I need advice (urgent)

[ThomasJ]

Yesterday I talked to a PAI Medical consultant, and he confirmed that in about a year I'll be ready for a transplant. I'm in the beginning stages of hairloss. He went over the specifications of the procedure and hair. He mentioned that Dr. Roy Stoller is the surgeon for their company. I don't know too much about PAI Medical, but since I've been browsing this these forums I recently narrowed my surgeon down to Epstein. I'm an African American and I started using propecia and minoxidil today. I plan on using them for the next year to see how much hair I keep and/or become thicker. By then I can see what to do about the transplant.

 

I have some questions though. PAI Medical stressed that they do multi unit hair grafting. Which procedure is better between muhg (PAI Medical Provides muhg only) and follicular unit micrografting (Dr. Jeffrey Epstein procedure)? Has anyone heard of Dr. Roy Stoller? My last question for right now is Dr. Jeffrey Epstein's donor scars. I wear a hairstyle low but not almost bald. If you can picture Reggie Bush or Jamie Foxx's hair then that's how I style mine. It would be a major plus if Epstein's donor scars are pencil thin like Jamie Foxx's scar. Please give me your answers and thoughts. I would put my pictures on here but I'm rushing to get to the weight room, lol. I will post them within a couple days. Thanks everyone!

[hatrick]

first, you DO NOT want to go to PAI. that is an outdated technique. Epstein uses ultra refined follicular unit grafting, which is state of art. Epstein is also a coalition surgeon, which means the results he produces are consistently excellent. I have never heard of Dr. Stoller.

 

As far as the "reggie bush" haircut, it's hard to say if the scar would be visible or not. Look at it like this, you will most likely be able to shave your head down with a 3 clip, maybe a 2, without anyone noticing your scar. That is assuming you go to Epstein, or another coalition surgeon, who use the trico closure method which produces a very small, fine scar.

 

One more question, how old are you?

[badger_01]

Sounds like you have to figure out if a really need a hair transplant or not. It's not as glamorous and hassle free as the TV ads would have you believe. If you do decide you need one, then its a no-brainer to go with a doctor doing Follicular Unit grafting....thats the latest and nothing else comes close. Take your time..talk to a few doctors...meet a few patients and see there scars up close...and you'll have all your answers.

[Dewayne]

Good God! Choosing between those two? I'll use this analogy, would you as a NFL franchise take as your fist draft pick Reggie Bush or that slow, white running back from Auburn?

 

Epstein is the answer, my man. And, he's a plastic surgeon so I would think your scar will be about as good as it gets.

[TheEmperor]

Thomas,

 

Keep researching. For an african american man, you might want to use clippers or shave your hair short. A strip scar is usually visible if you cut your hair short.

 

For most people, strip surgery is a good idea, but I might recommend FUE surgery for you. Call Dr. Feller's office and ask him about this possibilty.

[ThomasJ]

I'm currently 21, but I'm not planning on getting anything done for another couple years. I am researching the surgeons and just trying to learn as much as I can right now. Thanks everyone.

[Clive McQuire]

Thomas

 

Keep going with the research, and get a lot of consults in!!

 

With regards to your age, be very aware that although you may feel concerned that you have started to lose hair, you are very far from at the end of the road, so look at your dad/grandad/mums dad, and see what might be at the end of your Norwood scale, that way you can decide if you might like to leave it a while, or at the very least be cautious about the number of grafts you place at the front of your hairline!!

 

You only have so many to move so use them wisely!!

 

All the top docs on here would give you good advice!!

 

Best of luck.

 

Clive.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

The hardest thing to express and explain and get younger patients to understand is the progressive nature of hair loss. Like the African American patient below, his hair loss advanced. However with proper planning and expectations and available donor, succesful results can be obtained and with good donor scars. I generally recommend that my younger patients be committed to propecia and rogaine especially if they have a family history of advanced hair loss.

 

African AMerican Patient

 

Be patient, start on meds and do not rush into surgery and be aware of the potential for future loss and the impact it could have on your donor area, density and coverage.

[Smoothy]

Not questioning your selection, but would advise you to do A LOT more research on doctors and peer reviews of the surgeon you pick. You do not want any mistakes or for that matter have surgical depletion of your donor hair without cause.

[Gthompson]

I have owrked with Dr. Stoller as a surgical assistant. He is a dedicated physician who does some really nice work. I have assisted with many hair transplant surgeries, and his work is as good as it gets. He would never do "out dated" work as some have implicated. Dr. Stoller has studied facial aesthetic surgery for many years and completed a formal residency in facial surgery including hair transplants. I think it is important for doctors to do good work but they also need to be part of an accepted board of study that is apporved by the educaiton councils which govern medical education.

[Arrie]

Gthompson

It kinda weird you first post ever on this site is to protect a doc. He might as well be a great surgeon, but with no consistent proof, your not gonna convince anyone here, our just wasting your breath. Cute...

ThomasJ look at some docs here on this site and see how many patient results they have its amazing. Also ask questions with all the forum members and get as many consults as you can. You are in the right place... Research Research!....

[Gthompson]

Kind of weird that you think your opinion is more important than miine. I am answering the person's question, you are being argumentative. I think it is weird that you think a doctor has to prove himself to you when you didn't even ask the question. Sounds like your answers are biased.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I agree with Arrie . Gthomson ,do you still work there?

Its up to the surgeon to prove to Thomas J though with page after page of his surgeries not from the pais across th US.

Arie is biased he went to the BEST surgeon out there

[Gthompson]

This was not about me, it was about answering someone's question. When the patient had the consultation with PAI, he was shown the doctor;'s work. It appears no matter what the people ask it will always be spinned that unless they meet your criteria (with no formal experience) and pay a fee to the coalition, the doctor can not be good. You bad mouth MHR, yet one of the coalition doctors was trainned by MHR and I think does good work.

The accepted medical standard is for a patient ot make an appointment, consult with the doctor and see his/ her work. You are right, let the patients do their research.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Gthompson if you work for them you have to let it be known

[Bill - Seemiller]

GThompson,

 

I welcome you to our forum community, but I don't appreciate the negative spin you are putting on the Coalition. Do you always defend your position by attacking credible organizations?

 

Each surgeon in the Coalition has a proven track record of producing excellent results. See our high level of standards for the Coalition here. Coalition surgeons do pay a sponsorship fee which supports and funds this community, but surgeons are invited into the Coalition selected based on quality of service. Consider an elite university that rejects prospective students that don't have what it takes. Those that are accepted still have to pay the University fee to fund the organization.

 

The truth is, most surgeons want in the Coaltion, but many don't have what it takes to be admitted. The Coalition represents an elite group, but we recognize that our group doesn't necessarily represent all quality surgeons.

 

I personally am not familiar with Dr. Stoller or his work. As a representative, you are welcome to answer questions, defend your clinic, and present examples of his work however, if you still work for him, you are required to present your affiliation with him in your signature as per our terms of service.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[thanatopsis_awry]

Total troll, as I surmised from his other spewage....these cheap ploys of spin get disgusting.

[Gthompson]

1. I do not work for any group but myself. I said I worked with this doctor in the past.

2. Why don't you correct your posters when all I did was answer a question and was touted as "protecting" a doctor for posting after someone implied that one doctor was better than another with out knowing someone's work.

3. Your postersa think they are physicians. One commented that they did not have to follow the AMA guidelines. They do not, but most physicians do.

4. It is generally known that money influences people.

5. I never attacked the coalition. Why is quesioning if a doctor has good results not considered an attack, but asking about possible biasness is?

I hope people to do their research and realizwe that your suggestions do not meet any national recognized criteria. They should see a trainned physician and get their questions answered. Part of that should be to see the doctor's results in my opinion and talk to other patients. But it is all to easy for non medical people to blog against and for a doctor. You even disclose that your opinions are just that. If you want to be validated take your consistent results and get them published by a medical journal. Remeber those are the people who have experience and more importantly recognized by national standards.

[Gthompson]

Can you please show support that most doctors want in the coalition?

What percentage of hair restoration doctors have applied?

What percentage with formally recognized trainning in a specilty related to hair resotration have apllied?

[Bill - Seemiller]

GThompson,

 

You say you work for yourself, do you own a hair restoration clinic? If so, I expect this information to be added into your signature.

 

You clearly don't have an understanding of this site, especially since you thought it was run by doctors. Take some time to read through our sites (links in my signature) to learn what we are all about.

 

You also don't have an understanding of hair transplant surgery since you continually reference the AMA. No national hair transplant organization is truly recognized by the AMA. The ABHRS is not an extension of the AMA, but its own entity, operating by its own rules and ran by physicians.

 

All members of this community are entitled to their opinion, so there is no need to "correct" members. Additionally, if you read our terms of service, it clearly states:

 

"Considering the real-time nature of this bulletin board, it is impossible for us to review messages or confirm the validity of information posted. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message. The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of this community or any entity associated with or sponsoring this community."

 

It is not our job to arbitrate what another poster says about a particular issue or surgeon. If I happen to think/know they are incorrect or misinformed, I will jump in with my opinion.

 

I only involved myself in this thread due to your misleading statement above, "It appears no matter what the people ask it will always be spinned that unless they meet your criteria (with no formal experience) and pay a fee to the coalition, the doctor can not be good". This statement is incorrect and had to be addressed.

 

We have a number of physician posters on this forum, but they are clearly identified. Your statement that forum members have to follow "AMA guidelines" on another thread only further demonstrates your ignorance about the real-time anonymous nature of a bulletin board.

 

Your point 5 is contradictory to what you have implied by your question on this thread. It's funny how you attempt to point out a conflict of interest of physicians recommending physicians, and then once you learn we are ran for and by patients, tell us that a patient recommendations are meaningless and that patients should get recommendations from doctors.

 

You appear to have an agenda to discredit this patient community. You are welcome to participate here and share your knowledge and opinions, but continual attempts to discredit us will result in your suspension of posting privileges.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Dewayne]

Gthompson,

 

I do think I'm qualified to speak of the "trained physician" who implanted the rows of four to eight hair grafts all over my head. I'm just a regular guy, but I did call my old clinic and found out they are doing the same procedure today. They still think microscopes get in the way, that hairs grow in 3's and 4's mostly so that's how they take them out, etc.

 

So yea, if someone asks for an opinion on him I'll give it. And if I've read enough bad stuff on a clinic I'll say that to. I think that's what most posters want....

 

Another thing is, most posters who've been around here a while are probably in the top 10% most knowledgeable people in the world on hair restoration. Granted, the physicians who post on here regularly are among the top 0.01% and the true experts but most people on here would at least qualify for "masters" levels.

[clay]

ThomasJ

 

I am 27 and I had a hair transplant three weeks ago. I had been planning to do a tranplant for three years, and in that time I spent most of the time researching the procedure/techniques/photos/side effects/ disucussions as well as looking for the best doctor that I possibley could find. THIS is a very helpful website in doing all of these things! Infact, the doctor I chose had been mentioned in the discussion forums in high regards, but wasn't actually a coalition member. However, I would have not come across him if it wasn't for this site. I did however bring his attention to the website and he was familiar with it, but seeing as how I had to book three months in advace, I figured word of mouth and reputation kept him pretty busy. So, bear in mind, that even though the doctors in the coalition are at the top of thier game, there are still a lot of other wonderful doctors out there who are just as good as the coalition memebers. NOW... the most important thing is... whomever your choose, you MUST make sure that they are experienced and use the most up to day techniques... THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN SACFRAFICE FOR ANY CAUSE OR ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY... I am sure you are aware of the damage that can be caused by a bad hair tranplant. You also mentioned that you are of African American race... my advice is find a doctor who has had experiencing working with your hair type. I speak first hand at this, because I am a caucasion, living in asia and went to a hair transplant surgeon whose patients were typically asina/caucasian or middle eastern and he claims to understand the difference between these hair types. You must choose a doctor whom you are confortable with and takes the time to answer all your questions. I will promise you, based on my own experience, trust and faith in your doctor is what is going to make the difference... they need to be with you before/during and after your procedure. I know that I am only three weeks in, but I am very happy that "took the time." If you think in a couple years you want to get this done, then you're lucky cause you can start researching now.

Make use of this website as much as you can, it's a great tool and GOOD LUCK

[clay]

Thomas J... ONE MORE THING...

 

Even though there could be great doctors that work for companies like Bosely or PAI... I would recommend that you go to a private cinic, to a DR. that specializes in hair transplants ONLY and will perform no more than two hair transplants per day.

 

Also, if you use this site (and others) to learn all you can and to get questions... take your facts and questions to the Dr. A great surgeon should be able to answer your question and repeat your facts straight on!

[Arrie]

Clay excellent advise and well put my friend.

ThomasJ your getting some great advice here its nice to see your doing some homework and not rushing into anything.

Gthompson I don't care about anything besides PROVEN RESULTS AND THE MOST UP TO DATE TECHNIQUES, anything else is just a waste of time. If this doctor is good let him (or you if you work for him in any way) show consistent proof time and time again. I must be biased considering I told him he is in the right place and to do his own research and pick his own doc.... Damn you caught me. Its just funny that you think I am more "important" than you, no I just don't care about you. As long as ThomasJ doesn't get hacked up by some outdated technique, thats all I care about in this thread. But I guess your right I'm just being biased....

Good luck ThomasJ...

[thanatopsis_awry]

Game. Set. Match. Bill by 2nd round TKO. Etc etc etc.