Dr. Thomas Wentland

[timshair]

Anyone out there have any procedures with Dr. Thomas Wentland in Arlington Heights, Illinois? Thanks for any responses!

[Dewayne]

Here are several threads about him. I didn't read them, but if you click on the "search" above you can put in a keyword search.

 

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums?a=search&re...Type=1&search=Search

[Dewayne]

Also,

 

You'll see in one of those threads that Pat, the publisher of HTN, actually visited this doctor and there is a 'mini' review.

 

He said he was good, but not at the elite level some of the top docs are at. You should check the guys in Oakbrook, Detroit, or Minnessota.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I live in Illinois and can confirm Wentland is as close to a hack as they come that charges more then the best out there.

Dr Konior in Oakbrook and Dr Shapiro in Minn are top chpoices

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Way back in 2001 I did watch Dr. Wentland do surgery. At that time he was using dilators, which are essentially small finishing nails he used to hold the graft incisions open. He also was not using magnification to prepare the grafts. All in all, I was not impressed and was not about to recommend him at that time.

 

Now seven years later I have no idea what procedure or technique he is using. But I certainly hope that he has given up the dilators and adopted state of the art techniques.

 

Below is my original post from Posted August 22, 2001 01:37 PM

 

Well, I just got back from visiting Chicago and made a point of researching what I hoped would be some of the better physicians.

 

I met with Dr. Wentland, former Elliot and True surgeon, and saw him do surgery on Saturday.

 

Dr. Wentland had his hair restored by Dr. Elliot and his results looked fairly good. Not quite in league with what I'm use to seeing with Shapiro and his group and others on his level - but good.

 

It was interesting to see the use of dilators in action. Basically dilators are actual small nails that have specially shaped points that are placed into the recipient incisions to hold them open until the grafts are placed. Dilators are only used by a minority of clinics including most of Elliot and True.

 

Dr. Wentland is convinced that dilators make placing the grafts easier and thus less damage occurs to the graft.

 

It was a strange sight seeing a patient with dozens of small nails sticking out of his head.

 

In my opinion this method is not as refined or artistic as a skilled surgeon working with an assistant making tiny close incisions that are immediately filled with a graft - technique called "Sticking and placing".

 

He also did not use magnification during the graft dissection process.

 

Ultimately I felt his end results, looking at his assistants hair and photos, were ok - no cobble stoning or pitting and good reported growth rates - but not as naturally distributed or refined as what I've come to expect from a top surgeon.

 

All the other clinics I intialy contacted also did not really impress me.

 

But if anyone has found a clinic in the Chicago area that does impress them please let me know.

 

Lets keep those doctor reviews coming. Pat

 

Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please register - it's free and easy - and then jump into the discussion.

[Dewayne]

Oh, his transplant looked good, not great. Not his work. I see now.

[aLabs]

Butcher, butcher butcher. Wentland sucks. write me and i'll send you pics of what he did to my head.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Sorry to hear about what he did to you .

I live in IL. and also considered him . Glad I didnt because Ive heard nothing but horrible things about him.

Good news is that you can more then likely be completely repaired if you make the right choices

[Innermind]

Saw this on search function. I usually post at hairlosshelp.com, but I had to post here on this for future people who may consider dr.wentland.

 

I was all but 22. NW3 at the time. Went to Dr.wentland for convience(location, payment options etc). Big mistake.

 

I went there for consultation, and my God, I didnt feel like i was in a doctors office, I felt more like I was at a used car dealership the way that kunt(his sales rep) was trying to sell me. I dont think anyone should be that aggressive with a sale when it comes to hair transplants or cosmetic surgery in general. But her technique worked at the time. She basically was like " do you have the balls or not?" not is those words persay, but she got me to sign the contract.

 

Dr. Wentland comes, all dick about it, dosent even look at me. Just goes through my hair and says hmmm okay. Well we can give you 1800 hairs(who gives count by hairs anyway) and that should do it. I ask him, you think thats all Ill need. He, with a straight face, says yes. Anyone who knows anything, knows that 1800 hairs, which averages out to 900 grafts(2.2 hairs per graft average industry value) will not do anything in terms of comsemetic improvement unless its in one are. He put the grafts all over my NW 6 area.

 

I must of asked him a thosand times, are you sure this is enough. I even asked him, " If i become a NW 6 will this be enough grafts." He thought for a second, then replied "yes, it will be enough" Obviously this coc monger did not have my best interest in mind, and just wanted to make an easy $3000.

 

So in the end, I eneded up with a 6 inch linear scar in the back of my head and grafts placed all over my head. They do not add to my apperance. In fact they take away. The constrast difference between the minituraizing native hairs and the strong graft hairs is an eyesore and forces to pluck them on a daily basis, but its impossible to get them all. I wear a hat everywhere i go now. I wish i could just shave my head, but i cant unless i want to deal with the scar and the countless questions I will get about it.

 

Basically Dr. Wentland put me in a terrible position. Im just a young guy(24 now) with agressive hairloss (NW4/5) and In a much worse place than I ever was.

 

I really dont know what to do. I guess my best option is to get FUE into the scar and try to go as short as possible. I dont even know if this coc eater gave me a tricho clouser... he wasnt able to answer that question so im assuming no.

 

Moral of the story... DO NOT GO TO DR. WENTLAND!!!!! I only wish the worst for this man. No doctor should give HT's to patients under 25 especially those with aggressive Hairloss period.

[Balding Before You Can Buy]

Yea my first consultation was like the same as yours and Im sorry that he influence you to go through with HT but heres my story....

 

So I found out that I was just beginning to bald when I was nineteen, during my freshman year of college. I obviously started freaking out and told my parents about it but they did not believe me and told me I was overacting. But I knew that I was balding. So during my sophmore year of college I took things in my own hands and told my parents that I was going to schedule an appointment with a hair loss doctor so I could try to keep the hair I had. My mom said that her dermatologist told her about Dr. Wetland who worked in the same office as him.

 

So during Thanksgiving break of my sophmore year when I just recently turned twenty I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Wetland. Thankfully my Dad (who by the way has a full head of hair which is so unfair haha) decided to come with because if he did not, Wetland would have pressured me since obviously I was vulnerable since all I want is to not to be bald. So yea when I got there I first met with his lady who showed me how she got like three hairs transplanted to her forehead to show that hair transplants really work. Then Dr. Wetland came in and did a scalp analysis and asked me questions like how bald are the members on my mom side of the family. Then I asked him about propecia since I told him my balding is not really noticeable at all unless I show someone my recession and that I would be contempt with keeping the hair I have. He told me that propecia is not really effective at all and that hair transplants are the only way to stop baldness. Then I said this question which, i still wonder about today. If hair transplants are so effective than how come so many celebrities are bald and they have all the money in the world to spend on hair transplants. He said that they did not choose to improve their hair, which I guess for some could be true.

 

So then he looked again at my hair and told me about how many grafts I need and the price as well, which I believe was around $2,000. I said alright well that does not mean I will not bald anymore, because I no with baldness you will continue to recede and get a bald spot in the back. Wetland said that he would be able to anticipate further loss so it would be okay. He then took me to his lab where the hair transplants happen, and told me how I wouldnt feel a thing and could watch a movie during the operation. So at the end of the consulation after writing down my operation, the woman and wetland urged me to get a transplant when I came home in december for christmas break. Thankfully again that my dad was there because I would have said yea for sure as long as my parents can cover the costs. So when I got home I told my parents that I wanted the transplant. Since I told them it would be cheaper now to get it since I have more hair than I will in a few years from now. Luckily my parents said that we should research more on him. My mom found out that he lost his license or something for some reason that I forget about now. So we decided to not consider him anymore.

 

But the funny thing is that I got a call from the woman that worked there right before I was about to go church with my family on CHRISTMAS EVE, literally Christmas Eve. When I talked to her she was not the same nice person I met a month ago, since she was demanding when I was going to schedule my appointment. I told her that I did not want a transplant and wanted to use propecia. And then she said well Dr. Wetland prescribes Propecia and I almost said well you did not tell me that was an option when I asked at the consultation. But then my Mom got on the phone and asked her about Wetland's scandal and then the woman had nothing to say.

 

Alright sorry I know this message is long and probably useless since I did not get a HT. But I just wanted people to know how he tried to convince a 20 year old to get a HT. Since obviously balding at such a young age you will do alot of things to keep your hair.