Craig Ziering

[safette]

He is a OK surgeon but not one of the best and as they company is a hair factory don't be surprise if your surgery turn bad.

[safette]

He is a OK surgeon but not one of the best and as they company is a hair factory don't be surprise if your surgery turn bad.

[Jim Jones]

you are scaring me [though you are correct about Dr. Ziering ethics]. I'll just think positive i guess. On the bright side, I never heard complaints on the results. The complaints are mainly ethics and the cost per graft $6. I don't care if he is greedy -- all i want is my transplant to look nice.

[CraigAt86]

Jim, I am interested to know how your procedure with Ziering turned out? I just had one with him recently and am also getting scared by some of the comments on here...

[justinp]

Craig, try not to worry too much.

Youll get some VERY good advice from everyone on this forum and it has helped me alot.

Its a great forum but before you panic about comments made here about certain surgeons and clinics being butchers, hacks etc etc read the 'how we recommend surgeons' page http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/151067-how-we-recommend-hair-transplant-physicians.html but read between the lines.

When researching and choosing my surgeon i used information from the kind people here as well as my own independent research.

[gillenator]

FYI,

 

Ziering is a former surgeon at Medical Hair Restoration (MHR), one of the hair mills that was acquired by its largest competitor, Bosley.

 

Really do your homework on this one!

[hopefullhair]

Hi all,

 

I came upon this thread when trying to do my due diligence on Craig Ziering. I'm glad the site is here. I've been treating my hair loss since 1991 was looking to do a final surgery and take advantage of the new technology. My last was in 2001 so anything I decided to to would be considered corrective by any doctor. My original work was very good for the time and every doctor who ever looked at said it was great work. But it wasn't what I had hoped for.

 

Over the years I've read every article on hair growth treatments, seen a bazillion before and after photos and read tons of threads on forums though I rarely contribute. I feel like navigating through all the BS about doctors online might be easier than for someone just starting out but the decision process was tough.

 

Ziering was the 1 of 6 doctors I saw in person and I had at least some contact between 32 others. Most were dismissed quickly. I met with Ziering on 3 occasions over 10 months and each time he was great. A lot of doctors will stop seeing you for free after a few visits because they want to only invest their time into patients that they feel will end up in the chair but Ziering wasn't like that. He was in no rush with me and there was absolutely no sales pitch.

 

I've walked out of the offices of some of the "best" so called surgeons over the years Ziering was terrific. So were a few others but I won't mention them because I didn't choose their services and I don't want readers to think there was anything wrong with the doctors. I simply came to the conclusion that Ziering was my guy and I had a procedure on May 17,2011 in Los Angeles.

 

All that I can report at this point was that the surgery itself was a breeze and the healing thus far has been better than anything I expected. His time with me mapping out my short and long term goals were invaluable and the time he spent explaining how he needed to angle certain hairs in specific areas of my scalp to best work with my existing plugs was exhausting but proved to me that this guy was no joke.

 

Obviously the next few months will determine my level of happiness with the procedure but I would not discount Ziering's artistic ability and I'm happy I found him. I understand he started at MHR and respect the postings of the other contributers to this thread but I wanted to let people know that they can talk to a real patient if they choose. I'm happy to talk about my experience but don't really want to post photos publicly. I will send photos to people to look at if they really want to talk about Ziering. The pre and post ops are nothing exciting but the ones I get at about 5months will be very telling. I'm really expecting to be happy with my hair for the first time in 20 years.

 

Good luck to all of us who are going through this stuff and hopefully my 2 cents will help others

[bonkerstonker]

Fake poster above for definate.

 

Nobody suffering with hair loss since 1991 would have only just registered on this site today and anybody who used this site for reading only and could restrain them selves from posting for all them Years or couldnt be bothered posting would not make there first post a massive post like that above. I love the smell of bs!

[hopefullhair]

wow that is quite a welcome bonkerstonker. And maybe part of the problems with forums such as these. I post very rarely at hairsite and a few others but hairrestornationnetwork has had interesting posts over the years but nothing I felt i needed to comment on.

 

But since I was looking for reviews on Dr. Ziering to see if he was reputable enough to do a good job, I came across this thread which talked a bout him being part of the mill at MhR and all that . Now when I had my first surgery in 91 it was with Matt Leavit who founded it but I had stopped going before his first commercial started to air because I wanted a doc to concentrate on me and not his acting lessons. Ziering might have left because of similar issues. Transplant mills are jokes and Dr's don't want to associated clinics that get reps for being a joke. So him leaving was a good thing for his career and his style of practice.

 

Now that I'm comically accused of this being a fake post what does that mean.. I have typed what seem to look like letters into letter groups forming what known as phrases and senctences. So what's the problem.

 

Is it betterto monitor the site and monitor constantly on the off chance you might feel compelled to coment. Or if I see conervsaion that intersts me and I have some pertinent news and experience with this doctor shouldn't Icomment.

 

Or as you tell me that you can smell BS so well you ought to get your nose fixed. I have read this forum a lot when threads showup in the search engines. most just get sandboxedin the forum and remain locked in untilsomeown comes in and reads. I spend more time ad dynamic forum and databases with more information.

 

But the truth is I was very exicted to report in about my proceedure and want anyone who was wondering what it is like to consult and have a proceedure with zeiring might be interestet.I offered to let people to ask questions aandse photos if they wish. So thought I was been cool and adding information about a very well known doctor that many member might want to meet....So this place isn't exacly what is cracked up to be. It' is morelike a choice between docs supportthing the site and no body else. Don't miss out on ziering.He'

[bonkerstonker]

If you are a long time learker or reader you'll know a lot of people who post like you just did are fake! I've been on hairsite and hairlhelp for ten years what's your name on hairsite I've never seen anyone called hopefulhair on any sites before so it can't be that?

[hairthere]

hopefulhair, A picture's worth 1000 words. Post a few and you'll have some credibility.

[hopefullhair]

well that's the name and I've been reading it for years. This is the problem with sites like this. I'm trying to share the experience I just had with a great doc and some joker tells me I'm lying. If I would have said that I had an awful experience everything would be fine.

 

Complaining about my hair loss and getting caught in the crossfire between 'THE NATURAL' and "hangin in there" on hairsite does nothing for anyone so i only asked questions about regiments when absolutely necessary.

 

Guys like you really make things tough for people who want to find out real information. What's your story?

 

For any other members who are researching Dr. Ziering and want to talk to a patient, I'm still willing and will send pictures as soon as I get them from the Dr. But because of some people on the site I will not give permission to post, only look at in your email. I am going to look at my chart on Friday to get the exact breakdown of my grafts and will get some photos then.

 

I'm trying to helpful to this forum but this bonkerstonker person is ruining it.

[bonkerstonker]

All it is pal is you're not acting like a real poster and there are a lot of people who come on sites like you have that are fake and it becomes annoying!

 

If you had a ht which was all grown out and it had changed your life with pictures showing your change it would carry some weight and i could understand you trying your best to sell your surgeon on sites it happens all the time because people are so happy they want to spread the word but in your case you come on here for the first time with no pictures and bang your straight into the hard sell and your hair hasn't even started growing yet. If your ht doesn't grow in 12 months ( heaven forbid ) and is a disaster what you gonna do then come back on do a u turn and say he's rubbish.

 

Can you see my point?

 

QUOTE....Guys like you really make things tough for people who want to find out real information. What's your story?

 

I help newbs i always have done. People who ask questions i'm keen to help but you're not a newb and your not asking a question you're promoting a Dr.

Edited May 19, 2011 by bonkerstonker

[bonkerstonker]

Hi all,

 

I came upon this thread when trying to do my due diligence on Craig Ziering. I'm glad the site is here. .

 

wow that is quite a welcome bonkerstonker. And maybe part of the problems with forums such as these.

 

well that's the name and I've been reading it for years. This is the problem with sites like this.

 

Hmmm you seem a liitle confused to me, your glad that the site is here but you have a major issue with it!

 

So this place isn't exacly what is cracked up to be. It' is morelike a choice between docs supportthing the site and no body else. Don't miss out on ziering.He'

 

I couldn't give a rats arse about which doctors are supported here i have no problem with any doctors i just don't like fake posters and maybe you're fake maybe your not but you're coming across like you are. Nice plug for ziering again at the bottom of the last quote you just had to get the hard sell in another time. It's things like that which make you look fake.

Edited May 19, 2011 by bonkerstonker

[hopefullhair]

Hi all,

 

I do understand all your points and unfortunately I am not a fake poster. Forums that accept advertising from doctors or get paid to sell products like rogaine cannot be viewed as pure.

 

I happen to rank websites for a living and fully understand the Pay to Play world of E-commerce. So my goal here is allow anyone who is interested in my experience to contact me. I'm not interested in credibility on this forum or any other. My concern is that someone who is freaking out about hairloss can look up terms on the internet and get sold a bill of goods from an unqualified Doctor.

 

I was let to slaughter at age 21 and in this day and age it does not need to happen to any young person. I've talked to many doctors, met with many doctors, swallowed every snake oil ever produced and am very willing to talk to people about this.

 

As for the photos, I prefer not to post them for everyone to see. The reasons are obvious. I have yet to see them and I assume the lighting will not be that great. I have now had 4 surgeries and looking at a photo with no explanation for the placement of each graft and the overall corrective game plan might make a wrong impression for someone looking to have a procedure on a virgin scalp.

 

I will have some photos available tomorrow and and happy to discuss them with real people through email or chat. I have spent the better part of 20 years trying to hide the work I had done as an uninformed kid. I have never walked out of a surgery happy but I did on Tuesday morning at Dr. Ziering's office.

 

So in my opinion, anyone that cares should have the right to know my story and if it was done by Ziering then I won't hide that fact. I have not called out any of the Doctors who in my opinion do bad work, charge too much or have no business cutting on a human. I'm just trying to point out good work when I see it.

 

Hopefully in 6 months I will be happy with my result but my Main goal was to hide previous work and look as natural as possible. If my hair ends up looking thin, I told the Doc I was ok with that as long as my thinning pattern was dignified and representative of a 43 year old man.

 

Ziering put up with all the BS I gave him and I put him through the ringer. I had other doctors shaking in their shoes because they knew they couldn't pull it off.

 

Unfortunately Ziering is good and I'm sorry to report that. If I find out other docs are good, I'll say that too. But I can only talk about my personal experience. And before anyone really concerns themselves about my credibility they should be worried that you can actually search the coalition of surgeons on the side. That is alarming and really has no place in a place where people come to discuss procedures.

 

Good vibes to all, lets reverse our hairloss and talk about the good stuff.

 

hopeful

[bonkerstonker]

Thanks for explaining. I apoligise for earlier but I'm sure you understand why i thought that of you before. From what I know of you now you're a lot like me u hate falseness and want the truth without it being bent due to sponsership and so on.

 

All the best I hope u get as good a ht as you did service with ziering. I've not seen much of his work so I look forward to your 12 month results.

[hopefullhair]

thanks for understanding. I think the work was perfect and could not have asked for better but just because the procedure was perfect does not mean that I will be happy with my results.

 

I am proud to say that before the little hairs begin to die off and fall out and I can how my head will look and he did a remarkable job the directional problems he had to contend with around my plugs and the spacing was difficult but I cannot complain one bit. I'm not going to hasstle Ziering until I'm healed enough to top it off. His work will probably be undetectable and nobody will ever stare at my head ever again (after the next few months) But I am going to challenge him to create an end plan so that when I hit my 50's and 60's what will fall out will be in a distinquished pattern. he will probably punch me in the face when I show up in his chair again but I don't him I was tough. But if he says there is no reason to do more surgery than I would listen. But I'm gonna put up a fight.

 

I'm going in tomorrow to pic up some pics and get the breakdown of my grafts. He did temporal peaks which I never considered leading up to the surgery but he showed me how it gave my face a thinner frame. I also want to see how many singles I got and where the 2's and 3's went. I had a total of 2359 but was shooting for 2500.

 

My donor was swill cheese after 3 prior strips but he restored it and usable donor out of 3 areas and then created a closure that would be easy to work with next time. So if there is a next time, i will have plenty to work with. He slaved over me for 10 hours. I respected that.

[bonkerstonker]

I recommend you make a blog like I have in the link at the bottom of this post. You seem like a interesting case and it will be great for people to follow and support your progress. As I said before it looks a little shady just emailing people your pictures because that's what blaggers do in general but I understand also if you want to be private.

[hopefullhair]

I was thinking about the blog but I might do my own on a separate domain just because I really am not into sites that accept advertising and have a list of member doctors. It doesn't seem to be a legit forum. But I might. We'll see what the doc's photos look like and if they show too much face.

[bonkerstonker]

I can see your point about the coalition of doctors but imo it's not as bad as you think it is, for me the drs in the coalition are all bonafied good surgeons that stand by their work. They don't just let anyone into the coalition who throws money at the website owners so it's good for newbs who know surgeons in the coalition are tried and tested and obviously wont butcher you up plus most of the drs post on here and are very proud of their work which is a very positive thing when the drs know they will see their work on this site and will have to answer publically to any problems. That being said there's still a lot of other good drs out there not in the coalition and this site does not deny that fact.

 

Also nobody is stopping you from talking about other drs on here I don't think ziering is in the coalition and nobody has said anything about this post. To be honest the main site I used for the last ten years was hlohelp but everybody left to post here a couple of years ago to do with some scandal like taking posts down all the time so I followed suit and came here I also was a big hsite user but it's too much fue for me so i never went back on when they made the new site 3 years ago. I have to say I prefer the layout of this site better than any other and the subscribe notifications are good too so I spend most time researching here now.

Edited May 21, 2011 by bonkerstonker

[bullitnut]

for what its worth every result ive seen on the net from Craig Zeiring has been great...

[Blake Bloxham]

Hey guys,

 

A few comments ...

 

1. Just a friendly reminder to keep things civil

 

2. Hopeful - I'm a bit surprised you've jumped to such a quick/steadfast conclusion regarding our community. Have you researched our standards/process of recommending physicians? What the membership fee covers? The continual internal review of recommended physicians? Our emphasis on maintaining a fair, non-biased, uninfluenced medium for patients and physicians? The reasons why we offer a trusted, legitimate source for purchasing hair loss products online?

 

I think if you stick around for a while, you'll note that our community does not fall into the exploitive, profit-driven category and we pride ourselves on the community we've built here and the patients and physicians who participate in our network.

 

However, keep in mind that because we do promote open, fair, unedited discussion, you are free to share your opinions, but I do recommend some additional research before drawing such a definite conclusion.

 

Feel free to ask any questions regarding our community; I'm more than happy to clarify.

[hopefullhair]

I hear you all but keep in mind that by profession I do SEO and although I hold my self to a standard of ethics, I fully understand how a site can be manipulated and any dr can pay to play. It is just a fact of life.

 

Having said that, I popped in on Ziering to day to get some pics and have a hair wash. Of course the pictures looked like crap on the camera but they are going to be emailed to me and I'll post a few I guess as long as people understand that I had corrective work done and this was a very custom job.

 

My breakdown of grafts was quite interesting and looks awesome in real life right now. Like I mentioned earlier, I never considered the temporal peaks but he felt that it would help thin my face. I'm pretty ugly to start with so I was up for it.

 

I received 116 singles in my Right Temporal Peak

 

87 singles in my left temporal peak

317 singles in my front hairline

then 1839 doubles and triples from behind the hairline back through the top of my head. My left side is a lot worse then my right so the placement is indicative of that.

 

We estimated he could get 2500 out of my donor but my previous work had so scarred my area that he retrieve 2359 and created a beautiful closure. To tell you the truth I could give a crap about the closure but Ziering said that it set me up for a much easier surgery if if I chose to do more in the future. he spent a lot of time cleaning up the donor scar tissue.

 

All and all he slaved over me for about 10 hours and I gave him crap the whole time. He was a real trooper and the staff was really great. I've tried to let you guys know that I had 3 procedures in the past and left each one in complete and utter shock. I left Zierings office on tuesday feeling an unbelievable sense of hope.

 

Only time will tell but the work looks great. I couldn't have asked for a more skillful surgeon but I know myself and I'll always want more.

 

Hopefull

[TakingThePlunge]

hopefullhair,

 

I hope you recognize the fact that, while Dr. Ziering is not recommended by this community, you are free to share your experiences with him here. This, despite the fact that you are clearly suspicious of this community's intentions.

 

As Blake has already suggested, you should acquaint yourself with our standards for recommending physicians. Everything here is transparent and above board. We make no claims that our recommended physicians are the only ones performing state of the art follicular unit transplantation. Only that when you choose one of these physicians you can be sure that they have a proven track record of great results, ethics AND a commitment to patient satisfaction.

 

I'm very happy to hear the you are pleased with your experience. As has already been pointed out, until you decide to share your photos, most members will not take you seriously. Lots of people pop in here with glowing reviews of a given doctor, have no photos to back up their claims and then disappear as quickly as they materialized.

 

If you are truly interested in sharing your experience and helping other hair loss sufferers you are welcome here. If your intentions are simply to cast aspersions on the credibility and validity of our hair restoration community I encourage you to find another venue for sharing your opinions.

 

Best,

[hopefullhair]

I hear you takingtheplunge and I am a legit guy. I haven't received photos yet from the doc and the ones I saw on the cam were not so great because of lighting but I will share. My goal was to keep my face private but I have no problem sharing the work with people who really want and need to see it to help them with their own personal struggles with hairloss. I just don't want my face on the net with proof that I had surgery. The whole point for me is to hide the fact that I had work done.

 

I am not interested in promoting any doctor here or anywhere else. Not even Ziering but I'm just being honest that my experience was great. I haven't called out the docs who did bad work on me because it is only my opinion and that's not fair. Saying someone is good can in no way harm their reputation so I'm cool with that.

 

I understand how advertising works and I do understand your code of ethics. It is all very well intended but in my opinion once a doctor has paid to appear on a site or put an ad somewhere the whole system fails.

 

A forum should be a place for us, not doctors. i'm all for them publishing papers here, putting up photos, guest lecturing on new tech and drugs but not paying to do it. There are some great docs in the "coalition" you recommend. I have visited a few and would recommend some based on my consultations but there are also people on the list who are fighting to keep their medical licenses. How are people who are totally new to this world and are freaking out about hair loss supposed to know the difference?

 

It is nice to get input from doctors but anyone who could pick up business by using this forum by definition has an ulterior motive when dispensing advice. It just doesn't make sense to me. But I want to play by the rules and be a good member here because I have a lot of experience losing my hair.

 

Also, you mentioned that you don't recommend Ziering here. Why not? What's the scoop on him? has there been some complaints about his practice? I researched him pretty hard and he fared very well. I really bust these guys balls when I go see them. I really make my docs prove to me that they can do a good job.

 

This whole forum concept is very tough. The lines to walk are very fine. As I mentioned before I make my living doing web design and creating traffic for my clients but because I'm so entrenched in my own hairloss issue, I could never take a doc on as a client. It just wouldn't be ethical. Maybe because I know I could take the worst doctor on the planet and rank him at the top of the search engines for whatever he wants, I assume that others are doing the same thing and doctors are just paying to play.