Nine Month Report

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

That sounds great .Ok maybe not with open arms yet .How about a handshake to start off with?

[Aaron F]

I'll take it. It's a start...lol

[Jeffrey Epstein MD, FACS]

Dear KevKris- I do now recall who you are, and wish to expand on some of your comments.

 

Your procedure was performed on October 2nd, 2007, but we first starting emailing each other in 2005. During that time period, you scheduled surgery 3 prior times before you finally had your procedure, each time you cancelled or were cancelled by my office due to a lack of receiving a deposit. You were given patient references from throughout New England where you live, and we did everything we could to make your planning and research as complete as possible.

For your procedure, you were charged for 2000 up to 2200 grafts, yet were given 2376 grafts and were not charged anything additional. Your procedure started at 10:15 am, and you were discharged from my office at 5:35 pm. Almost 7 hours with 12 of my assistants and myself working on you, including providing you with almost 376 free grafts at no charge, giving you lunch, and what you described as a wonderful and professional experience.

You intially wrote into the Forum the day after your procedure to post about your experiences under a different name "jddidt"- here is the link: http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/746...351047243#3351047243

 

In this post, you described how wonderful we all were, how professional I and my assistants were, how our speaking during your procedure with you put you at ease, and how responsive I was to you- quote " arrived back at my hotel around 5pm, took my medication, and sprayed on some more Graftcyte (you need to spray this on every waking half hour for 3 days). For the rest of the evening I just kind of chilled out, relieved it was over and excited about future. I order some delivered Italian food, surfed the web, and watched TV. Dr Epstein called in around 8PM to check on me. He's very personable. Didn't just do it as a PR/obligatory service. He honestly cares!

 

All and all, the procedure experience with Dr Epstein and his great staff was extremely positive."

 

 

When you emailed me on Sunday, March 30th, I was on the first day of my vacation skiing in Crested Butte with my 3 kids- as a single dad, I greatly enjoy getting some special alone time with them, and like the remoteness of Crested Butte. I did reply to your email 3 days later, while still on vacation, where you expressed some concern about your lack of growth at 6 months, writing to you quote:

"XXXX- It is still far too early to judge the growth- for some it can take 12 or more months.

Let me go over your chart, and I want you to take things one step at a time and be patient.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey S. Epstein, MD, FACS

Miami and NYC

www.foundhair.com

www.womenscenterforhairloss.com

www.plasticsurgeryoftheface.com

305.666.1774 / 212.759.3484 / 800.370.2883"

 

 

When I got back from vacation, I called you just last week to check in on you, once again reassuring you that you had some slightly delayed growth, but there was nothing to worry about. I also told you to call me anytime to speak with me, and that since I was going to be in my NY office this week, if you wanted to, I would be happy to meet with you.

 

Instead, you have now chosen a new Forum screen name, and accused me of being a hypocrite- including stating , quote: "In closing, I find it disturbing that Dr Epstein spent far more effort and about three thousand additional words in replying to a couple of (bad pub) threads than he did to a personal email from a patient looking for nothing but support. The question I ask: Did I not warrant as much attention?

Is this the same doctor who you described as "

He's very personable. Didn't just do it as a PR/obligatory service. He honestly cares!

 

Respectfully,

-KK"

 

Do you really think that when I both emailed you last week and this week called you, that I gave you adequate attention, and more importantly, providing you with empathy and support, as well as reassurance? How many doctors reply to their patients while on vacation? How many doctors provide the kind of stellar service you described the day after your procedure when the memories of your procedure were still quite fresh in your mind.

 

I choose not to go any further with this thread publicly. I simply need to clear my name to the public.

As far as your results go- at just 6 plus months, I will state publicly- it is too bad that your growth is not as good as it should be, but this IN NO WAY implies that the hairs will still not grow back, nor does it imply that I and my team of assistants did anything other than provide you with state of the art work, and finally, nor does it mean that, if for any reason, your hair does not grow in as well as it should that I will not replace your grafts at no charge. As I have always done, because I GUARANTEE MY WORK.

 

 

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Epstein, MD, FACS

[Time to do something]

I would like to thank everyone for your support and concern through this very difficult time I am going through. I am cautiously optimistic that this will end successfully. Dr. Epstein has given me his word that this is very unusual and sympathizes with my situation. He has agreed to stand by his work and make me his poster child to get it right and no additional charge. This has greatly relieved me. I don't believe this situation is a reflection on his work but rather an abnormality which may be understood eventually. In fact, my stylist said that the donor scar is almost non existent.

 

I just want to make it clear that I am not a "no grower" but a "slow grower". There is hair where previously there was none it is just very sparse at this point. Dr. Epstein is a perfectionist and is taking this as hard as I am. He didn't sleep last night because of this. I also received a very nice and reassuring call from Roxy today. I posted my photo on the forum to receive opinions to see if I was where I should be at the nine month point. This being my first hair transplant I had no point of reference by which to judge the results. The forum served its purpose by alerting me that the results were not where they should be.

 

It became apparent after posting the photos and sending them to Dr. Epstein (who also responded back quickly with his concern) that the growth was not where it should be. To sum it up, it appears that my situation is very unusual and for the very few who have this complication there are other routes to consider when undergoing the next procedure and Dr. Epstein will have your back and not leave you out in the cold. For now I'm taking a deep breath and putting my hair in the capable hands of Dr. Epstein.

 

Why did I select Dr. Epstein? I was willing to travel anywhere in North America for my hair transplant and wanted the most artistic results available. I finally narrowed my selections down to two doctors and Dr. Epstein was the one I ultimately selected. I thoroughly researched every aspect of this procedure before I committed to it. Dr. Epstein can tell you I emailed him dozens of times with specific questions so I would be an informed patient. He gladly and quickly responded to all of my questions no matter how trivial they may have been.

 

I will admit I was very concerned about my results at the nine month mark but when I approached this situation logically with a level head I realized I was probably worrying needlessly. Dr. Epstein has offered to make this good and I am taking his word on that. He didn't work this long, earn numerous accolades and build his state of the art medical facility with seasoned technicians only to lose his reputation by abandoning one patient with less than expected results. So I'm confident he will do whatever it takes to make this work. The plan is to give this another three months which will put me at the one year mark. The first week of July I will have a second procedure with approximately the same number of grafts as the first one. After Dr. Epstein has an opportunity to see me in person May 2nd we will determine where the next grafts will be placed. He has even sent Aaron his assistant to my house tonight in Orlando from West Palm Beach which is a two hour drive to consult with me. I think I'm being taken care of on a very personal level. I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Thats great TTDS. I knew nothing about Epstein but he has shown the passion EVERY doctor should possess. Plus you might be a super slow grower that all of a sudden sprouts. Thank you Dr for your dedication to him but Im just asking you understand Kev rants. We are not robots and we all act in different ways when mad ,hurt ,or let feel let down.

[nm315]

alls well that ends well..

[Guest wanthairs]

let me add here - -

 

i too was very concerned about the techs giggling and talking about their personal lives. But if they are doing 2 procedures a day every day this is second nature to them, and as I originate from a medical family I have seen this over the years and remembering that calmed me down although it was a bit disconcerting. When Dr. Epstein first saw me, he told me I would need three prcedures to achieve what I wanted and he also warned me that with some people it takes a long time to grow. In my case I had some growth at 7 weeks, but nothing more for about 6 months. I saw him at the five month mark, totally depressed and he admitted I am a slow grower, but it eventually grew out and I should almost be where I should be very soon. It has made a SUBSTANTIAL difference to my appearance and confience with pretty amazing results in my outer life. I am very sorry for you Kevkristy / time to do soemthing / female hair loss and i hope that things work out eventually.

[Aaron F]

I had a chance to meet with TTDS last night and take some pictures. With his permission I have posted his progress. I was pleasantly surprised and very optimistic.

 

Here is a brief recap of his surgical plan:

 

TTDS has been wearing a hair piece for many years. He has very good density on the sides and back. The plan was to spread the grafts over a larger area than Dr Epstein normally does (front 1/2 - 2/3). He did this knowing he would need an additional procedure for added density. He was not concerned about his crown.

 

The results to date:

 

Based on my visit and the pictures I would estimate he has about 70% growth at this time. This is well within the normal range especially since he had been sleeping with his hair piece on 3-4 nights a week. He also has a bunch of new hair sprouting up. This was very encouraging.

 

Summary:

 

TTDS has agreed to not sleep with his hair system and we will continue to track his progress.

 

 

 

TTDS pics

[hairthere]

Ok, so if that was a one pass deal then I would say it was a failure and he should have had at least double the grafts for that area. But if the plan was always to do a 2 part surgery then this whole issue was blown way out of proportion. ttds, you will be fine.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

How about some postop pics .Whether it was decided on one pass or two there wer still 2600 grafts placed in the front 1/3. These new pics do look better and if theres stubble well obviously that a great sign. Why in God green earth would you wear the piece to bed.. That goes back to the friction theory tossing and turning all night on a pillow surely could shed the premature hairs that are wispy and weak at first. You could get away with cutting your hair short on the sides and getting rid of the rug since your scar is great,

[condoguy]

these pics shed more light, no pun intended, on this issue.

 

good move on Dr. Epstein's part to employ Aaron and deploy him to TTDS's home to take some pictures for assessment. Obviously, Dr. Epstein is a first-rate surgeon and is going for complete transparency of his practice.

 

now, with all that donor hair it seems like a larger session would have been more aesthetically pleasing to the patient, but the point is now to get another procedure to densify! TTDS is in good hands with Dr. Epstein. he takes great care with all his patients.

[Guest]

yes, I agree with condoboy in that Dr epstein is seeking complete transparancy and is determined to resolve this whole episode with facts and encouraging photos. Well done!!

[Guest]

Sorry !!I did not mean to be disrespectful I meant that I agree with condoguy. Apologies

[MORE_HAIR]

Hmmmm....

 

This is getting interesting.

It would be great to see more pictures....but this is not a "no growth" patient...if it's anything he's MAYBE a slow-grower.

 

I gotta tell ya...I thought "witch hunt" might have been a bit of a stretch at first...just changed my mind.

 

TDDS was the one going through this and he was the calmest of the bunch.

I'm really happy for you ttds...your going to be ok after all.

 

It was a large area you needed covered and I'm sure everyone involved here knows 2500+ graphs over such a large area will probably at 9 months....look exactly like that....I don't care if god himself did the surgery.

 

An area such as that would need at least 4500+ for some sort of an illusion of density.

 

To whom it may concern....Dr.Epstein's address is on his website...the flowers can be sent there....at least to his techs....they break their asses all day....hopefully didn't read all this.

 

This whole episode made me a little nervous.

Even though I had my job done with Epstein 4 1/2 months ago and it's really growing well...this kind of story....even though totally blown out of proportion...still not fun to read.

 

I chose Dr.Epstein because he's one of the best...

and even though this story is not totally over yet...I realize even now more than ever...He's one of the best.

 

TTDS...can't wait to see your 12 month pictures my friend...sleep well.

 

MH

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Theres was never a witch hunt Look at the pictures TTDS supplied himself and REMEMBER TTDS said the grafts were put in the front not spread out all over Your wrong about 2600 grafts in the frontal 1/3 when you say thats how its suppose to look. The good thing though is hopefully he IS a slow grower cause if not that is not a good result. I believe hearing from Aaron about alot of stubble a huge positive though. Nobody ever said he had no growth that was kev kristy results so far . Anyway Im sure youll be fine Morehair Good growing to you also

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

TTDS...can't wait to see your 12 month pictures my friend...sleep well.

 

Yeah and without that frickin piece on

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

One last thing and Im done with this until I can either grieve with or congratulate TTDS. I think the latter is looking much better though

One positive that came out of this is it got Dr Epstein to show what kind of man he is before anything else. Hes showed concern and passion and thats all you can ask from a doctor besides great results. I think we can all sit back now have no negatives when an Epstein thread pops up .Yes there are 2 other concerned patients but they are truly early in the game . Some of us want to force surgeons to be held accountable from day 1 to 365 if a patient isnt happy or worried . There have been SOOO many people screwed in the past and left alone that surgeons still suffer from the hacks and the hair mills before them and now.

Its probably ok for you morehair to send the techs some flowers along with a few bottles of chaser. Just kidding thats for NGTGB. Already miss ya bud.

[MORE_HAIR]

PGP,

 

All is good pal and I agree.

Hopefully in a couple of months TTDS is seeing alot more growth....we ALL will be very happy about that.

 

It's hard for me not to a little bias because I used Epstein....let's be honest.

But this doc is so respected by the other docs I talked with...this was just to much.

I'm not a kiss ass and would be the first to call a spade a spade.

 

Happy growing to all you guys.

I'm now going to take a shower and wash my new hair....lol

 

 

MH

[HairDew]

Originally posted by MORE_HAIR:

 

I'm not a kiss ass and would be the first to call a spade a spade.

 

 

 

Lets call a spade a card? Let wait and see how cards unfold? How's that for metaphor? lol

[Guest]

I also was also a hairpiece wearer that went to Dr. Epstein. I had my procedure done in March 2004 and received 2,700 grafts. Dr. Epstein assured me that I could continue to wear my hairpiece while the new hair grew in and he also stated that the hair usually starts to come in around the 4- 6 month mark, but everyone is different.

 

Well, at 6 months guess what..very little came in, at 7 months to 8 months a little more. Every month I called and I was assured just be patient all the grafts will grow in. We had though that most probably the hairpiece could have been slowing the growth and that I was also a slow grower.

 

Finally around the 10 month I actually had to go for a real haircut. When I saw the results it looked thin, but I have very fine hair, and it had a see thru look. I applied some of the Toppik powder that Dr. Epstein gave me and lo and behold, it looked presentable! I stopped wearing my hairpiece around the 10 month mark. The hair continued to grow in and look thicker as I approached the one year anniversary.

 

The bottom line I was a classic very slow grower and it took almost a year for the hair to come in.

 

I went back for a second procedure for 2,300 grafts and a third procedure for 1,200. Total grafts 6,200.

 

I have not worn my hairpiece since, and that cost savings alone is paying back my cost for the transplants!.

 

I did extensive research in choosing a hair transplant surgeon and would have flown anywhere in the USA. Being that I am from NY, I had my share of choices on Park Ave, Central Park West, etc., etc.. But I chose Dr. Epstein, in Miami, based on my research that he was one of the best in the field! And my results are the proof in the pudding!!

 

Just be patient, I can understand your anxiety, as I was where you are now. Be patient and use the Toppik too. I use it every morning to beef up my hair. Everyone loves the look versus what I had before. Listen, you are not going to get thick hair like you had with hairpiece. But the results will look so natural, you will be glad you did it and went to Dr. Epstein!

[Bill - Seemiller]

For those who are interested, Aaron from Dr. Epstein's office has just posted TTDS' 9 month photos with befores in the "Hair Transplant Patient Photo Album".

 

Click here to view it.

 

Aaron, in the future when you create a photo album, I'd suggest that you leave the "allow comments" checkbox selected. I will post my comments here.

 

It's hard to make a full judgment without seeing a before picture of the top of the head and immediately postoperative pictures, but all things considering, growth isn't as bad as I might have thought from the discussion.

 

The question is, where exactly were the grafts placed? Is all the hair on top of his head now transplanted hair, or does some natural hair remain (even though not much) like what is shown a little bit in the before picture?

 

Any additional information on this would be helpful.

 

I'm glad to see that TTDS is coming along. I will not draw any conclusions until another few months have passed on the final result.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[djdennis]

hairdrew Im just curious what you expect this man to go through. He needed 2 procedures and from his pics its not that bad. He might be a late bloomer,but he is not that late.

 

If you read the messages the man spread the ht on the top. He was not going for density. He wanted it to look more natural being evenly spread. I just had my ht with Doc epstein 2 months ago on feb 7th . I have no complaints and I see hairs popping out at 2 months bro. Thick ones!!!!

 

I have been busy lately and had not much time to post messages as I am studying for an exam. I wish I had the chance to step up for Dr. Epstein,but hear I am now and I will show you his work. Stop the hating guys this post was a bit of a sham. I dont know about kev? But I will get caught up on the posts about kev!!! Does kev have pics up? that is before and after!!! Dr. E your a good guy, I like your batting percentage. Go Red Sox World champs Brothers!!! Dr E are you a Mets fan or a Giants fan? Please do not say yankees or im finding a new Ht doc!!!

[HairDew]

Dennis, I was being completely sarcastic..I just wanted to relax the atmosphere around here, nothing more

 

 

P.S....GO D-BACKS lol

[djdennis]

Hairdew im sorry, I just read the entire thread and they really tore up Dr. E for awhile. I have not been on the site much since im studying for an exam. So not much time to post or read and when I finished 9 pages of assault,yours was the last and i was tired and i read it a little fast and I do see you being sarcastic lol good one Bro... Just to tell you other guys out there. I am 2 months post op and I got these thick little stubs flying out at 2 months and no complaints and no shockloss (thank God) So im in the waiting stage but thats the name of this game. I will be posting 3 month pics on May 7th. I did not post 2 month pics because I have this obsession with shaving down my head to see how the hairs are really coming in and to see my donor scar which is healing nicely. I will get out those pics for you unbelievers in Epsten.

[djdennis]

hey didnt the diamond backs have Curt schilling back in the day when they one the world series yarons ago!!! So hairdew I think you will be waiting yarons again