Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 21, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 21, 2004 Gentlemen, This is my first post on this forum as a "veteran" of four transplant operations in the UK and a new convert to the work of Dr Jeffrey S Epstein. I have just returned to the UK from Dr Epstein's Miami practice, where I underwent a 2000-graft FHU reparative procedure on Friday December 17th. Having undergone my last operation in the UK over ten years ago, I am delighted to report to you that the work of Dr Epstein and his team is light years ahead of my last UK experience in terms of technology, surgical care and indeed overall "attitude" to me as a patient. I am currently enjoying the look of wonderment on the faces of my wife and sons as they study my new hairline that is already visible and taking shape. I will be calling back to this post on a regular basis in the coming days and weeks, and if anybody would like me to share my experience of the past weekend in more detail, particularly if anyone is considering surgery and is looking for reassurance or a testimonial of Dr Epstein's work, then please feel free to post a reply and I will respond in due course. In the meantime, may I wish you all the compliments of the season and the very best for the New Year. Regards, Neil Nelson 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 21, 2004 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 21, 2004 Gentlemen, This is my first post on this forum as a "veteran" of four transplant operations in the UK and a new convert to the work of Dr Jeffrey S Epstein. I have just returned to the UK from Dr Epstein's Miami practice, where I underwent a 2000-graft FHU reparative procedure on Friday December 17th. Having undergone my last operation in the UK over ten years ago, I am delighted to report to you that the work of Dr Epstein and his team is light years ahead of my last UK experience in terms of technology, surgical care and indeed overall "attitude" to me as a patient. I am currently enjoying the look of wonderment on the faces of my wife and sons as they study my new hairline that is already visible and taking shape. I will be calling back to this post on a regular basis in the coming days and weeks, and if anybody would like me to share my experience of the past weekend in more detail, particularly if anyone is considering surgery and is looking for reassurance or a testimonial of Dr Epstein's work, then please feel free to post a reply and I will respond in due course. In the meantime, may I wish you all the compliments of the season and the very best for the New Year. Regards, Neil Nelson 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 21, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 21, 2004 Neil It was nice meeting you, I had the procedure on your same day. How are you healing so far? I will hopefully wash my hair to rub the scabs off soon. I have posted all my pictures. Keep us updated and best of luck HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 21, 2004 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 21, 2004 Neil It was nice meeting you, I had the procedure on your same day. How are you healing so far? I will hopefully wash my hair to rub the scabs off soon. I have posted all my pictures. Keep us updated and best of luck Hi there Phillyhair, it was good to meet you too. I trust you had a good flight home? Healing is going very well so far - some slight swelling causing a little prominence at the centre of my forehead, but nothing too obvious. Grafts and donor area have setted well with no residual bleeding after the first couple of days. Are you sure about rubbing the scabs so soon? I've washed my original hair very gently just once since Peggy washed us on Saturday am. As yet I've barely touched the graft areas, preferring instead to concentrate on applying the Graftcyte to keep them moist and clean. I think I'll wait until Thursday or Friday before applying any gentle pressure to the grafts, and then only to wash off one or two small patches of residual blood on my scalp ahead of the holiday weekend. Can't be too careful with my precious babies! How are you healing yourself? Sounds like it's going well. Are you pleased with the results you've seen so far? Keep in touch, my friend. 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 22, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 22, 2004 hi there Phillyhair and Neil, i am pleased to hear about your experiences with Dr. Epstein.i have been researching for what seems like eternity, but settling on a surgeon seems to be the hardest thing to do. everytime you think you are sure about a doc, you end up hearing something negative about him, and back to scratch. So tiresome. for now, i am surely focussed on Dr. E. no bad expeiences so far. and you two provide hope. i will be anxiously awaiting your updates. a few questions to both of you. Bear with me please. did you see any of his patients in person? if so, could you tell the guy had had HT? what kind of density does Dr. E usually end up with? how well does he close the donor area? And, most important, what does his patients say about shock loss, which i think is the best judge of a surgeon's skill in placing the grafts. guys, i would love to hear about your responses. happy healing to you and happy holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 22, 2004 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 22, 2004 Hi there P_C, Speaking for myself, I totally respect your efforts to research your choice of surgeon, however I have not been quite as thorough as you in my own research so I'll answer your questions as best as I can. Phillyhair may be able to provide more direct answers because I know he did some very thorough research like you. I didn't speak to previous patients of Dr E in person simply because of the logistics involved, but what I can tell you is that I looked extensively at the patient photos on Dr E's website and, critically, when I asked Dr E in person (via email) what the chances were of me achieving a natural hairline he offered to put me in touch with reference patients without me asking directly. The digital images, plus that unsolicited offer, was good enough for me to have a high degree of confidence in his work. Density I think is very much an individual issue, and depends on what natural density you are starting with. What I am seeing immediately post op is several areas of very dense incisions in and around the centre of my hairline, which still contained natural hair. Dr E's strategy was to build this central thickness in order to draw attention to it when people look at my hairline. Certainly, the overall density of grafts in my front and frontotemporal areas looks to be very high post op, and "graduate" in thickness back towards my crown. I underwent scar repair treatment in addition to new grafting, and from what I can "feel" at this early stage, Dr E seems to have been very successful in removing and closing up the previous scars in one single, neat scar line. I don't believe all the scarring will have been removed due to it's extensive nature in the donor area, but so far the new scar feels neat and clean, and I can feel very little of the original scarring. On shock loss, my own experience at 5 days post op is that I have suffered very little from what I can see. I have washed my hair gently but confidently in the bath in the past two days and have seen very little hair fall. In actual fact, my existing hair looks very strong and the new single hairs have stayed in place up to now, giving me an immediately thicker appearance in the frontal areas, which has surprised and delighted my wife. I hope these comments give you some reassurance, P_C, and they are the kind of feedback you are looking for. I'd love to show you some images, however I don't have access to a digital camera just at this point - as soon as I do, I'll post some up-to-date images. The most important advice I can give you though, is to engage Dr E and his Office Manager Roxy in a direct dialogue, and ask as many questions and speak to as many patients as you feel you need - they will not "strike an attitude" with you if you feel the need to press them hard. I would say, though, that from my own experience and what I have read from Phillyhair and others on this site, if you choose either Dr E or Dr Shapiro, you will be working with one of the best two HT surgeons in the world right now. Sometimes a decision comes down to "atmosphere" and "attitude", and when I arrived at Dr E's surgery and throughout the day of the procedure, everything just felt "right". I believe Phillyhair has made a similar comment in his own recount of his experience last week. Please come back to me if you have any more questions I can answer for you, and good luck with your decision - you will make the right one! Best regards, Neil 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 22, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 22, 2004 Neil, thanks a lot. that is a big help. now, i am looking forward to your updates and pics, as well as those of phillyhair. very good luck to you both and enjoy your holidays. Paris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 24, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 24, 2004 P_C Hope this email finds you well. I reiterate what Neil had mentioned. We both did the procedure at the same time. I myself had no sweklling (Wore a headband) and dr. Epstein gave me swelling medicine. I am 7 days post op now and , like Neil, have had very little shedding. From what I understood, dr. E makesvery small incisions, between 0.6 mm in the hairline and 0.8-1 mm in the anterior section, which reuslts in easy healing and no scarrinf. I ended up getting 3027 grafts so the scar was from top of one ear to top of teh other. Dr. E prefers longer scar but thinner strip, mine was 0.8 cm wide (others drs. might take 1.5 cm). I prefer this method (and by no means I am a Dr.) by for me it is common sense (Not too much stress on the sutures) so you avoind the risk of the scar stretching. I have my whole family around me and had a hard time (Even at five days) locating the scar, UNLESS you lift the hair. I have taken Scar pictures that I would be happy to share with you. The Scar was my main concern and that is why I delayed my procedure so long. I have plenty of pictures that I would be happy to share with you. As far as telling you had a hair transplant, that would depend on your situation, but in my case, at 7 days post op, you can see little feather like hairs (No Redness, swelling) and I think by tomorrow, I will have no scabs. (So basically, it looks liek I buzzed my hair shorter on top than the sides, but that IS IT. Neil had longer hair on top, so I am not sure if he will even show he had a HT. The main discomfort, of the whole operation, are the sutures. I can also forward you pics of the scar and teh head 7 days post op. Call Roxy at Dr. E office and i am sure she will be more than happy to help. When narrowing down my search for the best Dr., It came down to Epstein and Shapiro Hoipe this helps and good luck to you. HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member EastCoast Posted December 24, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2004 Hey Philly, I am glad it worked out for you. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 26, 2004 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 26, 2004 Guys, Just a quick update at 9 full days post-op. The recovery process has been what I can only describe as astonishing. Now I recognise that I am a fairly quick healer, and I had decent coverage to begin with, but I can tell you the graft crusts began falling out at 6 days without any rubbing, and on day 7, following a confident but still careful hair wash, there was hardly any sign of remaining crusts, and I was able to socialise on Christmas Eve (day 7) and Christmas Day with just a light layering of my usual hair gel and no Toppik or other artificial covering. There are now no visible signs whatsoever of any lingering crusting. What is even more astonishing however, is that around 40-50% of the grafted hairs in my hairline have remained in place, thus giving me an immediate and significant improvement in my original "grafty" hairline. In short, I am where I expected to be after 2-3 months, with the more natural hairline and self-confidence that goes with it. I cannot speak for any other surgeon, but what I am seeing in a mirror after just 7-9 days post op with Dr Epstein is nothing short of miraculous. Phillyhair, how are you progressing? Have you enjoyed a similarly short recovery period? 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted December 27, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 27, 2004 everytime you think you are sure about a doc, you end up hearing something negative about him, and back to scratch. So tiresome. Paris, While I encourage thorough research and am ecstatic to know that you are doing just that, please remember that there are people on these webisites and forums with axes to grind for many purposes. I am certainly not saying that you should not take the "bad reviews" seriously, but if at all possible, make sure that the poster that is posting them does not have a "hidden agenda" at hand. The reverse is also true, however. Make sure that the poster(s) that are giving glaringly great reviews are not being otherwise compensated for their postings. We have had to purge posters from this forum for this very kind of action. While I police these forums daily for just these types of incidents, there is a plethora of misinformation out there. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt and get the facts to back up the claims. That being said, Dr. Epstein is a very fine physician. I have heard and seen evidence of great results coming from Dr. Epstein's clinic time after time. Best of luck in your search. -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Neil Nelson Posted December 27, 2004 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 27, 2004 everytime you think you are sure about a doc, you end up hearing something negative about him, and back to scratch. So tiresome. Make sure that the poster(s) that are giving glaringly great reviews are not being otherwise compensated for their postings. We have had to purge posters from this forum for this very kind of action. While I police these forums daily for just these types of incidents, there is a plethora of misinformation out there. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt and get the facts to back up the claims. That being said, Dr. Epstein is a very fine physician. I have heard and seen evidence of great results coming from Dr. Epstein's clinic time after time. Sir, If you have any concerns about my thread here, referencing my treatment with Dr Epstein, I may be able to allay them by stating my intent to post some pre and post op digitals in the next few days. Regards, Neil Nelson 2000 FUT's with Dr Jeffrey Epstein December 17th 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted December 27, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 27, 2004 Neil, My comments were general in nature and wasn't concerning you or Philly. I apologize if they came across that way. They were in a more general nature and a broad warning. Thank you for your concern. -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 27, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 27, 2004 Hi Phillyhair, very good to know you are progressing so well. i would love to see your seven day post- op pics, as well as the donor scar. will you post them on here or would you rather share them privately? thanks Paris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 28, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 Paris Caine Thnbks for your response. Neil, I am feeling the exact sameway as you. I have maintained most of the grafts, giving me an immediate full coverage. I understand where Robert is coming from and I understand that some may have agendas...or otherwise compensated, but let me be clear for teh people that Read the thread...I AM NOT BEING COMPENSATED in any shape or FORM or received any favors for promoting Dr. Epstein. As a matter of fact, and just for the records, if you search all mu posting, up until a month and a half ago, I was asking the same questions and asking for the same feedback about dr. E. I am just providing my experience with his office, and STILL cannot comment on long term progress as I am only 10 days post op. But all my feedback is up to that point and so far have had minimal bleeding, scar , even at 1 week mark is indisgiuishable and kept 90% of the grafts...(accurate as of writing this email) I am postiong picture for Paris_caine to see The only raeson for me to post is that I almost went with the same Local Dr. that Eastcost went to and had I not read his experience, I would have had to live with regret for the rest of my life. I did my research, I am SO FAR, very happy with my choice. And I encourage everyone to do their best, do their research and most importantly go with the Doctor that THEY feel most comfortable with. HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 28, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 Paris Caine For some reason, it is saying that the picture are bigger size than allowd, 5 mega pixel, I will post some new one and let you know HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 28, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 Hi Robert, thanks for your advice. i am very aware of the "agenda posts". trust me, i take just about everything with a grain of salt. i have been researching surgeons for over 3 years. for now, its dr. Epstein, until i hear something negative. moreover, i have to tell you, there is nothing that potential patients like myself value more then the feedback of people like Phillyhair and Neil Nelson. they have been so thorough in their details, that i feel like i have been there every step of the way. i am looking forward to seeing their pics. but, still a long way to go before i decide on a doc. your help as well as that of philly and neil is immense. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 28, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 Here are some additional photos HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 28, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 Philly, it looks like the site is having problems with pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted December 28, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2004 The site is working fine. If you need help posting pics you can "Private Message" me if you have any questions. -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 29, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 29, 2004 hi robert, kinda new here. how do i private message someone? cuz, i think i did send one to philly but where would i see a reply? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 29, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 29, 2004 pARIS_CAINE HERE IS THE PHOTO OF TEH SCAR, HAD TO MAKE IT SMALLER. i AM REMOVING THE STITCHED TODAY. wOOHOO HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 29, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 29, 2004 nice job by Dr. E how does the front look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyhair Posted December 30, 2004 Regular Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 Here is teh 12 day post op HT with Dr. Jeffrey Epstein Dec. 17, 2004 3029 FU--NW5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paris_caine Posted December 30, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 phillyhair, looks very nice for 2 weeks out. i am very curious to see the final density. its a long wait, and i am sure you have been thoroughly preped on patience. later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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