Scrounge

I went to a Bosley office here in south Florida for a consult before my first procedure. My experience was extremely sales oriented. I left feeling like I was trying to buy an overpriced used car. There was nothing personal or genuine about the entire consultation.

Yes, after the last letter I never heard another word. To date I am thrilled with the results that Dr. Charles was able to achieve. He did a perfect job softening the hair line and providing more density. However, I'm am contemplating another scar revision. As I would like to have a thinner scar so I can cut my hair shorter in the summer.

When you said that you lived in the US, I assumed that you meant the United States.

Not to sound like I have anything against going out of the country for an HT procedure. Because I really don't. But out of general curiosity I have to ask why. Why all the way to Thailand when there are so many great HT doctors in the U.S.?

Looks like a great job. There is some real art work going on there. Good luck

I was there on Friday as well. I was having my stitches removed. I'm glad your experience went as well as mine.

Here are some pictures of my past and present procedures. The first picture is of my scalp after my first procedure with Dr. Shapiro the second is of my scalp after my most recent procedure with Dr. Glenn Charles. You'll notice several major differences between these two pictures. Shapiro's placement is quite linear, which leaves you with what I would consider a unnatural looking hair line. Charles' placement is more random and uneven, like I think a real hairline would look. Shapiro appears to use a lager blade, which was more tramatic to my sclap. My scalp was numb for months after the Shapiro procedures. But I had very little numbness if any right after the Dr. Charles procedure. From what I've read, since Shapiro uses a larger tool there is more of a chance to shock surrounding hairs. A larger tool would also prevent dense placement. The next three picture are of my hair line after my third procedure with Dr. Shapiro. The first is two weeks post op. and the next two are one year post op. Before my second and third procedure with Shapiro I specifically requested a softer, more natural looking hair line. Both times he assured me that I would get those results by the placement of single hair grafts on my front line. As you'll notice by the pictures his staff placed multiple, multi-follicle grafts on my front hair line. LEFT PROFILE LEFT PROFILE RIGHT PROFILE Something else you'll find interesting is the placement angle that Dr. Shapiro uses. Shapiro places the grafts on the front of the scalp straight up and down. From what I've read, typically the hair grows forward on the front of the scalp. Which is how Dr. Charles places his grafts. The next two pictures are one year post op. of the scar I had after my third procedure with Dr. Shapiro. Now I know some will say, "Hey shouldn't you expect a significant scar after three procedures?". Well after Dr. Charles was done with my transplant and scar revision, I say no. The scar I was left with after my third procedure with Shapiro was awful. As you can see in the picture below, it was nearly one full centimeter wide. If I used a #5 guard on my shaver to cut my hair you could still see it. After a fresh hair cut I would have to use a topical to cover it. Not only was the scar wide, but it was also deep. Deep enough to leave an indent in my skin to the point it was clearly noticeable with my medium length hair. The indent caused the hairs to be misdirected. (See diagram below). It looked odd, kind of like I had been wearing a hat without ever wearing the hat. I actually had several hair stylists try to comb it out and they ultimately realized what is was once they noticed the scar's width. Needless to say, getting a haircut was aggravating and a bit embarrassing. I'm not sure what causes this indent. However, I'm going to guess it's caused by Dr. Shapiro's closing method. He uses, or at least on me used a single layer closing. Where he pulls the two top layers of skin together and stitches them. Dr. Charles uses a two layer closing that pulls the flesh under the skin together and then the top layer of skin together. This I imagine leaves no gap under the top layer of skin for an indent to form. I can also tell you that the scar already feels different. There is no dip/indent and it is already less noticeable.

This is the update. Maybe I should start another thread I'm not sure. But here goes. You should probably start by reading the (4) letters below. I got the first one 12-14-09 after posting here. I then sent a response 1-4-2010. I got the attorny's next letter 2-15-10 after posting here that I would have an update. I sent my final response 2-27-10 and haven't heard a thing since. But by the content of the letters it is pretty obvious that Dr. Shapiro patrols these forums. You'll notice that I've removed the attorney's information and my name from the letters. Even though Dr. Shapiro's attorney's name is public record, I felt it was best to keep him out of the mix for now. However, if I am challenged to provide documentation to validate my claims I can. Attorney X's first letter to me. My response... This is Attorney X's second letter. It came with 66 pages of BS that didn't offer much if anything to substantiate his/Dr. Shapiro's claims. All of this information can be provided if necessary. It will just take me some time to edit for anonymity, upload and post. This is my second and last response... Please feel free to ask questions. I have photos that I plan on posting as well. I just wish I had a better file host than photo bucket. I am also going to start another thread regarding my last procedure with Dr. Glenn Charles. ( Night and Day difference, BTW)

Well it's been a little over a year since my last procedure with "Dr. Lawrence Shapiro". The passing of that year has left me with a great story to tell and even a better ending. Since I'm freshly off my corrective surgery with Dr. Gleen Charles, I'm not really in the best frame of mind to be documenting the past year. But I promise it will be soon.

Yeah, Dr. Charles is a great guy. He helped me out by spending time and providing information with no certainty that I would ever be a patient. I can't say thanks enough.

Hello all... Well if everything goes how I think it will, I should have a juicy update for all of you in early March. Unfortunately that's all I can say for now. Just thought I'd check in.

I guess that's great for SMG patients.

That's what I'm wondering and looking for input on. Did anyone here ever take the next step beyond posting their complaints on a message board? Did anyone ever approach their doctor with their problems? If so, what happened? Did anyone go the legal route? It's just hard to believe no one here has done anything about their failed procedures. Especially since the majoirty's first responce to a botched jod is, "you should sue" or "get your money back".

I'm curious. Is this where the support ends? Hasn't anyone pursued their botched/bogus HTs beyond posting their complaints on a forum? There seem to be so many upset people here. You'd think at least one or two would have advice/experience with regards to what course of action they took. Anyone?

Here are some photos. May 09 06: The day after my 36th birthday when I started using Rogain. October 17 06: Approx. 5.25 months after starting Rogain. September 07: My 1st HT, 1350. January 08: Approx. 10 months after 1st HT October 08: My 2nd HT, 1800. September 09: Donor Scar areas of the supposed 2200 HT procedure, 2 weeks after. September 09: Various shots of the recipient area shown in 1 cm. sqr. blocks, 2 weeks after. September 09: Two overall shots of my hairline roughly 2 weeks after my procedure.