Best doctor for female hair grafts, any experiences with dr. epstein?

[hairgirll]

are there any doctors that a lot of people can recommend?

the problem with the recommendations so far is that everyone is recommending something different

i prefer a surgeon that is unanimously agreed on is very good

[Thehairupthere]

Any doctor that is recommended by this site is an excellent surgeon. They are hair transplant specialists and devote their entire practice only to transplantation. You can read up on all the doctors that are recommended on this site and see their credentials and examples of treatments.

[MrlaidbackAB]

Yes you are so right I love this site it saved me from wasting almost 3,000 of my hard on money on a certain doc who I will not name.

[corvettester]

i dont live in NYC so it doesnt matter that its 90 minutes flight

 

is there a difference though for women, and men? you would recommend different doctors for women than for men? since you said for a woman who wants to lower her hairline.

 

Ugh...

 

No. I was just trying to say that I see certain docs with far more female B&As than other docs. Dr. Schweiger is known to deal mostly with female patients and writes extensively on the subject. Any reputable doc should be able to help you.

 

 

Corvettester

[hairthere]

Hi hairgirll,

I realize you have been hit with a lot of info all at once: people's preferred doc, fue vs. strip, whether or not to travel outside the USA. It can be overwhelming. My suggestion for you is to spend some time on these forums first and get educated. I'd start by learning a bit about the two types of surgery, and then delve into the pros and cons of each. Once you have a better understanding of how it all works, you can then get more into specific doctors.

 

Also, I wouldn't be so concerned with finding one who specifically deals with women. A great HT doc will be able to deliver a great result regardless of your gender. As you start to research doctors you will find they have different approaches, techniques, and personalities. Some docs offer strip only, very few offer fue only, and some offer both. Consult as many as you can until you find the one who best suits your needs in all those areas. There's a list of HTN-recommended surgeons on this site that will help once you are ready to take that step. Best of luck and you can rest assured you have a ton of support here.

[Ellie]

Hi hairgirll,

I realize you have been hit with a lot of info all at once: people's preferred doc, fue vs. strip, whether or not to travel outside the USA. It can be overwhelming. My suggestion for you is to spend some time on these forums first and get educated. I'd start by learning a bit about the two types of surgery, and then delve into the pros and cons of each. Once you have a better understanding of how it all works, you can then get more into specific doctors.

 

Also, I wouldn't be so concerned with finding one who specifically deals with women. A great HT doc will be able to deliver a great result regardless of your gender. As you start to research doctors you will find they have different approaches, techniques, and personalities. Some docs offer strip only, very few offer fue only, and some offer both. Consult as many as you can until you find the one who best suits your needs in all those areas. There's a list of HTN-recommended surgeons on this site that will help once you are ready to take that step. Best of luck and you can rest assured you have a ton of support here.

 

I think this is good advice. Do more research and maybe ask to see some FUT scars when you do the consults. I think people do scar differently so it would be good to view some scars.

[FineRaven]

Hi hairgirll,

 

I just read your post and wanted to say that I can understand where you are coming from in terms of finding a surgeon who has experience in hair transplantation on women. (By the way, I'm female. ) Designing a hairline for a woman is not the same as designing one for a man, so it is crucial to find a surgeon who not only has refined surgical skills, but also has the artistic ability to give you a feminine-looking final result.

 

While I recognize there is probably more than one surgeon out there who could perform a nice looking result for you, my own personal experience was with Dr. Rahal so of course, I can only speak to that.

 

I chose Dr. Rahal because of his reputation and experience. After meeting him at my consultation, it only solidified that he was the right choice for me. He spent a solid hour with me discussing my options, drawing lines on my forehead and answering my questions. This was impressive since there seem to be many clinics that have a patient advisor spend the bulk (if not all) of the time with you rather than the doctor him/herself.

 

The surgery itself went very well for me and it was a pleasant experience (as pleasant as surgery can be anyway ). Dr. Rahal and his staff were wonderful throughout the whole 'adventure' so I would never hesitate to recommend him and his clinic. I know you said you wouldn't look outside of the U.S., but in my opinion, he is worth considering. Ultimately, you want to be comfortable with whomever you choose.

 

Anyway, I'd be happy to share more about my own experience if you are interested.

Edited June 2, 2011 by FineRaven

[hairgirll]

Ugh...

 

No. I was just trying to say that I see certain docs with far more female B&As than other docs. Dr. Schweiger is known to deal mostly with female patients and writes extensively on the subject. Any reputable doc should be able to help you.

 

 

Corvettester

 

whats b&a?

[hairgirll]

Hi hairgirll,

 

I just read your post and wanted to say that I can understand where you are coming from in terms of finding a surgeon who has experience in hair transplantation on women. (By the way, I'm female. ) Designing a hairline for a woman is not the same as designing one for a man, so it is crucial to find a surgeon who not only has refined surgical skills, but also has the artistic ability to give you a feminine-looking final result.

 

While I recognize there is probably more than one surgeon out there who could perform a nice looking result for you, my own personal experience was with Dr. Rahal so of course, I can only speak to that.

 

I chose Dr. Rahal because of his reputation and experience. After meeting him at my consultation, it only solidified that he was the right choice for me. He spent a solid hour with me discussing my options, drawing lines on my forehead and answering my questions. This was impressive since there seem to be many clinics that have a patient advisor spend the bulk (if not all) of the time with you rather than the doctor him/herself.

 

The surgery itself went very well for me and it was a pleasant experience (as pleasant as surgery can be anyway ). Dr. Rahal and his staff were wonderful throughout the whole 'adventure' so I would never hesitate to recommend him and his clinic. I know you said you wouldn't look outside of the U.S., but in my opinion, he is worth considering. Ultimately, you want to be comfortable with whomever you choose.

 

Anyway, I'd be happy to share more about my own experience if you are interested.

 

Thanks for your response do you have photos of your result?

[hairgirll]

the thing is that i am actually considering going with dr epstein unless someone has some specific reason why a person should not. i can't use doctors outside the us, and i don't like doctors within the us that are not well known.

 

i have heard about some bad experiences, and with some surgeries going bad, but is that because he didn't perform the surgery right? i mean he is incompetent in the surgery?

like grafts were placed in very wrong places something like this?

[corvettester]

whats b&a?

 

B&A is Before and After photos.

 

No offense, but I get the impression that you haven't done enough research. Whether a doctor is well known, has a nice website or office, should not be a primary concern. There are lots of well known doctors. Most people have only had experiences with just one, so anything else they recommend is not a primary source.

 

Research takes time and effort. There is no one who can just tell you who the best is. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Corvettester

[hairgirll]

B&A is Before and After photos.

 

No offense, but I get the impression that you haven't done enough research. Whether a doctor is well known, has a nice website or office, should not be a primary concern. There are lots of well known doctors. Most people have only had experiences with just one, so anything else they recommend is not a primary source.

 

Research takes time and effort. There is no one who can just tell you who the best is. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Corvettester

 

i'd never go with a doctor who has a crappy website and hasn't had much experience or isn't known

 

i prefer a doctor who is well established and has had thousands of patients

 

right some people have had experiences with just one so just because one person is satisfied doesnt mean anything

a doctor with a few patients who are all satisfied isn't better than a well known and established doctor with almost all satisfied patients

 

i have not seen any proof that dr. epstein is incompetent

the bad experiences ive read about, there is no proof or evidence that the mistake was due to the doctor's error in the surgery, i dont believe doctors don't know how to place grafts unless they are drunk or something

i mean are you saying he will mess up the procedure?

 

id never choose a doctor in a small town with a crappy office and website

if they are good then why do they have a bad office and website lol

 

i want someone established to the point where they care enough about their site to fix it up which will only cost a few hundred dollars to a designer which is nothing for them

 

unless youre saying that dr epstein doesnt know how to place hair grafts bc he will get drunk or he doesnt know what hes doing, i cant choose another doctor

 

if i were a male id probably go with dr bernstein b/c he seems to be the best one for males

[hairgirll]

B&A is Before and After photos.

 

No offense, but I get the impression that you haven't done enough research. Whether a doctor is well known, has a nice website or office, should not be a primary concern. There are lots of well known doctors. Most people have only had experiences with just one, so anything else they recommend is not a primary source.

 

Research takes time and effort. There is no one who can just tell you who the best is. It just doesn't work that way.

 

Corvettester

 

ive researched but ive pretty much decided and i dont think ill find anything that is going to change anything, if people all over the place recommend different doctors thats just more reason for me not to go with them,

i prefer an established doctor with 99.9% or even lower satisfied patients than a doctor that isn't as established with even a 100% rate

i dont believe that this doctor doesnt know the procedure just as well as any other

so why should i not use him?

[hairgirll]

so, any final solid reasons why i should not go with this doctor? my last chance to back out i guess before its too late.

like any proof that he doesn't know the procedure, etc. anything like this?

that he will get drunk, not take the procedure seriously?

[trigal]

I am also a female looking to have my hairline lowered (I've always had a high forehead but thankfully it's not receding!) and just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing all the info/experiences/recommendations on this site. It is an invaluable resource! I'm based in Australia and may not have otherwise realised that this is not the optimal place to get HT surgery done (there are some experienced surgeons here but not many and there are many dreadful stories).

 

I'm still researching procedures and doing online consultations (plus I have met a couple of surgeons in person locally) but have decided to get the procedure done in NY. I'm looking at T&D, Bernstein and Feller but am tending towards T&D due to loads of good feedback on this site plus Corvettester's detailed account of his experience there (Dorin also has experience with female patients, to the extent the gender distinction is significant). Many thanks Corvettester for going to the effort of documenting all this, it makes life much easier for people like me!

 

Good luck Hairgirll. I'll be interested to hear how you go given that my objectives are very similar (if not the same) as yours.

 

Best,

Trigal.

[Sonia]

Hi hairgirll,

I think you should definitely do more research. In fact I would spend at least 6months to a year researching and narrowing down options before you make your final decision. A real bad hair transplant can ruin your life, no joke! In the ht business there are more bad surgeons than good ones. I also think you need to stop being so hung up on websites because the not so good surgeons sometimes use flashy websites to attract patients, so why would you want to fall into that trap? Bear in mind that a majority of ht patients are men and that is why the b&a pictures will be mostly male. In reallity, most top docs have more than enough experience with female patients. I would also make sure you are a good candidate for an ht to begin with (medical conditions, genetics, donor hair, etc.). Another thing you could consider is a hairline lowering procedure. Many times this can look much more natural than getting a hair transplant as your natural hairline is lowered and the hair grows through the scar. Other than that, if you are set on having a hair transplant I would check out Dr. Konior or Dr. Ron Shapiro. Both have posted several very impressive results of female patients with transplanted hairlines and both are considered to be world class ht surgeons if not the top 10. You should look through the pictures section of this website to see for yourself. As far as going to Dr. Epstein, I would advise against it. There are several posters (women included) who have been unhappy patients. In the end of the day its your head your choice. So good luck!

[orangehair]

hairgirll.....here are a few examples of our female patients:

 

True & Dorin Medical Group: Before and After Gallery

 

whether with our practice or another, you need to have face to face meetings if possible with the dr. that is going to be working on you.....easy way to shorten your list is to go to a dr. that specializes in hair transplantation full time, preferrably for a least 10 years - a medical practice dedicated to hair restoration is a good place to start......best of luck in your journey*