Sharing our experiences and Surgeon reviews

[Bill - Seemiller]

chan2009 and alijame,

 

It would be great if you two could start your own thread with your questions/comments. This will maximize the number of replies you get.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[MasterP]

I am awaiting responses from others, but can there be a huge difference in the number of grafts estimation when the doctors have seen the same set of photographs.

Also, for me the price they have quoted is exorbitant, I understand that its that way in US & Canada. Is there any financing available if I still want to take it up.

 

Awaiting to see your feedback.

 

Yes, there can be a difference. Docs may see the same condition but may have different techniques or different plans on how they restore. Im 38yrs previously a 5A balding guy from Maryland and did the same thing. i sent photos via email to get some estimates on how many grafts and prices. But thats not the only thing you should do. You need to see them in person. Research your doctor before you see him. see if he or she has any publishing's or credentials (good or bad). if the doctor has any experience, you should be able to find info on the web. You need a doc who does the latest follicular grafting and does most of the work themselves like the NEW trichophytic closure technique of the donor site (ask about staff experience and techs). Some doctors will do only little sessions at a time and others with experience will have the skill to do a larger session at once.

 

There are several things you need to set your mind on:

 

* try Propecia because i wish i started on it at 26yrs it would of saved me hair and money in the long run. its proven to stop hair loss on many people and even regrow hair on the crown area. a good HT doc will evaluate this with you and only place grafts in this area if you commit to using Propecia for a LONG TIME... i know it sucks but its an investment in yourself. Although it does get cheaper with a generic brand but you need to stay on the name brand for one year first to make sure you see any change. See a HT doc with questions and prescription.

 

* research and research your doctors - this forum really helped me - go through the web. HT doctors can have such different skill level. You need a doctor who is not afraid to publish their techniques and process. Look at previous clients (before and after photos). HT is a serious matter surgically and aesthetically.

 

* set realistic goals: i got 2300 grafts but still maintained a slight receding hairline cause of my hair style and age. a low hair line is not for everyone. a skilled doc should know whats right for you and should see your future progression.

 

* you need to feel comfortable. i avoided the big HT places cause i was bothered by them sometimes 10 times a day by phone and felt like a number not a person. i needed a smaller and more personal place that payed attention to the little details. Remember, the selection of a HT doctor's staff says a lot about the practice they run. (everything counts)

 

* have a positive attitude going for the surgery - it can be a long procedure and some discomfort but i cant tell you the level of excitement i have to have my own real hair again. my forelock is restored once again. NO MORE FLIP TOP.

 

Make sure you get lots of details and even in writing how the procedure will take place and what they give you and how many people are involved and ask if your the only procedure for that day. You want all the attention from the doc and staff for a high price you pay.

 

Also make sure you take off for at least 5 days - some need 7 days after procedure and plan to do NOTHING. it is so so important to the healing process and avoiding swelling of the forehead. follow directions from doc. My doc got me started a day earlier on a "MethytlPRENDNISolone"4mg schedule tablet packet a full day earlier. i think with that and a combination of ice packs and motrin is what kept me from the swelling. I had no swelling at all the entire time but slept in a reclining chair with my head looking at the ceiling the entire time for 4 nights.(it sucks but worth it). i bought several gel packs and different sizes. one not frozen to support your neck cause its way more comfortable then a rolled up towel. alternate back and forth with a frozen one on your forehead and a little on the neck. thats what helped me. Your donor site may hurt like hell like mine the second and third night but the pain is controlled with Motrin every 4-6 hours.(ask your doctor first cause im not).

 

My grafts did not hurt at all the entire time. Just be very careful with them. Use a saline spray often to help speed up the healing and dont touch them. Your doctor should have instructions on how to care for them.

 

If you need a recomendation i went to Dr James Vogel in Baltimore, MD. I had the best experience and results with him and would do it again with him. This doctor has the skill and knowledge and staff and price that made it all come together for me and make it a reality.

 

38yr 2300 grafts by Dr Vogel on May 28 2009

[frankb]

Dr Greg pistone, THE BEST, at every level. Have had past experiences with plugs in the late 80's (3 sessions), and needed some fill in, so I interviewed,Bernsein,True and Pistone. Forget Bernstein- pricey. True was ok, but couldnt book him,in my "window". I met with Dr.Pistone, and he was not only a straight shooter, but gave me price "by session" instead of per graph. He ended up giving me more graphs, for less money, and he did it with a level of perfection, and totaly delivered more than he promised. His staff's performance was flawless, and genuinely caring, and I was in and out, with NO PAIN, and treated like a king! This Dr,is interested in giving you the best service, (and more than you expected) at a fair price. A down to earth, true gentleman, you will not find a more sincere, honest,craftsman than Greg Pistone. I used the Marlton,n.j.office. And I did my homework. I cant say enough about this man and his dedication. Hes a keeper!!

[Bill - Seemiller]

frankb,

 

Welcome to our discussion forum.

 

This thread seems like an odd place to share your experience. To garner the most support and feedback, I'd encourage you to create your own thread. I'd also encourage you to share your personal experience, surgical details and photos showing the results. Frankly, your post sounds like a walking, talking ad for Dr. Pistone, not a genuine surgical experience. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words".

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[the B spot]

Do a search on a poster named dhuge.....and then get back to me.

[kirby]

In April of 2008 you (Pat) visited Dr Wasserbauer's clinic in Walnut Creek, CA. While the visit was promising, Dr. W. declined to be considered for recommendation. I have heard good things about her skills and results. Do you have any more information on her clinic and their operation?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Kirkby,

 

Since she declined going through our prescreening process, we have no new information on Dr. Wasserbauer at this time.

 

If in the future she wishes to be considered for potential recommendation, she is welcome and invited to contact me and share examples of her results on this community.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[MilHass]

Hi, I just want to share my experience with DHI clinic in london, whim I do not recommend to anyone.

I have just had my session, unfortunatley I would like to say that Iam not satisfied at all with the way they provided me the information and the expectations of the procedure.

I have contacted them about a month ago asking specific questions and unfortuately I fell to their vague answers and that cost time , money and the pain of the procedure.

I have sent my pictures and asked what can you offer me to give a satisfying results , not any results, appearanly the questions were managed by a non medical persononal , a business manager , who has given me a misleading picture. He offred me a" small sesion " costs 3000 pound , which supposidly meet my expectations but no specific details.

I have trusted his opinion and paid a depoist, and I scheduled my off work days to attend this session. I was surprised that the first thing I had to do before seeing a doctor was to pay in full, anyway..I did not mind that but I expected some answers first. so I Spoke to a nice doctor who did the procedure later on,and obviously what a "small session" means was different from what the "business manager explained" , and again the final expectation and plan was not explianed to me untill they took the grafts. I did not mind all that,and I do not mind paying more if the results were to satisfy me. Thier after-procedure recommendations included thier own DHI product and hey want me to buy it ..not so much just 10pounds a bottle ..but wont you expect a recommended hair lotion with such a trivial cost should be provided or included in your overall cost!! I just felt they act Like a supermarket not as a health/medical firm,anyway .. at the moment I am 2 days after the procedure, sitting home and cant go out and have to spray my scalp every 30 minuts with normal saline , from what I can see the implanted area is not dense at all.. and I was not told how many grafts are there!

I am so dissatsfied ..and feel been misled... no regrets really for the money but for the time and the hussle of all this..Iam so afraid this will just disfigure my scalp rather than improves the look, the main issue is that I wanted my hair to look better ..and that what i want them to advise me..not just a low cost offer!

any other opinion ..or experience from your side.. pleas let me know I hope Iam wrong

[tlb05f]

Hey real quickly wanted to share my experience. I am 23 years old and I just got 2112 grafts by Dr. Glenn Charles in Boca Raton, Florida. I spent a lot of time researching and he seemed to be the the most prestigious doctor in Florida by far. He is really great to his patience and has done a lot of research on his own time that got me very interested. If you live in florida I and are considering surgery, I recommend you go to him, or at least youtube/google him.

[nipunshukla]

hello friends ! ou have been doing a wonderful job out here and i m glad to be a part of this website.

 

i have 2 questions to ask. please answer them.

 

1. i got a session of FUT (2500 grafts) done from Advanced Hair Studio, New Delhi by Dr. Anil Gupta. Is this clinic reputed and does it have any credence ?

 

 

2. After 4 days of the surgery I often caressed my hand over my scalp very gently. And becuse of this some scabs would become loose and some already loose scabs would fall off (sometimes had hairs entangled in them but very rarely).

I kept caressing my scabs like this for 15 days. The most of the scabs fell off

like this. Did I lose the grafts by caressing or rubbing my scabs softly because when they fell they, sometimes, had one or two hairs entangled in them ?

[Avi8tor]

Pat,

Have you ever done any research on Dr. Barusco?

I would love to know what your thoughts on Dr Barusco's work are. I wonder why he is not on the list of doctors you recommend.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Avi8tor,

 

Personally, I am not familiar Dr. Barusco. However, if you have reason to believe he should be considered for recommenation (i.e. you are a satisfied patient of his), feel free to contact me privately at help@hairtransplantnetwork.com with more information and I'll be happy to contact him to learn more about his experience, technique and hair transplant philosophy.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Avi8tor]

Bill,

 

I appreciate your response. I recently had a hair transplant procedure with Dr. Barusco and wanted to share my experience with the readers of the blog. I fly for a living and do not want to be posting all the time, but I was highly recommended to him by a friend of mine who had surgery with him and had amazing results. I checked his reputation and he has been in the industry for a long time and is very well known and very experienced. He just recently opened his private practice, where I had my procedure, and I was so well treated that I felt I needed to let everyone know.

 

You may contact him if you want. If you google his name you will easily find his contact information. I have no interest in this other than I feel that good people and good doctors need to be recognized. I see so many horror stories here that I wanted to point out that there is another quality doctor in Florida, just outside of Orlando, in Port Orange.

 

My transplants are not grown yet so I have no pictures to post of my results. I don't plan on putting posts and messages every day, but once everything is grown in, I will send you some pictures.

[BrainFried]

Hey Guys,

 

Have any of you or do you know anyone who has used Dr. Bernard Arocha in Houston?

I'm looking for a few personal experiences with him and opinions on results?

 

Thanks

[mrsundeep]

Are there any members who got their HT done by Dr.Madhu from Hyderabad. I am seriously considering getting a HT done next year . Heard a lot of good things about the doc...thanks to this forum

[bosley1530038828]

i had 2 hts in 98 and 2000.in my opinion hts works for a few.if you are in your mid 30s or later and have dark thick hair then you may be a good canidate.everyone else should consider this very carefully as it is only a short term fix.At the time of my procedure i was 20 years old and bosley took advantage of a young man freaking out about losing his hair at a young age.This whole industry is very misleading.Just shave your head and let nature take its course.as in everything in life there is usually a grey area..this being said i think that the majority of doctors are after money and thats it.dont fall for the scam!

[Spanker]

i had 2 hts in 98 and 2000.in my opinion hts works for a few.if you are in your mid 30s or later and have dark thick hair then you may be a good canidate.everyone else should consider this very carefully as it is only a short term fix.At the time of my procedure i was 20 years old and bosley took advantage of a young man freaking out about losing his hair at a young age.This whole industry is very misleading.Just shave your head and let nature take its course.as in everything in life there is usually a grey area..this being said i think that the majority of doctors are after money and thats it.dont fall for the scam!

 

 

I agree that HT's are not for everyone but that is a pretty blanket statement. For some it is a short term fix, for some one or two will hook them up for good. It is good that someone says that hey, HT's are not miracles and they are not for everyone. But that is a little bit too much a blanket statement.

[bosley1530038828]

My opinion from personal experiance.I am in a good place with it now but the whole ht ordeal was a very tough thing that caused me alot of emotional pain.my hope is to save some others from making the same mistake.This is a HUGE decision that needs to be researched by the client extensivley.If you only consult a doctor then you are setting yourself up for the hard sale with very little compasion from the seller.there main objective is money.Not how you look and feel 10,20,or 30 years after the surgery.Maybe not for all doctors but certainley the doctors and consultants at bosley which is one of the biggest providers.If bosley is one of the best then the industry is in real trouble.I really feel for the guys that fell for this 30 years ago...some of the damage is irrevesable.

[multiplier]

If bosley is one of the best

 

The only one still claiming that is probably Dr Bosley himself. Their reputation as a "fast food chain" for hair replacement was common knowledge a decade ago.

[bosley1530038828]

LOL @ common knowlege.Most people dont know anything about these providers and the innernet was not even a good source for this type of info 10 years ago.This site is a good place for people to communicate and hopefully it will make folks think again before having there head sliced open.the ht buisness is down almost 50 percent.and hair systems are down more than that.No more rugs and plugs just have the balls to be yourself.

[TroyPolamalu79]

Hey B spot,

 

I need a repair procedure done I was hacked up by Dr. Sword in LA? Am I the only one or this guy garbage?

 

I am considering your guy Shapiro, Alexander or Cooley. What are your thoughts as to who would be best for me?

[Rabbit3]

I would also like to hear more about Dr. Sword in LA as I was also considering him!

[JohnS123]

Hello all,

I just wanted to post about a good experience with Dr. Vogel in Maryland. Everyone in the office was friendly and made you comfortable. The surgery was mostly pain free and the recovery time was about a week. Dr. Vogel offered 2 different surgery options, both with replacement to the upper forehead and one with replacement to the crown area as well. I went for the option that included the crown area and the results are excellent and well worth the money.

Good luck!

[akshat1000]

Advanced Hair Studio – Review

I am a 26 year old. My family has a history of genetic hair loss. Loosing hair at such an early stage, I decided to look for anti-baldness treatments and finally underwent a surgery at Advanced Hair Studio Clinic in New Delhi. My experience which was not good at all is explained in detail below. I would request all of you who are considering similar treatment to read this and feel free to talk me @ plus nine one - nine nine five eight eight nine one six eight one before making a decision.

First Visit

I went to visit Advanced Hair studio for a solution to my problem of balding. I was impressed to see the great interiors and nice decor. It looked like a very friendly and amicable place. I met with Sanket with my parents. Sanket started with his rehersed sales pitch. He looked at my hair and said my requirement was for about 6,000 follicles after which I could have a full head with bounce, volume and shine. He suggested that I take a laser therapy with a 1 operation and that should solve my problem. There were two doctors on their panel who them suggested. One charged Rs 70 per follicle and other Rs 130. However, if I decided by the end of the month there could be a discount of Rs 20 on this. Overall, he gave solid sales pitch to convince that this would be the best place. He showed the contacts and photographs of all the celebrities they had treated including the personal phone numbers of a few he had. However, now I realize in the hindsight there were few details he never gave:

• The full name of the doctor and his credentials

• There was no opportunity to meet the surgeon personally

• There was no mention of what kind of therapy each one of their brand ambassadors had undergone. Even minor treatments were projected full hair gain

• There were no patient references given

• There was great attempt to keep the patient from not talking to the doctor

Plus I was promised:

• I could return to work next from surgery

• It would be a painless affair

• I would not need to take any precautions and life would be back to normal after 24 hours.

There was a great force in booking the operation date as soon as possible to get the best rates.

Next Day on Call

We discussed internally and came to the conclusion and we wanted to see the results the laser therapy before undergoing surgery. Sanket called up and we conveyed out decision. On hearing this, he completed changed his words. He said that I MUST go for surgery and not for the laser treatment as it would not yield good results in my case. He backtracked on his initial pitch. But based on his recommendation of 6,000 hair follicles I decided to undergo one surgery of 3,000 grafts in 1 sitting and evaluate the results. Now, here is where the mess starts.

On the Operation Day

The doctor came in. He was not even aware of who the patient was. He had not looked at the pictures. There was no photographs he was shown. He was also quite disinterested in overall what was communicated. There was major gap in what was told to him and what was promised to him. Apparently, he was told I would be given 4,500 grafts and 3,000. This meant our surgery costs escalated by 50% or 75,000 without even any prior information. He told me that there was NO USE OF GOING FOR 3,000 follicles. He marked on my head showing how much 3,000 follicles would cover. On the day of the surgery this misinformation campaign was happening and we were told that if we do not go through with the surgery today I would have to forfeit my deposit of Rs 50,000. We were angry and frustrated. More than anything doctor told me to get a good hair cover I need 15,000 follicles over 4 sittings. This was completely contrary to what Sanket had informed me about 6,000 follicles over 2 sittings. There was no sync in what the doctor was saying and what was promised and that too 15 minutes before the start of the procedure. Plus, I was extremely unhappy with the amount of cover that even 4,500 follicles would give me. I am apprehensive that I might not as good as I do right now and might have to undergo a second round only to overcome the patchy work of the 1st sitting and hence shelling out so much money.

I was now realizing the real truth behind the glamorous looks of studio and the real filth inside and how they mislead their patients at the last moment. The advanced hair studio people were really upset with the doctor for letting me know about the 15,000 follicles.

But I decided to go for the surgery only because I had made up my mind and I did not want to loose the money that I had deposited and all the arrangements that have been made. Surgery lasted 6 hours and only overseen by doctors. He gave the local anesthesia and part of it while most of it was handled by him which from the looks of it did not look like a team of doctors, but more like a team of semi-trained nurses. Doctor would continuously take phone calls in the middle of the procedure and also walked out several times for upto 30 minutes to meet clients and people. After having spent so much money, I expected him to at least be fully attentive at the time of surgery.

Also, I realized that the Doctor practised at several different places and in fact I could have had the same procedure done by the same doctor at much cheaper rates at the other places he practices. I was paying a great premium without getting any extra service, but only misinformation.

Also, I had no way of ensuring that the doctor really gave me 4,500 grafts or less. I could have been 3,000 and I would have no way to know.

Now, here is the second big whammy. Post the surgery, I was informed:

• I needed to ear a head cap and aband for the next 72 hours

• I had an injured head so could not go out

• I was put on heavy anti-biotics and sedatives.

• I could only work from home for the next few days

• Based on the transplanted hair might have to wear a cap for next 6 months -12 months because the patchy transplant.

• I should not do any kind of gymming, running and workouts for the 3 weeks

• I should not anything thats makes me sweat

• I should stay away from alcohol and smoking

• I should keep my head as much away from pollution, dust and heat

All this meant that:

• I could not attend to some very important official meetings and presentations where I needed to go

• There were major lifestyle changes I was not informed about

I was not informed any of this before I underwent the procedure. Plus, there is always such a huge disconnect between what the doctor says and what the studio promises that I am agast, angry and disappointed.

Conclusion

• I was prepared for 3,000 follicles but was forced to undergo 4,500 follicles in extremely coercive environment

• Doctor and Clinic never speak the same language

• I was misinformed about my requirement: 15,000 against 6,000

• I was misinformed about the post surgical precautions

• I will not recommend going to Advanced Hair Studio to anyone because they will give you a great sales pitch and convince you, but truth will come as come to the day of surgery

• I am still extremely unhappy and sceptical about the results I will get after the first round

For people who are planning to undergo such a procedure, here is my advice:

• Do not go on the swanky interiors and great sales talk: Always talk to the doctor who will perform the procedure

• Be clear on the requirements

• Talk to other patients to see if you are prepared for it

• It is a big decision which will require you to alter your lifestyle, so be prepared

[akshat1000]

Hi Nipun,

 

I underwent a similar therapy with Dr. Gupta. How are the results? I am anxious to know. Contact me @ nine nine five eight eight nine one six eight one. or give me your contact and we can catch up