Doug Monty

Mickey, arguing with you is like trying to convince the Taco Bell Dog that you prefer a Hamburger. All the traction corrosion suction BS was created by a couple of hacks who were jealous that we built a pretty awesome device and have been proven wrong. And it keeps getting repeated by drones like yourself, but that's okay. We are now one of the biggest names in the Hair Transplant industry so we have to put up with the little people nipping at our heals. We get it. In your country people like the old ways of doing things. And guess what the old way still works. I think your the type of person who would only approve of a mechanical device if it was powered by Elven Magic and because of this there is no arguing with you. But seeing how you love FUE so much you can't be all that bad.

Can you please explain why Dr. Arocha uses the Artas system for such a very small amount of the hair transplant and then uses a motorized manual punch for such a large portion of the head? This is the second hair doc today which needs to use a second motorized hair punch in order to successful complete an FUE proceudre when started with the Artas. It almost is starting to sound like a bait and switch technique. Or the old "Fox Test" to determine if the patient was a good fit for FUE before they were switched to a strip procedure.

Hi Janna, This just sounds crazy to me. Can you please go into more detail on the problems which you encounter using the Artas. 1. It takes you two days to do a 2000 graft procedure using an Artas? 2. You state you Generally Start off a two day procedure using the Artas? What makes you switch back and fourth between the Artas and the Safe scribe. Your Doctor has said in prior posting that the Artas is superior. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170216-artas-fue-transplant-dr-paul-shapiro-2007-grafts-3.html 3. Can you show us some examles of the bad grafts you get using the Artas. What makes the grafts look bad. Is it the Double punch technique or is it the proding of the grafts to get them to come out of the scalp? 4. By your statement it appears that no matter what the quality of the grafts are you use the Safe Scribe to even out the extraction pattern on the second day. Can you please explain this more, it does not make sence to me if the Artas is a superior system that you would need to go back to very old technology. 5. It seems to me that your practice is promoting the Artas but are actually still relying upon the bulk of the procedure to be performed by the Safe Scribe as you state you use the safe scribe on the second day (Again your words not mine). 6. If the Artas is this difficult to get quality results with one of the best hair docs in the world is this because of the system, training or patient? 7. When the Artas was first designed there a reason why the Dull punch was large. It worked better with a larger punch. However patients/doctors want a smaller punch. Did forcing to go to a small punch due to patient and doctor demand force an unknown quality issue with the Artas? Thus causing bad grafts and the need to continue to use the Safe Scribe. I am looking forward to your answers, Best Regards, Doug

Well Lorenzo if an FUE Only Doctor says it, it must be true. Did you see the video of Dr. Basin's patient. Looked pretty amazing to me. But what do I know. I think it's great that Hasson and Wong never want to get the NeoGraft.

Dtemin, Don't be fooled by the hype. You should look into getting a superior NeoGraft procedure with a NeoGraft doctor. We problably have more NeoGraft systems in doctor offices than all other devices on the market combined. There is a reason for this. The market has determined what works best for the patient. Because NeoGraft was an outsider and not developed in concert with a "Hair Only" doctor. It was looked at as a something bad for the industry. But we have single handledly changed the face of hair transplants in the USA and have grown the FUE market exponentionally. Dont be fooled by the Hype or the BS from all the posters who claim otherwise. They have all been proven wrong many times over.

I am curious why the doctor was not able to harvest as many grafts as you might have hoped. 6 hours for 630 grafts seems like a very long time for such a small amount of Grafts. I think most posters would agree that this is a very long time for such a small amount of grafts. However after researching the doctor, the largest FUE case he has profiled on his website is only 750 Grafts. I was actually quite surprised at this. Considering how warmly he is received on the boards. I would consider this a Red Flag for FUE patients, especially those that need a lot of hair transplanted and quality growth all in one session (unless he just has not updated his website - then disregard). I think that most posters/doctors would agree that you should see more growth at the one year mark than what was shown. I did a side by side from your Pic #1 in your first post and your pic #2 from your last post and personally did not see a noticable difference. One of the questions I would ask, is, if the lenght of time for such a small case had any effect on hair growth? Seems like a "Red Flag" to me. Hope you have more hair growth at the 18 month mark. If not, I am sure the community could recomend another doctor who maybe specializes in transplanting into scar tissue.

Bill,I guess we have a different idea of what we consider to be a "Professional" environment. Seems to me that all the completely unfounded agenda driven opinions are being stated as facts.

Nate, Just please go back in time and read the mountain of negative info out there about NeoGraft and ask yourself, if a NeoGraft procedure was as bad as this web site claims then why would we be so successful?

Dear Pot, Remind me to call kettle. Thanks, Black

Micky you are so full of crap. You and the rest of the hacks and quacks on this web site who have bashed the NeoGraft because as a whole you all saw the NeoGraft as a threat to your small little pockets of existance. Who and what do you think single handedly changed the landscape in the USA for FUE procedures - NeoGraft. Look where FUE was 5 years ago and who was doing it and where it was now. Look at the high profile docs who were pimping their little machines and where those machines are today. With 100's of systems out in the field, and on-going patient and physician education. The general public has been made aware that there is a far superior medical procedure for FUE hair transplants - a NeoGraft procedure. Additionally you can't compare graft quality, with NeoGraft with any other punch system. The grafts with NeoGraft are far superior. There is no difference in function between the safescribe and the artis, when the graft is lined up with the punch. Put your thinking cap on and think about that. Once scored the grafts still have to be poked prodded and you have to pull on the hair, causing additional damage and trauma to each and every graft. This is not in dispute. Also with the safe scribe and artis, you have no idea if you are getting transection. With the NeoGraft you know each and every time what the graft quality is because you see each and every graft after harvest. Bottom line is a NeoGraft procedure has always been the most advanced method for FUE hair transplants producing the best grafts with the best results. I recently sat in the audience in Miami and listened to a golden follicle award winner bash NeoGraft as I watched him proudly show off his video of a strip procedure where he proudly uses a knife used to skin a deer to cut the grafts off of a strip. Massive trauma to the underside of the grafts and this guy was supposed to be an expert. Fyi my avatar image is of 500 grafts harvested by a nurse who never did a hair transplant before. All perfect grafts

Blake, I agree with almost everything you wrote. I knew this was going to be a tough question to hear or answer. I Understand the team approach. Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck make a great winning team. Bill calls the plays and Tom Brady gets the work done on the football field. But who is more important? Anything that is not consider politically correct is not going to be termed a useful exercise. However it is a very valid question for patients. If the doctor stays the same, but the team members underneath him change and they are the ones doing the bulk of the work. Shouldn't the patient know this or else be prepared to ask the questions. Yes doctors do wear a lot of Hats, the Hair Techs only wear one. And yes it is a team effort. But every member of a team typically has a person who is the MVP. Getting back to the initial subject question who is more important to hair growth, the person putting the game plan together or the person handling every single graft multiple times and then implanting?

With the massive increase in FUE Cases over the last several years and in light of recent legal decisions and other posters dancing around the issue, I think its about time to ask the question: Who is more important to a successful Hair Transplant Techs or Doctors? Sure I guess you could say they are both important. But the question is who is more important. For patients seeking a strip procedure, the doctor is responsible for removal of the strip and closure and typically responsible for hair line design and making the sites. The Techs are responsible for slicing up the strip into appropriate sized FU's and then implanting the grafts. In cases where the doctor promotes stick and place, the techs are more than likely making the slits for the sites just prior to placing the grafts. In either case the techs are handling the grafts several times and are typically that last ones touching the grafts as they are implanted. So from a strictly hair growth standpoint; it's the shaving of the grafts, the gentle handling and the proper placement of the grafts which is actually going to directly contribute to hair growth. It does not matter how small the scar is or how beautiful the slits look...... if the grafts shaved and placed by the techs are not up to the standards of the doctor or industry standards the Hair Transplant could have a negative outcome. When its all said and done it is the tech who will have more of an impact on actually hair growth than the doctor. Obviously for FUE cases the Techs have been taking the lead in this time consuming tedious procedure for years. It's quite common for techs to be doing the harvesting along with the implanting. Even in practices where the doctor uses a rotating tool or does harvesting by hand its frequently left up to the techs to actually remove the cored out grafts from the patient and once removed they are sorted and then implanted by the techs. So while the title of this thread may rub some people the wrong way the reality is you better make sure that the doctor you choose has high quality techs because they will typically have more to do with the actual hair transplant than the doctor.

I was prepared to have my head shaved to make everything easy for the Doc, but they said it would be better to leave the hair but short so as they can see the direction of the surrounding hairs and then match the transplanted hair witht the surrounding hair. This seems to make sense. I would also think the transection would be lower from possibly cutting existing hair when your making the sites.

Actually I answered everyone one of your questions. I wanted to get a baseline on how you were getting your info and asking you how many procedures you have witnessed and which types is a valid question, especially if you are giving your opinion. and you came back with? ad hominem: If you have never seen a case, which I will assume, since you refused to answer the question. I have to also assume that all your opinions on the NeoGraft are based upon another doctor's Input who had a competing tool. No real conflict of interest there. I have see many doctors operate, using different FUE tools (hand and motorized), Strip, cases, Eye Brow's, Body Hair, I have spoken with the patients before, during and after these procedures - I don't pretend to be an expert. Just a purveyor of facts as seen through my eyes. Please don't confuse a good debate with an argument. If you have ever taken part in a debate in school the one who thinks the debate is heading down the argument path is the one with the least points at the end of the day.... I know we have come down a long path, from the start, but the First Poster was just looking for a place to get some FUE work done and we ended up here. Respectfully yours, Doug

Future_hair Doc, I am actually enjoying the debate, so no you can't hurt my feelings. Since I have been doing my best to answer as many questions as possible on my day off, maybe you can answer a few of mine. How many FUT procedures have you been seen live? How many FUE procedures have you seen live? With how many different doctors have you seen perform these procedures? How many different Hair Techs have you seen sitting at desks slicing off grafts underneath Microscopes with lamps too hot to touch for hours at a time? How many different Hair Techs have you talked to, to find out the extent of their experience or their length of employment? As far as the ill informed arguments of Torsion, Traction, Compression, Overheating, and Desiccation. The video clearly shows this to not be the case. If you look at the slow motion portion, you can actually count the number of revolutions which it takes prior to harvesting the graft about 3. One of the best selling points of the system is when we have a doctor ask, "well doesn't the suction dry out the grafts"? Then the other question is "well what about all the damage from going through the tube"? Then we show the harvested grafts and they look like the below link. Doctor's who see the procedure live, have no worries of any of the unproven accusations which were leveled at the NeoGraft in the past. I really enjoy the argument of grafts drying out. And then ask questions about how long the strip stays under the microscope and is rubbed, squeezed, pressed and cut. I have let slide a lot of recent comments/statements which you/Bill imply I made. Please if you are going to quote me on something and then counter point at least get what I said right the first time. Also show me where I ever said anything negative about any other tool on the market. The FDA Approved our 510K also our manufacturing facility ISO Certified. Artistic Value - Show me where I said anything about the NeoGraft having anything to do with Hair Line design. I am not sure where you were headed with the Strip Stuff in the video, its just in there to show the difference between the two procedures for patients who are not familiar - anything else and you are reading way too much into it. We have recently had quite of few plastic surgeons either enter or re-enter the world of Hair Transplants. Many have done this in the past and got out for various reasons. However I find it hard that you are going to tell a plastic surgeon who is capable of re-attaching hands or reconstructing a face that they are not capable of making the slits to gain a perfect hair line design. Currently there are no qualifications for any type of doctor becoming a Hair Transplant Physician, just as long as they are a MD or a DO (maybe even DDS). This is evident by the diverse background of well respected hair restoration physicians we have today. Anecdotal evidence? How is almost anything within this industry not considered anecdotal? Show me where statements like Torsion, Traction, Compression, Overheating, and Desiccation (as it relates to the NeoGraft) are not considered Anecdotal and are supported by Data. I have spoke with Doctor's who have used other FUE devices and they have told me that they either could not get them to work as described or they kept on breaking. The NeoGraft is a complete FUE Hair Transplant System it allows for people to harvest as well as implant. Hair Techs who have been implanting for 15 years are probably more comfortable implanting by hand. But the system gives you the option. You are correct when you say that the NeoGraft is a New Device and that we cater to practitioners who want a better faster way to get FUE Hair Transplants performed. To Quote a well Respected Hair Transplant Physician "This tool also offers the unique combination of LOWERING operator skill level requirements while actually RAISING the quality of each and every extraction. This translates to faster 'ramp-up' times for new doctors interested in adding FUE Hair Transplant surgery to their practices; as well as making for easy and near seamless integration into clinics that already offer FUE to their patients. This device allows not only for greater quality of extraction, but greater speed as well. Much greater. And all without any extra risk to the grafts themselves. The same cannot be said of other FUE tools on the market. All these unique benefits result in far less fatigue for the doctors, technicians, and patients. It's important not to forget this all important (but often ignored) human factor because in the end any 'work product' will only be as good as the vitality, enthusiasm, and confidence possessed by the doctor and team at the time of the procedure. The obvious purpose of the tool is to facilitate the FUE procedure for practitioners; but that is only part of a far greater strategy: the sparking of a new and legitimate industry that's inclusive of ALL practitioners-novice and veteran alike. The bigger picture is to elevate the current 'cottage industry' status of FUE to a more mainstream role in hair transplantation; and to forever strip away the mystery, hype, and secrecy with which it has been unnecessarily surrounded by since it's inception. However, for this field to grow, the credibility and exposure of the FUE technique must increase, and I can think of no better way to achieve this than offering a device that makes it easier for hundreds or thousands of other doctors to get into the FUE field themselves. Once they get a taste of the success I've had with FUE over the past 7 years, a greater number of doctors will join the FUE ranks. More successful FUE practitioners means greater numbers of satisfied patients, and thus a more popular procedure with ever increasing demand. Everyone wins. " Dr. Alan Feller 3/29/09 I could not have said it better myself and I agree 100%

Hi Bill, Hopefully I answered all your questions.

Not only does the below video link show the entire procedure from start to finish it also includes some before and after photos. http://app.talkfusion.com/fusion2/view.asp?NTcyNDU1_2421254 Future_HT_Doc, Actually I thought my points where pretty good, especially on how easy the FUE procedure is, the importance of technology and constant need for continuous improvement. But most importantly the importance which the Hair Tech plays in the procedure which is often times over looked.

I am not really sure anyone is arguing, just open discussion and give and take of view points. If we all had the same views then these boards would not be as popular as they are. I think you need to go back and actually see what, if any of the exact claims I have made, instead of interpreting my comments. TC - to expand on my technology point. "You" could still take a picture which landed on the cover of Time Life. The picture you take today, is still better than the best photographers could take 100 years ago. But if you were to take an average professional photographer and then put in his hands far superior equipment; it could then make that average photographer great. Just like if you were a new photographer just learning, if you put great equipment in their hands the learning curve to greatness is shortened. Hair Line Design and harvesting grafts really have nothing to do with each other. Once high quality grafts are harvested or sliced they are ready for implantation. The "Art" which FUE Doctors talk about and refer to is the harvesting aspect. It is this Harvesting Art which prevents doctors from performing this surgery - it takes a long time for true "Art" to develop but technology is fast and easy. Every doctor talks about their "Artistry" of hair line design and as well they should. Doctors are responsible for Hair Line Design and Closing the donor site. The Hair Techs mostly do the rest of the work. Look at WWI Figher Pilots, don't you think they are a little jealous of the kids who fly Unmanned Air Craft today - using a joystick from 1,000 miles away. There was an Art to flying and not getting shot down back then. Versus a kid texting and flying a plane at the same time. Again if you look at what my claims are, that I have seen a person who never harvested hair in her life knock out 250 High Quality Grafts in no time and compared this to a well respected doctor who is an FUE expert not able to effectively harvest grafts with a manual tool. My point being advancements in technology trump the old way of doings things almost every time. I guess we can agree to disagree on how simple an FUE procedure is. Personally I have seen plenty and it’s pretty simple and doctors who I have talked to have agreed. In order of difficultly which one of these steps is really that complicated that a trained physician could not master? Who performs the consultation? Who designs the hairline? Who administers the anesthetic? Who makes the recipient slits? Who determines if the grafts need to be trimmed before implantation? Who makes certain grafts aren't being removed from outside the universal safe-zone? The doctor could do everything pefect and if the hair tech was mishandling the grafts they could damage every single one and result in poor hair growth. Thankfully we live in a free market system so doctors can charge what ever the market will dictate. Compare this to some strip surgery doctors charging $1 to $2 per graft. Personally I would want to pay more than $2 per graft for a procedure - just like I don't want to eat a $1 dollar porterhouse steak at a restaurant. At least give me the perception of quality.

Hi Bill, I was not trying to be difficult, I was just pointing out the fact that the Poster wanted to have an FUE procedure done to make some more volume in the front. He was still in recovery from his strip procedure. And he was being directed to go to doctors who will not meet his needs - this is not in the best interests of the patient. And this was ripe for the bait and switch potential which I have been subjected to in the past. Not 100% sure how soon after a strip procedure that it's safe to get another strip procedure. But this person wanted FUE and FUE Only - probably to have all his hair come in together. Which in this case FUE is the ideal procedure for this patient. I am a hair loss sufferer myself and am in need of a hair transplant. However just like a large portion of the population - there is no way in hell, I would ever let a doctor carve a piece of my scalp out and then hand it over to a bunch of people to cut up and then place back in my head. No matter how undetectable the scar is going to be, its just not going to happen, I would rather let nature take its course. So just because the "best" doctors in the world says its the "best" procedure, its not the best procedure for me...and after all it's "ME" that counts and has the final say so on the matter. Just like every other Doctor who has a "tool" they say it's easy for Doctor's to use and learn. Some Medical Devices are just more user friendly and repeatable. And if you can make the medical device so effective you are able to take the word or phrase "Art" or "Art Form" away from the procedure. You have a superior Medical Device. Doctors who say that FUE is an "Art form" are referring to the Harvesting of the Grafts. When I think of the word “Art” I don’t think of Highly Repeatable medical precision and science. Doctors can say that they have “artistic” techniques to enhance beauty. But I do not want a doctor to use the word “Art” in any way around the harvesting of the grafts. This tells me that his technique is not repeatable. And if they are doing 1,500 grafts is graft 1 going to be the same quality as graft 1000 after fatigue sets in - if the process is an "Art Form"? 150 Years ago if you wanted a picture you had to paint one, 50 years ago if you wanted to make a Disney movie you needed 100's of illustrators. Today because of superior devices and improvements in technology “anyone” can take 100's of High Quality pictures in minutes and I can make a cartoon movie; render, edit, lay down a sound track and publish and get millions of views just sitting in my kitchen. Not really sure what issues can arise with an FUE hair Transplant its one of the most basic of all cosmetic procedures. When you break it down an FUE procedure is pretty straight forward. Your harvesting hairs from a donor site using a very small punch, inspecting them for quality and then implanting them. The donor site then heals naturally. An FUE procedure is so basic I will bet you that most doctors have their Hair Techs harvest most of the grafts. So there are only "two" doctors in the entire country who you would recomend for an FUE procedure? What is this saying about the industry? Not really ideal for someone who wants 500 grafts to fill in the front hair line and has to travel 100's of miles to get it done.

Well that in no way anwsered my question. Flashcab is looking for an FUE procedure in Chicago and if you look up the web sites of the doctors you suggested, they either say they do not offer FUE or they are vague about it. If there are no Doctor's in the entire state of Illinois which the Hair Transplant Network would recomend for an FUE procedure, then FlashCab needs to know this. What he does not need is the ole' bait and switch....which we have all been through from Doctor's who say the do FUE and then try to talk them into a small strip procedure. I am not sure that I ever classified FUE as a "Delicate Art", I would say its difficult to perform with out extensive practice or a truly "State of the Art" medical device.

Future_HT_Doc, I think FlashCab is looking to have FUE performed. Do any of the docs you recommended actually perform FUE? And if they do how often do they perform the procedure - what are their results like. As you know from working with Dr. Feller, FUE is not easy which is why so few doctors actually offer the procedure; unless you have great skills honed over time or have the best equipment FUE is a tough procedure to do.

Flashcab, I am not sure of any Doctor's in Chicago who use the NeoGraft to perform High Quality FUE Hair Transplants, but I am sure it will not be long until a well respected "Board Certified" physician steps to the plate and gets one. I am not sure if I would classify the NeoGraft as a Tool. At close to $90,000, it is a highly repeatable Hair Transplant transplant system which is FDA Approved and manufactured in an ISO 9001 facility. Non of the other "tools" are FDA approved and I doubt that they have gone through ISO approval process (but I could be wrong). Personally if I was going to have something surgical done to me, I would want it done with an FDA Approved piece of medical equipment. My image is from Grafts which were harvested from a Nurse who never worked on a hair transplant in her life. As you can see they are quite nice. She harvested about 250 grafts in two hours while she was training. Not bad for a first time. All High Quality grafts. I have seen long term ISHRS FUE Doctors who had troubles harvesting FUE Grafts by hand - and I would put this first time user Nurse using the NeoGraft up against their harvesting skills any day of the week. And I am sure the Doctors would agree. I also would say that it is a combination of the Physican, Hair Techs and Graft conditions which makes a great Hair Transplant. I am sure there are some physicans out there who perform 100% of the procedure. But the vast majority do not and in fact it is the Hair Techs which are most involved with the outcome of your procedure.

I have not been offered any PM's for Romance yet...please forward some to me.

I just watched Dr. Feller's Video and he is 100% on the money with his statements. FUE is a great adjunct to anyone's practice. The bulk of the Hair Transplants being performed are "strip procedures" but yet at least 15% of the population wants to have an FUE performed. But so few doctors want to perform FUE because it is tedious and time consuming. So to break it down: If you typically see 100 patients a year and you end up turning away 15 of those patients who want an FUE procedure performed. To use "MAXXY's" Dr. Feller example: 15 Patients $10 Per Graft 1000 Grafts _____________ $150,000 in yearly revenue Eventually more doctor's will start to see offering FUE is not only a viable option to the bottom line but there is a sizable patient demand for this type of procedure which is not being met. There currently is a real demand for FUE for scar repair and for patients who can't have any more strip surgeries. I am sure it's in the patients best interest to have these procedure performed by the same Doctor who did their Strip Procedure. Dr. Feller is 100% correct once doctors start to offer FUE as an alternative, the industry will start to grow, the doctors will make more money, the cost to the patients will go down and the quality will go up. Doug Monty Note: I work for NeoGraft the Global Leader in Automated FUE Hair Transplant Technology

According to the ISHRS Leadership FUE done with a 1.0 mm punch or smaller is going to leave virtually undetectable scars. I was just at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery convention 2 weeks ago, with the NeoGraft on display. We had a doctor visit our booth who had a NeoGraft FUE procedure performed with 3,000+ grafts harvested. Another doctor asked to see the harvested area, and for five minutes he was combing through his very short hair trying to find even one hint that grafts were harvested. He found no evidence. So is FUE totally safe? I guess it is when you compare it to a strip procedure, but more invasive when you compare it to topical hair loss treatments. Doug Monty NeoGraft