Meeting Patients Again for the First Time

Bear with me here while I delve into a story…

It is always good to see past patients. I’ve met them in airports, at shopping malls, or just around Los Angeles. For as big as a city it is, sometimes L.A. can feel really small. I’ve had so many patients over the years that I’m not surprised to run into them at various places around town. Most patients are discreet, but just last week I ran into a past surgical patient in a local bagel shop. He immediately told me his name (I am terrible about remembering names, but better with faces) and we talked generally about the economic recession and its impact on both of our businesses. Pleasant morning chit chat, really.

Then, right in the middle of the bagel shop, he bent down to have me look at his head and asked me what I thought about his hair. I didn’t remember where I had transplanted him and from the quick look I had of his scalp right there amongst the cases of baked goods, I honestly couldn’t tell his transplanted hair from his original remaining hair. I wasn’t going to break out a camera to start snapping photos right there, but he told me that so many people mentioned how good he looked and I’d have to agree with that. It was a nice start for my day.