Horrible hair transplant

[pushing 40]

I had the occassion recently to be waiting in line with a man who had one of those horrible plug transplants. It was that hard looking thick round wall of plugs placed awkwardly across his forehead. Seeing it in person was really eye opening and a little confusing because he really didn't look old enough to have done it back in the 80's. Either way, it truly was freakish looking; I felt so sorry for him and of course wanted terribly to refer him to this forum. But, I didn't want to be punched in the mouth so I kept it shut. Not one single person around could resist continuously glancing at it. It was really horrible. Why in God's name did they allow doctors to do that to people. It definately made me realize if I do get one, I will spare no research or cost.

[pushing 40]

I had the occassion recently to be waiting in line with a man who had one of those horrible plug transplants. It was that hard looking thick round wall of plugs placed awkwardly across his forehead. Seeing it in person was really eye opening and a little confusing because he really didn't look old enough to have done it back in the 80's. Either way, it truly was freakish looking; I felt so sorry for him and of course wanted terribly to refer him to this forum. But, I didn't want to be punched in the mouth so I kept it shut. Not one single person around could resist continuously glancing at it. It was really horrible. Why in God's name did they allow doctors to do that to people. It definately made me realize if I do get one, I will spare no research or cost.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Pushing40,

 

I know well the impulse to want to reach out and do a hair intervention - knowing that guys like him can have such work fixed. On some occasions I've chatted with such guys and made a point of telling them what I do. If they show any interest I hand the my card so they might just find this forum.

 

It certainly is sad to think that someone with a medical degree who promised "above all to do no harm" would perform such a surgery.

 

Back in the old days, when these plug cost in excess of $25 each, doing hair transplants was probally easier money then counterfitting.

 

Any doctor who managed to graduate from medical school could begin doing hair transplants with little more than a few round punches and little or no staff. They simply cored out a round plug using a round punch and then cored out a hole with a similar sized punch into which they placed the plug.

 

In hindsight this was truly the dark ages of hair transplantation. Yet I've heard some doctors (none on this site for God's sake) refer to this era as the "Golden Era" of hair transplantation. Perhaps from their point of view it was golden. But it certainly wasn't for the patient.

 

The good news is that the dark ages are largely behind us, due to better consumer information and the evolution of vastly better techniques that were inovated by physicians who care to provide the best.

 

Today a top notch clinic has to work very hard all day to please the patient, while employing a full staff that uses vastly more equipment than a punch.

 

In my opinion hair transplantation has entered a new "Golden Era". Only this time it's golden for the well informed patient.

 

Viva la Revolution!

[Hoping]

Pat this is a wonderful forum for information. I luckily found my way to Dr. Epstein without this forum but its scary that I could have ended up with one of the butchers out there. It is unsettling but not surprising that there are doctors out there who have sold their souls for the sake of the dollar and have caused so much harm to so many people. It happens not just in the hair transpalant industry, but throughout the medical profession, for example surgeons who perform unnecessary surgeries, physician expert witnesses who lie in court for an expert fee, and it goes on and on. It is for this reason I am very wary of the FUE method. For small sessions I can understand FUE being preferrable to strip but it ends there. It seems to me that we must look with a jaundiced eye at any physician who regularly promotes FUE over Strip. FUE has not been proven superior, there may be more transection of hairs but we do know it takes more time and more money and more sessions, thus more money to the doctor's bottom line. Call me a cynic but . . .

[markcia]

HOPING

HAVING HAD BOTH FUE/STRIP, FUE IS W/O DOUBT THE SUPERIOR PROCEDURE.LESS TRAUMA,LESS INVASIVE,LESS RECOVERY,JUST MORE TIME IN THE CHAIR AND MORE MONEY.AT THE END OF THE DAY FUE IS THE WAY.

 

Originally posted by Hoping:

Pat this is a wonderful forum for information. I luckily found my way to Dr. Epstein without this forum but its scary that I could have ended up with one of the butchers out there. It is unsettling but not surprising that there are doctors out there who have sold their souls for the sake of the dollar and have caused so much harm to so many people. It happens not just in the hair transpalant industry, but throughout the medical profession, for example surgeons who perform unnecessary surgeries, physician expert witnesses who lie in court for an expert fee, and it goes on and on. It is for this reason I am very wary of the FUE method. For small sessions I can understand FUE being preferrable to strip but it ends there. It seems to me that we must look with a jaundiced eye at any physician who regularly promotes FUE over Strip. FUE has not been proven superior, there may be more transection of hairs but we do know it takes more time and more money and more sessions, thus more money to the doctor's bottom line. Call me a cynic but . . .

[hairbank]

Originally posted by markcia:

HOPING

HAVING HAD BOTH FUE/STRIP, FUE IS W/O DOUBT THE SUPERIOR PROCEDURE.LESS TRAUMA,LESS INVASIVE,LESS RECOVERY,JUST MORE TIME IN THE CHAIR AND MORE MONEY.AT THE END OF THE DAY FUE IS THE WAY.

 

IMHO..........I would think FUE/Strip has to be reviewed individually on a case by case basis.

 

Personally, I'm still a NW 4 and am having a 2nd HT for as many grafts as possible, maybe up to 5000 - I hope! From my research, this would be next to impossible to accomplish using FUE alone not to mentione the cost involved. Now, if a person is a NW2 or NW3, maybe they can get the results they're looking for with FUE.

 

I'm not trying to be disagreeable, just pointing out that every case of hairloss is unique and needs to be approached in that fashion.

 

From the scar results I saw using the Trichophytic closure from H&W (and some others), the scar from strip seems to be less and less of an issue.

[Hoping]

HAVING HAD BOTH FUE/STRIP, FUE IS W/O DOUBT THE SUPERIOR PROCEDURE.LESS TRAUMA,LESS INVASIVE,LESS RECOVERY,JUST MORE TIME IN THE CHAIR AND MORE MONEY.AT THE END OF THE DAY FUE IS THE WAY.

________________

 

I have to agree with hairbank here. I don't see how FUE could possibly be superior to the strip method if you require a significant amount of transplanted graphs. Too begin with, I would think it would be virtually impossible for even the very best surgeons to painstakingly remove one follicle unit from the back of the head after the other without causing significant damage to existing hairs. A few hundred? Maybe. A few thousand? No way. Second of all, painstakingly or not, it only makes sense that hair roots are going to be transected (spelling?) in the FUE process. Third, the cost will be significantly greater. Fourth, the time to complete the procedure is significantly greater. I see it like this: There are only so many guys who have the financial means or the will to actually have a hair transplant. There are lots of hair transplant doctors and it is a competitive business. To fill your surgical chair, what better way to do so but to find a manner by which your clients keep coming back for days of work when, with the strip method, its often only a one shot deal. And on top of that, you get to charge far more per graft. Sorry, I just don't buy that it is worth it except for the smaller procedures, unless you are the doctor that is. For what it is worth, Dr. Jeffrey Epstein did my HT almost four months ago. I have virtually no pain or soreness or numbness anywhere on my scalp at this point. The scar, under my hair, is barely visible and only to me when I look for it using a comb (its still a little red which makes it more visible). The recipient site is starting to grow some hair (maybe I'll post a photo)and from day one never showed any signs of trauma or scarring whatsoever. My transplant of 2800 grafts took only one day of my time and far less money then the FUE procedure would have taken. Bottom line, if you find a top and ethical surgeon, I could not imagine opting for an FUE unless you were looking only for a touchup. And being honest, I wouldn't be going for an HT if I was looking just for a touchup. JMHO.