Topcat611

Regarding blacklisting, it is my own experience and opinion that it goes on. I believe you are now on Dr Rassman's blacklist, but I don't know him and I could be 100% wrong. By blacklisting, I mean he will never perform a hair transplant on you. For you it's not as much a problem. But for repair patients their options are limited. In the past I have felt the need to also call it like I see it. For example I posted on one doctor who showcases a bht patient on his website. It looks like a complete success. But anyone that knows the rest of the story, would know it all fell out 1 year later, and never grew back. This is complete fraud in my opinion. I'm sure this same doctor has had success with bht, so why he showcases this particular patient is beyond me. Could I ever expect to have a bht test with this doctor? I highly doubt it, after my negative posts. Repair patient have to be really careful about what they post. BTW, I would definitely not get a strip. I would say it took about 10 years to get the feeling back on my head. This can be very uncomfortable at times. 10 years from now all the techniques of today will seem just as barbaric as the huge plugs, and minigrafts were just 10-20 years ago. If you can wait, then you should wait. Real stories with negative experiences usually get slammed, and the posters burn out fast. This is just my opinion and is not always true.

What I was really trying to say was that 1/10 of 1% of the patients get the results you see marketed. The rest get subpar results, yet they may still be content in the end. Age is also a major factor in my opinion. As I would be happy with just a normal looking, albeit thin head of hair. I decided to hold off on having any fue work done. I would like to see what develops. The longer one can wait the better their options. Although it would make sense for me to have something done in the next 2-4 years.

Actually I believe the number to closer to 1/10 of 1% of happy patients. The number of patients that have had work done don't even come close to the available pictures all the clinics combined can offer. Obviously you are not familiar with anyone who has ever been blacklisted. GENEVA, IL. - June 20, 2007. Approximately 225,800 hair restoration procedures were performed worldwide in 2006, up 34 percent from 2004, according to statistics released today from a recent member survey conducted by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) - the world's leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration. This large increase in hair restoration procedures coincides with a significant jump in the total number of hair restoration patients worldwide - from 361,077 patients in 2004 to 645,281 patients in 2006. "The tremendous growth in hair restoration can be attributed to the continual refinements in modern day hair transplants and proven medical therapies that produce natural-looking results that are virtually undetectable," said Paul C. Cotterill, MD, president of the ISHRS. "Increased public awareness about hair restoration procedures and the range of treatment options now available to both men and women are driving this increased demand around the world."

I agree, people who were butchered do blame themselves in a way. As far as not seeing their bad results on the forums. The few that do post get labeled as disgruntled patients who bring negativity to the boards. They burn out quickly after several weeks of ranting. I have also experienced doctors who refused to either work on me or answer my inquires. I believe this is directly related to negative posts. So this is also something to consider. The numbers don't lie. Happy HT patients probably number less then 5% of the surgeries.

From my phone converstaions I found their staff very caring, extremely honest, and professional. The pictures of their work speaks for itself. Very natural looking hairlines are what really make them stand out. If they were in the USA I would set an appointment today. It's hard enough being a repair case, let alone having to go overseas to get it done. I also think PhilB represents the clinic very well.

I have never heard of having to pay for a procedure in full well in advance. The real question here is what obligation does any clinic have as far as refunds. The person clearly had unanswered questions and concerns. To keep 100% of the paid in full amount for a surgery that was never done is unethical. If we use insured medicine as an example, this would have never happened. Somehow because the person is paying out of their own pocket the doctor feels it's not a problem. If this was an insured procedure, it would be prosecuted as insurance fraud.

640, wow very nice. Larry did in fact work for this clinic. Unfortunately most in this field have skeletons in their closet. I believe I have spoken to enough patients to feel comfortable. I have also spoken several times to Larry, and I believe he is a good person. For me character is very important. I also am getting a very small session to evaluate the work for myself. In a worse case scenario, I believe little damage can be done with 500 fue's. If my experience is bad, you will be sure to hear about it. I hope the original poster gets his money back. I would like to know what was signed as far as any agreement with regards to the deposit. It is unheard of for a clinic to keep 100% of the fee, especially with unanswered questions.

I would consider hiring a local Atlanta lawyer to file a small claims case on your behalf, or file one yourself. http://www.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,5426814_39039081_39334516,00.html I would also file a complaint with the US postal service for mail fraud, if you mailed in your payment. http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx I would file a complaint with the FTC for deceptive advertising practices. http://ftc.gov/bcp/about.shtm I would file a complaint with the FDA if this particular clinic is selling any lotions or potions to be used in conjunction with any surgery that has not been FDA approved. http://www.fda.gov/default.htm You might also consider contacting the FBI with any mail fraud information, if you in fact mailed in or wired your payment. http://www.fbi.gov/ I'm sorry to hear that this clinic refuses to give you a refund. It is an expensive lesson to learn, but you might be better off in the long run.

If the original poster had asked for only a positive response, I would not have replied. I also believe it is up to the prospective patient to either consider or discount past affiliations. I am not trying to bash the doctor, I am just stating a fact that might not be known. As a prospective patient I would like all available information good and bad. I'm also happy to hear you had a good experience.

I agree with your points. I bring up True's past because it is a character issue. What kind of person would work for this type of outfit. Has he changed his views on right and wrong? If not, does it affect what he does, and who he hires. All valid questions to ask this doctor before having any work done. I have also read some past posts that were very negative to GHI. I will confront them with this information, and expect them to answer it. I have plenty of time to change my mind, if necessary. Unfortunately the medical business is very corrupt and ht takes it to an even higher level. There are some very good ht docs out there, but percentage wise it is extremely low.

If guilt by association is a deciding factor, I would say no to Dr. True. If you take a good look at his resume, he spent extensive time with Thomas/Elliot where he got his start. They had several midwest and east coast offices. You will find plenty of patients who received substandard work with this outfit. In fact in my own case they had the janitor place my grafts. A local investigative reporter, Pam Zekman did and expose on them. Eventually Thomas died and Elliott moved his operation to the west coast.