Dr. Jefferey Epstein Question.

[nm315]

ht55,

u seem really after the doc... concentrate on real issues..

[jerrygarcialives]

I'm sorry you are unhappy, kevkristy & female hair loss. Consider meeting with Dr. Epstein about your specific issues. He is an honest person and is very committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure you are satisfied with your results. I know you don't want me to say "be patient," but.... Everyone is different, and it's been 6 months.

 

Personally, I had 1700 grafts with Dr. Epstein last July. It's been 9 months, and I'm very happy with my new hair. Since I have a sensitive scalp, I have only been taking Propecia which I started just after my transplant. I noticed hair regrowth about 3 months after my HT.

When I first met Dr. Epstein, he was very thorough and straightforward with regard to the procedure itself and expectations of hair regrowth post procedure. He has very specific instructions on what to do and what not to do (ie not wearing hats after surgery....I waited one month; not exercising....I waited two weeks). I was extra cautious when it came to the post procedure instructions because I wanted to make sure I did not ruin any of the newly implanted grafts.

 

And, I found his techs to be highly skilled and professional. Their casual conversation actually made me feel at ease and confident in their ability to do their job. I was there for several hours after all. Are they supposed to be silent? Overall, it was a very positive experience and I highly recommend Dr. Epstein to anyone who is considering a HT.

[HT55]

Originally posted by nm315:

ht55,

u seem really after the doc... concentrate on real issues..

 

I find that funny because I have been on HT forums for years and never heard of him so I could not possibly have an issue with him.

 

 

 

BTW I find a DR claiming to do 517 procedures in one year at one procedure a day a REAL ISSUE for obvious reasons.

 

Maybe we should let the Dr answer for himself. What do you think ?

[thanatopsis_awry]

55, that thought came to my mind, as well, though I assume it's still just a slip of the tongue, or a mild exagerration while being fiery and defending himself. Nonetheless, if he *is* now performing multiple ops in a given day it would be good to know for sure.

 

Then again, and I just noticed this, he actually does specifically state above "513 for the year 2007", so....?

[HT55]

Originally posted by thanatopsis_awry:

55, that thought came to my mind, as well, though I assume it's still just a slip of the tongue, or a mild exagerration while being fiery and defending himself. Nonetheless, if he *is* now performing multiple ops in a given day it would be good to know for sure.

 

Then again, and I just noticed this, he actually does specifically state above "513 for the year 2007", so....?

 

As I said in my post he has stated this 3 times and now has an exact number of 513 which if he worked 5 days a week would involve ~ 2 surgeries a day.

 

I don't care if he does more than one but when he claims he doesn't I have an issue with it.

[notgoing2gobald]

BTW I find a DR claiming to do 517 procedures in one year at one procedure a day a REAL ISSUE for obvious reasons.

that is TOO funny, especially when your bragging that you have excellent patient care by virtue of only doing one procedure a day...

 

are there more ground hogs day's in Florida?

[Bill - Seemiller]

HT55,

 

I think your question about multiple procedures a day is one worth discussing.

 

Most people have the conception that each hair transplant physician only does one procedure a day, and on many days, that is true. A surgeon however, with a large experienced staff, depending on the session sizes can perform sometimes 2 and in even more rare cases, 3 surgeries in a given day. Larger sessions however, require more attention and technicians and those patients are typically the only one that day, which is a good thing.

 

Bill

[HT55]

Bill,

 

The only issue I have with him doing multiple surgeries per day is he went put of his way to state he doesn't do them. Dr E said he only does follow ups and consults during the surgery. If he said he did multiple surgeries I would be fine with it.

 

Since he said he did 513 in 2007 obviously more days than not he is performing multiple surgeries.

 

I hope he didn't "misremember" like Roger Clemens said of Andy Petitte, lol

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I think we all gasped when he said hes a top 2 or 3 doc and that he performs that many surgeries.

If he would of just came on here and said hey this is surgery and things could go wrong and have went wrong for every doctor. Its early so lets wait and if things dont improve well try to figure why and help him acheive the restoration he was hoping for. Instead he came on here ASTONISHED that we question that this may be his fault. If he doesnt knoew what happened then he cant exclude himself like he did. He also said he doesnt advertise yet when you go on his site hes been in all kind news shows and papers.

I know hes a good doctor but he should take some accountability in writting along the praise he gives himself.

Hopefully this is a fluke and I still think he belongs in the coalition.

[thanatopsis_awry]

I agree. To me, this really hasn't been about attacking Epstein's overall ability, or his Coalition status...it's simply, and directly, about helping some patients who are clearly in need of support and information -- yes, they happen to all be from the same doctor in these instances, so of course the inquiries will be geared towards Dr. Epstein and his practice. As mentioned by PGP, his "ASTONISHMENT" and talk of "witch hunts" isn't helping the patients -- or even his cause. Nonetheless, more information (some of which will be supplied by time itself) needs to come through, which is really what the patient's themselves want, and as a community we want as well.

[Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS]

Dear Posters, Pat and Bill, and everyone reading this- I do feel I need to make some additional comments, to respond to some of the comments posted, as well as to explain how I work.

1. I perform on a typical day 2 procedures, and work 5 days a week, 51 to 52 weeks a year. Of the 500 procedures I perform yearly on average, 75 are eyebrow procedures (which take 2 to 3 hours at most to perform), 100 are on women (which take 4 hours on average to perform as they tend to be 1600 to 1800 grafts in size), 100 are reparative procedures which, and 225 are for male pattern hair loss. I start my day with a large case- 2400 to 2800 grafts- at 7 am, and am usually finished with with this procedure by 1 or 2 pm, sometimes 3 pm. I have a team of 15 full-time assistants, so this provides us with not only the ability to have all the grafts cut in 3 hours or so, but constant rotation of 4 to 5 specially trained and skilled planters to get the grafts efficiently placed. Please also note that I often will remove the donor strip in two parts- so that the hairs are out of the body for the shortest period of time, thus preserving the blood supply for the longest period of time to help with hair regrowth.

The second procedure, which is usually smaller (i.e. eyebrow transplant, or a 1600 to 1800 graft procedure) I usually check in around 1 pm, and the donor strip is then ready to be removed at 2 pm which coincides when the first procedure is usually finished. Then, this case will be over by 6 or 6:30.

 

2. The very comments that my assistants are talking is what most of my patients love- for they are engaged in this conversation. I do not have TV sets in my procedure room- rather I prefer that the patient, who is often taking some sedation, can engage in conversation with the 15 or so people working on him/her. I cannot tell you how many of my patients tell me what a wonderful team of assistants I have, and how the "casual" atmosphere helps put them at ease. But don't be fooled- I have a AAAHC certified operating room (I believe one of the only hair transplant facilities in the country to achieve anywhere close to this level of certification, assuring patients of the highest standards of care and sterility). In addition, the average assistant in my team has 5 to 6 years of experience- with some of them working with me for as long as 14 years. So these girls are true professionals, who follow my lead in interacting with patients.

I just completed an eyebrow transplant procedure, and received a big hug from her to thank me not only for wonderful results but also for a wonderful experience.

 

3. I am an active participant in ALL phases of the procedure. In addition to removing then suturing closed the donor site in a plastic surgery fashion, I make EVERY SINGLE RECIPIENT SITE, constantly returning to the operating room to make additional sites so that the hairline has exactly the natural look that patients desire and that I demand, as well as the maximal density. In addition, I will often do some planting, especially along the hairline and central forelock.

 

4. In over 14 years of practice, with over 5,000 procedures performed, I have had literally thousands of very happy patients. In those occasional cases when there is less than full (90 plus %) growth, I replace these grafts AT NO CHARGE. I also encourage patients to contact me at any time, providing all of them with my personal cell phone number 305-310-6361.

 

5. Every single one of my 15 assistants has their own Mantis microscope, their own 3 dishes of iced Petri dishes, and is paid not upon the number of grafts they cut (which can encourage slopiness) but on a salary.

 

For anyone who cares to take a look- on my website www.foundhair.com, you can view a video of an actual procedure being performed.

 

To all the readers and posters out there: I apologize for any defensive stance I took. I have worked for so many years to establish what has been a stellar reputation, and put my heart and soul into each and every case I perform. I love what I do- next to my 3 kids, there is nothing more important to me than my practice. After 6 years of plastic surgery fellowhip and training, and 14 1/2 years of practice, I understand the importance of listening to every patient, and realize that my reputation is only as good as the work I perform. I will always adhere to the highest standards, and wish to convey to everyone reading this that I will always stand by my work, always will operate in an accredited facility, always will be accessible to my patients, always will have the top trained assistants, and never stop trying to get better and better, and will do my very best for every patient.

 

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

[Here I Grow Again]

Hi All,

 

I just want to briefly chime in with my 2cents. First I am not taking sides at all; if you look at the facts (and only the facts) there are valid concerns on the patient side as well as the doctor's.

 

What I am sharing is my experience with Dr. E and his staff during my procedure:

 

Dr. E and I discussed extensively my expectations and what I could and could not reasonably expect and showed me photos of patients with similar hair loss/pattern as I to give me a good idea what I should expect. I've also spoke with 3 patients and met with 1 in person who again had similar loss as I. This process was enough to keep my expectations in perspective.

 

On the day of the procedure Dr. E and I again discussed hairline placement. During the procedure he was in and out, removed the strip, made incisions and placed some of the grafts. I distinctly remember him placing the graphs only because I heard him tell his techs 'don't give me any more 1's' and I am assuming he meant no more '1' hairs.

 

Throughout the procedure his staff did converse and I did take part in the conversations which were friendly and fun. It did indeed help me feel at ease and comfortable with the techs.

 

He and I spoke several times throughout the year post op. During my 1 year follow up visit we discussed a second procedure.

 

To make a short story short, what he states above, in my experience is accurate. He was very attentive and addressed my concerns throughout the year to my satisfaction.

 

Now again, none of this matters to a dissatisfied client as my experience is not a reflection of their current experience but I just did want to mention that I believe Dr. E will stand behind his work as best as anyone can and would.

 

What I would like to see and I think would be a great topic (although I don't know how many coalition members are willing) is the ongoing tracking of the % of growth rates patients are experiencing meaning: we all know that not every patient of every coalition doc-EVERY, has a 90% or better graph growth rate. Or do they- let's see the #'s. I'm sure all the docs conduct 1 yr follow ups. Let's see every doc post the growth %s of all the folllow ups. If everyone is honest I'm sure we will see success rates not quite the 100% that some folks think docs get.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I dont think that any of us doubts the skills of Dr Epstein. In fact I think we are a little in shock. If for some reason these 3 cases dont improve I think it good for a doctor to know that we are watching.

Ive painted sooooo many cars that I started to believe I could do it with my eyes closed . In that time period I had to sand and start all over because of too much confidence. I could buy more paint but you cant buy lost grafts back.

[Here I Grow Again]

PGP,

 

Very good point indeed. My take is that we just have to stay focused on the facts and see how it plays out, as stated by others, without pre-judging the doctor or patient.

[Aaron F]

Dear Forum Members,

 

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aaron and I have worked in the hair restoration industry for more then 10 years. I recently accepted a position with Dr Jeffrey Epstein as Chief Administrator and Development Officer. During my career I have worked with more then 20+ doctors and have seen well over 75 different doctors' work first hand. My goal for posting on this forum is to be able to share my experiences and offer advice with forum members in hopes of educating and perhaps offer a different perspective. Below is some of my personal and professional history.

 

I was lured into the hair industry because of my personal hair issues. I started losing my hair at a young age. My first attempt to remedy the problem was to use a hair piece, which I did for three years. Due to my age I was able to wear a hair piece with a style that did not reveal my hairline and because of that no one had any idea I was wearing a hair piece (at least they didn't say it...) As time passed I felt less and less comfortable wearing my hair piece so I starting looking into alternatives. This is when I found the world of hair transplants. At that time I was living the Tampa Bay area and had gone through consultations with 3-4 local doctors. I found a doctor I felt comfortable with and scheduled my 1st procedure. This was in 1997. I had 550 micro and mini grafts placed in the front 1/3 of my head and I started to use Rogaine and quartering Proscar (before Propecia was FDA approved). I was so happy with my results that I approached my doctor asking to work with him. He offered me a job and I spent 3 months following him and his business partner around learning the business from the ground up. At the completion of my 3rd month the doctor's business partner died. We then agreed I would assume all the non-medical daily operations for the practice. I held that position for almost 4 years before I decided I wanted to have a bigger roll in the hair industry.

I interviewed with Bosley, Nuhart, and MHR. I received offers from all 3 and choose to accept a position with MHR in Philadelphia. Ultimately, I was responsible for the oversight of Philly, NY, and MD offices. I was working with MHR for less then a year when one of the MHR doctors made me an offer to move to help him start his own practice. After 2 years with this doctor, I was recruited by Hair Club with the responsibility of developing and running their hair transplant division. When I started with them they had 2 docs and when I left we had just brought on our 9th doc.

When I left Hair Club, I left the industry completely feeling frustrated and needing a change. I took a position as Vice President of Operations for a luxury fitness company located in NYC while still living in Florida. The position required me to travel every week to NYC. After my wife gave birth to our twin girls I decided that I did not want to be apart from my family every week.

 

This now brings us to the current. Having spent the majority of my professional career in hair and feeling reenergized I made contact with some of the top hair docs. I offered my services and experience, which includes oversight of daily operations, website development, administrative and database management, financial management, negotiating vendor pricing, and practice development. (Yes, I have done about everything in the hair industry except pick up a scalpel.....) I was contacted by and met with a good number of doctors, one of those being Dr Epstein. Before I agreed to work with him I visited his office 4 times. On 3 of the 4 occasions I changed into scrubs and spent the day with him in the O.R. I was not going to work with anyone but THE BEST at this point in my career. I wanted to make sure the work was the best and the patients were treated right. I'm sure some of you are going to read this and dismiss some of what I'm going to say because of whom I have worked for but I ask all of you to keep an open mind. My years of experience have taught me not just want to do, but more importantly, what not to do as well.

 

I would like to share some of my observations from my visits with Dr Epstein and why I decided to work for him:

 

"?? He is extremely caring and passionate about his patients, staff, and his results.

"?? He has more staff per patient than any hair doctor I have seen.

"?? The results from patients during follow up visits and his photo albums are extremely impressive. He is a true perfectionist.

"?? The staff is experienced, friendly, and most importantly cut and placed grafts very well. All the grafts are kept moist with saline, on graft coolers, and handled with care.

"?? I counted 15 microscopes

"?? He does not have a television in the O.R. for the patients. When I asked him why he told me he wants to make sure that the patient and staff communicate during the procedure

"?? His recipient sites and artistry is very impressive

"?? He takes the time to call each patient following their procedure

"?? He personally answers all of his email

 

These are a few of the reasons why I choose to get back into the industry with one of the best hair docs. I look forward to helping others through this site and please contact me with any questions.

[kevkristy]

This now the exact same copy in three different threads. Copy/Paste.

 

Is this allowed? When does the spam policy kick in?

 

I see he learned well from MHR and Hairclub.

[kevkristy]

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

 

I did contact the doc last week. Obviously kevkristy is a screen name (a takeoff on my kids, and my real name is NEVER EVER to be used on this site).

 

I emailed him re: '6 months - no growth' and provided link to photo in thread. How many patients does he have at six months who are struggling?

 

The idea that he wants to "properly" work with me in a "professional doctor-patient relationship" sounds all warm and fuzzy. But the reality is this "professional doctor-patient relationship" consisted of a generic two sentence email reply. Period. No questions. No followup the next day or even the next week. No tips, advice, or any offer of support to put me at ease.

 

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

 

The reality is not one question was asked in his two sentence email reply.

 

Let it be known here that I do respect Dr Epstein. And I agree with his posted synopsis of how he operates. He has no doubt worked hard to build a first class operation, which includes a staff of competent and caring professionals.

 

However, I am quite disturbed at his attempt to marginalize those who have concerns as "witch hunters."

 

The bottom-line is this: I was unhappy with his two-sentence reply, which I interpreted as a brush off, and I came here for support. That's it. If you all remember, I never disclosed the doctor's name (see thread below) until the Female Hair post flared up, following the TTDS thread.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=148177

 

I mean what is this forum for?

 

In closing, I find it disturbing that Dr Epstein spent far more effort and about three thousand additional words in replying to a couple of (bad pub) threads than he did to a personal email from a patient looking for nothing but support. The question I ask: Did I not warrant as much attention?

 

Respectfully,

-KK

[thanatopsis_awry]

KevKristy, I'm seriously sorry that what is already an emotionally tumultuous, difficult process has been made into an even greater whirlpool of doubt and anxiety. Nonetheless, you have the forum's support, and you still have plenty of time to make leaps and bounds in growth.

 

I trust that Dr. Epstein or his new forum rep will get back to you on your aforementioned concerns/statements.

[Bill - Seemiller]

kev,

 

I have expressed great concern for you publicly and privately, but lashing out against Aaron, who I welcomed to this community personally on the phone is unnecessary. He is here to educate and offer help when possible. Instead of being angry and bitter, why don't you give him a chance - or if you can't say anything nice, don't say it at all. He has given you no reason to be nasty.

 

I am not sure how you contacted Dr. Epstein, but I heard from him today via email and he still doesn't know who you are. Perhaps you should call his office and give him your name if you want his help or feedback at this time.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

[mgoldberg]

I am starting to wonder if this kevkristy guy is pulling everyone's chain.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

If he is he must of put up a dartboard of all the coalition doctors and put on a blindfold and decided to post a three day very informative and passionate lie about whatever doctor the dart hit for no good reason

[kevkristy]

Here we go with the attacks against the patient. (Bill, se my email about this very issue.)

 

This is unbelievable. The Female Hair Loss had it right. I guess unless I dosclose my full name and social security number here comes the part where I turn into the attacker. This seems way too calculated.

 

Read my post above. I emailed him about concern with 6 months - no growth.

 

If he does not know who I am, he's got some serious problems. How many patients does he have at 6 months? And how many have expressed concern? If he has too many to nail it down, then Enough said.

 

As for your threat "don't say it at all," that's pretty disturbing.

 

I thought this place was for openness and frankness.

 

Mgoldberg - You'll regret that statement.

[Bill - Seemiller]

kevkristy,

 

I have talked with Dr. Epstein and he was able to determine who you were.

 

What concerns me is that you originally registered under this forum community as "jddidt" to give a glowing review and have re-registered under another alias just to post your concerns. Why?

 

Your original glowing review of your surgery and how Dr. Epstein and his staff treated you can be found by clicking here.

 

I personally find your lack of consistency about your surgical experience and how Dr. Epstein treated you disturbing.

 

I recognize that you are a concerned patient and I do feel for you, but I think being honest with this community and Dr. Epstein about your surgical experience and how you were treated is important. Here you speak of concerns only when the above post clearly raves about your excellent surgical experience.

 

From my email with Dr. Epstein, he has spoken to you about this and gave you the same reassurance that all of us have - that 6 months is too early. Clearly, he has not brushed you off.

 

You are panicing and lashing out now because another member a few months ahead of you is having poor hair growth. You need to take a step back and relax and wait things out until maturity.

 

Bill

[Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS]

Dear KevKris- I do now recall who you are, and wish to expand on some of your comments.

 

Your procedure was performed on October 2nd, 2007, but we first starting emailing each other in 2005. During that time period, you scheduled surgery 3 prior times before you finally had your procedure, each time you cancelled or were cancelled by my office due to a lack of receiving a deposit. You were given patient references from throughout New England where you live, and we did everything we could to make your planning and research as complete as possible.

For your procedure, you were charged for 2000 up to 2200 grafts, yet were given 2376 grafts and were not charged anything additional. Your procedure started at 10:15 am, and you were discharged from my office at 5:35 pm. Almost 7 hours with 12 of my assistants and myself working on you, including providing you with almost 376 free grafts at no charge, giving you lunch, and what you described as a wonderful and professional experience.

You intially wrote into the Forum the day after your procedure to post about your experiences under a different name "jddidt"- here is the link: http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/746...351047243#3351047243

 

In this post, you described how wonderful we all were, how professional I and my assistants were, how our speaking during your procedure with you put you at ease, and how responsive I was to you- quote " arrived back at my hotel around 5pm, took my medication, and sprayed on some more Graftcyte (you need to spray this on every waking half hour for 3 days). For the rest of the evening I just kind of chilled out, relieved it was over and excited about future. I order some delivered Italian food, surfed the web, and watched TV. Dr Epstein called in around 8PM to check on me. He's very personable. Didn't just do it as a PR/obligatory service. He honestly cares!

 

All and all, the procedure experience with Dr Epstein and his great staff was extremely positive."

 

 

When you emailed me on Sunday, March 30th, I was on the first day of my vacation skiing in Crested Butte with my 3 kids- as a single dad, I greatly enjoy getting some special alone time with them, and like the remoteness of Crested Butte. I did reply to your email 3 days later, while still on vacation, where you expressed some concern about your lack of growth at 6 months, writing to you quote:

"XXXX- It is still far too early to judge the growth- for some it can take 12 or more months.

Let me go over your chart, and I want you to take things one step at a time and be patient.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

Miami and NYC

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

www.plasticsurgeryoftheface.com

305.666.1774 / 212.759.3484 / 800.370.2883"

 

 

When I got back from vacation, I called you just last week to check in on you, once again reassuring you that you had some slightly delayed growth, but there was nothing to worry about. I also told you to call me anytime to speak with me, and that since I was going to be in my NY office this week, if you wanted to, I would be happy to meet with you.

 

Instead, you have now chosen a new Forum screen name, and accused me of being a hypocrite- including stating , quote: "In closing, I find it disturbing that Dr Epstein spent far more effort and about three thousand additional words in replying to a couple of (bad pub) threads than he did to a personal email from a patient looking for nothing but support. The question I ask: Did I not warrant as much attention?

Is this the same doctor who you described as "

He's very personable. Didn't just do it as a PR/obligatory service. He honestly cares!

 

Respectfully,

-KK"

 

Do you really think that when I both emailed you last week and this week called you, that I gave you adequate attention, and more importantly, providing you with empathy and support, as well as reassurance? How many doctors reply to their patients while on vacation? How many doctors provide the kind of stellar service you described the day after your procedure when the memories of your procedure were still quite fresh in your mind.

 

I choose not to go any further with this thread publicly. I simply need to clear my name to the public.

As far as your results go- at just 6 plus months, I will state publicly- it is too bad that your growth is not as good as it should be, but this IN NO WAY implies that the hairs will still not grow back, nor does it imply that I and my team of assistants did anything other than provide you with state of the art work, and finally, nor does it mean that, if for any reason, your hair does not grow in as well as it should that I will not replace your grafts at no charge. As I have always done, because I GUARANTEE MY WORK.

 

 

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

[kevkristy]

I am more concerned than ever. Epstein is a real piece of work with this post.

 

I sit here 10 grand down with nothing but a "free lunch."

 

I will respond after I gather myself.