Questions to Ask Before You Book

You can send these to any clinic by email or message. Ask for written answers. How a clinic responds to a direct list of questions is itself informative — and in this market, being able to put questions in writing at all is not guaranteed: only about 37 per cent of the clinics listed here publish an email address, so you may have to ask for one.

About who operates

• Which doctor will perform my procedure, and what is their licence or registration number?
• Will that doctor make the incisions and place the grafts personally, or will technicians do part of it?
• If technicians are involved, what are they doing, and what training do they have?
• How many procedures does this doctor perform in a day?
• Will I meet the operating doctor before the day of surgery?

Why it matters. The licence number is what makes every other check possible: without a name and a number you cannot look anyone up. The division of labour question is not a trap — technician involvement is normal in much of the world — but a clinic that cannot describe who does what has either not thought about it or would rather you did not.

A good answer names a person, gives a number you can verify, and says plainly which parts of the operation that person performs. A weak answer describes “our expert medical team”, or names a medical director without confirming they will be in the room. Daily volume is worth asking because it bounds the answer: a doctor personally performing several long procedures a day is, arithmetically, supervising rather than operating.

About my case specifically

• How many grafts are you proposing, and how did you arrive at that number?
• Is my donor area sufficient for that, and for any future procedure I might need?
• Am I likely to keep losing hair behind the transplanted area, and what happens then?
• Where exactly would you place the hairline, and why there?
• Is there any reason I might not be a good candidate?

Why it matters. These four questions are about planning, and planning is the part that cannot be redone. Donor hair is finite; hair loss continues after surgery; and a hairline is designed for a face that will go on ageing. A plan that uses the whole donor area now to cover as much as possible is a plan with no second act.

A good answer explains how the graft number was estimated, says whether it is a maximum or an estimate, addresses future loss explicitly, and gives a reason for the hairline position. A weak answer is a graft number with no derivation, or a promise of density that does not mention the donor area at all. The last question is the sharpest one in the list: a clinic that can think of no reason you might be unsuitable is telling you it assesses nobody out.

About the price

• What is the total price for what you are proposing, itemised?
• Is it per graft or a fixed package, and what happens if more grafts are needed on the day?
• What is included: medication, aftercare, follow-up appointments, accommodation, transfers?
• What is not included?
• Is the deposit refundable, and under what conditions?

Why it matters. Pricing structures differ enough that two honest quotes for the same head can be hundreds apart, and the structure decides who carries the risk if the graft count changes. Our pricing guide works the arithmetic through.

A good answer is itemised, states the structure, and says what happens on the day if the estimate moves. A weak answer is one figure with no breakdown, or a figure that drops when you hesitate. Asking what is not included is deliberately the fourth question: it is the one that surfaces the things nobody volunteers.

About safety and aftercare

• Where is the procedure carried out, and is that facility licensed?
• What anaesthesia is used, and who administers it?
• What happens if I have a complication after I go home?
• Who do I contact, and in what language, and at what hours?
• What is your policy if I am unhappy with the result at twelve months?

Why it matters. The facility is licensed separately from the doctor, and the two are not the same assurance. Complications arrive after you have left, which is when distance and language stop being conveniences and become the whole problem. Twelve months is in the last question because that is when a result can first be judged; a policy that expires sooner is a policy that expires before the evidence arrives.

A good answer names the facility and its licence, names who gives the anaesthetic, and gives you a contact route with hours and a language. A weak answer is “we are always available”.

About evidence

• Can I see cases similar to mine, with dates and the name of the operating surgeon?
• How long after surgery were those photographs taken?
• Can I speak to a previous patient?

Why it matters. Photographs are the most persuasive and least controlled evidence in this market: lighting, hair length and styling move the apparent result more than the surgery sometimes does. Dates and a surgeon's name are what turn a gallery into evidence — a case photographed at four months by a surgeon who no longer works there is not a demonstration of what you will get.

Three questions people forget

• What happens to my photographs and medical information? You are about to send clinical photographs and a medical history to a business abroad. Ask who holds them, for how long, and whether they will be used in marketing.
• Who is actually answering me? Many first replies come from an agency or a patient co-ordinator rather than the clinic. Ask whether you are talking to the clinic itself, and whether the person quoting the graft count is medically qualified.
• What does my own doctor think? A dermatologist or GP at home has no stake in the sale and can say whether your hair loss is the ordinary kind, whether medication is worth trying first, and whether anything in your history makes surgery a worse idea.

What to do with the answers

Compare them across clinics rather than against your hopes. A clinic that gives specific, checkable answers to most of these has already distinguished itself from one that responds with a price and a discount deadline. If an answer contradicts something on the clinic's website, ask about the contradiction.

Keep the replies. Written answers are the only record you will have if the procedure, the price or the personnel change on the day, and an answer that survives being read back a month later is worth more than any of the photographs.

Folliculis is a directory and information resource. This guide explains process and terminology so you can ask better questions. It is not medical advice, it is not a substitute for a consultation with a qualified doctor, and nothing here should be used to decide on treatment.