Nine Month Report

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

I just think since no one knows whats really happening we are just throwing out every scenerio.

[notgoing2gobald]

"off the charts"

w/reference to you was the extent to which you SPUN the event: turning the fact that the TECHS were out drinking the night before into a POSITIVE experience, one which "can (uhum) actually INCREASE overall work ethic"...

 

"Off the charts"

w/respect to me---yeah, and Im always TRYING to be that way, and they are virtually all OFF THE CHARTS in the "OFF-TOPIC" section.

 

I trust members of the forum have enough inteligence to interpret/determine *when* I am joking and when I am not...

 

I never said them going out drinking the night before WAS INDEED THE SOLE CAUSE...

-BUT-

it would however cause alarm to me.

 

And I really wouldn't view it as a positive thing either, promoting work productivity...

 

So what of it then----

 

if hair pieces *can* cause delayed or even poor growth, then why didn't dr.e tell him this PRIOR to surgery?

haven't heard an answer about THAT one, even though dr. e cited it as a possible cause along with the COLOR of his hair?

[Bill - Seemiller]

PGP,

 

Right now hes a NO grower.

 

You are confusing patients. TTDS has had some growth, and the amount of growth is a bit speculative without before and immediately postoperative pictures however, clearly, growth is poor at this point.

 

I just think since no one knows whats really happening we are just throwing out every scenerio.

 

You are right on. This post isn't about definites, it's about possibilities. The truth is, not even Dr. Epstein would know with certainty the cause of the delayed growth unless it turned out to be an internal issue. I'm sure he may have a better understanding if TTDS consults with him in person, but even then, there will be some cause for speculation.

 

Possibilities....

 

That's why again, we have to give it time. Thankfully, Dr. Epstein is standing behind his patient.

 

Bill

[Pat - Community Publisher]

While I can appreciate Dr. Epstein's upset upon hearing of his patient's concerns, I don't think he should be upset with the process of patients sharing their candid concerns on this forum.

 

Dr. Epstein has benefited from dozens of positive patient testimonial over the years on this forum. It is not realistic for any physician to expect only praise on an open forum.

 

In my opinion, the members of this community are sharing their genuine concerns, many of which I share. We must take the good with the bad and let the chips fall were they may, even if we may not like what we hear.

 

All the physicians recommended on this community must realize that they are operating in a transparent environment and should expect their patients to share their experiences openly online. And like democracy, we won't always agree with what is stated on an open forum.

 

The section of the Coalition membership standards regarding accountability is reposted below.

 

Given Dr. Epstein's long history of top notch results and patient care, I do think we should monitor these patient concerns over the next few weeks before we as a community reach any conclusions.

 

 

 

Physician Accountability

 

Membership in the Coalition requires members to maintain a high degree of patient satisfaction. Members care for their patients knowing that their patients are free to post their experiences on the popular Hair Restoration Discussion Forum. On this open forum patients are free to critique physicians and to hold them accountable for their actions. This forum is run and moderated by hair restoration patients.

 

In such a transparent environment our members are held publicly accountable for their actions and results. Members who fail to meet the high technical and ethical membership standards set by the Coalition are removed from the group.

 

However, we ask that patients first give their physician the opportunity to satisfy their concerns privately before posting any public criticisms on the discussion forum.

 

If the issue is not resolved to the patient's satisfaction they are encouraged to contact the Coalition by email at service@HairLossLearningCenter.org

 

Member clinics also agree to open their clinics up to inspection. Many of these inspections have been reported on the Hair Restoration Discussion Forum. View some of these clinic visits

[mgoldberg]

Another one bites the dust on the site?

[Bill - Seemiller]

mgoldberg,

 

Dr. Epstein is still a member of the Coalition. We are reserving judgement while we monitor these results over the next several months. See Pat's post above.

 

Thanks for your concern,

 

Bill

[hairbank]

The fact that TTDS is experiencing very slow growth is a concern. For now, the only thing I haven't seen that I need to see is before/after pics, along with a better pic for comparison.

 

As for the comments about the Techs partying the night before, I imagine of the two times I was in the chair if the Techs were talking about partying the night before I may be a little concerned about my precious grafts. At the same time, what they do on their personal time - as long as the results don't suffer, I couldn't care less.

 

The quality of Dr. E's work over the years has been solid in my opinion. The fact that there have been a few cases in question recently is too bad, but, I'm sure things will come to light. As Pat mentioned, and one of the very reasons I'm a supporter of this sight, the bar is set very high, nothing is hidden and recommended Docs are accountable for top-notch results.

 

Hopefully we'll see some before/after pics for better evaluation.

[MORE_HAIR]

Hey guys.

 

If you look back at ALL my posts starting from day one...I'm not a doctor lover.

 

If anything I'm the guy that thinks doctors having there asses kissed for no reason is Bullshit...they're payed like all of the people in my life that do a service.

The MD after their name does not impress me.

 

But some of you guys really gotta chill out a bit.

I've had a few pm's and personal calls from patients of a few different docs and they are chuckling at the guys that want to bury Epstein.

 

In my opinion Dr.Epstein did a great job so far on me(even though my the results are pretty early/but great)...but i NEED to see more....but it's early.

 

Techs being drunk...Epstein all of a sudden being a bad Doc....cmon guys....get a grip.

 

My post in relation to Dr.Bernstein/Rassman was basically ignored.

Does that mean that maybe Dr.Epstein's staff had a bad day...anything is possible.

 

Don't take this the wrong way my friends who have helped me from the very start...you guys ALL OF YOU..helped me and gave me tons of support...I owe alot to the regulars that even though you guys don't realize it...helped me and are really good people.

 

"Another one bites the dust on this site"....and BS like that.....This site and the people involved I HOPE are sharper then that.

 

If a doc deserves to get buried...I'll tell ya my friends "I'll dig the hole"

 

But at this time...some of you sound like clowns.

Let me remind you "I'LL DIG THE HOLE"

 

WAIT !!!

Let's be men about his.

 

PS- TTDS...I received your PM...and even though i have no idea who the heck you are personally...only that you're a hair loss pal and confused...and someone who is in pain at the moment....I'm glad you're paying attention with an open mind...you're a better man then me...

i'd be going crazy at this point.

 

I'm so happy You PM'd me back and are dealing with this with total class and dignity.

I'm glad you read my Dr.Bernstein /Rassman post and are handling this like a true gentleman.

 

I will tell you though....If you have Zero growth for whatever reason at the end of the day...I'm pretty sure Epstein will take care of you and at the end be the best work this forum has ever seen.....lol.

 

I'm not saying anyone at all is betting against you...but people are like cattle...they all follow no matter how negative or positive.

 

Stay in touch pal,

MH

[something]

certainly some uneducated, hysterical people on this thread....

 

some of which add fuel without having any real experience.

 

i'm sorry to say, but without photos and the right amount of time passing (about a year), then nobody has any evidence one way or the other.

 

stop being such jackasses, and wait to see what happens in a few months.

 

and yes, Dr E. has been around for a long time with a long proven track record. is he immune to surgical errors, no, but lets wait to see what transpires.

[kevkristy]

I would like to put into context the techs/partying post.

 

My posting of this had more to do with my concern for concentration, and not an insinuation of being drunk.

 

They could have been talking politics or sports and I would have had same concern. My feeling as a first-timer in the chair as my head was being sliced open was: "please, enough with the chatter, concentrate on me." That's it.

 

If you reread post, no where does it state I believed they were drunk. Again, it was a worry about concentration and focusing on the job at hand.

 

I hope that ends any speculation of this drunk tech talk.

 

As for the user 'something'. It's people like you who do a disservice to this community's direction. Calling people "uneducated" and "jackasses" for simply posting concern about one's personal experience. I used Epstein. I am at 6 months post. But

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Some of you guys must have never went through the horrible emotions these 3 are going through.

It almost paralyzing to go through the emotions of losing your hair then going through surgery to restore and see nothin when most others are seeing things at 3 months.

We all know Dr Epstein is a good doctor but that doesnt make these 3 feel any better when they have to look in the mirror every morning.

This is heated more then ususal because of 3 different posters claiming poor or no growth 6 months and beyond.

Like I said before Dr Epstein only takes out the donor and creates the sites the techs do the crucial part as far as growth.

It is still too early to make any final judements but the comment that DrEpstein is really on his techs ass now tells me alot.

Hopefully these 3 are just slow growers.

I think its awesome that he is the kind of doctor that stands behind is work but I hate that theres a possibilty that a ton of grafts are lost.

Morehair was kidding but hes right If you want the best work DrEpstein has ever did its right now. Kev Kristy I understand you more then you know .I know TTDS posts scared the crap out of you but you are still very early. The odds are still in your favor

[MORE_HAIR]

Please Grow Please,

 

When I mentioned about Dr.Epstein taking care of this patient if he doesn't grow....I actually wasn't kidding.

I'm sure in this special case Epstein will(even though I feel he does this all the time) be all over the second pass ttds might need.

 

Now of course with that comment somebody's going to jump in and say why is he caring so much with the second pass...he should've done it the first time.....not what i mean.

 

Maybe he'll spend most of the time in the operating room.

From what I understand alot of the docs are in and out of the room.

I read other patients experiences and most say their docs are in and out all day.

This is a rough guess but maybe the docs implant 30% of the graphs themselves ???

 

Our pal ttds will have Epstein all over this....and that's a good thing.

 

I'm hoping of course it's delayed growth as Dr.Bernstein states in his writings.

And if it is...some people are going to have to send Epstein some flowers.

 

MH

[Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS]

Dear Posters, Pat and Bill, and everyone reading this- I wanted to make a few comments, to hopefully help clear the air..

1. I perform on a typical day 2 procedures, and work 5 days a week, 51 to 52 weeks a year. Of the 500 procedures I perform yearly on average, 75 are eyebrow procedures (which take 2 to 3 hours at most to perform), 100 are on women (which take 4 hours on average to perform as they tend to be 1600 to 1800 grafts in size), 100 are reparative procedures which, and 225 are for male pattern hair loss. I start my day with a large case- 2400 to 2800 grafts- at 7 am, and am usually finished with with this procedure by 1 or 2 pm, sometimes 3 pm. I have a team of 15 full-time assistants, so this provides us with not only the ability to have all the grafts cut in 3 hours or so, but constant rotation of 4 to 5 specially trained and skilled planters to get the grafts efficiently placed. Please also note that I often will remove the donor strip in two parts- so that the hairs are out of the body for the shortest period of time, thus preserving the blood supply for the longest period of time to help with hair regrowth.

The second procedure, which is usually smaller (i.e. eyebrow transplant, or a 1600 to 1800 graft procedure) I usually check in around 1 pm, and the donor strip is then ready to be removed at 2 pm which coincides when the first procedure is usually finished. Then, this case will be over by 6 or 6:30.

 

2. The very comments that my assistants are talking is what most of my patients love- for they are engaged in this conversation. I do not have TV sets in my procedure room- rather I prefer that the patient, who is often taking some sedation, can engage in conversation with the 15 or so people working on him/her. I cannot tell you how many of my patients tell me what a wonderful team of assistants I have, and how the "casual" atmosphere helps put them at ease. But don't be fooled- I have a AAAHC certified operating room (I believe one of the only hair transplant facilities in the country to achieve anywhere close to this level of certification, assuring patients of the highest standards of care and sterility). In addition, the average assistant in my team has 5 to 6 years of experience- with some of them working with me for as long as 14 years. So these girls are true professionals, who follow my lead in interacting with patients.

I just completed an eyebrow transplant procedure, and received a big hug from her to thank me not only for wonderful results but also for a wonderful experience. Does anyone notice how the top guns are able to work with what some of us would regard as a distration: i.e. Rap music playing as the Detroit Pistons warm up; Country and Western music blaring in the NY Giants locker room, per the request of Eli; Mozart in the Open Heart Operating room. When people are relaxed and things are going well, with people confident in their abilities, they are able to converse with patients, talk amongst each other, listen to whatever music the patient requests, and are able to go about doing their work to the highest degree possible. Personally, I am more relaxed and sharper when listening to some great rock and roll.

 

3. I am an active participant in ALL phases of the procedure. In addition to removing then suturing closed the donor site in a plastic surgery fashion, I make EVERY SINGLE RECIPIENT SITE, constantly returning to the operating room to make additional sites so that the hairline has exactly the natural look that patients desire and that I demand, as well as the maximal density. In addition, I will often do some planting, especially along the hairline and central forelock.

 

4. In over 14 years of practice, with over 5,000 procedures performed, I have had literally thousands of very happy patients. In those occasional cases when there is less than full (90 plus %) growth, I replace these grafts AT NO CHARGE. I also encourage patients to contact me at any time, providing all of them with my personal cell phone number 305-310-6361.

 

5. Every single one of my 15 assistants has their own Mantis microscope, their own 3 dishes of iced Petri dishes, and is paid not upon the number of grafts they cut (which can encourage slopiness) but on a salary.

 

For anyone who cares to take a look- on my website www.foundhair.com, you can view a video of an actual procedure being performed.

 

To all the readers and posters out there: I apologize for any defensive stance I took. I have worked for so many years to establish what has been a stellar reputation, and put my heart and soul into each and every case I perform. I love what I do- next to my 3 kids, there is nothing more important to me than my practice. After 6 years of plastic surgery fellowhip and training, and 14 1/2 years of practice, I understand the importance of listening to every patient, and realize that my reputation is only as good as the work I perform. I will always adhere to the highest standards, and wish to convey to everyone reading this that I will always stand by my work, always will operate in an accredited facility, always will be accessible to my patients, always will have the top trained assistants, and never stop trying to get better and better, and will do my very best for every patient.

 

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

[Bill - Seemiller]

My feeling as a first-timer in the chair as my head was being sliced open was: "please, enough with the chatter, concentrate on me." That's it.

 

Kevkristy,

 

I completely understand this feeling and had a severe case of this on my first hair transplant. The constant socializing and giggling made me worry a bit and I too wanted to shout out and say basically the same thing.

 

But as a few others have pointed out, experienced technicians who see this as routine can successfully concentrate on the patient and still socialize a bit in the meantime. In all 3 of my surgeries, there was a least some if not a lot of socialization, in which I participated in a lot for the second and third surgery, being more comfortable with it.

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Epstein,

 

Very rational post as I think it will help members understand more abou thow you operate. I encourage you to remain an active part of this discussion as members may continue to ask questions and express their concern.

 

I know we all hope (especially you and the patient) that TTDS will have some excellent growth in the next few months, but only time will tell.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Bill

[MORE_HAIR]

Hey Doctor E.

 

I was always wondering why you removed my strip in two parts....well now I know.

 

I'm only 4 1/2 months out but looking good.

My friggin' birthdays go by so quickly...but the months after a HT of course crawl....lol

 

MH

[Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS]

Two other things.

 

 

More Hair- It's not flowers I want, merely for people to give me a chance and not judge my entire career of 5000 plus cases by 3 or 4 patients (in baseball, that would be batting .999 or something like that, in basketball that would put to shame Steve Nash's free throw shooting percentage).

 

Second, as a Clinical Instructor at the University of Miami teaching med students, residents and fellows, as an active presentor at scientific meetings and author of many scientific articles, and having trained over my career with some of the world's top plastic surgery and hair transplant surgeons, I appreciate the importance of realizing that every patient is different, and that even the very best surgeons cannot always have perfect results, but rather must never stop seeking to improve.

 

Jeff Epstein, MD, FACS

[Guest]

Hi guys

 

Im from the UK and am 50 years of age now. My first visit to Dr Epstein was in 2005 when he created a hairline for me -He created a hairline for a 50 year old guy which in itself is an art- I had short of 3000 grafts. I have attached some photos(before and after) Firstly, the professionalism of both Dr Epstein and his Assistants has to be complimented. With my first procedure(I had a further one back in Dec 2007) I really did not know what to expect. The staff completely put me at ease. I was asked what kind of music I liked, they were chatty when I wanted to chat and were aware when i wanted to chill. It was a very comfortable, friendly yet a trusting experience. We all have to remember that our hair grows in different time scales. I am not an expert,certainly, in fact some of the guys who write on this forum should look at taking up hair transplanting. The reality is that the job of the Surgeon and Assistants is not easy. It takes training,experience, care and artistry.If you look at my photos performed by Dr Epstein in 2005(shame he didnt do something about my face too LOL) you will see that I had very little before. The hairline was created and to be truthful after 6 months it was OK. However, for me it took nearly a full year before it took full shape.I had another procedure done last December 2007. The same staff (including the wonderful Roxy who runs the office)were there who remembered me from before with equal measures of warmth,professionalism,dedication and determination. Sorry, for anyone who has met Dr Epstein, he lives and breathes for his patients and staff He does not suffer fools- in that he is honest but with politeness and integrity.My point is that he would never allow any reduction in standards at any point. Please take a look at my photos.

Unkind or offensive comments serve no purpose on this forum in my opinion.Another point is that there is little point in getting stressed out about growth in the first 9 months in my opinion.Even after that it doesnt mean that it wont grow.

I will post somemore photos when my second procedure develops .Im in no rush- after all im only 50 !!

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Glad to hear your happy but I have to disagree about not being stressed after 9 months. Who knows whos fault this is .Maybe TTDS was somoking crack for a month straight ,maybe he used super glue on his rug and it ripped the grafts out .Maybe he was break dancing and doing head spins,or maybe he has terrible luck. Or maybe just maybe Dr Epsteins crew screwed up one time. What ever the reason 9 months of limited growth would worry the shit out of me.

[Aaron F]

Dear Forum Members,

 

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aaron and I have worked in the hair restoration industry for more then 10 years. I recently accepted a position with Dr Jeffrey Epstein as Chief Administrator and Development Officer. During my career I have worked with more then 20+ doctors and have seen well over 75 different doctors' work first hand. My goal for posting on this forum is to be able to share my experiences and offer advice with forum members in hopes of educating and perhaps offer a different perspective. Below is some of my personal and professional history.

 

I was lured into the hair industry because of my personal hair issues. I started losing my hair at a young age. My first attempt to remedy the problem was to use a hair piece, which I did for three years. Due to my age I was able to wear a hair piece with a style that did not reveal my hairline and because of that no one had any idea I was wearing a hair piece (at least they didn't say it...) As time passed I felt less and less comfortable wearing my hair piece so I starting looking into alternatives. This is when I found the world of hair transplants. At that time I was living the Tampa Bay area and had gone through consultations with 3-4 local doctors. I found a doctor I felt comfortable with and scheduled my 1st procedure. This was in 1997. I had 550 micro and mini grafts placed in the front 1/3 of my head and I started to use Rogaine and quartering Proscar (before Propecia was FDA approved). I was so happy with my results that I approached my doctor asking to work with him. He offered me a job and I spent 3 months following him and his business partner around learning the business from the ground up. At the completion of my 3rd month the doctor's business partner died. We then agreed I would assume all the non-medical daily operations for the practice. I held that position for almost 4 years before I decided I wanted to have a bigger roll in the hair industry.

I interviewed with Bosley, Nuhart, and MHR. I received offers from all 3 and choose to accept a position with MHR in Philadelphia. Ultimately, I was responsible for the oversight of Philly, NY, and MD offices. I was working with MHR for less then a year when one of the MHR doctors made me an offer to move to help him start his own practice. After 2 years with this doctor, I was recruited by Hair Club with the responsibility of developing and running their hair transplant division. When I started with them they had 2 docs and when I left we had just brought on our 9th doc.

When I left Hair Club, I left the industry completely feeling frustrated and needing a change. I took a position as Vice President of Operations for a luxury fitness company located in NYC while still living in Florida. The position required me to travel every week to NYC. After my wife gave birth to our twin girls I decided that I did not want to be apart from my family every week.

 

This now brings us to the current. Having spent the majority of my professional career in hair and feeling reenergized I made contact with some of the top hair docs. I offered my services and experience, which includes oversight of daily operations, website development, administrative and database management, financial management, negotiating vendor pricing, and practice development. (Yes, I have done about everything in the hair industry except pick up a scalpel.....) I was contacted by and met with a good number of doctors, one of those being Dr Epstein. Before I agreed to work with him I visited his office 4 times. On 3 of the 4 occasions I changed into scrubs and spent the day with him in the O.R. I was not going to work with anyone but THE BEST at this point in my career. I wanted to make sure the work was the best and the patients were treated right. I'm sure some of you are going to read this and dismiss some of what I'm going to say because of whom I have worked for but I ask all of you to keep an open mind. My years of experience have taught me not just want to do, but more importantly, what not to do as well.

 

I would like to share some of my observations from my visits with Dr Epstein and why I decided to work for him:

 

"?? He is extremely caring and passionate about his patients, staff, and his results.

"?? He has more staff per patient than any hair doctor I have seen.

"?? The results from patients during follow up visits and his photo albums are extremely impressive. He is a true perfectionist.

"?? The staff is experienced, friendly, and most importantly cut and placed grafts very well. All the grafts are kept moist with saline, on graft coolers, and handled with care.

"?? I counted 15 microscopes

"?? He does not have a television in the O.R. for the patients. When I asked him why he told me he wants to make sure that the patient and staff communicate during the procedure

"?? His recipient sites and artistry is very impressive

"?? He takes the time to call each patient following their procedure

"?? He personally answers all of his email

 

These are a few of the reasons why I choose to get back into the industry with one of the best hair docs. I look forward to helping others through this site and please contact me with any questions.

[kevkristy]

Aaron

You posted the exact same copy in your own thread.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=147338

 

What's the purpose of duplicity?

[thanatopsis_awry]

I pretty much agree with everything PleaseGrowPlease has said. Dr. Epstein's reputatation shouldn't be ruined by a few cases that are not even yet complete; but the said cases are also quite troubling in and of themselves, and should be met with seriousness and compassion and not dismissed in any way.

[Aaron F]

kevkristy,

I wanted to involve myself in this thread and did not want to come across as a random new member posting. The purpose of my post is to show my background to the members so they understand that I'm posting from many years of personal experience .

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Aaron Thanks for the copy paste but since you here

now how about staying. Jotronic ,Bspot ,hairlosscure Bverotti and many other doctor reps are here to help.

Is that the case with you or are you here to put a bandaid on things .If you here to help with all your knowledge I welcome you with open arms if not ,WHATEVER!!

[Aaron F]

Thank you for welcoming me with open arms........kind of . There are a lot of great people on this site including those you mentioned and others that do a lot of good for many people. I wish I had a resource like this when I started wearing a hair piece at 17. At that time I would have never in my wildest dreams expected to find help. I'm here because I have dealt with my share of pain from my hair loss. I hope I can become I valuable member to the forum.