Extremely bad experience

[exibel]

Hello new to the forum,so i see this thread is share your experience so hear is mine.Im 39 now and had two flap surgerys when i was 26 .

I was desperate to get my hair fixed and went to a Doctor who i have now found out got struck off a few years back due to being inapt at his job.

During the first op i actually felt the knife cutting into my forehead and naturally almost went into a state of shock.

After a few days when i could see the result the flap only went 75% across the forehead.

A week or so went by and half the flap went black and just come off.I was naturally freaked out by the way it looked ,so the Doctor persuaded me he could fix the job by taking a second flap to meet the first.Well he did the operation and again it didnt take just left me with a disfigured look.

I shave my head bald now and all you can see are massive scars all around my head.When going out i only wear a baseball cap and havent taken it off for 13 years outside.

Im in no rush to ever get it it fixed as i couldnt go thru anything like that again.I wished i had just shaved it off before having the first Operation...........

[exibel]

Hello new to the forum,so i see this thread is share your experience so hear is mine.Im 39 now and had two flap surgerys when i was 26 .

I was desperate to get my hair fixed and went to a Doctor who i have now found out got struck off a few years back due to being inapt at his job.

During the first op i actually felt the knife cutting into my forehead and naturally almost went into a state of shock.

After a few days when i could see the result the flap only went 75% across the forehead.

A week or so went by and half the flap went black and just come off.I was naturally freaked out by the way it looked ,so the Doctor persuaded me he could fix the job by taking a second flap to meet the first.Well he did the operation and again it didnt take just left me with a disfigured look.

I shave my head bald now and all you can see are massive scars all around my head.When going out i only wear a baseball cap and havent taken it off for 13 years outside.

Im in no rush to ever get it it fixed as i couldnt go thru anything like that again.I wished i had just shaved it off before having the first Operation...........

[bullitnut]

hi mate i know just how you feel i too have had horrible disfiguring surgerys just do a search on all the forums for the norton clinic and you can see my terrible experiences BUT let me tell you youve come to the right place these forums offer the very best advice and reviews on all the options available,on here the co- alition surgeons all have to meet criterias and im going to get my situation sorted this year thanks to these forums.I too havent taken my baseball cap off in years so i know the pain your going through first hand but PLEASE DONT GIVE UP DO SOME RESEARCH ON ALL THE BEST DOCTORS LIKE FELLER, HASSON AND WONG, RAHAL , SHAPIRO TO NAME BUT A FEW AND IM SURE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK ON TRACK. there are some very helpful understanding guys n girls on here like spex jotronics janna etc that are willing to help there are also loads of doctors who post too who can give you honest unbiased opinions good luck mate all the best and dont forget we all make mistakes but we have to learn from them do your research and im confident you wont make another cheerio mate!!!

[bullitnut]

oh i forgot to mention things have moved on from the flap days and natural looking heads of hair can definitely be achieved its not just a pipe dream.hope this helps mate!!

[exibel]

Chears for the responce ,yea iv been looking thru the forum and the feeling is fairly up beat about transplants .I live in Europe and there are some good surgeons but to tell the truth until i actually see in the flesh someone who has had the same terrible results i have and ends up with a good result then im still reserved to get it fixed..

[bullitnut]

i might be wrong but i seem to recall a flap repair surgery by dr umar on here or the other forums maybe Bill can confirm this? try a search on dr umar you might find what your looking for good luck!!!!

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

exibel-

I am very sorry to hear of your experience.

Is it possible for you to upload a photo or two?

It may help me determine why a flap was entertained in your case in the first place, as well as allow me to get a look at the scarring and, most importantly, your donor area supply.

Even with a limited amount of donor it may be possible to create a natural looking appearance that will finally give you some peace.

Please do not give up; even the most botched work can be salvaged using current standard of care techniques.

 

Sincerely,

[Bill - Seemiller]

exibel,

 

Welcome to our discussion forum.

 

You have certainly come to the right place for support and research. It saddens me when I see patients who have older techniques performed (especially radical ones like flap) that were unsuccessful in meeting their goals. Unfortunately, this was pretty common in the past.

 

Thankfully, with todays ultra refined techniques in the right hands, surgeons can create a natural looking head of hair with hair transplantation in qualified candidates.

 

In my opinion, take your time and research this site and consult with a few of our recommended surgeons to see how they might be able to help you.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[djdennis]

Im Really sorry to hear your story man. I cant believe that there are docs that would compromise bad hts for $$$$ and disfigurement. Dr Heckle and Mr Hyde docs should be banned and sued for suck disfigurement. I think the courts should say ok its hard to sue but if you disfigure your practice will be shut down with a million dollar settlement. That just might make some docs say no to your surgury. But then again you had your ht done awhile back and that was the risk back then. I dont know much about flaps, but just the name alone gives me the shivers. God bless man and put everything into prayer as God knows your situation and he is always looking to help us.

[exibel]

Here is a front shot of the two flaps which did not take..

[exibel]

Side view...

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

exibel-

The first shot (frontal), while out of focus, shows a left and right frontal flap, is that correct? Also, it appears that the left flap does have viable hair at good density, no?

This may be a bit premature, and I am basing this opinion on very limited photo documentation, but, assuming you have adequate donor, it should be possible to correct this outcome with possibly one, but more than likely two procedures.

Is there anyway you can get better photos taken?

If so, a 1.Frontal; 2.Left/Right "3/4" view (Left /Right temporal view); 3. "birds-eye" view (straight overhead); and 4. Posterior view of donor area.

I think this is a fixable situation, so again, hang in there.

 

Sincerely,

[exibel]

Sorry for the out of focus shots,will ask the wife to take some better ones tonight sometime,women eh?

Yep there was a left and right flap taken,the density on the left flap is very thick.

I am bald from the flap to the crown,i know without better photos at the moment it would be hard for you to say but if there was enough donor hair could that gap be filled?

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

In general, and assuming you have adequate available donor- absolutely.

[Arrie]

Exibel, Sorry to hear about your situation, but you have come to best place on earth to get help and info. I usually am undecided with my opinion on Doctors that post on a regular basis on this site (I am not judging any docs please do not take this the wrong way....) In this case Dr. Timothy Carman you truly are a class act and from recent example of pt that you worked on an amazingly skilled doctor. You pretty much are consulting this patient right here in front of us all. I could only imagine how good this must make exibel feel. I haven't posted on this site for awhile because "i got my life back" being about 10.5 months post op. Seriously though Dr. Carman you show what a patient should look for as far as ethics and character go when we look for a doc. God Bless you... sorry just had to give credit when credits due.. Enough praising Exibel I hope you find piece my friend....

[Dewayne]

Originally posted by Arrie:

Exibel, Sorry to hear about your situation, but you have come to best place on earth to get help and info. I usually am undecided with my opinion on Doctors that post on a regular basis on this site (I am not judging any docs please do not take this the wrong way....) In this case Dr. Timothy Carman you truly are a class act and from recent example of pt that you worked on an amazingly skilled doctor. You pretty much are consulting this patient right here in front of us all. I could only imagine how good this must make exibel feel. I haven't posted on this site for awhile because "i got my life back" being about 10.5 months post op. Seriously though Dr. Carman you show what a patient should look for as far as ethics and character go when we look for a doc. God Bless you... sorry just had to give credit when credits due.. Enough praising Exibel I hope you find piece my friend....

 

I concur.

[exibel]

I will let my hair grow a little so you can see the donor hair more easily before posting any more pics.

Have to say thanks for the feedback from fellow members on the forum.Evan though i look like Frankensteins monsters younger brother i got over worringing about it years ago.People have far worse lives than i do,it was my mistake to go to an idiot doctor ,back then we didnt have forums like this to get the kind of quality information that is on this one.

[TheEmperor]

I bet you can be fixed.

 

They could use FUE to extract hair from the front flap and redistribute it around the hairline and midscalp. They may also be able to do a strip to minimize the scar from the flap.

 

If you are patient, you can probably be fixed. Have you considered a hair piece? Those look natural now and could certainly hide the bad work.

 

Im sorry that this happened to you, but you have options.

[bullitnut]

check out the thread dr umars impossible repair also dr epsteins website states he does flap repair good luck bro

[Dr. Timothy Carman]

Originally posted by Arrie:

Exibel, Sorry to hear about your situation, but you have come to best place on earth to get help and info. I usually am undecided with my opinion on Doctors that post on a regular basis on this site (I am not judging any docs please do not take this the wrong way....) In this case Dr. Timothy Carman you truly are a class act and from recent example of pt that you worked on an amazingly skilled doctor. You pretty much are consulting this patient right here in front of us all. I could only imagine how good this must make exibel feel. I haven't posted on this site for awhile because "i got my life back" being about 10.5 months post op. Seriously though Dr. Carman you show what a patient should look for as far as ethics and character go when we look for a doc. God Bless you... sorry just had to give credit when credits due.. Enough praising Exibel I hope you find piece my friend....

Arrie-

 

I just want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughts, and I am humbled at your appraisal of my work. They are the results of my formal (and informal) training in the ABHRS approved Fellowship Program with Dr. William Reed at LJHRMC. I am particularly touched, as the cornerstone of our surgical practice (as should be) is the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship. Thank you very much for your kind words.

Sincerely,

[exibel]

Sorry i ended up starting a new thread,but there are some more pics on there as you can see..

[Bowlforthedog]

I just cannot believe what some doctors get away with and when ethically they know it is wrong. They will burn... I am sorry to read and see what you have gone through. I hope you can get some help.

[wylie]

Hey exibel, dont feel alone, lots of butchered patients on this forum (including myself), most of them are the same age as you and I, and you are correct, when we trusted doctors all we had to go on was their word, maybe a patient or two that were "lucky" and looked normal from their surgery, and some photo albums to thumb through.

 

There is hope, dont despair. There are some amazing repairs taking place these days that give us all a chance at looking normal again, good luck

[exibel]

This was the front view...

[Dewayne]

You know, what bothers me the most now about the transplant I had back in '91 is the celebrity endorsements.

 

They've still got several local, southern celebrities on their site giving positive testimonies about their transplant with the doctor. And, while I wouldn't say I was "butchered", the transplant I got was noticeably unnatural with four hair grafts in the hairline and up to eight hair grafts in the top and crown area.

 

Compare that to the celebs who show remarkable results. How is that? I believe the doctor was much more capable of doing better work and used much more care and different techniques on the celibrities in return for their endorsements. Since I was just a 25 year old flunkie, it didn't matter so much.

 

If you don't believe me, check out the guy on their site with the comb running through his hair. He's the owner's son and has a nice transplant, which he bragged that I would too have back then. Then compare it to mine on the weblog.