Pat - Community Publisher

I appreciate both the supportive comments and the constructive criticism of those who have posted their opinions on this issue, without advocating the disruption of this forum community. However, a small handful of forum members have attempted to disrupt this forum community by lobbying others to boycott this community. While these members have been free in the past to express their criticisms on this forum, they have now gone beyond criticism and have been actively using this forum to undermine it. While tolerance of all view points and opinions has been characteristic of this forum over the years, I will not tolerate members using their forum privileges to disrupt it. Just as we expect physicians to be accountable for their actions, it is fair to expect the same of forum members. I have removed the posting privileges of less than a handful of members who were actively working to undermine this community. I believe that a discussion forum is much like a garden that needs to be cultivated, fertilized and occasionally weeded to stay healthy. Thank you for understanding my need to take this action. Onwards and Upwards, Pat

Rambler, Thank you for providing me with more details. According to your first post your issue stems from a surgery you had ten years ago with Dr. Andrews, who never has been a member of the Coalition or recommended on this site. However, he was apparently working for NHI ten years ago, which is owned by Dr. Rassman who is a member of the Coalition. So I can understand why years later you went back to NHI to get your results corrected/improved. Apparently, Dr. Rassman did offer to provide you with a limited amount of free grafts to enhance your existing hair transplants. However, you feel that you this response was not adequately honest or ethical. I would be happy to contact Dr. Rassman to discuss this issue. Please send me an email with your contact info so that he can pull the proper files. I hope that I will be able to resolve this issue for you. Best wishes, Pat

Rambler, If you feel that one of the Coalition doctors is deficient, I encourage you to provide their name and your reasoning for why you think they are unethical and or deficient. To not provide their name is not fair to the other Coalition members who are then left in question. I take input from the patient community very seriously. If I find that I agree with you, this doctor would be out of the group in a click. Pat

I appreciate the input and concerns expressed on this topic. The vast majority of experienced members on this forum have the maturity and good judgment to tell sensible information from ill informed information. However, this is not always true for newbies and immature posters like Jupiter who in this topic posted "i swear i haven't seen one negative response about any doctor on this forum that pays.." - Jupiter Obviously he knows very little about this forum community, past or present - if he thinks this forum doesn't allow criticism of all doctors ??“ recommended or not. Jupiter then writes "lol if hes [NotGoing2BeBald] not back in 2 days, fuck this forum. ill goto www.hairlosshelp.com" - I certainly hope that he follows through with his promise. In my opinion, this community does not need ignorant and illiterate fools like him - yet they show up and post. A quality forum in my opinion is not measured by the number of posts and members but the quality of the posts. Some people seem more enamored with expressing themselves on every topic than helping people. Other people act as though reality is what is posted on the forums. Therefore if a physician doesn't self promote by posting on the forum they are some how not top notch. I know from visiting dozens of top clinics, many of whom never post, that this is simply not the case. An excellent example would be Dr. Tessler in Detroit. I have visited his office on two occasions and observed his surgery and his staff's work very closely. In my opinion his clinic and his work is superb. Yet those who rely only on what is posted on the forums would never know this. The forums are only a distorted reflection of reality, not the reality itself. I think it's time to stop focusing on the loss of the class clown and get back to the work of helping people get good advice. Everyone has had ample opportunity to express their views on this issue. I'm closing this thread so this forum can get back to what it was created to for - helping hair loss sufferers share accurate and useful information. If anyone has any other input to add feel free to send me a message.

Over the years I have bitten my tongue and tolerated comments on this forum that I've considered to be ignorant and ill informed in the interest of openness and non censorship. It has been far and few between over the last ten years that I revoked anyone's posting privileges. But when does openness become foolishness? Can and should anyone and everyone be welcome to join this forum community and say and do anything? It took ten years of travel, research and learning to build up the recommendations on this community and the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Yet some who garner their information second hand from unsubstantiated sources pass it along on the forums like it is factual truth. Recently an active member of this community stated on this forum that only two Coalition physicians were worth going to. Yet this person has never visited any of the Coalition clinics or had a hair transplant. I sent him a private stating that I honestly would have surgery with anyone of the Coalition physicians, most of who I have observed doing surgery. I also wrote that his implication that all the other carefully chosen physicians in the Coalition weren't worth going to was an insult to all of them. I found this poster's private reply to me to be contemptuous and showing no regard for the work of this community. After this exchange I felt that if this forum member has no regard for the many carefully chosen members of the Coalition what is he doing on this forum? It's easy to tear things down and criticize them. It's another thing to build them up carefully over many years. I will not stand idly by and let people undermine years of hard work, while they insult truly outstanding physicians. Given this private email exchange, I made the choice to revoke notgoing2gobald's posting privileges. I'd imagine that this decision will be unpopular with some of the members on this forum. Perhaps in time if this poster can show some respect for the work that goes into creating and running this community and for those physicians who are truly doing outstanding work he will be reinstated. But for now, I'm not going to standby and watch someone dropping poison into this well.

Over the years I have bitten my tongue and tolerated comments on this forum that I've considered to be ignorant and ill informed in the interest of openness and non censorship. It has been far and few between over the last ten years that I revoked anyone's posting privileges. But when does openness become foolishness? Can and should anyone and everyone be welcome to join this forum community and say and do anything? It took ten years of travel, research and learning to build up the recommendations on this community and the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Yet some who garner their information second hand from unsubstantiated sources pass it along on the forums like it is factual truth. Recently an active member of this community stated on this forum that only two Coalition physicians were worth going to. Yet this person has never visited any of the Coalition clinics or had a hair transplant. I sent him a private stating that I honestly would have surgery with anyone of the Coalition physicians, most of who I have observed doing surgery. I also wrote that his implication that all the other carefully chosen physicians in the Coalition weren't worth going to was an insult to all of them. I found this poster's private reply to me to be contemptuous and showing no regard for the work of this community. After this exchange I felt that if this forum member has no regard for the many carefully chosen members of the Coalition what is he doing on this forum? It's easy to tear things down and criticize them. It's another thing to build them up carefully over many years. I will not stand idly by and let people undermine years of hard work, while they insult truly outstanding physicians. Given this private email exchange, I made the choice to revoke notgoing2gobald's posting privileges. I'd imagine that this decision will be unpopular with some of the members on this forum. Perhaps in time if this poster can show some respect for the work that goes into creating and running this community and for those physicians who are truly doing outstanding work he will be reinstated. But for now, I'm not going to standby and watch someone dropping poison into this well.

While I can appreciate Dr. Epstein's upset upon hearing of his patient's concerns, I don't think he should be upset with the process of patients sharing their candid concerns on this forum. Dr. Epstein has benefited from dozens of positive patient testimonial over the years on this forum. It is not realistic for any physician to expect only praise on an open forum. In my opinion, the members of this community are sharing their genuine concerns, many of which I share. We must take the good with the bad and let the chips fall were they may, even if we may not like what we hear. All the physicians recommended on this community must realize that they are operating in a transparent environment and should expect their patients to share their experiences openly online. And like democracy, we won't always agree with what is stated on an open forum. The section of the Coalition membership standards regarding accountability is reposted below. Given Dr. Epstein's long history of top notch results and patient care, I do think we should monitor these patient concerns over the next few weeks before we as a community reach any conclusions.

Dr. Mohmand, This community has embraced the use of microscopes in graft trimming because the leading physicians in the world have long found them to have compelling benefits that make the added investment worth the expense. While your grafts shown in this album look impressive, it's what goes unseen without microscopes that we are focusing on. It has become accepted amongst leading clinics that microscopes enable clinics to yield up to 20% more viable grafts from a given amount of finite donor tissue. Clinics report that once they adopt microscopes they only then realize what they had not been seeing. I encourage you to consult with your colleagues about this issue. I know that many leading surgeons recommend that clinics at least use the microscope for slivering the donor into smaller sections. I encourage you to at least use the microscope for this critical process. I believe that once you fully integrate microscopes into your graft trimming process that you will not only be the best clinic in Pakistan but one of the very best in the world. I know the members of this patient based community would respect and admire you for making such a change and resume recommending you. Please keep us posted. Pat

Timetodosomething, Sorry that I'm late to joining this discussion. As a former hair system wearer and class 5 I can really relate to your dilema. Over ten years ago when I did my first session with Dr. Ron Shapiro the 1,450 grafts I got in my front third was considered a mega session. It did grow in pretty well but thin between 6 to 9 months for me. I then gained fullness as these hairs gained in diameter as they matured. However, I was still wearing my hair system, while wearing clips and taking it off as much as possible. I also cut the tape tab down to 1/3 it's normal size and used it only on at the far forward edge. Essentially, like grass, hair growth can be inhibited if it is constantly covered over (think of grass with carpet over it in the backyard). It was not only my second session of another approximately 1,500 grafts in the front and mid scalp grew in that I felt I had sufficient density and fullness to being transitioning out of the hair system. What I did at that time was get a smaller hair system for my crown. Then my two sessions of hair transplants in the front combed back into and through the hair system and gave me a natural hairline with a full look. I then got a third session of just under 1,500 grafts in my crown and ultimately burned my final hair system (i.e. like a feminist burning her bra). It was a gradual process that took almost two years. Of course, today with larger sessions I could have done it faster. You might want to consider building up a strong hairline and frontal third and wearing a small hair system behind it for the near future. It is much easier to wear a hair system when you have a natural real hairline. Bill and I will be getting Dr. Epstein's input and monitoring your progress as will this community. I can understand your frustration, since at this point your hair growth is indeed not as full as could be fairly expected. Dr. Epstein has a long history of great results and responsiveness to patient concerns. I expect that he will do every thing possible to meet your expectations. I recommend that you give it another 3 months before reaching any conclusions. You may just be a late bloomer. Please keep us all posted. I suggest that you create a photo album to post your current and future photos, which you can then link to from this forum topic. I know we all understand your disappointment and we are all pulling for you. Keep your chin up. We are all in this with you as is Dr. Epstein. Best wishes for late stage growth. Pat

Thanks for the hard core hair geeks of this forum for their many contributions. You are what make this community alive and real. Chucky, I hope you get your head fixed so you can replace that diabolical bald slasher head with something pleasant like notgoing2gobald's smiling Don King look. Best wishes to everyone for getting the look they want. Pat

Recently I became aware that Dr. Humayun Mohmand, by his own account, has discontinued the use of microscopes in creating grafts in his clinic in Pakistan. While Dr. Humayun Mohmand's experience, credentials and patient results are excellent, this community has chosen to discontinue his recommendation given the proven importance of microscopes in maximizing the amount of viable grafts that can be yielded from a given donor strip. The leading physicians who use microscopes to trim all their grafts do so because they believe the additional time and expense are justified because the microscopic dissection, due to its optimal visualization, is believed to reduce waste and transection in a given donor strip by up to 20%. If in the future Dr. Mohmand follows the lead of the world's most outstanding clinics and resumes using microscopes this community will reconsider him for recommendation. Regrettably, at present, this community recommends no hair transplant surgeon in Pakistan or India based on our technical and ethical criteria. I appreciate Dr. Mohmand's honestly and I believe that he is the most experienced and skilled hair transplant surgeon in Pakistan. However, until he resumes using microscopes in his practice, he does not meet or strict standards for recommendation.

Recently I became aware that Dr. Humayun Mohmand, by his own account, has discontinued the use of microscopes in creating grafts in his clinic in Pakistan. While Dr. Humayun Mohmand's experience, credentials and patient results are excellent, this community has chosen to discontinue his recommendation given the proven importance of microscopes in maximizing the amount of viable grafts that can be yielded from a given donor strip. The leading physicians who use microscopes to trim all their grafts do so because they believe the additional time and expense are justified because the microscopic dissection, due to its optimal visualization, is believed to reduce waste and transection in a given donor strip by up to 20%. If in the future Dr. Mohmand follows the lead of the world's most outstanding clinics and resumes using microscopes this community will reconsider him for recommendation. Regrettably, at present, this community recommends no hair transplant surgeon in Pakistan or India based on our technical and ethical criteria. I appreciate Dr. Mohmand's honestly and I believe that he is the most experienced and skilled hair transplant surgeon in Pakistan. However, until he resumes using microscopes in his practice, he does not meet or strict standards for recommendation.

Yes, it's true; our very own Bill was interviewed on " GetLaidRadio.com " about our community and how to restore your hair. Now let's be clear about one thing right up front: DISCLAIMER ??“ We make no implied or explicit guarantee that restoring your hair will assure that you will "Get Laid". But we all know that looking good doesn't hurt. It's all about getting it done right and then getting on with life and putting our obsession with hair loss behind us. Most of what Bill shares on this radio show a dedicated "hair geek" will already know. But kudos to Bill for sharing accurate information with the horny listeners of "GetLaidRadio.com". Thanks for Get Laid Radio for sharing the below photo of Kevin Costner, who obviously had a successful hair transplant with a surgeon who has been sworn to secrecy (sorry I can neither confirm or deny whether it was with a surgeon recommended on this site). My favorite part of the interview is when Bill gets asked about pubic hair transplants. God, I'm glad I've got Bill to do these interviews :-) Best wishes for great growth - Pat

I'm very sorry and mortified to hear about your experience with Dr. DeYarman. I'm also very sorry that you found him on this community before he was removed in March of 2007. Please accept my most sincere apology. I will be contacting you privately to see what can be done to get you first rate care with a different hair transplant physician in your area. You did your service and you deserve 1st rate service and results now that you are back. As your experience points out, grafts are very sensitive and poor cutting and or handling of them can mean the difference between grafts that grow or do not grow. My greatest fear in publishing this community is a visitor getting sub pare results from one of the physicians presented on this site. Fortunately this happens very few and far between. The issue is then investigated and if the physician/clinic is found to be providing inadequate services they are promptly removed. Inadequate growth, along with other concerns, is chiefly why Dr. DeYarman was removed in March of 2007. Please feel free to post your photos or send them to me privately at pat@hairtransplantnetwork.com I would really like to help you get the results you deserve. Best regards, Pat

Dr. DeYarman you are certainly welcome to post your view point and patient results on this open forum. As you know, I invited you to share your point of view and your patient photos on the topic entitled " Dr. DeYarman's Lawsuit against the Hair Transplant Network " when I wrote: My attorney has advised me to not discuss our case in public. However, since your lawsuit impacts this entire patient based community, I felt I had a duty to inform the stakeholders in this community about your lawsuit, which was already a matter of public record. My decision to remove you from the Coalition was not personal. I had to suspend your membership based on the quality issues that I became aware of. Over the past several years, I have made the choice to not recommend hundreds of physicians on this community. This has made me unpopular with many hair transplant physicians. But I'm not running a popularity contest. I'm running a patient based community that is focused on helping patients achieve HIGH QUALITY RESULTS. I will not promote physicians who I believe do not deliver consistent quality results. I would have much preferred that you had turned things around and that you were now doing excellent work. I believe if this were proven to be true this community would welcome you back. But in my opinion this is still not the case. But please ??“ prove me wrong. As I suggested to you numerous times, create photo albums documenting your recent patient results and share them widely and regularly on this forum. In my opinion, your time and money would be much better spent on improving your quality control and sharing impressive patient results rather than paying your attorney hundreds of dollars an hour in a futile attempt to pressure me into readmitting you into the Coalition. You told me during our last phone conversation that you would drop your lawsuit only if I reinstated you into the Coalition and removed the unflattering information that was posted about you on this forum. But lawsuits are not how physicians get recommended on this community. They become recommended and respected by demonstrating consistent high quality patient results. I'm prepared to go the distance in court and present ample evidence supporting my actions. In my opinion no reasonable judge would order me to promote a physician I can't in good conscience support. You are pushing the proverbial rope. So rather than expending even more time and money on your futile lawsuit, why not post some patient photos?

Thanks for everyone's input on this thread and on the photo albums showing some of Dr. Lindsey's patient results. In my opinion, his work is highly refined and his background, training and results are impressive. Bill and I will be presenting this topic in our next forum newsletter to invite all our members to add their input before we make a final decision. Since we currently do not have a physician/clinic recommended in Virginia I'm excited about the possibility of being able to provide hair loss sufferers in the VA area with a strong reputation. Bill and I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful input. Onward and Upwards, Pat

I certainly support any efforts to set higher standards for physician education and testing in the hair transplant profession. God knows it's long over due. However, I also know that many of the physicians who have passed the ABHRS exams, as Hair Bound has pointed out, would not meet the standards for recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network. In fact, many of them have been rejected or removed over the years from the Network. As Dr. Feller pointed out, many hair transplant physicians do not want to be evaluated publicly by patients and held accountable to standards set by patients. They would rather create their own seal of approval. But unfortunately this is much like the police policing themselves. For example, Dr. Mangubat in Seattle, who was a past President of the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery), has for years created grafts by mounting dozens of razor blades next to each other and then forcing them into the donor strip to create dozens of 1mm wide chunks of tissue that he calls grafts. He marketed this "Mangubat Wacker" to many hair transplant physicians on the basis that it saved time and the expense of having staff trim the donor tissue into grafts. In my opinion this device would be more accurately called a "Mass Transection Wacker" or "Follicular Genocide Device". Yet Dr. Mangubaut is ABHRS certified. I would like to see his answers to the part of the test related to graft dissection. Dr. Mangubat coincidently has over the years attacked this patient based community privately behind the scenes in an effort to discourage his colleagues from participating. However, recently he seems to have lightened up since even he realizes that patient based discussions can't be banished. I also do agree with Dr. Feller that representing this testing/certification as "board" certification over sells its true legitimacy since it is not actually a board recognized by the AMA. Where I do not agree with Dr. Feller is his assertion that the dues paying club known as the IAHRS (International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons) has any real public accountability. This pseudo non profit group, which was cleverly crafted by the self proclaimed "patient advocate" Spencer Kobren, does not operate in a transparent manner and is not held publicly accountable by a patient based forum like the one. Frankly, this patient based forum community keeps all of us accountable - not just the doctors but me. If a physician does not consistently perform it will typically be public knowledge on this forum in short order. At that point the issue must be investigated and resolved. If the physician is found to not be meeting the standards for Coalition membership ( see Coalition Standards) then they will be promptly suspended. All potential new members and recommended physicians are also presented to this community as a part of their evaluation process. Many of these clinics have also been visited by me, which includes observation of their actual surgery and technique and inspection of their clinics ( see visits to Leading Hair Transplant Clinics ). Spencer Kobren and the IAHRS are free from this public accountability since they got rid of their discussion forum. Therefore Spencer Kobren is free to promote his paid members, many of whom would not be able to operate in a transparent and publicly accountable environment like this patient based forum. This lack of public accountability and scrutiny may make some of the IAHRS members and Spencer Kobren comfortable. But in my opinion this profession/industry does not need more logos and slogans to hide behind. It needs real public accountability and transparency. Many of the members of the IAHRS have been rejected from this community and certainly would not be granted membership in the Coalition. Those who know the history of this forum community and who view the IAHRS membership list can attest to this. When all is said and done, logos and mission statements mean nothing if they are not substantiated by consistent and verifiable patient results and public physician accountability. I encourage the members of this forum to continue to expect and demand high standards and results from the physicians recommended on the Hair Transplant Network and from those who publish this community. Onwards and Upwards, Pat

I think the open discussion we are having in this topic as fellow hair loss sufferers who want to preserve the open, transparent and accountable nature of this forum is very healthy. I know that everyone who has posted has a sincere interest in seeing this community remain a counter balance to commercial hype. I know that all who have posted on this topic are not only adults but well informed and can and should ultimately make their own decisions. Over the years I have only removed posters and posts in extreme situations when I felt the poster or posts were clearly deceptive or unfairly malicious. I believe that the Farjos are currently being unfairly maligned by a small and vocal handful of posters who simply refuse to acknowledge the high quality of the Farjos current ultra refined work. In the interest of seeing the reality of the Farjo real work and results I flew to England last year and spent two days in surgery with the Farjos and their staff ( see highlights and photos ). It is my firm belief that their skills, experience and technique are on pare with some of the very best clinics in North America, who I have also visited. I believe that Frog and certain others have an agenda to discredit the Farjos and ignore evidence to the contrary, while using questionable photos of a TV celebrity, Shaun Williamson, to hammer away at them. But at some point enabling such a malicious and defaming agenda to reach an audience of new visitors to our site who do not know the full history is simply not fair to the Farjos and to potential patients in the UK. The openness and tolerance of this community can not be exploited by those with unfair agendas. I believe that Bill made every effort to be tolerant but ultimately could not continue to provide an open venue for unfair attacks. I did discuss this with Bill and I approved the removal of Frog and the topic which he had once again turned into, what in my opinion, was yet another unfair attack upon the Farjos. I'm pleased to say that the number of posters who have been removed from this forum over the past couple of years can be counted on one hand. I'm committed to keeping this forum as open as possible because I trust that our adult members can ultimately make their own determinations during any controversy. But those who would use our forum for covert marketing, or libel and defamation will not be enabled. I appreciate everyones input and understanding. Pat

NervousNelly, I know that your comment is motivated by your genuine interest in preserving the integrity of this community. We share this value, even if we may have a difference of opinions regarding a particular physician. One of the reasons I ask for input and send this request to thousands of subscribers is to gather input from actual patients. I'm interested in hearing from people who have had actual experiences with physicians to both add and remove physicians from this community. Unfortunately no actual patients have come forward to post regarding Dr. Arocha. The process of adding and subtracting physicians has been very heavily influenced by actual patient input. This past year I've removed as many physicians as I've added. I take all input from patients and form members seriously. But I reserve the right to make the final call. Democracies do not always achieve 100% consensus and neither does this community. If Dr. Arocha, or any physician, fails to meet the standards of this community he will be removed so promptly that most will not even know it happened. It's taken ten years to build this community and its time test recommendations. The last thing I would do is jeopardize the good reputation of this community. I will continue to ask for input from all members of this forum regarding any potential new physicians. We may not always agree. But I think keeping this process open and transparent is critical. Best regards, Pat

Hydronis, Definitely check out Dr. Vogel in Balitmore. He has been recommended on this community for many years and gets consistently good reviews. I visited his clinic and observed he and his staffs excellent quality and ultra refined technique. The highlights from my visit to his clinic this past summer are on his profile page . Best wishes, Pat

NN, We are recommending Dr. Arocha as a surgeon - not a photographer. Dr. Arocha has already spent considerable time and effort presenting numerous photos on this forum. Then when he was asked for more, he provided even more. Given all that I've learned about him over the past few months, I'm confident in his work - if not his photography.

Thanks for everyones input. I think the photos that Dr. Arocha has provided are not only impressive but show his willingness to be responsive to this patient based community. Given his credentials, technique and results I think he has earned the privilege of being recommended on the Hair Transplant Network Hair Transplant Network. To view his profile/recommendation, click here. I hope and expect that Dr. Arocha will continue to share his work with this community. Best regards, Pat

One of our very own recommended surgeons, Dr. Siporin in Southern California has flown down to Central America and performed these surgeries for free on children. His involvement is mentioned on the bio page of his website. Kudos to him and other leading surgeons who donate their time for such noble causes. Pat

Bill, I couldn't agree with you more about there being many outstanding clinics who are virtually never discussed on the forums. The expression "out of sight out of mind" comes to mind. Perhaps this phrase should be "out of sight online out of mind". Having visited of dozens of outstanding clinics worldwide, it never ceases to amaze me at how some of the very best clinics get virtually no attention on the forums. This is one of the reasons that I present the highlights from my clinic visits on this forum. I practically beg these clinics to stop hiding their outstanding results on the hard drive in their office and share them online. But they are doctors, some of who don't even use email. It's like pushing a rope. Then you have a few clinics that are not recommended on this community who actually compensate their patients for posting. Of course these clinics only show off their best work and covertly abuse some of the other hair loss forums day in and day out. We will not tolerate such disrespect for our patient focused forum and that's why you don't see those covert shills on this forum. Well, Bill - it looks like you got me going on one of my big sore spots :-) Pat

secret_squirrel One of the most important functions of this forum is to enable patients to share their experiences - the good bad and the ugly - regardless of the surgeon. It is your legal and moral right to do so. But in the interest of fairness you should also be ready to substantiate your claims with photos and a detailed account. This is an open forum and it needs to be fair to all parties - both patients and physicians. If you have a substantiated and valid grievance I want to know all about it. If it involves a physicians recommended on this community and he or she proves to be in the wrong or acting to intimidate a patient their recommendation will be immediately suspended. Those who have been active members of this community know this to be true. Feel free to email me directly at pat@hairtransplantnetwork.com Best wishes, Pat