Consult with Dr. Greg Pistone, Philly

[drmstx]

Hello All

 

I have been a passive reader of this forum for almost an year now, and I guess its now my turn to contribute something here.

 

After some serious thinking and researching, I finally have decided to go for a HT in the coming few months. As part of the search for the right doctor, I have decided to meet with as many docs as I can for the free initial consults.

 

I am starting off with Dr. Pistone here in Philly tomorrow. Here is a list of things that I plan to ask him about:

 

1. Feasibilty of a HT in my case.

2. Propecia usage

3. Previous results/contacts of the patients.

4. Costs and Financing options (I cannot afford a HT right now, without any kind of financing).

5. His personal opinion of what realistically can be achieved in my case.

6. Need for multiple HTs over the coming few years.

Thats all I can think of, right now. Any comments/suggestions are welcome.

 

While this forum has mixed opinions about Dr. Pistone, I am kinda worried about the fact that this guy does a huge amount of advertising, both on the internet as well as on the highways. People familiar with the Philadelphia/South NJ areas will know what I am talking abut. You can see these huge hoarding every now and then on the interstates. It slightly bothers me bacause I have a personal opinion that a good doctor should not be advertising about himself so much.

 

Anyways, I will meet him tomorrow, and let you guys know how it goes. We can probably take the discussion from there. Again, comments/suggestions are highly appreciated.

 

Bald, Norwood 4 and 27 in Philly.

[drmstx]

Hello All

 

I have been a passive reader of this forum for almost an year now, and I guess its now my turn to contribute something here.

 

After some serious thinking and researching, I finally have decided to go for a HT in the coming few months. As part of the search for the right doctor, I have decided to meet with as many docs as I can for the free initial consults.

 

I am starting off with Dr. Pistone here in Philly tomorrow. Here is a list of things that I plan to ask him about:

 

1. Feasibilty of a HT in my case.

2. Propecia usage

3. Previous results/contacts of the patients.

4. Costs and Financing options (I cannot afford a HT right now, without any kind of financing).

5. His personal opinion of what realistically can be achieved in my case.

6. Need for multiple HTs over the coming few years.

Thats all I can think of, right now. Any comments/suggestions are welcome.

 

While this forum has mixed opinions about Dr. Pistone, I am kinda worried about the fact that this guy does a huge amount of advertising, both on the internet as well as on the highways. People familiar with the Philadelphia/South NJ areas will know what I am talking abut. You can see these huge hoarding every now and then on the interstates. It slightly bothers me bacause I have a personal opinion that a good doctor should not be advertising about himself so much.

 

Anyways, I will meet him tomorrow, and let you guys know how it goes. We can probably take the discussion from there. Again, comments/suggestions are highly appreciated.

 

Bald, Norwood 4 and 27 in Philly.

[drmstx]

Guys

 

So I went to the Pistone clinic in Philly today. Surprise, I am not seen by Dr. Pistone at all!! Instead, I get to meet this nice guy Ernesto though, who happens to be the "hair Restoration Educator" there. He was the one who did the consultation (because it was free, I think they thought it was not worth for Dr. Pistone to come and see me).

 

This guy was informative enough. Ran me through the procedures they do (they do not do FUE/FUTs, all they do is strip procedures). FUs according to him are risky, expensive and often yield bad results.

 

Here are the salient points of our discussion:

 

1. He said I might need two sessions, after looking at my hair density using a densitometer or something.

 

2. The donor area hair density was above average.

 

3. They claim to have a technique that allows them to cover the scar so good that it would be hardly noticeable. He showed me a photograph to prove his point.

 

4. He gave me a free Propecia sample to test out for a weeek for any side effects.

 

5. The minimum grafts I can get is 1600, and the max can vary according to the situation.

 

6. The flat rate is USD 6500: one half before the surgery and one after. Does that sound right?

 

7. Apparently they record EKGs for the procedure. While I know EKG is a common and safe thing to do, I am just wodering if all the HT docs do it.

 

Comments/Suggestions?

 

R

[Eman]

tuscani also was planning on going to Pistone, you can view his recent post. I would not recommend going to him. Another member (dhuge67) on this site went to him and was not happy with the results at all.

 

Go to the resource center here and review the list of coalition docs and have consults with any of the ones you so choose. You can send in your pics for them to view online and then have a free phone consult with any of them.

 

If you are in the Northeast, you have a number of excellent choices. Pistone is NOT a good choice. Make the right decision the first time in regards to hairtransplants and there won't be the heartache of having to fix shoddy work that will be noticeable to everyone.

[New-me]

I beg to differ about Dr.Pistone- I know multiple people who have had hair transplants with him who are quite happy. Unfortunately, of course, I cannot post their pictures. He went to Penn, Professor of Derm at Jefferson University Hospital and was just named top plastic surgeon in Philadelphia Magazine. He is also very ethical and very knowledgable. I greatly appreciate all the great information on this site and appreciate Bill for his great work, but just because a doctor doesn't buy into this site doesn't mean he is not good. I am a doctor myself and know some of his patients- his work is good- trust me.

[lorenzo]

drmstx: Good luck on your search. Keep researching as many doctors as possible then come to a decision. Don't let travel scare you because if you base your decision on location, you may be like other people that have to travel to either get repair or a better transplant. I do not know anything about Dr. Pistone but feel if you should check out both Dr. Feller and Dr. Shapiro. Both have exellent reputation all over the forum. I do not know that law in your state but I find it unethical when somebody other than a doctor doesn't see you and recommends how many grafts you should get. In my opinion if a doctor is world class he doesn't have to over advertise. Usually these company heads are too busy to even see you until the day of the surgery. Anyways good luck on your search and keep us posted.

 

New-me; If you were to read this forum you would see that your posting sounds more like an advertisement rather a truthful posting. You have posted twice and know you are asking an extremely knowledgable posters to trust you?? Doctors good or bad are been written about all over in the internet along with posters from different sites showing there before and after pictures, it is very rare to find any doctor that hasn't been talked about.

but just because a doctor doesn't buy into this site doesn't mean he is not good

 

Doctors that are part of the coalition are not good they are above average to world class. Since you yourself are a doctor why not research the doctors on this site and then tell us is Dr. Pistone just as good as the coalition doctors? I don't mean to sound harsh but these type of promotions posts seem to happen on a daily basic from posters with usually no posts before.

Regardless this is my opinion

[Bill - Seemiller]

Doctors that are part of the coalition are not good they are above average to world class.

 

Lorenzo,

 

I'm not quite clear on what you mean by the above statement.

 

I believe all physician members of the Coalition are doing world class work.

 

 

Pat has personally seen almost every Coalition surgeon perform live surgery and all have been privately and publicly screened by our community.

 

Whereas some may do larger sessions than others, all are using ultra refined techniques, are consistent in providing optimal results and patient care, and agree to operate in our transparent community. Those that don't continue meeting our high standards are promptly removed.

 

Bill

[lorenzo]

My comment are the doctors in the coaltion are better than good, above average world class. Sorry I understand what you are saying I should have made it clearer. It was not meant to state there are doctors that are not world class just to state they are much better than good. I should not have put to because that is not what I meant.

[New-me]

Lorenzo- I believe the doctors on here are world class- no doubt, they have done great work. I am not advertising for Dr Pistone at all- I have no vested interest in him what so ever. All I am saying is that there is good work being done out there by physicians who aren't in 'the coalition'. I just know, as a doctor, that while online forums are great to help people- as this one is, they don't paint the whole picture. Some of the best physicians I know aren't in magazines and newspapers and on tv interviews, etc.

As far as advertising, hair transplantation is a competitive field for patients- it is only wise business to advertise. Why would you not invest in your business. Cardiology groups have billboards all around here, as well as many other specialties. Why would a cardiologist adverstise? Because, like everything else, its a business- wanting to get the patient base others will get. That doesn't mean your a bad physician. Penn has billboards everywhere- I guess we are saying they are shady- no matter what you believe- this is a business like anything else.

I am not an expert in hair transplant- Bill knows much more than me- I am just saying trust me when I know patients who are very happy from Dr. Pistone, that is it.

[Bill - Seemiller]

My comment are the doctors in the coaltion are better than good, above average world class. Sorry I understand what you are saying I should have made it clearer. It was not meant to state there are doctors that are not world class just to state they are much better than good. I should not have put to because that is not what I meant.

 

Thanks for the clarification Lorenzo and I agree.

 

We work hard to ensure surgeons recommended by this community live by and continue to meet our high standards. Those who don't are promptly removed.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Petchski]

New-me - great, you've said it...the best docs don't need to advertise, there i said that. Big deal.

 

Also, no one is going to trust you implicitly because you have 3 posts, no photos, and no one knows who you are from Adam, you're a doctor, great we'll take your word for it. All I will say is carry on doing more research on Dr Pistone. You are doing the right thing by looking around on the net and going for numerous consultations

[lorenzo]

New-me: thanks for the response I beleive you are being sincere.

 

I believe the doctors on here are world class- no doubt, they have done great work. I am not advertising for Dr Pistone at all- I have no vested interest in him what so ever. All I am saying is that there is good work being done out there by physicians who aren't in 'the coalition'.

 

I am sure that is possible how consitant are they. There are many free forums all over the internet therefore you would here about these doctors quite often.

 

Some of the best physicians I know aren't in magazines and newspapers and on tv interviews, etc.

 

 

Congrads on being a doctor I know it takes alot of years of dedication and intelligence to achieve this. Cosmetic surgery is different since this is elective surgery adverstisement can be extremely convincing.

In my experience over advisting (tv) defeats the purpose of why somebody becomes a doctor. TV advertising is extremely effective and will most likely cause a doctor to be so busy that he either has more than one clinic or hires other doctors to assist him. I don't care who you are but quality is definately compromised.

I assist Hasson and Wong which I believe is one the top clinics in the world. They could easily hire more doctors and open more clinics all over the world. They would probaly make so much money that they would not know what to do with it. They don't do it because they do not want to compromise quality and patient care to make more money.

[New-me]

I understand your argument Lorenzo- Plastic surgery is different- I will give you that. Wouldn't you say though by the Coalition Docs fulfilling the criteria that are set for them to be recommended on this website- they are in fact advertising. They know this is a popular and busy sight for hair transplant. So it makes sense to try to appease to what this sight requires. Just a thought, and playing devil's advocate more or less. I don't feel like arguing this point anymore anyway- question for you- Do Hasson and Wong required a shaved head? That would be impossible for me to do- looking toward the future if need be.

[Cuervo]

Went in at around 34 in 2010 to see Pistone - do not recommend which is why I'm creating this account and posting to Pistone threads!

 

I learned of his tactics AFTER the procedure (of course) because you see the results. Who CARES of the courtesy of the staff, how polite the guy is, where he went to medical school - if the results blow, then it was not worth it.

 

Basically, his practice committed FIVE TREMENDOUS no-nos of hair transplantation which most people simply do not understand or appreciate.

 

1) he used larger grafts (micro-minis) even though he was supposed to be a FUT guy. How do I know? Well, I have access to a camera to see the head and you can see larger grafts! I went to see another doc (Brandon Ross) who said I had larger grafts like mico-minis which is not really the standard nowadays. What this means is his staff spent LESS time cutting the strip and he spent less time making incisions (for placement of the graft) because there were less grafts because they were bigger. So, a lot less work, but more or equal money. So, he used micro minis which I did not want. Find a FUT guy.

 

Here's how you thwart that. If you must use Pistone (don't recommend) go in there with a camera and a pic of your scalp and you know how many follicles you have per sq cm, etc. Something like a smartphone would be fine, I think. Make it clear YOU ARE EDUCATED. Make it clear you have a friend, Rocko, who's a surgeon and he's going to look at the incisions later on to make sure they're single follicular units. "Hey, doc, how many grafts do you think we'll get in here because my friend works over at CHOP and she's a surgeon. She says she'll stop by in a few days and she says she'll count the grafts to see how many I got...and can tell if there's multiple follicles per graft." YOU SAY THIS and YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY GET RESPECT because you will cease being an idiotic patient like this guy thinks you are. You will cease being an ATM machine for this guy and he will probably feel the pressure to do the right thing: single follicular units. (OF COURSE he will say this is what he does, BUT it's NOT!)

 

2) he used staples!!! Unbelievable. I thought it was pretty clear that with a cosmetic procedure you would never use staples - wow! so much for intuition. But nope, this guy used staples. Even sent me home with a staple removal kit!! Staples result in LARGE SCARS. And I have a massive one. The next transplant guy was like, "Whoah!! Who did THIS??" God forbid, you use a few minutes extra to suture the inside and the outside. God forbid!! GO MONEY. So, tell the guy: "I want to make sure you do not use staples at this reputable practice because that's for butchers." They'll thread you - if they say they will use staples, run!!

 

3) He uses techs to insert the hairs (or is simply incompetent)!!! Lord, there's a few things a hair transplant practice must do well: cut the graft into follicular units, poke the little holes, and then insert the grafts into the little holes. Who cares about buying you lunch?? When I went to the next guy Brandon Ross, he showed me many grafts right at the hairline!! that were "indented" or ingrown meaning they were placed in such a way that they were BELOW the surface of the skin. This results in a graft that looks pretty bad. It should be even with the skin so it looks natural. So, either Pistone was DRUNK, HIGH, or he used incompetent techs to do this and went off for a smoke. I was OUT like a light so I didn't see who inserted the grafts. ASK, "hey doc, who does the actual insertions of the grafts because I understand that constitutes the practice of medicine and I want to make sure it's an MD who does this not a tech..." (I understand inserting grafts is a skill that techs can do in some states so maybe my complaint can be watered down to "I had inferior techs insert my grafts...")

 

4) He does not do his own consults. I know this is common - but in general, see the doc who is going to do you - if you get a tech/some other person, this is points off for that doc.

 

5) LIED about the graft numbers: this is related to number 1 above. Of course, if they do a micromini graft in their head they might think there's like .... 4 follicular units so they might equate that to four grafts even though its ONE graft and tell you it's FOUR. This is a lie. I had them counted by three different people: 789, 817, and 830. He said I had over 1500 grafts!! BULL! And yes, I paid for more grafts. So, would you go to this guy?

 

I'm not spending much time praising Brandon Ross in La Jolla, but I should: he is a cool un-cocky guy who sits with you for the consults. He gives you what you ask for. He calculates accordingly. He doesn't do larger micominis and he uses stitches! THIS should be the gold standard. Pistone does not meet this so I cannot recommend him. Brandon Ross charges a flat rate of $3 per graft and there's no room to cheat because whatever strip you get will get cut down to whatever native number of follicular units there are. You get billed for what's harvested and he has natural results - my result looks so much nicer AFTER Ross went in and fixed up my ingrown hairs that Pistone did. Go Ross, Boo Pistone.