yalla8

8 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I would appreciate it if you word your response as you have done now. Do you see the difference between what you wrote now, to what you wrote previously?

However, the fact of the matter is that Jim is nowhere near done, he is barely at 3 months. So far his results look really good, better than I’d say 80% of patients at 3 months. This thread lacks objectivity, it’s clouded by personal biases.

I try very hard not to include any personal bias, contrary to what many believe. I am objective, and that’s  why I’m personally involved in helping patients, I’ve done so multiple times for just about every surgeon. 

Objectively speaking Jim looks like he’s headed for an above average result. However, I’m cognizant of the grievances he has, and that is me being objective. Some of the concerns about aftercare or office communication is valid, no one can tell him otherwise. But we also cannot objectively call his result a failure at 3 months.

Anyway, I have to make this distinction, because it’s a dangerous point of view if we start telling patients that their results are failures at 3 months. 

Thanks Melvin. I do see the difference. 

I'm going to take a step back now so as not to hijack Jim's thread.

1 minute ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I want to make it crystal clear that Diep has not threatened to sue anyone or this forum. My response was my own opinion and the member who reported your post. How can you say he would suffer at his hands if you have no idea, you don’t have a crystal ball.

Again, ignoring the dozen other patients who had good results, what this says to me is “your experience or results don’t matter.” Another reason why I don’t interject. @Skyb just shared his experience, his experience doesn’t matter. I don’t have the time or the energy to fight the mob, I just need to make it clear this thread is an echo chamber, and anyone posing a different view is quickly dismissed. 

Thanks for the clarification! I'm glad to hear that the forum is clear from any legal issues.

You're right, I don't have a crystal ball. I would wager none of us do. That's precisely why real patient reviews are so important (and this forum invaluable, thanks to your effort)! 

I am not ignoring anything — to the contrary, I am paying attention. I think it's all too easy to get deluded into the reputation or positive results of a surgeon. Yes, every surgeon will have a mix of good and bad cases. But when the numbers of bad cases elevate to level they have on this forum in the past year for Dr Diep, you need to take notice.

I'm thrilled you and Skyb have positive impressions of your surgeries! But when you say "hey, look at these good reviews," it can actually be interpreted as saying to Jim that he doesn't matter. The reality is each of us do. Every case is important. That's why consistency is key. Why roll the dice with a surgeon that doesn't delivery consistently good results like we all deserve? 

27 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Well, I believe the report was about sensational claims like “another man suffer at the hands of this doc” that’s a libel claim.  Now, I’m not saying you can’t share your opinion, but speaking in facts, when you don’t know or have them is not right. Here’s an example of what should be said: 

“I have seen some questionable/bad results from this doc, you may want to talk to patient x,y, and z and get their thoughts. I wouldn’t feel comfortable moving forward if it was me, but research and speak to his past patients as many as possible.”

See how your not making any libel claims and simply sharing your genuine opinion. As for the person who reported you, he probably doesn’t want to be attacked by the mob, I’ve been attacked myself, so I understand his apprehension to come forward.

As for happy patients, @Skyb has a thread and has responded. I posted over a dozen patients from this forum with good results, but it doesn’t matter. It’s human nature to be attracted to negativity. In my time as a moderator I’ve seen it. Happy patients and threads get maybe 100 replies, but negative threads get 3x as much.

That’s why the media goes by “if it bleeds, it leads” Dr. Diep had a recent success @Norman Osborne Waves but of course the mob will say it doesn’t count because he has aforecentric hair. Dr. Diep is a good doctor with hundreds if not thousands of excellent results. He posts a new video every week, which shows consistency. There’s also been false narratives painted that Diep did good on me because I was a moderator. I had both my procedures YEARS before I became a moderator. That is the problem with echo chambers, you only see one side, and information is skewed.

As a lawyer, I can assure you I am not making a libel claim. Nor do I believe what I said is at all sensational. You have in front of you a man who has thoroughly documented how he has suffered at the hands of Diep in multiple different ways. There are others on this forum who establish this fact pattern as well. I, as hopefully you do too, would prefer not to see someone else go through unnecessary suffering. That's what motivated my reply — to help the patient make a more informed decision. That said, thanks for your reminder of the pressures you're under as moderator of the forum. We shouldn't lose sight of the legal threats clinic may make against you and this valuable forum.

28 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

This post has been reported by a longtime member, I’ve stayed away from this thread because the Diep witch hunters automatically scream bias if I even respond, but others in the community are starting to take notice. It’s beginning to be ridiculous, every post is about Diep. Diep has over a dozen happy patients on this forum with excellent results, including me. 

 

Since that was my post, I suppose I should respond. First off, I totally agree with you about free speech. In my view, the more speech the better! That's why this forum should exist. 

I have been a casual observer of Jim's progress — in part because we are at about the same stage in the healing process, and in part because I deeply empathize with the struggle that he has so meticulously documented.

Based on everything I've seen in this thread (and others on this forum), I wrote what I wrote. I believe that is within my right and don't see any way I've violated the rules.

If whoever "reported" me wants, they should offer an argument as to why someone who has not yet been operated on should go through with the surgery at Dr Diep's in spite of all the documentation here. Sure, there are positive cases. But a batter hitting 200 is not one I want on my team. Consistency is key, and it is severely lacking from the reports of MHTA clients on this forum.

Really, I am all ears and willing to be convinced otherwise! Like I said, I have no dog in the fight aside from empathy for all HT patients, and it makes me angry when I see what appears, based on substantial evidence in this thread, that a doctor is abusing the trust that his patients place in him.

16 hours ago, anotherhairlosssufferer said:

EDIT: I am a Caucasian male which seems very important for hairline design!

In our conversation he said that bigger punches secure higher survival rate, I can't remember if he said he would use 1mm but that's how he justified it (and he explained why - there is a higher risk of cutting the root off with smaller punches). To me it made sense, but true I don't want to butcher my donor area. As for the corn rows - @Tentpole91had a pretty bad case here and I'd like to avoid that.

However the end results and the yields seem impressive for Dr. Diep.

Not sure how to process this overall, who has a comparable yield and higher success rate/better donor? I considered Parsa Mohebi but Dr. Diep's results seem better.

@jimcraig152 answers below:

• What NW scale are you?

Looks like I am heading towards NW5 A, so vertex is not affected but the top looks like it's going further than NW4. Currently though I would cover the frontal third.

• Who did you book your surgery with?

Dr. Diep

• How many grafts have been estimated for you?

He said 2300

• FUT or FUE?

FUE

• How old are you?

35

• What is the price per unit for your procedure?

19k I guess?

 

 

Get out of this! Even if it means losing your deposit, your head of hair will be worth the cost. I have no dog in the fight but would hate to see another man suffer at the hands of this doc!

I know not about concealers, but can you pull off a hat or something on your head? One month after my HT I needed to be somewhat presentable around friends, and I found a funny headband to wear to a party that concealed everything and made people laugh at the same time! Maybe a turkey themed hat?

Try applying some coconut oil after you shower I have a similar hair texture and it has worked well for me. 

On 10/21/2020 at 4:29 AM, jimcraig152 said:

For my FUE procedure, I was seated upright in a chair the whole time during extraction. I am wondering what is the general experience for others, whether you had FUT or FUE. Please answer these questions related to the surgical donor extraction process (of course you are reclined on your back during implantation):

1. FUT or FUE?
2. Upright in chair or face down on gurney?
3. Taken under with general anesthesia or awake?

1. FUE

2. Face down, head elevated on chair with a special opening in the headrest for breathing. 

3. Awake with mild sedative and local anesthesia. 

Besides the fact that Dr Diep seems to barely have a command of the English language while texting with a client (professionalism much?), I can't say I'm all that surprised after reading @jimcraig152's methodical updates of his own procedure. (By the way, I have a feeling Diep is reading them, because he references "reading too much online.")

I am very sorry for those who have to go through this. As someone who is about 3 months into his own HT, I know how mentally exhausting the process is... and to have it made even more so by an unethical doctor/clinic is beyond the pale. While it appears you don't have much legal recourse, perhaps you can combine resources to consult an attorney and have him review your contract. If it is true as Jim claims that the arbitration agreement was signed after having been administered anesthesia, then you may be able to claim you were not of sound mind to sign it. Regardless, you certainly have the ability to get the word out about your experience. I also wonder what the official responsibility of this forum is to help prevent further victims of this doctor. That seems like a touchy subject because of the relationships involved, but at a certain point I think it will become inevitable if his work continues like this at this rate.

Head sizes vary. As a result, coverage area depends not only on how things look but also how they measure up. Your dr should take a ruler to your scalp and calculate the number of grafts needed to achieve 50%+ density. You can't go on photos alone. Also to note there are clinics, many in Turkey, that will quote a high number of grafts and then not implant them all.

This is shocking. Can anyone explain why this doctor is still "recommended" by this forum if these allegations are true?

What gets me about this is that 1) the dr refuses to acknowledge it is an issue -- to the contrary, he doubles down and claims it is advantageous; and 2) it was easily avoidable. I hope Diep sees this thread and offers a better explanation, apology, or refund to you. Did you have to sign away your right to sue him when you went under the knife?

Jim, your donor still looks raw and I believe is grounds for some compensation. However your recipient is looking good to me. The corn rows, while still there, become less obvious as the hair grows longer. 

Looks very natural!

5 hours ago, Sam818 said:

     I have to commend you for doing such a great job in documenting your case and remaining level headed even though there are things about your surgery that upset you. I think it will really help out anybody who is smart enough to find this forum and do proper research so they know what to expect. Diep is an absolute enigma to me. I’m not a fan of his work but I will admit he has some very impressive results on this forum including Melvin the moderator. He even has some  impressive repairs, both FUT & FUE and yet he has some cases that make you scratch your head.  
      It’s obvious and you can’t deny that lately there is an issue with consistency in his surgical protocol. Some guys get a pattern of rows implanted and others don’t. Some guys get grafts extracted somewhat evenly through the donor area and others don’t. I have no idea why this happens but his explanations make no sense. I do think that doing two procedures a day, one strip case and one fue where you also have to extract the grafts whether you like to or not due to the law day in and day out with his fully booked busy schedule will exhaust even the best surgeons and perhaps force them to take “shortcuts.”                                                  
     Having said all that though I think when it’s all said and done you’ll be happy with the results. Based off of your post op photos you didn’t get the crazy obvious corn row looking grafts implanted and your donor area was extracted pretty evenly so there won’t be an obvious uneven density problem there. You’ll be entering the official growth phase soon so good luck with everything man.

   

Perhaps Diep is just strategic (or so he thinks) about where to invest his time and energy. If my patient was the moderator of this forum, I wouldn't want to mess up his head either! It just takes a few impressive results to post to the web. Consistency however is much more difficult to achieve. 

3 minutes ago, jimcraig152 said:

It's not defensible. It's the 'Emperor's New Clothes' syndrome. In that tale, the Emperor sent his officials to check on the status of the cloth the weavers/swindlers were making for the Emperor. The officials found that there was no cloth being spun. But because it was said that the cloth is so fine and light, incompetent or stupid individuals would not be able to see the cloth, they reported back that the cloth was magnificent so as to not be thought of as fools.

Same thing is happening here. These guys paid extra for FUE to be delivered by the man known as the FUE King so that their excision scars are imperceptible. Found that the FUE donor site was worse than had they gone with FUT. Now express that because they have hair in the front where they were once bald, tell everyone that they've had magnificent results so as to not look like fools. These guys would have probably looked just as good and paid less had they gone with FUT.

 

Very perceptive! I think this tale applies to many of the "top" docs on this forum. Not that they are swindlers, but rather they aren't so special. Among the doctors that do good hair transplants, I don't see a huge difference... yet the price varies from $2-$15 per graft. I would argue this dynamic (and price premium) is driven by a version of the Emperor's syndrome.

It's definitely looking better than a month ago, but you're right to point out the obvious deficiencies in the extraction process. I simply don't understand how this is defensible!

2 Month Update

Since I last posted, I've gone through the ugly duckling phase full on. Actually, I'm still in it... but I can see some light at the end of the tunnel! Over the last week, I've noticed a bunch of tiny new hairs growing up on my scalp. The first two rows of single grafts hasn't sprouted yet — it's mostly the 2-3-4 graft hairs in the back that have. See below for photos. All of this is new hair!

Thanks for your methodical updates! I'm about 2 weeks behind you, so it's fun for me to see what may be in store.

I think you're progressing nicely in the recipient site from what I can tell! That being said, it makes me MAD to see your donor. I simply cannot believe that a doctor who takes tens of thousands of dollars for this surgery is handling the donor in the way exemplified on your scalp. Honestly they should have to answer for themselves. 

5 minutes ago, ItHasToLookNatural said:

Hard for me to tell. Did you lower the hairline in the center a little?

The hairline was lowered by 0.5mm from the front, which is pretty negligible. The work you can see in the photos is strengthening the existing forelock for the most part, not creating a new one

Day 31

Now a month in. I feel like I'm full on ugly duckling. Never ended up shaving my head, and I'm using my longer hair to cover up the front pretty well. Redness has subsided about 50%. In the past week, I've gotten about 5 pimples that come and go. About 75% of the hair has shed at this point, although I have seen some tiny shafts sprout from around my new hairline which is interesting and excited. I also feel like my vertex is thinner, but that may just be because there's less hair on my head overall! I'm excited to see what the next month holds. 

Nice! Best wishes with growth.

2,800 sounds like a lot for the area in the photos. It looks closer to 1,500-2,000... was there a lot of transection? Or maybe I'm an untrained eye!

Right. I'm just curious if the first hairs to go are typically the one-hair grafts. 

Hey guys. Had an FUE procedure about 3.5 weeks ago now. I've started to see some shedding, as expected. However so far almost all of my shedding is at the hairline, and it's of the 1 hair grafts. The doubles/triples have yet to come out. I'm curious if this is common and what the reason may be? 

Appreciate it guys!