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Dr. Jefferey Epstein Question.


mrkneed

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Notice: Since some very long topics, like this one, can often have relevant information that is not presented in the topic, we have summarized some of this important information in the below clarification:

 

In this topic, forum member "KevKristy" expresses his concerns regarding his new hair growth at 6 months. Previously, this patient posted as "jddidt" and shared his glowing initial review of his surgical experience with Dr. Epstein and his staff here. He also commended Dr. Epstein's attentiveness as being truly genuine.

 

More recently, using a new name, he expressed concern about his 6 month hair transplant progress originally on the following thread.

 

This patient later explained that he did not mention Dr. Epstein as his physician because he wanted a general understanding of the growth to come in the next several months. Many experienced forum members gave their opinion that 6 months is still too early to draw a conclusion about the final result.

 

However, this patient has made several negative remarks about Dr. Epstein, his staff, and his surgical experience. Some of his statements contradict what he said in his initial positive review. Posting previously as "jddidt", he stated that Dr. Epstein's staff was "professional but very personable and open (not stuffy)". However, posting as kevkristy he virtually accused them of being drunk the night before his surgery, yet there was no mention of this in his initial writeup as forum member "jddidt".

 

Dr. Epstein claims that several days prior to the patient posting, he had responded to the patient by email and made multiple attempts to contact him by telephone to offer him help. This is consistent with the high level of personal care patients have reported and experienced first hand with Dr. Epstein. However; "kevkristy" apparently refused to take calls from Dr. Epstein's and his staff after his post appeared.

 

Given the inconsistencies of some of the patients claims, Dr. Epstein requested an updated photo of his patient's progress. However, the patient refused to provide one.

 

Given these circumstances and information obtained in confidence, we have reason to believe that the photo posted by the patient may not reflect the patient's current degree of hair regrowth.

 

In the interest of fairness, we feel that this relevant information should be included with this topic so that readers can make their own determinations based on all relevant information.

 

We hope that this patient will respond to Dr. Epstein's attempts to contact him to allow for a successful resolution of this issue.

 

We will also be following up with this patient in a few months to see how he is progressing before making a final evaluation.

 

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Original Thread

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Have you had an HT with Epstein? How was your experience? I am considering him for one.

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I used Epstein. I am 6 months post op of 2400 grafts.

 

To date, I haven't had much luck with the most critical part of hair transplantation, i.e. growth. So take it for what it's worth.

 

If you go to his website (foundhair.com), he has a nice portfolio of past work. I believe he can put you in touch with some of his former clients for testimonial purposes.

 

Good luck.

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there are a couple of people out there that questioning Dr. Epsteins work, however only 2 that i know of have posted pic's, and 1 of those people looked pretty good in his after pic to me. He's got an excellant reputation and stands firmly behind his work. Nobody can bat 100%, but I beleive he's a great choice. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find someone who's more honest and cares as much about his patients though. Im not speaking from actual HT experience w/ him but i have met him and he is a straight shooter w/ your best interest in mind.

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I am 6 months post-op, and I have no evidence of hair growth. I had mild-ish shock loss, and even that has not resolved itself. I am female/37 years old.

 

I do not recommend hair transplant surgery for women. Invest in good wigs, get them cut and styled by professional wig-stylists (i.e., not your run-of-the-mill hair stylist), and go into intense therapy to deal with transitioning into wearing wigs (it is intensely hard to go back to work or go to social events with a wig on because many will look at you funnily). Bottom line, put the $6,000-$7,000 to better use.

 

mrkneed, since you are man, I say you look into shaving your head. It's hip, in style, sexy, and wayyyyyyyyy more effective than hair transplant surgeries.

 

I know because I have had two, and both have been useless.

 

About Dr. E., yes, he is excellent about his promptness when responding to patients AND his responses are extremely detailed. He is relatively approachable during the actual procedure (I didn't see much of him), although he can be brusque and impatient. However, all that pales to the main goal: hair growth. Without that, as it is the case in my case, bedside manner, etc., is worth very little.

 

Yes, I know, I will be told to wait another six months by veteran members. Whatever.

 

On the other hand, a warm hello to veteran members of this site (which is a pretty awesome site).

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Please Grow mentioned the techs in the TTDS post re: 9months. I wonder if there is anything to this?

 

I had my procedure at the same exact time as Female Hair Loss. And we both have had similar results: No growth and shock loss.

 

I would really like to learn the role of techs and how important they in terms of success, or lack thereof.

 

How much damage could an inexperienced tech do? Because like Female stated, Epstein is barely in the room for the procedure.

 

Do grafts have to be planted at a certain depth? Can you screw up slicing the grafts? What if the grafts aren't planted deep enough to get sufficient blood, to take root, etc?

 

Just rattling off some ideas here. I'm getting really concerned now.

-KK

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kevkristy and Female_Hair_Loss,

 

Just a few comments to be helpful:

 

And we both have had similar results: No growth and shock loss.

 

I know this is discouraging, but neither of you can say you haven't had "results" yet at only 6 months when the final evaluation should only be performed at 12 months. TTDS has a bit more reason to be concerned at 9 months though he too has hope. But even though there are similarities in your cases, it's important to take each case separately at this point.

 

Female_Hair_Loss, if you haven't posted your experience and/or before and current photos publicly on our forum yet, I'd encourage you to do so, so that we can follow your progress. There is still hope for you, but I understand why you are discouraged.

 

How much damage could an inexperienced tech do? Because like Female stated, Epstein is barely in the room for the procedure.

 

Technicians are vital to the success of the hair transplant process. As notgoing2gobald rightfully pointed out, grafts can be damaged during the dissection process, holding process, and placement process (all of which are typically performed by the technicians). This is the number one cause of a "failed hair transplant".

 

Other physiological factors can come into play that might "choke" the transplanted hairs causing a "failed hair transplant". Some examples of this could include infection or scarring of the scalp before or after the hair transplant procedure. Medical conditions that cause other types of hair loss could also be a factor in some cases, such as one case I heard about recently where there was poor growth due to alopecia areata.

 

Now keep in mind the above is general, not necessarily true in either of your cases.

 

As I've stated publicly on another thread, I am apprehensive about the number of concerns regarding Dr. Epstein at this time and Pat and I will be watching carefully over the next few months as each of these transplants come to full "maturation" at 12 months. In the meantime, there is hope for each of you and it is quite possible that you will end up with the result you were hoping for.

 

I trust that Dr. Epstein will stand behind his work and do all that he can to make sure you have a satisfactory experience.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

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Bill

My error. I should have stated, "similar results to date".

 

As for waiting. I think Female said it best. Whatever!

 

No one is going to convince me that within the next 3-4 months, after going backwards (shock loss) for the last 6 months, and hearing about others like TTDS, that I'm going to suddenly sprout like a fertilized lawn and end up with the (conservative) results I sought.

 

What happens at 12 months? Do we have a jury hearing? Do we call the disgruntled back to the community?

 

I would think most of them kind of fall out of touch and give up - either out of embarrassment or despair.

 

However, I do appreciate your efforts. You have a great community here. It is a must for future patients to educate, and those traveling through the doldrums of post op land. The support is great!

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"Some examples of this could include infection or scarring of the scalp before or after the hair transplant procedure. Medical conditions that cause other types of hair loss could also be a factor in some cases, such as one case I heard about recently where there was poor growth due to alopecia areata"...

 

I realize you stated that w/the caveat---"in general and not necc.applying to their cases"...

 

but surely, *if* any of these patients experienced any of these conditions, they would have noticed it, no?

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kev,

 

Anyone will tell you that 6 months is way too early to evaluate a result and many see a significant difference betwee 6 and 12 months.

 

Though I understand the recent concern with TTDS is effecting you, you really have to separate yourself from him and give your hair transplant a chance to grow and mature. I do hope however, that you keep us updated on your progress so we can see how things work out for you.

 

Bill

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Thank you all for the lively discussion.

 

I don't have pre-procedure photos, but Dr. E. does. I can take post-procedure photos, but I feel that there is a "let's not believe the victim" attitude in that question, which presupposes that we don't know what we are talking about when it comes to our own experience and understanding of our own hair growth or loss. I know it is my hard earned money that went into this operation, and my word is that I have had no hair growth. If I need to go through a jury trial to prove the nature of (or lack of) my hair growth, then the jury better reimburse me in a few months.

 

Bill., I am not trying to be difficult in my above paragraph, and I have immense respect for you and the way you maintain this website. I do understand your request. However, my prediction with photos is that

a) I will be told that I need to style my hair differently;

b) need to wait another six months...ad infinitum;

c) the photos are not clear enough...the lighting and angle are not right,

or any number of things.

 

My point is that I know -- since I live with ME -- that there is no hair growth AND the shock loss shows no sign of reversing. I can tell you that I wear a wig or a cap most of the time now. I know that I am spending way too much money on therapy. I know that I used to be able to "hide" my loss with Toppik, but that is pretty much impossible at this point (at least I am saving money on Toppik).

 

Now, about the six month to one year deal: Dr. E. needs to update his list to make that very clear. His literature clearly states that we can expect growth in 3 months. That is an outright lie if the conventional wisdom is that results cannot be determined until after an year has passed.

 

 

kevkristy

Veteran Real Hair Club Member

 

Posted April 08, 2008 04:52 PM

No one is going to convince me that within the next 3-4 months, after going backwards (shock loss) for the last 6 months.

 

Well put, and I am with you on this. If any hair comes in, the simple fact of the shock loss will negate it anyway.

 

It sounds like you had a similar -- if not identical -- experience during your HT procedure. We barely saw Dr. E., and I am not convinced that his assistants have the requisite training necessary. I think HT doctors should be required to stay in the room during the entirety of a procedure, making sure that everything is put in correctly. Only the physician's training is on the level we should expect. Who knows what medical training the assistants' have or how what kind of re-training they get with advancing technology.

 

 

There is still hope for you, but I understand why you are discouraged.

Bill and Pat, thank you for expressing concern and for being willing to look into this matter.

 

For my part I am writing to my congressman for, at the very least, a patient's bill of rights for elective surgeries.

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mgoldberg

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Posted April 08, 2008 09:27 PM Hide Post

Kev,

Big difference between 6 months and 9 months. Don't sweat it yet, and try to stay away from the mirror for a little while.

 

Sigh, okay (even though the post is directed at kev, it is also at me).

 

I haven't been around here for over four months (maybe more? maybe less?), so I will come back in 3 months. Until then, have a good time, y'all.

 

Oh, as a conscientious consumer, I would advice a moratorium to peeps thinking of this procedure with E.

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Female_Hair_Loss,

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Trust me when I say that my request for pictures is not to even remotely suggest that I don't believe you. However, before, immediately postoperative, and after pictures can give everyone reading a better understanding of your situation. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words.

 

Dr. Epstein has an impeccable record for positive results and standing behind his work and I do not believe he intends to deceive with the statement on his website about expecting growth in 3 months.

 

The results from surgery is a gradual process. When hair starts to grow, they poke through the skin as thin, fine, and colorless hairs not visible to the naked eye but can be felt with the fingertips. On the average, this kind of growth starts to occur between 3-5 months. Some lucky ducks have early growth starting around 2 months while others experience growth even later.

 

Hair will also not grow at the same rate or speed. Some patients have noticed that one side grows more quickly and densely than the other, but this is normal. All in all, it takes about a year to see the bulk of the result and even then, hair can still soften and thicken over the next 6 months up to 18 months, though new hair growth between 12-18 months is rare.

 

That being said, I know you are discouraged, but 6 months is really way too early to make an evaluation - regardless of whether or not you choose to post photos and regardless of how you feel about it. Any hair transplant patient veteran patient or physician will tell you this.

 

I admit however, when I went in for my first surgery and heard that I should start seeing results in 3 months, I had this vision of a full head of thick hair - clearly this is not the case.

 

I hope this brings you some comfort and hope.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

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I do wish that kevkristy and female hair loss contact me directly so that I can properly work with them within the professional doctor-patient relationship, the foundation for any successful physician. However, I do feel that I need to reply publicly to some of the comments made about me on this thread, for the sake of sticking with facts and not speculation.

 

Unfortunately, because I do not know who female hair loss and kevkristy are, as they have not contacted me directly, I need to ask some questions.

Firstly, female hair loss- you stated you have had two procedures. Was the first performed by me- and if so, were the results from that first procedure good? And if not, why did you have a second procedure? As you all may be aware, or perhaps not, I tend to do a lot of reparative/secondary procedures, in which patients have been disappointed by prior work, and they come to me as a last resort. In these cases, I assure patients that I will do my very best, and often need to remind them of the limited possibilities that can be achieved with these procedures, despite the very best technique. I do wish I could help you in the best way, and certainly replying to accusations provided anonymously is frustrating, to say the least.

The same goes for kevkristy- being that you are only 6 months, it is far far too early to evaluate your hair growth. How much shock loss did you have- and were you one of those cases in which you had fine hair, and I explained to you that there were limitations? Once again, replying to patients' posts that were made anonymously is challenging, plus not the way I wish to address concerns.

 

I assure Please Grow Please that my techs are in fact worth a damn- in fact, they are the same techs I have had for the past 4 plus years- some I have had for more than 10 years- and they are the very same techs that did the 500 procedures I perform every year- the same ones whose work can be seen on my photo gallery on my website. There have been no changes to them, and in the way we perform these procedures. Every graft is dissected individually, then placed in chilled saline, then planted one at at time.

Secondly, and most importantly, these procedures are in fact performed by me. I make every single recipient site, and as they have always done, my assistants do a large amount of the planting, but I am continually coming back into the procedure room, making more recipient sites, and doing some placing of grafts as well. As I am not performing multiple procedures a day, and only seeing some consults and follow up visits, I can assure you that I am actively involved in each patient's procedure, committed to giving them the very best results.

 

Finally, I always stand by my work. Perform 500 procedures a year, there are always going to be a few patients whose growth is not what they expect- despite my efforts to educate patients so that they have appropriate expectations, and my efforts to always take the road of highest quality (I have 15 full time assistants working for me, each one of whom I allow to work to their best capacity so that my patients always get the very best results).

What I can control is how the procedure is performed, and the artistry of the technique.

What I cannot control 100% is how patients grow after a procedure- assuming grafts have been protected and kept moist and dissected properly, something that has not changed in over 5 years in my practice being that I still have the same team together. There are always going to be a few patients whose growth is simply less than the 90 to 95% plus rate of growth that I typically achieve. Just look at some of the hundreds of before and after photos on my website to be assured of this. Examine closely the hairlines that I create. And finally, come meet with me and see how seriously and professionally I approach this entire procedure process.

 

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

Miami and NYC

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I wanted to add one more thing.

As I typically perform 500 procedure a year (513 for the year 2007), having one, two, or three patients represents a less than 0.5% rate of less than perfect results. And furthermore, at just 6 months, this is far too early to assess final results, as some patients, especially those who do not use minoxidil post-procedure, can have regrowth typically not beginning until 3 1/2 to 4 months.

Finally, let me point out that, in the case of the one patient at 9 months, the wearing of a hair piece can be a major contributing cause of delayed hair growth.

 

That being said- I wish for transparency. I want my patients to have the very best results, and to feel comfortable speaking with me. I provide every patient with my email address and cell phone number, so that they can contact me day or nite. I stand by my work and assure every patient that when there is the rare case of less than 90% plus growth, that I replace those grafts at no charge, simply because I want to do everything to keep every one happy.

 

Jeff Epstein, MD, FACS

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female hairloss, i have read that a 2nd procedure can take longer to grow in due to scar tissue.

I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com

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Guest wanthairs

Hi everyone -

 

I can say that my experience with Epstein turned out pretty good, 11 months on, I am satisfied and planning a second procedure, either with him, or Hasson and Wong if I can afford it. I really do have to say that this has positively changed my life, although the end result looks thin when my hair is short, but much thicker when it is long.....

 

Kevristy - I have to agree, I was very very concerned about all the chitt chatting going on between all the techs about their personal lives . I felt like some of them would not be paying attention to what they were doing. However, if he does 500 procedures a year than this is all very routine for them. Maybe can someone else chime in and comment about if their techs at their clinics spent the whole time chatting about other things and gossiping with each other? And did this cause you concern ?

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Originally posted by Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS: As I am not performing multiple procedures a day, and only seeing some consults and follow up visits, I can assure you that I am actively involved in each patient's procedure, committed to giving them the very best results.

 

Finally, I always stand by my work. Perform 500 procedures a year, there are always going to be I approach this entire procedure process.

 

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

Miami and NYC

 

 

Dr E I was going to let this slide as a typo on your part but you have stated in three seperate posts that you perform 500 procedures a year.

 

Now you say you don't perform multiple procedures per day.

 

Could you please explain how it's possible even working 7 days a week in a leap year to perform 500 procedures in a year only doing one procedure per day ?

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