular units that the patient can bear in all cases.

Arogyam Hair Transplant clinic follows all ethical guidelines of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgeons and only the best and most appropriate advise is given to the patient. Patients who do not require surgery are prescribed other forms of treatment like medicines, hair patches, etc. Also only the most appropriate number of follicular units are advised and all factors are considered in determining this number.

2. Will the doctor take care of my long term needs for hair?

It is very important to understand that baldness can be a continuous process. A person who now shows baldness at the back only can soon start showing baldness at the front also. This is specially so in case of young persons whose baldness is at the initial stages. Hence proper counselling is a must for all balding patients to ensure that care is taken of the future needs of the patient also. This requires a genuine desire to see that the patient is benefitted in the long term also and not just do a maximal transplant in the first stage without caring what will happen to the patient some years later.

At Arogyam Hair Transplant clinic, care is taken in counselling the patient to ensure that they understand the nature of their hair loss so that only the best possible advise is given which will take care of the long term needs of the patient also.

3. Is hair transplant the only procedure?

Hair transplant is not the only treatment for baldness. Many other treatments like medical treatment and also Hair Pieces (artificial hair) can be given for baldness. Transplant is required in many cases but not in all. It is important to know all the choices available before making a decision.

4. What is the survival rate of the transplanted follicular units?

It is very important to know the survival rate of transplanted follicular units. Many clinics claim total or close to total FU survival to impress potential customers, but this is a false claim.

Internationally 85 to 95% survival rate is considered very good. Arogyam consistently achieves survival rate of around 92%.

5. How many follicular units can be done in a day?

It is also important to ask this question. Internationally a good clinic does between 2000 to 2500 follicular units in a day. This ensures optimal results. Some clinics even in Guwahati claim they can do upto 5000 follicular units a day, this is a false claim as it is simply not possible to do this number of FU in one day. Such claims prove that the clinic is cheating either by giving lesser number of FU than they show or counting hairs as FU..

6. How can I verify how many follicular units were actually done for me?

This is the step where patients are typically cheated in most clinics. No clinic has proper verification methods of the number of FU that they do. The patient is then left at the mercy of the clinic hoping that they have fulfilled their promises. But most, if not all, clinics cheat on this score and give lesser number of FU than promised. Sometimes clinics ask the patients or attendants to count the FU but this also is not a sure method as no one can possibly manually count all the FU within the short time at their disposal.

At Arogyam, a special verification method is used so that no patient has any doubt in his or her mind. Follicular Units are placed in special counting trays and patients are asked to take pictures of these trays which they can then then zoom in and count later if they wish. This ensures that no patient has any doubt in his or her mind about the number of FU that were actually done.Not just the number but the quality of the ollicular Units, whether they have been transected or are whole, the number of hairs per FU, etc can all be checked so that the patient is fully confident in what was done..
Is the counting done by follicular units or hairs? How can I verify thi?

Difference between follicular units and hairs is another way in which clinics will typically cheat their patients. A FU contains between 2 to 3 hairs on the average and ethically counting and pricing should always be done in terms of FU and not hairs. But many unethical clinics will count hairs as FU and thus cheat their patients, who have no way of verifying whether hairs or FU were counted.

At Arogyam, pictures are given to patients of the counting trays and this can be used to verify that indeed FU were used and not hairs.

8. What density of follicular units will I be given?

A well planned hair transplant requires that the density of hairs at different sites of the scalp is also planned beforehand and the implantation is done following this density. Thus for a successful result the correct density must be determined beforehand. The patient has a right to know what density has been planned for him and the doctor must be able to explain this. Hence it is important to ask this question beforehand, however many clinics do not have proper planning and cannot give this information.

At Arogyam, not only is the density planned but to ensure correct density, density stamps are used so that the density is given with precision.

9. Will all the advised steps of hairline be done as per International technical norms?

International research has continuously led to improved techniques and guidelines which ensure optimal results. It is important that this latest knowledge is used in the clinic and correct operational procedures are followed.

Arogyam Hair Transplant clinic follows all the latest technical guidelines and procedures as advised by the American Board of Hair Transplant Surgeons and ensures the best results for the patients.

10. Will any long term medicines be needed after the transplant?

Post operative care and medicines required should be ascertained before the transplant. Long term medicines are not needed after the transplant but sometimes medicines may be prescribed for existing hair in order to preserve existing hair.