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salami

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Posts posted by salami

  1. I have been taking it since pretty much the day it came to the US market as 1mg Propecia in 1997. My hair loss essentially "stopped" for many years.

     

    It wasn't until I decided to stop taking it a few years ago that I noticed a big difference, so I knew it must have been working for me. Sometimes, you really never know how much it is helping until you go off of it.

     

    I stopped taking it in 2010 after reading some of the new information about the side effects. The main "side effect" was that I lost a lot of hair fairly quickly, and became very self-conscious about it.

     

    Going back on it, plus having a fairly small transplant of just under 1500 grafts (I have very poor donor density) in 2011 has made a huge difference.

  2. I know there are a lot of people that have been happy with Dr. Feller, but I am personally not a fan. I think he is very overrated.

     

    While not every doc bats 1000, his reactions to these cases have been very unprofessional in my opinion. There are several examples on this board. Click on this link, and look especially at all of the locked threads.

    Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients - Search Results

     

    I have met with him in person, and he exhibited this same type of behavior.

     

    Also, be aware that he requires one of the largest deposits in the business of $2500. Note that this is NOT REFUNDABLE at any point, so be absolutely sure you feel that he is the right choice for you.

     

    With so many other great docs out there, I would look elsewhere.

  3. This comes up a lot, as they are 2 of the more popular surgeons in the NY area.

     

    I personally recommend Dr. Dorin very highly, not only for his skills as a surgeon, but for his professionalism as well. I was able to get a very nice result with under 1500 grafts (I have very poor donor density).

     

    I personally do not recommend Dr. Feller. I posted my negative experience with him here:

     

    One thing to keep in mind is that Dr. Feller always shaves the recipient area, while Dr. Dorin rarely does. This is something to keep in mind if it's important for you to conceal the work after the HT.

     

    Many feel that there are benefits to shaving the recipient area, but I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this, as this is something that Dr. Feller neglected to tell me about.

     

    Best of luck with whichever doc you choose!

  4. It's a little hard to tell with your hair that short, but if you have sufficient donor, then you may be a good candidate.

    Definitely consult with a few high-end doctors, and stay on the minoxidil and finasteride.

    I went off finasteride for about a year around 2 years ago and it cost me a lot of hair!

     

    I am a diffuse thinner, but I have poor donor density. I was still able to get a cosmetically significant result with a small number of available grafts.

     

    This is one of my favorite diffuse thinner results. He stopped posting at 6 months, but the result was very impressive even at that point. Not everyone can get over 4000 grafts at one shot though.

     

    Hair Restoration Site for korean boy

  5. josh606, I am glad you had a positive experience, but I would like to respond to David's (TakingThePlunge) comment.

     

    Everyone who has the pleasure of meeting Dr. Feller describes him as a warm, charismatic and caring physician.

     

    Sorry David, but I have to strongly disagree with this statement. I found the exact opposite to be the case, as have many others on this board (this is well documented in several threads).

     

    As much disdain as I have for Dr. Feller, I try to stay away from commenting on any of his threads, but I had to respond to your "Everyone" statement.

     

    I wrote about my experience here, so I won't go into it again.

     

    Personally, I found him to be very unprofessional, rude and defensive, and having met with him twice, "warm, charismatic and caring" are not words I would use to describe him.

  6. Has anyone described you as a diffuse thinner? It appears that a lot of your density is HT, so I think 3000 will make a big difference when you are ready,

     

    It looks a lot better. Your hair/skin color combo doesn't do you any favors, but overall, and especially for the tiny about of grafts you used, seems to be a great success.

     

    Thanks for the feedback.

     

    Yes, every doc has classified me as a diffuse NW6.

     

    I am definitely happy with the result given the small number of grafts.

  7. Salami,

     

    I see that you are hitting a year soon. Any update?

     

    Sure. Here are a few.

     

    Also an update on my potential future plans:

    I have met with Dr. Dorin, Dr. True, and Dr. Rahal, and they all essentially told me the same thing. My donor density is very poor, and that I should wait to see how my hair loss progresses before having another HT.

     

    They all felt that I had maybe around 3000 grafts total available. That stinks.

     

    My HT didn't exactly turn me into Elvis, but it is a significant improvement, and I can now use Nanogen (I like it much better than Toppik). Whereas before, my hair was almost too thin too use these type of concealers...it did not look natural.

    1.jpg.5af1199b9b2045abb29ad37dcb20d69d.jpg

    2.jpg.8970ec61e6f08a6ebe0109eb028b647e.jpg

    3.jpg.b089216fdd8008962665da847eb40649.jpg

  8. Im sorry anyone is out of pocket re the deposit , i think the other ` several

    threads` you refer to are not about deposits though, and if i remember

    correctly were attempts to get discounted or free work , i noticed a lot of

    the input on those threads came from Dr Dorin patients also

     

    Correct, I don't believe they had anything to do with deposits, but I was amazed at how similar his tone was on those threads to the way he handled my situation.

     

    As far as Dr. Dorin patients, it was really just Corvettester who voiced his opinion on those threads. Also, Feller and Dorin are both in NY (about 20 miles away from each other), so it makes sense that people may consult with both of them.

    Not that you were insinuating this, but I have no affiliation with anyone. I am just some balding guy from NY.

     

    I have been on this forum a couple of years , and a couple of years as a guest

    before that , in all that time all Feller medical photographs of patients

    before and afters, on all forums, always show shaved down pre ops ,.... every

    single one of them ,.... a major reason i didnt consult with Dr Feller was

    that i knew he shaved down, it was glaringly obvious to be honest , even all

    the patients he has refer to it as the " doldrums " a stage they go through

    after the op , shaved down , hat wearing , how to conceal it at work etc

    equally so the Drs who dont shave provide many photographs of graft placement , pre post op

     

     

    Fair point.

    Admittedly, I didn't do as much research as I should have before the first consult. I saw a lot of before and afters, but it wasn't until after I put the deposit down, that I did the proper amount of research and found out about the shaving. This was my mistake, but he should have definitely told me this during the consult.

     

    I definitely take accountability for my situation, but I was honestly very shocked how Dr. Feller handled it.

    In fact, the crux of my follow-up email to Dr. Feller was about the fact that he neglected to tell me about the shaving. He didn't even acknowledge or mention this at all in his response. He essentially said, I don't remember your case, and the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

     

    I'll chalk this one up as an expensive life lesson.

  9. Gandolf,

    Very interesting. Sorry about the money you spent, but I agree that it was well spent if it helps you narrow down your choice of doc.

    Glad to hear that they now have a form to sign which discusses the deposit.

     

    I wonder if Dr Feller was a able to fill your slot a month in advance or if he lost money on you too? $2,500 is a LOT of money to secure a slot and cancel a month out.

     

    Good question. I know the date, so I would be curious to know this as well.

     

    I hope the thread remains open , at least until these claims can be proven until then its merely ` heresay ` ..

     

    ej

     

    ej,

    Very valid point. Not sure how I could prove anything, although I do have all of the email exchanges with Dr. Feller, as well ones with Spex and Bill.

    I tried to resolved this with all 3 of them to no avail.

     

     

    If that is the case truly, then I would have done the same as you did if I was in your place. This is really bad. Manners in a doctor is the most important factor in choosing one (why I chose to deal with Rahal and Feriduni especially) because without it, it would be very hard to deal with him post op in long term. Thats why I always insist to talk to the doctor personally at first than dealing blindly with the representative in order to evaluate his attitude and manners. Your story Salami is much worse than Bobilero.

     

    I salute HTN for the transparency and freedom of speech. Its a very great new step this forum is approaching to allow patients share their feelings in a decent open way. I hope it will applied on all recommended clinics in the network without exceptions. Big thanks HTN (created by and for patients)

     

    Hariri,

    I completely agree with your assessment of the HTN.

    My situation is 100% true. I would not make this up.

     

    Sorry to hear also about your bad experiences Salami & Gandolph. Salami you are actually out of pocket more than me. You live and learn eh. I wish you the best for your future plans.

     

    Absolutely.

    I was very angry about this last year, but I eventually let it go.

    This thread really hit home with me though.

     

    After I tried to resolve this situation on my own with Dr. Feller, I then contacted Bill, who contacted Dr. Feller on my behalf.

     

    Bill's response after emailing Dr. Feller was, "he claims he's been more than fair to you already".

    I am still trying to figure out what "more than fair" is in my case.

     

    Thanks Bobilero.

    I wound up choosing Dr. Dorin, and I am very glad I did.

  10. can you elaborate a bit?

    what were you not comfortable with?

    his office? his mannerism? his approach? his pricing? was he hurried?

     

    Sure. It was really more around his attitude and professionalism.

     

    He was quick to belittle other doctors, and seemed very impressed with himself when showing me pictures.

    He was like , "look at what I did for this guy".

    Then, I remember on may way out he said, "send me your bald friends".

     

    The whole vibe was just weird for doctor that seemed to have a very good reputation.

    I remember saying to myself, THIS is the guy that all of these people recommend?

     

    I was a little put-off by the 2% surcharge by using a credit card, but that was a minor issue. Do other clinics do this?

  11. I haven't gone public with this before, but I also had an issue with Dr. Feller when it came to a deposit.

     

    I want to first say that I think it's great that a lot of people have had very positive experiences with Dr. Feller, and that they support him because of this.

     

    Unfortunately, my experience was not positive.

     

    In April 2011, I had a consult with Dr. Feller, and I decided to go ahead with the procedure. I honestly was not completely comfortable with Dr. Feller, but he seemed to be highly recommended, and was only a half hour drive from my house. I will admit that this was a mistake on my part to go with someone I was not totally comfortable with.

     

    I paid a $2500 deposit. I paid by check, because he charges 2% extra for using a credit card (I thought that was a little odd). I was never told that the deposit was non-refundable, nor did I sign anything which said this.

     

    My main issue was that at no time did he mention shaving of the recipient area. I had an HT back in 1997, and know of several people who have had HT's, and never had to shave. I understand that times have changed, and there are several potential benefits to shaving down, but that is really not the issue here.

     

    So, I went back for a second consult to discuss this with Dr. Feller, and he completely denied not telling me about the shaving. He got very rude and defensive, claiming that he definitely told me. It got a little uncomfortable, and I left shortly thereafter with the situation unresolved.

     

    I went home and thought about it for a few days, and then called to cancel the appointment. This was a full month before my scheduled date.

     

    I wrote Dr. Feller a nice email explaining the situation. I then had to call his office several days in a row just to get a reply. Finally, I got an email reply from him basically saying that he didn't remember my case, and that the website says that deposits are non-refundable.

     

    Overall, I understand if people feel that I shouldn't get my deposit back, but it was how rude and unprofessional Dr. Feller was in handling this situation that really rubbed me the wrong way. There are several threads in these forums where he demonstrates similar behavior.

     

    So, he has my $2500, but he will never get my business, and I can absolutely never recommend him to anyone. This is a shame, as I live very close to his office, and would love to be able to recommend him to others. I simply cannot do this.

     

    Bobilero, while our situations are a little different, I completely empathize with you, and this thread is not pointless by any means.

  12. If you search this forum, you will see that many of the members will travel great lengths to go to the doctor they feel most comfortable with, and will recommend that travel not be a limiting factor.

     

    This thread from today has many of the names in the US & Canada that are very popular on this site.

     

    There are 2 doctors recommended on this site that are in the Bay area, so it may be at least worth a consult with both of them.

    Dr. Kabaker is in Oakland, and Dr. Rosanelli is in San Francisco.

     

    To see members who have had HT's done by these 2 doctors, click here, and select their names from "Hair Transplant Surgeon" drop-down.

    You can try sending a private message (PM) to a few of them to see if they will share their experience with you.

     

    Send an email to Bill at help@hairtransplantnetwork.com if you are having any issues sending a PM.

     

    Good Luck!

  13. Hey Bonker,

     

    It looks like he is referring to a "piece" of the donor strip. See this quote from Corvettester's original post:

     

    "Dr. Dorin cut the donor out in sections, I think he did mine in three sections. He even showed me one of the sections after he cut it out which looks like the excess skin or fatty tissue on fresh duck or chicken, for those of you who debone your own meat."

     

    All I am going to say is that True & Dorin are a top notch clinic. As professional as they come.

  14. This question comes up a lot on the various hair loss forums. You will generally see the same names over and over.

     

    I live in NY, and I consulted with both Dr. Feller (in Great Neck) and Dr. Dorin.

    I chose Dr. Dorin over Feller and I am very glad I did.

     

    Definitely consult with both (and/or Dr. True who works with Dr. Dorin). You might want to add Dr. Carlos Wesley to your list as well. He is in NYC, and is also recommended on this site.

     

    Obviously, if you don't mind traveling outside on NY, you have a lot more options, but that is up to you to decide.

     

    Dr. Rahal comes to NYC for consults on occasion, so you might want to look into him as well. He and Hasson & Wong are best known for doing larger sessions, so if you have extensive loss, definitely look into doing a consult with them.

  15. hairthere,

     

    I was simply pointing out the fact that Dr. Feller shaves the recipient area, and (especially) as a woman this is something she might want to be aware of. It wasn't, "Stay away from Dr. Feller!"

     

    I just think that it is very important to know this going in, and a lot of other doctors get consistently great results without shaving.

  16. Lisa,

     

    I definitely agree with Corvettester.

     

    Check out True & Dorin's website. They have an excellent female before and after photo gallery.

    Here is the direct link:

    True & Dorin Medical Group: Before and After Gallery

     

    Dr. Robin Unger's website also has some nice female examples.

     

    One word of caution about Dr. Feller. He shaves the recipient area for all procedures, so as a woman this might be something to keep in mind. This is evident in the pictures in the second link provided by Spex.

  17. Thanks Ahairdown. I added a 4 week below next to the before and 2 week after.

     

    Izzy, I had 1464 grafts. It would have been great to have gotten more, but unfortunately, I am not a great HT candidate. I have very poor donor density, but since I already had a strip procedure 14 years ago, I will try to make the most of what's left of my donor hair (and continue taking Propecia...I made the mistake of stopping it for a while and it cost me a lot of hair). Someone with better density, and without having an existing scar to excise may have gotten almost double the amount of grafts with the size of my strip.

     

    I posted my immediate before and after here:

    http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/161290-dr-dorin-1-464-grafts.html

     

    I'm just over 4 weeks now, and things are going well. Recipient area looks and feels good (albeit a bit thinner), and the donor scar has been improving, but still very pink.

     

    Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

    before_2_4_weeks_after.jpg.128d7772881f1e4dc1102a80afb5c617.jpg

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