Medical Tourists Flock to Canada for Best Quality Hair Transplants

Hair transplant surgeons Dr. Jerry Wong and Dr. Victor Hasson have created a reputation for expertise that attracts a following of devoted patients from several countries to their hair restoration clinic, Hasson & Wong in Vancouver, B.C.   That says a lot about the surgeons’ skills as well as the company culture.

Interview with Dr. Hasson

Employees Are Former Patients

“All of our male employees are former patients,” said Hasson, We have gentlemen who have been through the hair transplant process and have devoted their lives to working with us in this field.”

Large International Following of Patients

Nearly 80% of their patients are international, some traveling from as far away as Miami, New York, London, Spain, Australia, Italy and even Libya to have their surgeries performed by these two renown surgeons.  According to Hasson, 90% of their surgeries are for male pattern baldness and 10% for female-pattern baldness.

The reputation of Hasson & Wong is due in part to the Lateral Slit Technique, as put into use by Wong and refined by Hasson.  “It allows the hair to grow naturally out of the scalp in the same kind of configuration that occurs in nature,” explains Hasson, “and I would say that most of the clinics around the world are now using that technique.”

Technique and Faster Time to Desired Results

Another feather in their cap is the surgeons’ ability to get people to their goal in fewer sessions than other clinics.  Sessions are surgeries where an amount of hair, called hair grafts, is transplanted from elsewhere on your head to fill in baldness.

“We’re known worldwide for doing the largest sessions; moving the most amount of hair in one session than any other clinic, period – it’s indisputable,” claims Joe Tillman, a former patient now employed by the clinic.

“Whereas our average session is 4,000 hair grafts,” said Tillman, another clinic’s session may average only 2,000.  As a clinic we require eight months between procedures if we’re going into the same area.  It makes sense to get as much done in one session as possible from the standpoint of time to desired result.”

7000 Hair Grafts in One Session

“Dr. Wong did 7,000 grafts in one session,” claims Tillman, “That’s unheard of for other clinics, and while we don’t do that every day, we are the only clinic that has the experience to do sessions like that.  Both Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong perform such size sessions on a fairly regular basis.”

International Recognition by Peers

Hasson and Wong have both been guest speakers and guest surgeons for several international conferences.  “We do live surgeries to discuss and display the physical technique at the conferences,” said Hasson, “There are people watching and we have a closed video.”

By training other surgeons in the hair transplant industry, Hasson realizes he is training his own competition.  “If it was pure technology it would be easy to reproduce,” said Hasson, “but it’s the personal technique and skill level that differentiates one surgeon from another.  You can all use the same tennis racquet as another tennis player,” commented Hasson, “but it doesn’t necessarily mean you can play the same game.”

Patients are finding Hasson & Wong through the internet.  In 2002, Tillman, a former Seattle IT sales executive started a hair transplant blog documenting his hair transplant surgeries in detail.  The response he got to his blog prompted him to join the clinic on a professional level.  “We pioneered the concept of the educated hair transplant patient,” said Tillman.

“Initially word of a surgeon’s expertise was spread on a word-of-mouth basis,” said Hasson, “but since the internet has come into such wide use, what has happened is that there is now a number of websites across the world dealing specifically with hair restoration, and each of these sites feature information on various doctors.”

“We probably have more cases documented on the internet than any other clinics; before and after photographs of patients and different types of surgeries,” said Hasson.

Do Your Research

According to Hasson, patients can search online and view the work of various doctors and compare their work to other doctors.  “It becomes very easy for a patient to find the kind of doctor that they want based on the kind of results they’re seeing under that physician.” He said.

Hasson & Wong’s website chat line is manned by staff members who are former patients.  The people answering your questions have first-hand knowledge of the procedure and can speak from personal experience.  “If there’s a medical question they can’t answer they defer to me or Dr. Wong.” Said Hasson.”

Cost of Sessions

According to Hasson the prices for hair transplant surgery in Canada are about the same as in the United States.  As an elective surgery, the cost is not covered by insurance.  The clinic is attracting medical tourists based on quality.

“Hair transplant surgery is far cheaper in India and in Mexico,” admits Hasson, “However with cosmetic surgery quality is obviously the number one consideration,” he said,” I don’t think people are looking for a cheap cosmetic procedure.”

“However, If you can get accomplished in one or two sessions with Hasson & Wong what would take three or four sessions elsewhere, you’ll save a lot of money, have less scaring in the donor area, and you’ll have a faster time to your final result”, states Tillman.  The donor area is the place on your scalp from which a hair graft is harvested for use elsewhere on your head.

For example, “If you’re having 4,000 hair grafts done you’re looking at cost of approximately $16,000, “said Tillman, “If, instead, you choose to have two sessions of say 2,000 hair grafts, you’re looking at twice the time to get to your goal, and you’re looking at a cost of $20, 000 to $21,000 when all is said and done.”

“Our surgeons have basically transformed the upper echelon of the hair transplant industry as a whole in the past five to eight years”, said Tillman, “Being a patient, myself, it’s great to see the quality of work increased exponentially over the past several years due to what Dr. Wong and Hasson have been doing.”

Hasson & Wong have consultation offices in Seattle, WA and Portland Oregon.  Their website is www.hassonandwong.com.