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Q. How do I get started?
A. First, you need a consultation from Dr. Cole. You may do a photo consult or a in-person consult. Your patient coordinator will send you all the information in the welcome email. As a courtsey sometimes Dr. Cole will travel to you... in this case there will be a nominal charge of $50.
Q. What photo shots should I submit for the consultation with Dr. Cole?
A. You should send your patient coordinator shots of your hair wet and combed back of the front, sides, temples, top and back. If you have scars or special areas that need attention, then also send photos of those areas. The back of the head is important since that will determine if you have enough donor to proceed. If you want to do body hair then send photos of the body hair you would like to use in the surgery. (Note: If the pictures are not in focus and clear Dr. Cole will ask you to take them again, so do not send poor quality photos)
* You can also use the Virtual Consultation form to submit your photos
Q. Why do I have to wait months to see Dr. Cole?
A. Dr. Cole's in-person consults fill-up quickly. So if you want to set an appointment you need to act quickly. We have a waiting list... so get on it for your area.
Q. I have been waiting a month to hear from Dr. Cole about my photo consult. What is taking so long?
A. Dr. Cole performs surgeries Monday-Friday and travels to do consults on the week-end. He has a very large stack of charts for photo consults on his desk at all times that he evaluates as time allows. If you submitted your photos and it has been a month and you have not heard from Dr. Cole, check with your patient coordinator.
Q. How long has Dr. Cole been a hair transplant surgeon?
A. For over 16 years.
Q. Where is the surgery performed?
A. At this time, only in Atlanta , Georgia .
Q. What determines who is a candidate for the different procedures and who it not?
A. Your age, your current NW scale along with what you have left to work with, caliber, curliness of the hair and color of your hair. This is just some of the factors that Dr. Cole takes into consideration.
Q. Can a female get a hair transplant?
A. Yes, but only after first making sure there are no underlying reasons for the hair loss.
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- Before Dr. Cole consults with female patients, they must show documentation and test results that they have seen a nutritionist, an endocrinologist, and had their hormone and thyroid levels checked and they have to be referred for a hair transplant by their physician.
- Hair loss in women is a specialized category. One must first check for anemia, excessive male hormones, thyroid function, rheumatoid diseases, and other medical problems.
- Dr. Cole wants to know if a woman has facial hair, do they have children, have they gained weight, lost weight, do they have a rash, joint problems?
- He always considers a hyper-active thyroid, a hypo-active thyroid, anemia, and hormonal issues. Usually we do not find them. If you have children, this suggests normal hormones, but we still look for a hyper androgen state such as over active adrenal glands. Tests you will need include hemoglobin to check for anemia, a T4 and TSH to check the thyroid, and then he needs to know if there are male features such as facial hair. If there is some please check for Dehydroepiandrosterone.
- You need two biopsies. It is very important to have a dermatopathologist read the biopsies. You must do two 4mm biopsies and they must have some hair in them. If there is no hair, only skin, then the biopsies will not tell them anything. Therefore, the person who takes the biopsy must know what they are doing and the person who reads the biopsy must know what they are doing.
- The tests needed are as follows: Hormone levels (DHEAS, Testosterone, Androstenedione, Prolactin, Follicular Stimulating Hormone, and Leutinizing Hormone) Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin,TIBC (Total Iron Binding capacity)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) VDRL Complete Blood Count (CBC)
B. Clinical History needed is:
* Are you on any medications? If so, what medications and why?
* How long has the hair loss been occurring?
* Is the hair falling out fully intact, or is it breaking?
* Family history of diabetes, asthma, arthritis, lupus, vitiligo, anemia, or Addison's disease?
* Have you recently given birth, or gone through menopause?
* Are you under a lot of stress?
Q. How do I get a prescription for Propecia, Proscar or Avodart?
A. First, you need a in-person consultation. Second, if you have not had surgery with Dr. Cole than there is an annual fee of $85. If you have had surgery with Dr. Cole the prescriptions are a complimentary service that Dr. Cole provides. The prescription is written for a one year supply. Everyone also needs a consent form for the drug they are taking to be on file in their chart. We have a mail order service that will save you money and deliver right to your door... contact us for further details.
Q. I want to schedule a procedure. Now what do I do?
A. With your consultation results in your hand, how many grafts your desire and your decision about which procedure and method you are doing… contact your patient coordinator to get dates that are available. If you would like more grafts then recommended it will have to be approved by Dr. Cole. He will only allow the amount that will give you your desired results yet still be healthy for you and in your best interest.
Q. If I call today… how soon can I schedule a procedure?
A. Probably about 1-2 months give or take however, Dr. Cole is usually booked 2-3 months out so prepare ahead. Check his online schedule.
Q. What is the difference in one procedure versus another?
FIT (Follicular Isolation Technique) :
• Shaven Donor Area
This is the preferred method by our patients, it is cost effective and only requires that the back of head will be shaved to the scalp – the whole back of head and above ears. If you have prior scarring, it will be visible until hair grows out. No maximum... can do consecutive days
• Shaven Patches
This technique requires Dr. Cole to shave a small ‘patch or strip’ in the donor area while pinning the surrounding hair up. Hairs are extracted from this area only, and when the hair is unclipped, it falls down over the donor ‘patch/strip’ hiding that area. The disadvantage to this method is that the donor ‘patch/strip’ will have less density when it has grown back out, and may be noticeably thinner in that area. Maximum 1200 grafts per procedure
• Non-Shaven Donor Area
This technique requires Dr. Cole to cut one at a time individual follicular units. Hair will be cut the day prior to surgery because this takes several hours. Maximum 300g per day and two day per procedure
• FIT Farming
This is donor replenishing where a scalp FU is replaced by a body FU to avoid thinning the donor area out.
*Note: Persons with kinky or very curly hair are generally not good candidates for FIT procedures therefore we require that they first undergo a test procedure of 50-100 grafts for $1000 flat fee.
BHT (Body Hair Transplant)- Must wet shave ALL body hair off 4 days prior to the procedure. NO LIMIT
STRIP (leaves a permanent linear scar in donor area) however you can do 3000 grafts in one day and is cost effective
Plug Redistribution:
• Plug Re-Distribution (4 hour session) -50 plugs or less will be FITed out and then re-implanted by Dr. Cole.
• Plug Re-Distribution (8 hour session) - 100 plugs or less will be FITed out and then re-implanted by Dr. Cole
Q. Is there financing available?
A. Yes, we suggest www.p-f-s.com and www.medchoicefinancial.com
You can call 800-358-8980 for more information about financing
Q. Do you have a patient referral list? Can I see other patients in person?
A. Yes, please ask your patient coordinator to provide you with the list of names. We have patients that are willing to speak with you on the phone, via email and some will even meet with you in person.
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